bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Common features of megakaryocytes and hematopoietic stem cells: What's the connection?
Authors: Huang Hui , Cantor Alan B.
Published: June 2009

Megakaryocytes (Mks) are rare polyploid bone marrow cells whose function is to produce blood platelets. Since the purification and cloning of the major Mk cytokine, thrombopoietin, in 1994, considerable progress has been made in understanding the biology of Mk development. Remarkably, these advances have revealed a number of key features of Mks that are shared with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), such as common surface receptors, lineage‐specific transcription factors, and specialized signaling pathways. Why there should be such a close connection between these two cell types remains unclear. In this Prospect article, we summarize the data supporting these shared features and speculate on possible teleological bases. In particular, we focus on common links involving developmental hierarchy, endothelial cells, and bone marrow niche interactions. This discussion highlights new data showing close ontologic relationship between HSCs and specialized “hemogenic” endothelial cells during development, and functional overlap between Mks/platelets and endothelial cells. Overall, these findings may be of relevance in the development of techniques for HSC ex vivo culture and/or possible generation of HSCs via somatic cell reprogramming. J. Cell. Biochem. 107: 857–864, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The combination of berberine and irradiation enhances anti‐cancer effects via activation of p38 MAPK pathway and ROS generation in human hepatoma cells
Authors: Hur Jung‐Mu , Hyun Mee‐Sun , Lim Sang‐Yong , Lee Woo‐Yiel , Kim Dongho
Published: June 2009

Berberine, an isoquinoline plant alkaloid, has been known to generate a wide variety of biochemical and pharmacological effects. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism for the berberine‐induced enhancement of radio‐sensitization, the human hepatoma HepG2 cells were treated with berberine combined with irradiation. The anti‐tumor effect of gamma radiation was found to be significantly enhanced by berberine. The evidences of apoptosis, such as apoptotic DNA fragmentation and annexin V staining, were observed in the cells treated with the combination of berberine and irradiation. Additionally, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) were apparently elevated in the combination system. The activations of p38, Bax, and caspase‐3 were also detected in the irradiated cells pretreated with berberine. The productions of ROS and annexin V staining in the cells treated with the combination of berberine and irradiation were significantly inhibited by the specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, SB203580. The cell death induced by berberine alone or the combination of berberine and irradiation was suppressed by the anti‐oxidant,N‐acetyl cysteine (NAC). Taken together, the present results clearly indicate that the combination of berberine and gamma‐radiation enhance the anti‐cancer effects through the p38 MAPK pathway and ROS generation. J. Cell. Biochem. 107: 955–964, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Metabolism and regulation of gene expression by 4‐oxoretinol versus all‐trans retinoic acid in normal human mammary epithelial cells
Authors: Liu Limin , Derguini Fadila , Gudas Lorraine J.
Published: June 2009

We previously demonstrated that 4‐oxoretinol (4‐oxo‐ROL) activated retinoic acid receptors (RARs) in F9 stem cells. We showed that 4‐oxo‐ROL inhibited the proliferation of normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs). To understand the mechanisms by which 4‐oxo‐ROL regulates HMEC growth we examined gene expression profiles following 4‐oxo‐ROL or all‐trans retinoic acid (tRA). We also compared growth inhibition by tRA, 4‐oxo‐ROL, or 4‐oxo‐RA. All three retinoids inhibited HMEC proliferation. Gene expression analyses indicated that 4‐oxo‐ROL and tRA modulated gene expression in closely related pathways. The expression of many genes, e.g. ATP‐binding cassette G1 (ABCG1); adrenergic receptorβ2 (ADRB2); ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate (RAC2); and short‐chain dehydrogenase/reductase 1 gene (SDR1) was changed after 4‐oxo‐ROL or tRA. Metabolism of these retinoids was analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In 1 µM tRA treated HMECs all of the tRA was found intracellularly, and tRA was the predominant intracellular retinoid. In 1 µM 4‐oxo‐ROL treated HMECs most 4‐oxo‐ROL was esterified to 4‐oxoretinyl esters, no tRA was detected, and 4‐oxo‐ROL and 4‐oxo‐RA were observed intracellularly. In 1 µM 4‐oxoretinoic acid (4‐oxo‐RA) treated HMECs little intracellular 4‐oxo‐RA was detected; most 4‐oxo‐RA was in the medium. Our results indicate that: (a) 4‐oxo‐ROL regulates gene expression and inhibits proliferation of HMECs; (b) 4‐oxo‐ROL and tRA regulate some of the same genes; (c) more tRA is found in cells, as compared to 4‐oxoretinoic acid, when each drug is added at the same concentration in the medium; and (d) the mechanism by which 4‐oxo‐ROL exerts its biological activity does not involve intracellular tRA production. J. Cell. Physiol. 220: 771–779, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Self‐renewal and pluripotency is maintained in human embryonic stem cells by co‐culture with human fetal liver stromal cells expressing hypoxia inducible factor 1α
Authors: Ji Lei , Liu Yu‐xiao , Yang Chao , Yue Wen , Shi Shuang‐shuang , Bai Ci‐xian , Xi Jia‐fei , Nan Xue , Pei Xue‐tao
Published: June 2009

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are typically maintained on mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) feeders or with MEF‐conditioned medium. However, these xenosupport systems greatly limit the therapeutic applications of hES cells because of the risk of cross‐transfer of animal pathogens. The stem cell niche is a unique tissue microenvironment that regulates the self‐renewal and differentiation of stem cells. Recent evidence suggests that stem cells are localized in the microenvironment of low oxygen. We hypothesized that hypoxia could maintain the undifferentiated phenotype of embryonic stem cells. We have co‐cultured a human embryonic cell line with human fetal liver stromal cells (hFLSCs) feeder cells stably expressing hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 alpha (HIF‐1α), which is known as the key transcription factor in hypoxia. The results suggested HIF‐1α was critical for preventing differentiation of hES cells in culture. Consistent with this observation, hypoxia upregulated the expression of Nanog and Oct‐4, the key factors expressed in undifferentiated stem cells. We further demonstrated that HIF‐1α could upregulate the expression of some soluble factors including bFGF and SDF‐1α, which are released into the microenvironment to maintain the undifferentiated status of hES cells. This suggests that the targets of HIF‐1α are secreted soluble factors rather than a cell–cell contact mechanism, and defines an important mechanism for the inhibition of hESCs differentiation by hypoxia. Our findings developed a transgene feeder co‐culture system and will provide a more reliable alternative for future therapeutic applications of hES cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 54–66, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
Cell type specific chromosome territory organization in the interphase nucleus of normal and cancer cells
Authors: Marella Narasimharao V. , Bhattacharya Sambit , Mukherjee Lopamudra , Xu Jinhui , Berezney Ronald
Published: June 2009

Numerous studies indicate that the genome of higher eukaryotes is organized into distinct chromosome territories and that the 3‐D arrangement of these territories may be closely connected to genomic function and the global regulation of gene expression. Despite this progress, the degree of non‐random arrangement remains unclear and no overall model has been proposed for chromosome territory associations. To address this issue, a re‐FISH approach was combined with computational analysis to analysis the pair‐wise associations for six pairs of human chromosomes (chr #1, 4, 11, 12, 16, 18) in the G0 state of normal human WI38 lung fibroblast and MCF10A epithelial breast cells. Similar levels of associations were found in WI38 and MCF10A for several of the chromosomes whereas others showed striking differences. A novel computational geometric approach, the generalized median graph (GMG), revealed a preferred probabilistic arrangement distinct for each cell line. Statistical analysis demonstrated that ∼50% of the associations depicted in the GMG models are present in each individual nucleus. A nearly twofold increase of chromosome 4/16 associations in a malignant breast cancer cell line (MCFCA1a) compared to the related normal epithelial cell line (MCF10A) further demonstrates cancer related changes in chromosome arrangements. Our findings of highly preferred chromosome association profiles that are cell type specific and undergo alterations in cancer cells, lead us to propose a probabilistic chromosome code whereby the 3‐D association profile of chromosomes contributes to the functional landscape of the cell nucleus, the global regulation of gene expression and the epigenetic state of chromatin. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 130–138, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
DCP‐LA stimulates AMPA receptor exocytosis through CaMKII activation due to PP‐1 inhibition
Authors: Kanno Takeshi , Yaguchi Takahiro , Nagata Tetsu , Tanaka Akito , Nishizaki Tomoyuki
Published: June 2009

The linoleic acid derivative 8‐[2‐(2‐pentyl‐cyclopropylmethyl)‐cyclopropyl]‐octanoic acid (DCP‐LA) activated Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) by inhibiting protein phosphatase‐1 (PP‐1). DCP‐LA induced a transient huge facilitation of synaptic transmission monitored from the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices, which was largely inhibited by the CaMKII inhibitor KN‐93. DCP‐LA potentiated kainate‐evoked whole‐cell membrane currents for Xenopus oocytes expressing α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors composed of the GluR1, GluR3, GluR1/GluR2, GluR1/GluR3, and GluR1/GluR2/GluR3 subunits, and the potentiation was significantly inhibited by KN‐93. A similar potentiation was still found with mutant GluR1 (S831A) receptor lacking CaMKII phosphorylation site. The GluR1 and GluR2 subunits formed AMPA receptors in the rat hippocampus, and DCP‐LA increased expression of both the subunits on the plasma membrane. The DCP‐LA action was blocked by KN‐93 and the exocytosis inhibitor botulinum toxin type A, but not by the endocytosis inhibitor phenylarsine oxide. DCP‐LA, thus, appears to activate CaMKII through PP‐1 inhibition, that stimulates AMPA receptor exocytosis to increase expression of the receptors on the plasma membrane, responsible for potentiate AMPA receptor responses and facilitation of hippocampal synaptic transmission. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 183–188, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
Expression of angiogenic regulators, VEGF and leptin, is regulated by the EGF/PI3K/STAT3 pathway in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Cascio Sandra , Ferla Rita , D'Andrea Aleco , Gerbino Aldo , Bazan Viviana , Surmacz Eva , Russo Antonio
Published: June 2009

Both leptin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are growth and angiogenic cytokines that are upregulated in different types of cancer and have been implicated in neoplastic progression. Here we investigated the molecular mechanism by which leptin and VEGF expression are regulated in colon cancer by epidermal growth factor (EGF). In colon cancer cell line HT‐29, EGF induced the binding of signal transducer and activator transcription 3 (STAT3) to STAT3 consensus motifs within the VEGF and leptin promoters and stimulated leptin and VEGF mRNA and protein synthesis. All these EGF effects were significantly blocked when HT‐29 cells were treated with an inhibitor of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) pathway, LY294002, or with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting STAT3. Thus, our study identified the EGF/PI3K/STAT3 signaling as an essential pathway regulating VEGF and leptin expression in EGF‐responsive colon cancer cells. This suggests that STAT3 pathways might constitute attractive pharmaceutical targets in colon cancer patients where anti‐EGF receptor drugs are ineffective. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 189–194, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
Stromal cell‐derived factor‐1/CXCR4 enhanced motility of human osteosarcoma cells involves MEK1/2, ERK and NF‐κB‐dependent pathways
Authors: Huang Chun‐Yin , Lee Chun‐Yi , Chen Meng‐Yi , Yang Wei‐Hung , Chen Ying‐Hao , Chang Chia‐Hao , Hsu Horng‐Chaung , Fong Yi‐Chin , Tang Chih‐Hsin
Published: June 2009

Osteosarcoma is characterized by a high malignant and metastatic potential. The chemokine stromal‐derived factor‐1α (SDF‐1α) and its receptor, CXCR4, play a crucial role in adhesion and migration of human cancer cells. Integrins are the major adhesive molecules in mammalian cells, and has been associated with metastasis of cancer cells. Here, we found that human osteosarcoma cell lines had significant expression of SDF‐1 and CXCR4 (SDF‐1 receptor). Treatment of osteosarcoma cells with SDF‐1α increased the migration and cell surface expression of αvβ3 integrin. CXCR4‐neutralizing antibody, CXCR4 specific inhibitor (AMD3100) or small interfering RNA against CXCR4 inhibited the SDF‐1α‐induced increase the migration and integrin expression of osteosarcoma cells. Pretreated of osteosarcoma cells with MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059 inhibited the SDF‐1α‐mediated migration and integrin expression. Stimulation of cells with SDF‐1α increased the phosphorylation of MEK and extracellular signal‐regulating kinase (ERK). In addition, NF‐κB inhibitor (PDTC) or IκB protease inhibitor (TPCK) also inhibited SDF‐1α‐mediated cell migration and integrin up‐regulation. Stimulation of cells with SDF‐1α induced IκB kinase (IKKα/β) phosphorylation, IκB phosphorylation, p65 Ser536 phosphorylation, and κB‐luciferase activity. Furthermore, the SDF‐1α‐mediated increasing κB‐luciferase activity was inhibited by AMD3100, PD98059, PDTC and TPCK or MEK1, ERK2, IKKα and IKKβ mutants. Taken together, these results suggest that the SDF‐1α acts through CXCR4 to activate MEK and ERK, which in turn activates IKKα/β and NF‐κB, resulting in the activations of αvβ3 integrins and contributing the migration of human osteosarcoma cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 204–212, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
Minimizing 18O/16O back‐exchange in the relative quantification of ribonucleic acids
Authors: Castleberry Colette M. , Lilleness Kathleen , Baldauff Rachel , Limbach Patrick A.
Published: June 2009

The use of isotopically labeled endonuclease digestion products allows for the relative quantification of ribonucleic acids (RNAs). This approach utilizes ribonucleases such as RNase T1 to mediate the incorporation of 18O onto the 3′‐terminus of the endonuclease digestion product from a solution containing heavy water (H218O). The accuracy and precision of relative quantification are dependent on the efficiency of isotope incorporation and minimizing any possible 18O to 16O back‐exchange before or during mass spectral analysis. Here, we have investigated the stability of 18O‐labeled endonuclease digestion products to back‐exchange. In particular, the effects of pH, temperature and presence of RNase on the back‐exchange process were examined using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI‐MS). We have found that back‐exchange depends on the presence of the RNase—back‐exchange was not observed once the enzyme was removed from the sample. With RNase present, at all pH values examined (from acidic to basic pH), back‐exchange was detected at incubation above room temperature. The rates and extent of back‐exchange were similar at all pH values. In contrast, back‐exchange in the presence of RNase was found to be especially sensitive to incubation temperature—at temperatures below room temperature, minimal back‐exchange was detected. However, back‐exchange increased as the incubation temperature increased. Based on these findings, appropriate sample‐handling and sample storage conditions for isotopically labeled endonuclease digestion products have been identified, and these conditions should improve the accuracy and precision of results from the relative quantification of RNAs obtained by this approach. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sexual dimorphism in the effect of GDF‐6 deficiency on murine tendon
Authors: Mikic Borjana , Rossmeier Kerri , Bierwert LouAnn
Published: June 2009

Three members of the growth/differentiation factor (GDF) subfamily of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), GDFs‐5, ‐6, and ‐7, have demonstrated the potential to augment tendon and ligament repair. To gain further insight into the in vivo role of these molecules, previous studies have characterized intact and healing tendons in mice with functional null mutations in GDF‐5 and ‐7. The primary goal of the present study was to perform a detailed characterization of the intact tendon phenotype in 4‐ and 16‐week‐old male and female GDF6−/− mice and their +/+ littermates. The results demonstrate that GDF6 deficiency was associated with an altered tendon phenotype that persisted into adulthood. Among males, GDF6−/− tail tendon fascicles had significantly less collagen and glycosaminoglycan content, and these compositional differences were associated with compromised material properties. The effect of GDF6 deficiency on tendon was sexually dimorphic, however, for among female GDF6−/− mice, neither differences in tendon composition nor in material properties were detected. The tendon phenotype that was observed in males appeared to be stronger in the tail site than in the Achilles tendon site, where some compositional differences were present, but no material property differences were detected. These data support existing in vitro studies, which suggest a potential role for BMP‐13 (the human homologue to GDF‐6) in tendon matrix modeling and/or remodeling. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1603–1611, 2009
How does the Hedley sequential phosphorus fractionation reflect impacts of land use and management on soil phosphorus: A review
Authors: Negassa Wakene , Leinweber Peter
Published: June 2009

The Hedley sequential‐phosphorus (P)‐fractionation method has been used in many countries to study the effects of land‐use and management systems on soil P. Many data sets have been obtained but collectively never have been considered or to goal topic reviewed. Therefore, the objectives of this review were to compile and systematically evaluate these data. The data generated over many years were grouped into temperate, and subtropical and tropical soils of different land use and duration of soil‐management studies. In natural ecosystems, vegetation types and composition and percent of vegetation covers substantially affected all P fractions with pronounced impacts on the labile and moderately labile P. In short‐term studies (≤ 10 y), changes in the labile and moderately labile inorganic P (Pi) fractions were detected when more P (e.g., by factor 5) was applied than commonly recommended for agricultural crops. However, without P application the changes in all P fractions were subtle in temperate soils, but declines were significant in labile and moderately labile P in subtropical and tropical soils. In both temperate and tropical climates, medium (10–25 y) and long‐term (>25 y) cultivation without P application depleted all P fractions, whereas most of P fractions increased with continuous P application, regardless of the amount and source of P. Synthesis of data resulted in multiple‐regression functions which described differences in labile and moderately labile P fractions as function of differences in amount of P application and duration of the experiments. Moreover, the correlation analysis also showed strong association among most of the P fractions. Current limitations in data interpretation of Hedley fractionation can be overcome by the application of 31P nuclear–magnetic resonance (NMR) and X‐ray absorption near‐edge fine‐structure (XANES) spectroscopy.
Tunable Phosphorescent Emission through Energy Transfer within Multilayer Thin Films Based on a Carbazole‐Based Host and Ir(III)‐Complex Guest System
Authors: Kim Hosub , Lyu Yi‐Yeol , Choi Kyungsun , Zentel Rudolf , Lee Soo‐Hyoung , Char Kookheon
Published: June 2009

A new method to tune both phosphorescence emission intensity and spectroscopic colors based on the alternatively structured host/guest multilayer thin films prepared by the spin‐assisted LbL deposition is presented. Their emission characteristics are demonstrated with pairs of positively charged Ir‐PEI complexes as guests and negatively charged CBZ‐PAA as hosts. The phosphorescent emission of Ir‐PEI complexes is enhanced by the energy transfer from the host to the guest and, additionally, this energy transfer can be finely tuned by the insertion of spacer layers between the phosphorescent donor and acceptor layers to vary the emission intensity as well as to render different emission colors.

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Stepwise Self‐Assembly of P3HT/CdSe Hybrid Nanowires with Enhanced Photoconductivity
Authors: Xu Jingjing , Hu Jianchen , Liu Xinfeng , Qiu Xiaohui , Wei Zhixiang
Published: June 2009

A facile approach to prepare poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/cadmium selenide quantum dot (CdSe QD) hybrid coaxial nanowires by a stepwise self‐assembly process is reported. P3HT nanowires of ≈20 nm diameter are first prepared by self‐assembly in a poor solvent such as cyclohexanone, and then as‐prepared CdSe QDs are deposited compactly onto the P3HT nanowires by non‐covalent interactions between P3HT and CdSe. When illuminated with white light, the hybrid nanowires show enhanced photoconductivity compared with the pristine P3HT nanowires and the blended nanocomposites.

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In situ Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticle Embedded Free Standing Multifunctional PDMS Films
Authors: Goyal Anubha , Kumar Ashavani , Patra Prabir K. , Mahendra Shaily , Tabatabaei Salomeh , Alvarez Pedro J. J. , John George , Ajayan Pulickel M.
Published: June 2009

We demonstrate a simple one‐step method for synthesizing noble metal nanoparticle embedded free standing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite films. The process involves preparing a homogenous mixture of metal salt (silver, gold and platinum), silicone elastomer and the curing agent (hardener) followed by curing. During the curing process, the hardener crosslinks the elastomer and simultaneously reduces the metal salt to form nanoparticles. This in situ method avoids the use of any external reducing agent/stabilizing agent and leads to a uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the PDMS matrix. The films were characterized using UV‐Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy. The nanoparticle‐PDMS films have a higher Young's modulus than pure PDMS films and also show enhanced antibacterial properties. The metal nanoparticle‐PDMS films could be used for a number of applications such as for catalysis, optical and biomedical devices and gas separation membranes.

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Differential alterations in metabolic pattern of the spliceosomal uridylic acid‐rich small nuclear RNAs (UsnRNAs) during malignant transformation of 20‐methylcholanthrene‐induced mouse CNCI‐PM‐20 embryonic fibroblasts
Authors: Mukherjee Sudeshna , Manna Sugata , Mukherjee Pratima , Panda Chinmay K.
Published: June 2009

Differential alterations of the spliceosomal Uridylic acid rich small nuclear RNAs (UsnRNAs) (U1, U2, U4, U5, and U6) are reported to be associated with cellular proliferation and development, but definitive information is scarce and also elusive. An attempt is made in this study to analyze the metabolic patterns of major spliceosomal UsnRNAs, during tumor development, in an in vitro carcinogenesis model of 20‐methylcholanthrene (MCA)‐transformed Swiss Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast (MEF), designated as CNCI‐PM‐20. MEF cells, after treatment with 20‐MCA, progressed through a sequence of passages with distinct and heritable changes, finally becoming neoplastic at passage‐42 (P42). A differential expression pattern of major UsnRNAs was observed during this process. The abundance of U1 was 20% below control (P1) at passage‐20 (P20), followed by a gradual increase up until P42 (∼12% above the P1 value). The abundance of U2 was more or less constant during the cellular transformation. U4 showed a trend of increase, with above 30% abundance than control at P20, followed by a significant increase at P36 and P42 (1.5‐ and 2‐fold, respectively, P‐value <0.01). U5 also followed an identical pattern, with an increase of 70% compared to control (P‐value <0.05) at P42. Interestingly, U6 gradually decreased from P20 onwards up until P42, with 22% at P20 and 67% at P42 (P‐value <0.01). An overall significant quantitative alteration in abundance of U4, U5, and U6, observed in our study, contributes to the understanding of the fact that, the metabolism of major spliceosomal UsnRNAs is differentially regulated during the process of neoplastic transformation. Mol. Carcinog. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
25 years of SIG‐III and the future of international information
Authors: Bowen Aaron , Carbo Toni , Mehra Bharat , Du Yunfei
Published: June 2009

The 2008 ASIS&T Annual Meeting marks the 25th anniversary of the Special Interest Group for International Information Issues. During this time the global impact of information has grown exponentially, both in terms of available information sources and how people use these sources.

The members of SIG‐III will present a panel looking at the past 25 years of international information issues and SIG‐III's role in bringing these issues to ASIS&T as a whole for consideration and debate. Toni Carbo, one of the co‐founders of SIG‐III, will keynote this retrospection.

A look at the past 25 years of international information offers a lens with which to view potential trends and developments in the future. Toni Carbo, Bharat Mehra, Yunfei Du, and Aaron Bowen will present a “state of the union” on aspects of international information and will evaluate trends and developments which may occur during the next 25 years. Toni will examine privacy, security, and trust. Bharat will examine access and development. Yunfei will examine the digital divide and the knowledge gap. Aaron will examine censorship. All presenters will consider the costs and benefits each topic has accrued for different countries, further challenges with respect to each topic, and potential answers countries may apply to these challenges.
Values and information: An interdisciplinary examination
Authors: Agosto Denise E. , Fleischmann Kenneth R. , Wallace William A. , Japzon Andrea , Khoo Michael
Published: June 2009

This panel will draw on interdisciplinary research relating to information and values. It will open with an interactive session during which the audience members will discuss the role of values in current and future information research. The panel members will then present three papers describing current information research projects in which the concept of “value” plays a major role.
E‐valuating E‐reference: Transforming digital reference through research and evaluation
Authors: Radford Marie L. , Connaway Lynn Silipigni , Pomerantz Jeffrey , Mon Lorri , Janes Joseph
Published: June 2009

This panel presents three different approaches, methods of analysis and data collection techniques to evaluate several digital reference formats. Radford and Connaway evaluate criteria important for perceptions of success across different generations of digital reference users, non‐users, and librarians. They compare Baby Boomer vs. Millennial generations through 497 in‐depth online surveys. Both content delivery and interpersonal communication were found to be important to successful chat encounters. Pomerantz presents a project to evaluate the Slam the Boards effort on Yahoo! Answers (YA) which is the largest web‐based community answer board. The volume of questions and answers on YA is massive with librarian‐provided answers comprising a small amount. Studies of YA users are required to determine if questioners find value in having questions answered by librarians. New practices, metrics, and organizational partnerships must be developed to make future quality evaluation possible. Mon discusses the use of new technologies in digital reference education and practice, and explores information behavior at the Internet Public Library (IPL). The IPL is building an online learning community site to support teaching, learning and research in digital reference. This paper reports the result of research that informs the implementation of digital technologies within the learning community site.
Understanding visual search tools through users' reactions
Authors: Efthimiadis Efthimis N. , Druin Allison , Efthimiadis Efthimis N. , Large Andrew
Published: June 2009

Today visual search tools are being used by children in Canada and Mongolia, and college students in the US. These diverse users each have their own needs, expectations, and uses for visual search and the results of such searches. This panel will address issues relating to visual search in diverse environments with various ages of users. The technologies studied are the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL), the children's portal, History Trek, and three web search engines (one visual–KartOO, one hybrid–Quintura, and one text‐based‐‐Google). Panelists will discuss users that range from children of ages 8 to 12, to college students and working adults in Canada, Germany, Honduras, Mongolia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Title: Visual Search Can Lead to Cultural Understanding

Author: Allison Druin
Transforming data into services: Delivering the next generation of user‐oriented collections and services
Authors: Connaway Lynn Silipigni , Dickey Timothy J. , O'Neill Edward T. , Gammon Julia , Lavoie Brian , Nicholson Scott
Published: June 2009

For decades, the corporate sector has exploited technological advances to better market and deliver products and services to customers via the techniques of data mining. The technique was not widely used in libraries. However, with the current emphasis on evidence‐based decision making, libraries are beginning to utilize their system‐ and user‐ generated data. Data mining usually involves a significant endeavor to extract embedded and potentially useful information from large undiscovered data sets (Mitra & Acharya, 2003; Hand, Mannila & Smyth, 2001; Frawley, Piatetsky‐Shapiro, & Matheus 1992; Piatetsky‐Shapiro & Frawley 1991).

These data mining techniques are being used by librarians to improve both internal decision‐making and external user services by extracting information from operational datasets of both bibliographic and user data. OCLC Research has taken advantage of the WorldCat database, which includes more than 95 million bibliographic records and 1.2 billion holdings records, as well as data provided by other major library systems and consortia to develop user‐oriented collections and services (http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/mining/).
Tagging as a communication device: Every tag cloud has a silver lining
Authors: Pfeiffer Heather D. , Tonkin Emma , Lindner Mark R. , Millen David R. , Kipp Margaret E.I.
Published: June 2009

The panel will bring together an intentional variety of perspectives on the process and outcomes of tagging, within and without social networking. In particular, how the context is apparent in the vocabulary, language or classifications used in communication. At the individual or conceptual level, tags are seen as a means to avoid some of the issues associated within more formal frameworks, such as fossilized terms of meanings, but at the context, language or ontology level a concept must be expressed via a relatively impoverished vocabulary of jointly shared terms and ideas. One such misunderstanding, one that drives much of the debate on tagging, is the widespread definition of ontology as “a hierarchical structure to describe conceptual structures that are closed, inflexible and restrictive”. However, a lexicon of tags – terms – can be tailored to improve and optimize communication accuracy. The panel will attempt to show how tagging is applied to indicate or derive an appropriate semantics, given the user's understanding of the information's context. Then discussing how this process fits with established theory in knowledge management, KM, linguistics and classification research amongst others, and investigate wider implications.
Pioneering women of the information age
Authors: Buckland Michael , Alarcon Maria Rosario Osuna , Williams Robert V. , Lussky Joan , Ruffner Malissa , Glenn Emily , Smith Linda C. , Tenopir Carol , Barlow Diane , Hahn Trudi Bellardo
Published: June 2009

This session will feature six speakers, each of whom is among the contributors to two special issues of Libraries & the Cultural Record on women pioneers in the information sciences. This session will be the third in a series presented by the Special Interest Group on History and Foundations of Information Science (HFIS). It will spotlight the lives and contributions of remarkable women pioneers in information science. The individual presentations will be about women whose fields of specialty and accomplishments fall in a wide variety of areas‐practice, research, education for the profession, or information policy. Each paper will address the pioneer's leadership, innovation, and advocacy, as well as the historical context and social and professional milieu in which she worked and made her contributions. Each presentation will be about 15 minutes long, and enhanced with slides to show photographs or other relevant historical materials.
Adoption and evaluation issues of automatic and computer aided indexing systems
Authors: Ruiz Miguel E. , Aronson Alan R. , Hlava Marjorie
Published: June 2009

This panel will present an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art in automatic and computer aided indexing systems, and focus on discussion of the factors that influence the success of the implementation of these system as well as the criteria for evaluation. We also will present several case studies of operational systems such as the Indexing Initiative at the National Library of Medicine, the American Water Works Association, the IEEE and ASIS&T Digital Library. Final recommendations and “best practices” will be presented and discussed among panel members and the audience.
The libraries of Second Life: How MUVE could shape the future of digital libraries
Authors: Ruiz Miguel E , Brueckner Allison , Thompson S. , Luo Lili , O'Connor Brian
Published: June 2009

This panel will present an overview of Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE), specifically Second Life (SL), and its applications in library services and education. The panel includes practitioners as well as educators that have been developing applications in Second Life. They will be presenting current applications of SL in Libraries and virtual campuses, and discuss usability issues associated to these environments.
Library portal images that positively influence their users' perception of the portal
Authors: Smith James P.
Published: June 2009

This paper provides an example of how visual information – the images used on academic library Web portals (ALWPs) – transforms users' perceptions of, and preference for, the portal. As a result of the information derived from this research the manner in which visual information is presented in ALWPs may be transformed. The study reported here compared the effect that high‐image‐pertinent (HIP) academic library portals and low‐image‐pertinent (LIP) academic library portals have on the users' preference for one portal over the other.

One hundred undergraduate students searched for the answers to two ten‐question information retrieval exercises using matched‐pairs of HIP and LIP academic library portals. The exercises were constructed of questions similar to those asked at an academic library's reference desk.

Data collected and statistically analyzed included: the scores from the information retrieval exercises, the time to complete the information retrieval exercises, the mouse‐clicks used to complete the information retrieval exercises and the users' stated portal preference. The HIP portals outperformed the LIP portals and the subjects preferred the HIP portals to the LIP portals in 3 out of 4 measures of performance and preference.
Explicit scientific knowledge comparison based on semantic description matching
Authors: Guo Weisen , Kraines Steven B.
Published: June 2009

Researchers begin new research by acquiring pre‐existing explicit scientific knowledge that is potentially relevant to the research subject. In order to find some potentially relevant explicit scientific knowledge items, such as knowledge whose content is similar to the targeted research, a researcher must examine the semantics of each item. In this paper, after reviewing related work, an automated semantic description matching‐based approach is presented for comparing items of explicit scientific knowledge. This approach obtains a matching score between semantic descriptions of two items of explicit scientific knowledge that indicates their similarity. Three dimensions are considered in this approach: matching granularity, similarity scale for instance classes, and logic similarity scale. In order to match two semantic descriptions, a six‐step method is presented: creation of atomic queries, generalization of query classes, generalization of query properties, addition of rules, creation of instances implied by complex class definition, and semi‐automatic pruning of matching results. Finally, some conclusions regarding the approach are presented together with plans for future work.
Departmental websites and female student recruitment
Authors: Hanks Kristin
Published: June 2009

Female recruitment and retention in technology related fields is still low, despite numerous attempts to reverse this trend. As a recruitment device, a school's webpage may be the only visual representation a student will see before deciding whether or not to apply. Thus, understanding the possible implications of this medium is important within the larger conversation on gender equity and opportunities. This research addresses several questions: At first glance, do websites give gender cues, whether intentional or not? Is there a relationship between certain web content and the number of women recruited into technology related schools and departments? Do applied fields (Informatics, Information Science, Instructional Technology, Information Systems) differ in their online recruitment practices from more traditional Computer Science and Engineering departments? It is important to note that this research is not an attempt to find the best web practices to recruit female students or an attempt to punish or blame specific institutions regarding their recruitment practices.
Exploiting cascading citations for retrieval
Authors: Dervos Dimitris A. , Klimis Leonidas
Published: June 2009

We report on the utilization of the cascading citations indexing framework (C2IF) for the identification of similarities among items (in this case research articles) in a bibliographic database. More specifically, the problem of chaining forward from a given focal article is addressed by considering the direct as well as the indirect citations that target the article in question. From the population of articles that cite the given article directly, those associated with a larger number of higher‐level C2IF constructs are found to be more similar to it. The findings also appear to be of value for the mirror image problem of chaining backward from the focal article to a population of referenced articles. Cited publications for which the focal article represents/hosts a larger number of higher‐level C2IF constructs are likely to be more similar to it.

As a testbed, sixty (60) highly cited computer science research articles are considered together with their associated bibliographic links over a six‐year period 1999‐2005) in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) data. The dataset has been made available by Thomson Scientific for conducting research along the lines of the Cascading Citations Analysis Project (C‐CAP). Similarity values are calculated by considering author‐supplied as well as automatically generated keywords registered in the SCIE dataset. The purpose of this research is to develop a strategy that will improve the effectiveness of retrieval in digital libraries that incorporate bibliographic citations.
Institutional repositories as portents of change: Disruption or reassembly? Conjectures and reconfigurations
Authors: Kennan Mary Anne , Cole Fletcher T.H.
Published: June 2009

This paper reviews how Open Access policies (OA) and Institutional Repositories (IR) might be portrayed as agents of change within the realm of scholarly publishing. Using commentary on academic publishing as background, commentary that sees OA and IR as optimal and inevitable, and beneficially disruptive of the existing system, two theoretical approaches are presented as ways of providing a more detailed and explicit analysis of OA/IR dynamics. Both theories to varying degrees derive their inspiration from an exploration of the nature of change. The first “disruptive technology/disruptive innovation” approach (Christensen) specifies change in market theory terms, a re‐structuring ‘driven’ by innovation within, and possibly disruptive of, existing market arrangements. The second approach views change as a process of ‘reassembling’ and reconfiguring of relationships between elements of a network (Actor‐Network Theory). The application of both approaches to OA/IR is explored, including reference to a case study on a university institutional repository implementation. While ‘disruption’ and similar terms might be in common and casual use, the basic idea gains greater clarity in these theories, and in doing so promotes greater awareness of the assumptions being made, and the aspirations being pursued.
Multifaceted image similarity criteria as revealed by sorting tasks
Authors: Laine‐Hernandez Mari , Westman Stina
Published: June 2009

This paper reports a study on the types of image categories constructed from magazine photographs. A novel sorting procedure was tested with the aim of providing more data on image similarity and possible category overlap. Expert and non‐expert participants were compared in their categorizations. The new similarity sorting procedure resulted in an average of 67%–111% increase in similarity data gathered compared to basic free sorting. Categories were constructed on various levels of similarity: image Function, main visual content (People, Objects and Scene), conceptual content (Theme) and descriptors (Story, Affective, Description, Photography and Visual). Most categories were based on the theme and people portrayed in the photograph, and in the case of the expert subjects, image function. Also abstract and syntactic similarity criteria were employed by the subjects. The categories created by each subject showed on average a 35%–53% overlap. Participants also demonstrated a tendency to use multiple similarity criteria simultaneously and to combine terms from different levels in a single category name. These results indicate a need for a multifaceted approach in image categorization.
Social tagging in China and the USA: A comparative study
Authors: Xu Chen , Chu Heting
Published: June 2009

Two sites for tagging, one in China (i.e., 365Key) and one in the USA (i.e., Del.icio.us) are compared in terms of tagging mechanisms and tags created. In general, the Chinese tagging site provides its users with more pre‐set functions whereas its American counterpart gives more freedom to its taggers. Our findings also show that tagging, like many other information behaviors, is greatly influenced by and stamped with the social and cultural traditions existing in each country. Taggers in both countries, however, do tend to choose terms of same or similar meanings, indicating that tagging, regardless of where it is done and where the tagger is from, is usually done according to the fundamental rules in indexing (e.g., nouns or noun phrases as tags). On the other hand, tagging as an activity unique in the networked environment for loosely representing and organizing all kinds of information, does not seem equal to keyword indexing which has been done in producing database systems (e.g., InfoTrac) and search engines (e.g., Google).
Approximate phrase searching: Movie scripts and song lyrics
Authors: Patterson Kathryn , Watters Carolyn
Published: June 2009

Search engines provide an effective means of retrieving a document in which a piece of text occurs when the query contains infrequently occurring terms or the query is known to be an exact phrase. However, phrase queries usually contain common terms including determiners and users may not remember phrases exactly. Search engines discard common terms or assign them little importance, which may lead to poor retrieval results. In this paper, we examine the use of proximity‐based phrase searching to search for quotes from song lyrics and movie scripts and compare the results against Google.ca, Yahoo.com and Ask.com. An improvement of over 25% on search engine results shows that an additional search method to complement the common search engine methods would be beneficial for this task.
Information behavior in requirements engineering: An initial review of the research
Authors: Alexander Mike
Published: June 2009

This paper provides an overview of the existing research on information behavior (IB) in the practice of software requirements engineering (RE) and the research which, although it does not refer to IB or to RE by name, addresses the concepts and theories of one within the framework of the other. The paper begins with operational definitions of the terms “requirements,” “requirements engineering,” “information behavior,” and “information behavior in requirements engineering” to set the framework for this analysis. A number of authors have written extensively on theories of IB. Similarly, although perhaps less well known to those in the Library and Information Science (LIS) community, many terms exist for the field and practices of software requirements elicitation, documentation and maintenance, herein referred to as RE. Although RE is still a relatively young field, having emerged from computer science and software engineering in only the past 20‐30 years, research in the field is diverse and growing. However, little research has taken place specifically on IB in RE. In some cases, research on IB and RE progresses on parallel paths, even utilizing the same terminology, without a recognition of the other community's work. The paper follows the operational definitions with a review of the collective set of literature covering IB in RE and that which reflects IB in RE but does not label it as such. The next section includes a discussion of what the reviewed literature reveals about the state of research and practice in this area, and the paper concludes with suggestions for future research.