bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Persecution of Political and Social Scientists in Brazil
Authors: Schmitter Philippe C.
Published: September 2013

In recent issues ofPS, American political and social scientists have been accused – by their colleagues – ofsubservienceto the established order. Of equal concern to the profession should be the paradoxical plight of their Brazilian colleagues who, while pursuing much the same goals and utilizing many of the same techniques of inquiry, find themselves accused – by their government – ofsubversion, and very actively persecuted for this charge.

The following is a description of the situation of Brazilian social scientists since December 1968. Official censorship, self-imposed prudence and the understandable propensity for foreign journalists to concentrate on the more spectacular and horrifying aspects of Brazil's current regime, e.g. torture, assassination by “political police” or vigilante group, arbitrary arrest and loss of political rights by prominent politicians, make it difficult to obtain reliable documentation. Much of the information I gathered personally during a three week stay in Rio de Janeiro, Sāo Paulo and Pôrto Alegre in May of 1969. This has been updated with the help of Brazilian scholars resident in the United States. For obvious reasons I cannot recognize their efforts personally. I would, however, like to thank Mr. William Wipfler of National Council of the Churches of Christ and Professor Ralph Della Cava of Queens University who are preparing a comprehensive dossier on civil rights violations for proximate publication. Peter Bell, formerly with the Ford Foundation in Rio, has been particularly helpful with information and criticism.
Social Science and the Sources of Policy: 1951–1970
Authors: MacRae Duncan
Published: September 2013

“…[T]hereis no necessary conflict among these three desires of the American social scientist: to be a scientist like physical and biological scientists, to provide useful technical services, and to be significant at the level of policy. The chapters of this symposium are intended to illustrate their compatibility.”

This statement indicates a major theme ofThe Policy Sciences– a volume that marked, as of 1951, the aspirations of a group of leading American social scientists for the policy applications of their disciplines. The harmony of goals that it suggests is no longer evident today.

The possibleincompatibilities among the goals of pure science, applied science, and policy can be seen by examiningThe Policy Sciencesin two decades' perspective. They are of three major kinds:

1. To provide intelligent advice on practical problems, the social science disciplines need to include systematicvaluative discoursein a way that natural science does not.

2. Applied social science (like applied science generally) differs from pure natural science in stressing valuative dependentvariablesthat may not be closely related to the conceptual schemes of pure science, and independent variables related to alternative choices open to the actor.

3. Different roles andchannels of influenceare appropriate for pure and applied science; and for applied social science in democratic regimes, participation and consent on the part of those influenced are of vital significance.
The U.S. and Soviet Stakes in Nuclear Nonproliferation
Authors: Nye Joseph S.
Published: September 2013

In the aftermath of the invasion of Afghanistan and the advent of the Reagan Administration, cooperation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union seems to have diminished, particularly in the area of arms control. Nuclear non-proliferation is the oldest area of Soviet-American cooperation in arms control, dating back to the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the 1950s. But the fact that the two countries have a common interest does not mean that there is necessarily an equal interest or that it can survive the current tension.

Some analysts argue that the Soviet Union has more at risk from proliferation than does the United States. For example, many of the potential new entrants to nuclear weapons status–India, Pakistan, Korea, Taiwan, Iraq–are countries geographically close to the Soviet Union and distant from the United States. Thus, it could be argued that the Soviet Union has more to fear than we do, and from the zero-sum perspective of U.S.-Soviet hostility, further proliferation may hurt the Soviet Union more than the United States. To judge whether this is a sensible basis for policy, or whether cooperative action is a better basis requires a closer look at the skeptical arguments.
Sex and Politics—New Alignments, Old Issues
Authors: Frankovic Kathleen A.
Published: September 2013

The relationship between sex and political behavior has been discussed only in passing in the political science literature, if it is discussed at all. There has been little evidence from the 1940s to the 1970s that gender plays a role in determining issue positions, candidate evaluations, or candidate preference, as a quick perusal of some well-read political science works would confirm.

Berelson, Lazarsfeld and McPhee inVoting, the seminal work on opinion formation in a presidential campaign, discovered no relationship between vote preference and sex. The researchers did discover a difference in reported interest in the 1948 campaign between men and women early in the campaign, but even that difference faded as the election drew near.

Campbell, Converse, Miller and Stokes inThe American Votermake no mention of either the existence or non-existence of sex difference in policy or candidate preference. They focus instead on differences in turnout, involvement and efficacy. Although they suggest that at one time opinions about Prohibition may have separated men from women, the authors conclude, “In the current era, there is no reason to believe that womenas womenare differentially attracted to one of the political parties.”

Pomper inVoters' Choicedoes find a relationship between sex and one issue dimension–the dimension of war and peace. But Pomper, Campbell and Berelson agree that any sex differences cannot, by definition, be long-lasting. Berelson cites the lack of differentiation in the way policies affect the sexes, the lack of differences in intergenerational transmission, and the lack of segregation between the sexes.
Realignment: The Eternal Question
Authors: Schneider William
Published: September 2013

Realignment is one of the few political science concepts that have made their way into the popular culture. Writers like Samuel Lubell, Kevin Phillips, and David Broder, borrowing heavily from the political science literature, have made informed political observers aware of the cyclical nature of party dominance in American political history and of the fact that the demise of the so-called “fifth” or New Deal party system has been overdue since about 1968. It is not unusual for political reporters to ask each other after a presidential election whether it was a “critical election” or not. They are, in other words, hip to our jargon.

What most journalists and politicians understand by realignment, however, is a good deal less complex than what political scientists mean. Realignment, to most people in Washington, means a Republican take-over. It means that the GOP will replace the Democrats as the “normal” governing majority in this country for the next generation, just as the Democrats replaced the Republicans as the “normal” governing party after 1932.

Certain facts suggest that things are changing in that direction. The Republicans have won three out of the last four presidential elections. The Democrats have obtained a majority of the presidential vote only twice in nine elections since 1944. The once-Solid South did not hold for the Democrats in 1964, 1968, 1972, or 1980. On the other hand, Democratic predominance has continued at most levels of office-holding below that of president and in party registration figures.
Beyond the Deadline
Authors: Palley Marian Lief
Published: September 2013

Though the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fell three states short of ratification, the women's movement seems to have learned from its mistakes and made some changes in its tactics, organization and focus. Specifically, feminist organizations—now stronger than ever—are stressing grass roots political activities and issues which are economic as well as social.

Feminist groups seem to have been most successful in influencing public policy when they have focused on role equity issues rather than role change issues. As Joyce Gelb and I explained in a recent book on women and public policy,

Role equity issues are those policies which extend rights now enjoyed by other groups (men, other minorities) to women and which appear to be relatively delineated or narrow in their implications, permitting policy makers to seek advantage with feminist groups and voters with little cost or controversy. In contrast, role change issues appear to produce change in the dependent female role of wife, mother and homemaker, holding out the potential of greater sexual freedom and independence in a variety of contexts. The latter issues are fraught with greater political pitfalls, including perceived threats to existing values, in turn creating visible and often powerful opposition.

Of course, many issues deal both with role equity and role change. When feminist groups have failed, it has often been because their opponents have emphasized the role change aspects of an issue.

Many of the issues which are primarily questions of role equity are economic. Thus, it was probably wise for the National Organization for Women (NOW) to emphasize in its ERA effort that the average female worker earns 59 cents for every dollar earned by her male counterpart.
An Inherent Instability of Efficient Markets
Authors: Patzelt Felix , Pawelzik Klaus
Published: September 2013

Speculative markets are often described as “informationally efficient” such that predictable price changes are eliminated by traders exploiting them, leaving only residual unpredictable fluctuations. This classical view of markets operating close to an equilibrium is challenged by extreme price fluctuations which occur far more frequently than can be accounted for by external news. Here we show that speculative markets which absorb self-generated information can exhibit both: evolution towards efficient equilibrium states as well as their subsequent destabilisation. We introduce a minimal agent-based market model where the impacts of trading strategies naturally adapt according to their success. This implements a learning rule for the whole market minimising predictable price changes and an extreme succeptibility at the point of perfect balance. The model quantitatively reproduces real heavy-tailed log return distributions and volatility clusters. Our results demonstrate that market instabilities can be a consequence of the very mechanisms that lead to market efficiency.
Improved photoresponse with enhanced photoelectric contribution in fully suspended graphene photodetectors
Authors: Patil Vikram , Capone Aaron , Strauf Stefan , Yang Eui-Hyeok
Published: September 2013

Graphene's unique optoelectronic properties are promising to realize photodetectors with ultrafast photoresponse over a wide spectral range from far-infrared to ultraviolet radiation. The underlying mechanism of the photoresponse has been a particular focus of recent work and was found to be either photoelectric or photo-thermoelectric in nature and enhanced by hot carrier effects. Graphene supported by a substrate was found to be dominated by the photo-thermoelectric effect, which is known to be an order of magnitude slower than the photoelectric effect. Here we demonstrate fully-suspended chemical vapor deposition grown graphene microribbon arrays that are dominated by the faster photoelectric effect. Substrate removal was found to enhance the photoresponse by four-fold compared to substrate-supported microribbons. Furthermore, we show that the light-current input/output curves give valuable information about the underlying photophysical process responsible for the generated photocurrent. These findings are promising towards wafer-scale fabrication of graphene photodetectors approaching THz cut-off frequencies.
A highly luminescent spiro-anthracenone-based organic light-emitting diode exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence
Authors: Nasu Keiro , Nakagawa Tetsuya , Nomura Hiroko , Lin Chi-Jen , Cheng Chien-Hong , Tseng Mei-Rurng , Yasuda Takuma , Adachi Chihaya
Published: September 2013

A spiro-anthracenone derivative (ACRSA) shows efficient TADF. An ACRSA-based organic light emitting diode exhibited blue-greenish emission with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 16.5%.
PIKfyve: a new fish in the growing pool of AMPK substrates
Authors: Lally James S. V. , Steinberg Gregory R.
Published: September 2013

Skeletal muscle is critical for whole-body glucose homoeostasis. Insulin and muscle contractions induced by exercise can increase glucose uptake through distinct intracellular signalling pathways involving PKB (protein kinase B)/Akt and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) respectively. Whereas the proximal events governing these processes are becoming well understood, less is known about the regulation of the complex events necessary for the control of glucose uptake at the plasma membrane. In recent years, a number of common targets of AMPK and PKB/Akt have emerged as important components controlling glucose uptake, but the necessary phosphorylation events required for the control of glucose uptake have remained more elusive. In the current issue of the Biochemical Journal, Liu et al. identify that PIKfyve, a phosphoinositide phosphate kinase, is required for contraction-stimulated glucose uptake. They demonstrate that AMPK directly phosphorylates PIKfyve at Ser307, the same site as PKB/Akt, and that phosphorylation is increased in response to muscle contractions. These data provide compelling evidence for a new AMPK substrate that converges with PKB/Akt signalling and may be critical for the control of glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.
Biotransformation of glucosinolates from a bacterial perspective.
Authors: Mullaney J. A. , Ansell J. , Kelly W. J. , Heyes J. A.
Published: September 2013

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between the consumption of cruciferous vegetables and a reduced risk of certain types of cancers, in particular, pancreatic, bladder and colorectal. This is thought to be the result of the conversion of glucosinolates (GSLs) present in the vegetables into bioactive isothiocyanates (ITCs) that in turn stimulate a host response involving detoxification pathways. Conversion of GSLs is catalysed by the enzyme myrosinase, co-produced by the plant but stored in separate tissue compartments and brought together when the tissue is damaged. Myrosinase activity can be lost during storage of vegetables and is often inactivated by cooking. In the absence of active plant myrosinase the host's gut bacteria are capable of carrying out a myrosinase-like activity on GSLs in the lower gut. Several micro-organisms are known to be capable of metabolizing GSLs leading to the production of ITCs and nitriles, and this review examines the bacterial biotransformation of GSLs and a role for the microbiota in their biotransformation.
Nodulin 22, a Novel Small Heat-Shock Protein of the Endoplasmic Reticulum, Is Linked to the Unfolded Protein Response in Common Bean
Authors: Rodriguez-López Jonathan , Martínez-Centeno Cynthia , Padmanaban Annamalai , Guillén Gabriel , Olivares Juan Elías , Stefano Giovanni , Lledías Fernando , Ramos Fernando , Ghabrial Said A. , Brandizzi Federica , Rocha-Sosa Mario , Díaz-Camino Claudia , Sanchez Federico
Published: September 2013

The importance of plant small heat shock proteins (sHsp) in multiple cellular processes has been evidenced by their unusual abundance and diversity; however, little is known about their biological role. Here, we characterized the in vitro chaperone activity and subcellular localization of nodulin 22 of Phaseolus vulgaris (PvNod22; common bean) and explored its cellular function through a virus-induced gene silencing–based reverse genetics approach. We established that PvNod22 facilitated the refolding of a model substrate in vitro, suggesting that it acts as a molecular chaperone in the cell. Through microscopy analyses of PvNod22, we determined its localization in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Furthermore, we found that silencing of PvNod22 resulted in necrotic lesions in the aerial organs of P. vulgaris plants cultivated under optimal conditions and that downregulation of PvNod22 activated the ER-unfolded protein response (UPR) and cell death. We also established that PvNod22 expression in wild-type bean plants was modulated by abiotic stress but not by chemicals that trigger the UPR, indicating PvNod22 is not under UPR control. Our results suggest that the ability of PvNod22 to suppress protein aggregation contributes to the maintenance of ER homeostasis, thus preventing the induction of cell death via UPR in response to oxidative stress during plant-microbe interactions.
Characterization and Quantification of Fungal Colonization of Phakopsora pachyrhizi in Soybean Genotypes
Authors: Vittal R. , Paul C. , Hill C. B. , Hartman G. L.
Published: September 2013

Soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is an economically important disease of soybean with potential to cause severe epidemics resulting in significant yield losses. Host resistance is one of the management tools to control this disease. This study compared soybean genotypes exhibiting immunity, complete and incomplete resistance, and susceptibility to an isolate of P. pachyrhizi based on visual assessment of reaction type, other visual traits such as sporulation, quantitative measurements of the amount of fungal DNA (FDNA) present in leaf tissues, and data on infection and colonization levels. Soybean genotype UG5 (immune), and plant introduction (PI) 567102B and PI 567104B (complete resistance) had lower quantities of uredinia and FDNA than four other genotypes with incomplete resistance. Based on microscopic observations, early events of spore germination, appressorium formation, and fungal penetration of the epidermis occurred within 24 h postinoculation and were similar among the tested soybean genotypes. Differences in infection among the genotypes were evident once the hyphae penetrated into the intercellular spaces between the mesophyll cells. At 2 days after inoculation (dai), soybean genotype Williams 82 had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher percentage of hyphae in the mesophyll tissue than other soybean genotypes, with UG5 having significantly (P < 0.05) lower percentages than all of the other soybean genotypes at 3, 4, and 5 dai. The percentage of interaction sites with mesophyll cell death was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in UG5 than other genotypes at 3, 4, and 5 dai. There was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.30, P < 0.001) between quantities of hyphae in the mesophyll cells and FDNA. These results demonstrated that incompatible soybean–P. pachyrhizi interaction results in restricted hyphal development in mesophyll cell tissue, likely due to hypersensitive apoptosis.
Incidence, Predictors, and Outcome of Difficult Mask Ventilation Combined with Difficult Laryngoscopy
Authors: Kheterpal Sachin , Healy David , Aziz Michael F. , Shanks Amy M. , Freundlich Robert E. , Linton Fiona , Martin Lizabeth D. , Linton Jonathan , Epps Jerry L. , Fernandez-Bustamante Ana , Jameson Leslie C. , Tremper Tyler , Tremper Kevin K.
Published: September 2013

Background:

Research regarding difficult mask ventilation (DMV) combined with difficult laryngoscopy (DL) is extremely limited even though each technique serves as a rescue for one another.

Methods:

Four tertiary care centers participating in the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group used a consistent structured patient history and airway examination and airway outcome definition. DMV was defined as grade 3 or 4 mask ventilation, and DL was defined as grade 3 or 4 laryngoscopic view or four or more intubation attempts. The primary outcome was DMV combined with DL. Patients with the primary outcome were compared to those without the primary outcome to identify predictors of DMV combined with DL using a non-parsimonious logistic regression.

Results:

Of 492,239 cases performed at four institutions among adult patients, 176,679 included a documented face mask ventilation and laryngoscopy attempt. Six hundred ninety-eight patients experienced the primary outcome, an overall incidence of 0.40%. One patient required an emergent cricothyrotomy, 177 were intubated using direct laryngoscopy, 284 using direct laryngoscopy with bougie introducer, 163 using videolaryngoscopy, and 73 using other techniques. Independent predictors of the primary outcome included age 46 yr or more, body mass index 30 or more, male sex, Mallampati III or IV, neck mass or radiation, limited thyromental distance, sleep apnea, presence of teeth, beard, thick neck, limited cervical spine mobility, and limited jaw protrusion (c-statistic 0.84 [95% CI, 0.82–0.87]).

Conclusion:

DMV combined with DL is an infrequent but not rare phenomenon. Most patients can be managed with the use of direct or videolaryngoscopy. An easy to use unweighted risk scale has robust discriminating capacity.
Diagnostic accuracy and comparison of two assays for Borrelia-specific IgG and IgM antibodies: proposals for statistical evaluation methods, cut-off values and standardization
Authors: Dessau Ram Benny
Published: September 2013

Two assays (Liaison, Diasorin; IDEIA, Oxoid) for detection ofBorrelia-specific antibodies were compared. A case–control design using patients with neuroborreliosis (n = 48), laboratory defined by a positiveBorrelia-specific antibody index in the spinal fluid, was available and was intended to represent the serological response of disseminated early Lyme borreliosis in general. Serum samples were obtained from 216 Danish blood donors as controls. By comparing sensitivity and specificity using pre-specified cut-off values, significant differences were found. However, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to optimize and standardize test interpretation, it was shown that testing with both IDEIA IgG and IgM was comparable to testing with Liaison IgG alone by comparing the area under the curve of the diagnostically relevant 25 % partial ROC curve (P = 0.1). When using the Liaison OspC/VlsE IgM assay, the specificity was decreased without a gain in sensitivity. This study proposes standardizing of reporting by using a control population as the reference and choosing decision thresholds guided by the risk of false-positive results at 2 and 8 %. The sensitivities for IDEIA (IgG and IgM combined) were 85 and 95 % and for the Liaison (VlsE IgG) method were 67 and 96 %, respectively. Methods for test evaluation, test interpretation and statistical testing are presented and discussed. In conclusion, Liaison VlsE IgG alone and IDEIA IgG/IgM combined showed a high and comparable discriminatory ability to distinguish serum samples from patients with neuroborreliosis from blood donor controls. However, cut-off values should be adjusted for a proper comparison.
First isolation of oleate-dependent Enterococcus faecalis small-colony variants from the umbilical exudate of a paediatric patient with omphalitis
Authors: Kubota Noriko , Kuzumoto Kei , Hidaka Eiko , Yoshizawa Katsumi , Yumoto Kayoko , Oana Kozue , Ogiso Yoshifumi , Nakamura Tomohiko , Kawakami Yoshiyuki
Published: September 2013

An oleate-dependentEnterococcus faecalisisolate representing small-colony variants (SCVs) was isolated from the umbilical exudate of a 31-month-old Japanese male patient in Nagano Children’s Hospital, Azumino, Japan. The patient had been suffering from recurrent omphalitis since early infancy. The initialE. faecalisSCV isolate formed small colonies on sheep blood agar plates and tiny colonies on chocolate and modified Drigalski agar, although no visible growth was observed in HK‐semi solid medium after 48 h incubation in ambient air. Moreover, the SCV isolate, the colonial morphology of which was reminiscent ofStreptococcusspecies, could not be identified using the MicroScan WalkAway-40 and API 20 Strep systems, both of which yielded profile numbers that did not correspond to any bacterial species, probably as a result of insufficient growth of the isolate. The SCV isolate was subsequently identified asE. faecalisbased on its morphological, cultural and biochemical properties, and this was confirmed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene of the organism. Investigations revealed that the addition of oleate, an unsaturated fatty acid, enabled the isolate to grow on every medium with normal-sized colony morphology. Although it has long been known that long-chain fatty acids, especially unsaturated oleic acid, have a major inhibitory effect on the growth of a variety of microorganisms, including not only mycobacteria but also streptococci, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first clinical isolation of an oleate-dependentE. faecalisSCV isolate. In addition, oleic acid might be considered to affect the cell membrane permeability of carbohydrates or antimicrobial agents such as β-lactams.
Microbiological investigation in male infertility: a practical overview
Authors: La Vignera Sandro , Condorelli Rosita A. , Vicari Enzo , Salmeri Mario , Morgia Giuseppe , Favilla Vincenzo , Cimino Sebastiano , Calogero Aldo E.
Published: September 2013

The roles of inflammation and/or infection of the male accessory sex glands are very important for the potential effects that these conditions may have on male fertility. The clinical andrologist should be aware of the pathophysiological role of the main determinants of sperm damage when these conditions occur, in particular, seminal leukocytes, oxidative stress and cytokines. In addition, it is important to have a good knowledge of the methodologies to be used in clinical practice. This article summarizes the methods used to look for and to identify the micro-organisms responsible for male urogenital tract infections. These include sperm culture, urine culture, urethral swabbing, the Meares–Stamey test and balanopreputial swabbing. Finally, we discuss the role of human papilloma virus infection in male infertility.
The six-membered-ring azomethineN-((E)-{5-[(E)-(pyridin-3-ylimino)methyl]thiophen-2-yl}methylidene)pyridin-3-amine
Authors: Bolduc Andréanne , Dufresne Stéphane , Skene W. G.
Published: September 2013

The title compound, C16H12N4S, forms a three-dimensional layered network structureviaintermolecular hydrogen bonding and π-stacking. The azomethine molecule adopts the thermodynamically stableEregioisomer and the pyridine substituents are antiperiplanar. The mean planes of the pyridine rings and the azomethine group to which they are connected are twisted by 27.27 (5) and 33.60 (5)°. The electrochemical energy gap of 2.3 eV based on the HOMO–LUMO energy difference is in agreement with the spectroscopically derived value.
The polar phase of Li2Ge4O9at 298, 150 and 90 K
Authors: Redhammer Günther J. , Tippelt Gerold
Published: September 2013

Dilithium tetragermanate is orthorhombic, space groupP21ca, at 298 K, and is thus in a polar and probably a ferroelectric state. The structure contains two independent Li, four Ge and nine O atoms, all on general positions with site symmetry 1. Three tetrahedrally coordinated Ge positions form crumpled crankshaft-like chains, forming sheets within theacplane, and these are interconnected by the fourth, octahedrally coordinated, Ge sites along thebdirection. The GeO4tetrahedra and GeO6octahedra form a three-dimensional framework containing two different cavities, hosting the two 4+1-coordinated Li sites. Cooling to 90 K does not alter the space-group symmetry; the tetrahedral chains behave as a rigid unit and changes occur mainly within the Li coordination spheres.
Children's school reading and curriculum innovation at the edge of Empire
Authors: Anton Cormack Phillip
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Using the example of a “school paper” titledThe Children's Hour, developed in South Australia in the late nineteenth century, the purpose of this paper is to show the way that the colonial margins could act as sites of innovation in curriculum and pedagogy and not just as importers of ideas from the imperial centre.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis on which the examination ofThe Children's Houris based is a combination of Foucaultian discourse analysis and a genealogical approach to curriculum history which tracks different formations of techniques and programmes for shaping the human subject.

Findings

–The Children's Hour(1889-1963), featured the innovative use of literature and other genres, and provided new ways to shape the identities of school students and teachers. School papers were strongly implicated in the discursive construction of both a global/imperial and local/Australian identities and represent an informative case of the ways in which teaching and learning practices have been highly mobile in the field of reading.

Originality/value

– This research shows that the humble school reading text is an overlooked site for examining processes of the constitution of national identity and the citizen subject. It is also a reminder of the significance of communications technologies in the formation of, and struggles over, national/imperial imaginaries and that the school is an important site for studying these processes.
Business improvement using organisational goals, Riva technique and e-business development stages
Authors: Abd El Aziz Rasha , Fady Rasha
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how to achieve business improvement using clear organisational goals and well-communicated vision, together with a powerful process modelling technique and an analysis of the adopted e-business development stages.

Design/methodology/approach

– Employing both business process modelling and improvement complement and reinforce one another. Among different business process modelling techniques, Ould's Riva method was selected to analyse the business processes and to improve the CRM business process in Incom Egypt. In order to get a deeper insight, seven-key decision makers at the case study organisation have been interviewed. E-business development stages have also been elaborated and analysed in the case study. This case study approach enables the researchers to get a complete picture of the problem.

Findings

– It was found that Incom Egypt aimed to automate their business processes to solve these problems but they failed. Main reasons behind its failure are their unstructured business processes and employees resistance to improvements. Setting clear goals that follow the organisation's mission and vision can direct managers towards better decision making. Therefore, identification of business processes should be among the first steps to understand business structure, where inefficiencies in current activities could be detected, adjusted and improved. Improvements could then follow e-business development stages using Earl's technique.

Originality/value

– The primary value of this paper is that business process improvement does not depend on one technique, but rather lies in the combination of process modelling, and e-business development together, which in turn helps decision makers successfully set up effective organisational plans via clarifying business processes. The improved system will provide a roadmap for organisations to make the proper transition to e-business.
Football club financial reporting: time for a new model?
Authors: Morrow Stephen
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate football club financial reporting with reference to: the long-standing debate on the nature and purpose of accounting; and the implementation of UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a review and analysis of academic literature, accounting regulation and football regulations.

Findings

– The focus of financial reporting on rational economic decision-makers results in football club financial reports being of limited use to many football club stakeholders. Consideration of the social and organisational context of football, as takes place in FFP, can be used as a catalyst to consider broader approaches to football club reporting. The paper calls for fuller and different pictures to be provided of clubs’ performance, in particular broadening the scope of accountability to users beyond that provided by an economic account.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper is designed to stimulate debate about accounting for and reporting on football club businesses. A necessary next step is an exploratory project, focusing on one or a small number of clubs and their stakeholders, exploring in a practical setting what enhanced football club reporting might look like.

Originality/value

– While the weaknesses of financial reporting have been considered extensively in the mainstream accounting literature and on occasion in terms of sport, the paper seeks to progress this discussion by linking it to significant football policy initiatives and to wider social and community-based football research.
A Note on Contradictions in Australian Water Policy
Authors: Crase Lin , Pawsey Nicholas , O'Keefe Sue
Published: September 2013

The success of Australia's water markets is now well documented and confirms the hypothesised usefulness of water markets as a policy tool, at least in the context of places like the Murray–Darling Basin. In this article, we reflect on the theoretical benefits of water markets as a point of reference against which to scrutinise the current penchant of government to subsidise irrigation infrastructure in efforts to address over‐allocation. We conclude that this approach results in a serious contradiction, unless there are grounds for believing that government has insights into the dynamic efficiency of the irrigation industry that exceed the coordination power of the market.
Key Findings from a Survey of Sellers to the Restoring the Balance Programme
Authors: Wheeler Sarah Ann , Cheesman Jeremy
Published: September 2013

This study provides the key results from a survey of water entitlement sellers to the Commonwealth's Restoring the Balance programme. At the start of 2012, the programme was a third of the way to achieving the current environmental water target. A large‐scale survey of water sellers found that 60 per cent of respondents had sold some water and kept farming; 30 per cent sold all water and left farming; and 10 per cent sold all water and continued farming. The majority were compelled to sell water because of debt and cash flow issues, but many used the sale as an opportunity to restructure and achieve other objectives. Half of the respondents who continued farming said selling water had no farm production consequences.
Food Security in Asia: Recent Experiences, Issues and Challenges
Authors: Jayasuriya Sisira , Mudbhary Purushottam , Broca Sumiter
Published: September 2013

After the sharp food price increases of 2007–2008 food security has once again become a major issue of global concern. When that food price spike was followed by the global financial crisis of 2008, a large increase in the number of food insecure people in Asia was widely expected. But Asian countries managed to avoid such a sharp increase in food insecurity, even though sharp price spikes have recurred since then. In this paper we show how government policy measures largely insulated consumers from severe price increases and maintained food security, but note that this success came at a price. In particular, the global food trading system was weakened, producer incentives were further distorted, and policies that may impose high long‐term efficiency costs became more deeply entrenched. Major policy challenges need to be addressed to ensure Asia's food security over the coming decades.
Toward an Instructionally Oriented Theory of Example‐Based Learning
Authors: Renkl Alexander
Published: September 2013

Learning from examples is a very effective means of initial cognitive skill acquisition. There is an enormous body of research on the specifics of this learning method. This article presents an instructionally oriented theory of example‐based learning that integrates theoretical assumptions and findings from three research areas: learning from worked examples, observational learning, and analogical reasoning. This theory has descriptive and prescriptive elements. The descriptive subtheory deals with (a) the relevance and effectiveness of examples, (b) phases of skill acquisition, and (c) learning processes. The prescriptive subtheory proposes instructional principles that make full exploitation of the potential of example‐based learning possible.
Selection on quantitative colour variation inCentaurea cyanus: the role of the pollinator's visual system
Authors: Renoult J. P. , Thomann M. , Schaefer H. M. , Cheptou P.‐O.
Published: September 2013

Even though the importance of selection for trait evolution is well established, we still lack a functional understanding of the mechanisms underlying phenotypic selection. Because animals necessarily use their sensory system to perceive phenotypic traits, the model of sensory bias assumes that sensory systems are the main determinant of signal evolution. Yet, it has remained poorly known how sensory systems contribute to shaping the fitness surface of selected individuals. In a greenhouse experiment, we quantified the strength and direction of selection on floral coloration in a population of cornflowers exposed to bumblebees as unique pollinators during 4 days. We detected significant selection on the chromatic and achromatic (brightness) components of floral coloration. We then studied whether these patterns of selection are explicable by accounting for the visual system of the pollinators. Using data on bumblebee colour vision, we first showed that bumblebees should discriminate among quantitative colour variants. The observed selection was then compared to the selection predicted by psychophysical models of bumblebee colour vision. The achromatic but not the chromatic channel of the bumblebee's visual system could explain the observed pattern of selection. These results highlight that (i) pollinators can select quantitative variation in floral coloration and could thus account for a gradual evolution of flower coloration, and (ii) stimulation of the visual system represents, at least partly, a functional mechanism potentially explaining pollinators' selection on floral colour variants.
Sex‐specific recombination rates and allele frequencies affect the invasion of sexually antagonistic variation on autosomes
Authors: Wyman M. J. , Wyman M. C.
Published: September 2013

The introduction and persistence of novel, sexually antagonistic alleles can depend upon factors that differ between males and females. Understanding the conditions for invasion in a two‐locus model can elucidate these processes. For instance, selection can act differently upon the sexes, or sex linkage can facilitate the invasion of genetic variation with opposing fitness effects between the sexes. Two factors that deserve further attention are recombination rates and allele frequencies – both of which can vary substantially between the sexes. We find that sex‐specific recombination rates in a two‐locus diploid model can affect the invasion outcome of sexually antagonistic alleles and that the sex‐averaged recombination rate is not necessarily sufficient to predict invasion. We confirm that the range of permissible recombination rates is smaller in the sex benefitting from invasion and larger in the sex harmed by invasion. However, within the invasion space, male recombination rate can be greater than, equal to or less than female recombination rate in order for a male‐benefit, female‐detriment allele to invade (and similarly for a female‐benefit, male‐detriment allele). We further show that a novel, sexually antagonistic allele that is also associated with a lowered recombination rate can invade more easily when present in the double heterozygote genotype. Finally, we find that sexual dimorphism in resident allele frequencies can impact the invasion of new sexually antagonistic alleles at a second locus. Our results suggest that accounting for sex‐specific recombination rates and allele frequencies can determine the difference between invasion and non‐invasion of novel, sexually antagonistic alleles in a two‐locus model.
A Study on the Optimization of an Air Dehumidification Desiccant System
Authors: Mandegari Mohsen Ali , Pahlavanzadeh Hassan
Published: September 2013

In this work an air dehumidification desiccant system is investigated. A two-dimensional unsteady state numerical model is developed for the simulation of the heat and mass transfer phenomena in a representative channel of a desiccant wheel. A set of operating cases with known experimental results are simulated with the numerical model. An acceptable agreement between the results experimentally and numerically predicted is found. Parametric studies are conducted regarding the influence of operating parameters on the performance of the desiccant wheel. The air dehumidification desiccant system is simulated in order to predict the electrical energy required for fan operation and to drive the wheel, as well as the thermal energy for the heating of the regeneration airflow. Several parametric studies are performed toward the characterization of optimum performance of the overall system considering two criteria as: (i) the minimization of the humidity ratio of the supply process air and (ii) minimization of the specific adsorption energy. The optimum point of case one is at the lowest wheel speed (4 Rph) and middle regeneration temperature (97 °C) whereas for case two, the optimum point happens at the highest regeneration temperature, regeneration flow rate desiccant wheel speed, and moderate process volume airflow (0.65 m/s).
Steady-State Performance of a Small-Scale Liquid-to-Air Membrane Energy Exchanger for Different Heat and Mass Transfer Directions, and Liquid Desiccant Types and Concentrations: Experimental and Numerical Data
Authors: Ghadiri Moghaddam Davood , LePoudre Philip , Besant Robert W. , Simonson Carey J.
Published: September 2013

A liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger (LAMEE) is an energy exchanger that allows heat and moisture transfer between air and salt solution flows through a semipermeable membrane. For the first time, a novel small-scale single-panel LAMEE test facility is used to experimentally investigate the effect of the direction of heat and mass transfers for the air and salt solution flows, and the effect of different salt solution types and concentrations on the LAMEE effectiveness. The data for steady-state effectiveness of the LAMEE are compared to the simulation results of a numerical model. Two studies are conducted; first a study based on different heat and mass transfer directions (four test cases), and second a study focused on the influence of solution types and concentration on LAMEE performance. For the first study, NTU = 3 and four different heat capacity ratios (i.e., Cr* = 1, 3, 5, 7) are used, with a LiCl salt solution in the exchanger. Mass and energy balances for all the test cases and the repeatability of the experimental data for the air cooling and dehumidifying test case show that the experimental data are repeatable and within an acceptable uncertainty range. The results show increasing effectiveness with increasing Cr*, and good agreement between the numerical and experimental results for both air cooling and dehumidifying and air heating and humidifying test cases. In the second study, two different salt solutions (i.e., LiCl and MgCl2), and three different concentrations for the LiCl solution (i.e., 25%, 30%, and 35%) are selected to investigate the effect of different salt solution types and concentrations on the performance of the LAMEE. A maximum difference of 10% is obtained for the LAMEE total effectiveness data with the different salt solution types and concentrations. The results show that both the salt solution type and concentration affect the LAMEE effectiveness, and changing the concentration is one way to control the supply air outlet humidity ratio.
Louver Finned Heat Exchangers for Automotive Sector: Numerical Simulations of Heat Transfer and Flow Resistance Coping With Industrial Constraints
Authors: Ferrero M. , Scattina A. , Chiavazzo E. , Carena F. , Perocchio D. , Roberti M. , Toscano Rivalta G. , Asinari P.
Published: September 2013

Louvered fins perform better than any other geometry in accomplishing the task of enhancing heat transfer of compact heat exchangers without prohibitive costs and pressure drops. For this reason, they are widely adopted for automotive applications. However, in order to improve louvered-fin compact heat exchangers, it is strongly required to understand how louvered fins behave regarding both heat transfer and pressure drop taking into account industrial constraints. For this purpose, numerical simulations based on the equations of thermofluid dynamics have been developed for this study. In particular, boundary heat flux and pressure distributions have been analyzed along the louvered-fin assembly and around the louvers, and even the effects of the flat portions (central and lateral louvers) have been investigated. In particular, the effects of the main geometrical parameters, such as fin pitch, louver pitch, and louver angle, have been evaluated by performing simulations on 40 different configurations. The results show that there is not one optimum configuration for the heat exchangers. Finally, a detailed procedure for the optimization of louvered-fin compact heat exchangers, considering industrial constraints is suggested according to multiple regression technique of the numerical results.
Causes and Effects of N-Terminal Codon Bias in Bacterial Genes
Authors: Goodman Daniel B. , Church George M. , Kosuri Sriram
Published: September 2013

Exploiting Redundancy

The genetic code is redundant—multiple codons can code for the same amino acid. So-called synonymous codon changes within genes can nonetheless have substantial affects on protein expression, which have been attributed to changes in the structure of 5′ messenger RNAs, among other factors.

Goodman
et al.

(p.
475
, published online 26 September) built and measured the expression of a synthetic library of 14,000 variant N-terminal sequences of 137
Escherichia coli
genes to show that, unexpectedly, rare codons had a bigger effect on increasing protein expression than more common codons. Increased RNA structure downstream of translation initiation appeared to represent the major determinant of expression differences owing to codon usage.
First Whole-Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium iranicum, a Newly Reported Mycobacterial Species
Authors: Tan Joon Liang , Ng Hien Fuh , Wee Wei Yee , Ang Mia Yang , Wong Guat Jah , Ngeow Yun Fong , Choo Siew Woh
Published: September 2013

Mycobacterium iranicum
is a new species of nontuberculous mycobacterium reported in 2013. Here, we describe the first whole-genome sequence of this species, that of
M. iranicum
strain UM_TJL, isolated from a patient in Malaysia.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Cryptococcus flavescens
Strain OH182.9_3C, a Biocontrol Agent against Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat
Authors: Rong Xiaoqing , McSpadden Gardener Brian B.
Published: September 2013

Cryptococcus flavescens
strain OH182.9_3C (3C) is a novel biopesticidal agent that can be used to control fusarium head blight of wheat. Here we present the draft genome sequence for 3C, the first for the species
C. flavescens
. Additionally, several genes that may contribute to the biocontrol activities of 3C were identified
in silico.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus subtilis Strain S1-4, Which Degrades Feathers Efficiently
Authors: Yong Bin , Yang Bin-Qing , Zhao Chuan-Wu , Feng Hong
Published: September 2013

Bacillus subtilis
strain S1-4, with the capacity to efficiently degrade feathers, was isolated from chicken feathers. Sequencing showed that the genome of strain S1-4 differs from that of other
B. subtilis
strains, with limited insertions and deletions. The genome encodes multiple extracellular proteases and keratinases.