bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The profitability of organic soybean production
Authors: McBride W.D. , Greene Catherine 
Published: November 2009

AbstractResults from long-term experimental trials suggest that similar yields and lower costs are possible with organic compared to conventional soybeans, but there is little information about the relative costs and returns of these systems on commercial farms. This study examines the profitability of commercial soybean production using a nationwide survey of soybean producers for 2006 that includes a targeted sample of organic growers. Treatment-effect models are specified to characterize adopters of the organic approach and to isolate the impact of organic choice on operating, operating and capital, and total economic costs of soybean production. Organic soybean producers tend to be younger, have less crop acreage, and are less likely to work off-farm than conventional producers. Organic soybean production costs range from about $1 to $6 per bushel higher than those for conventional soybeans due to both lower yields and higher per-acre costs, while the average organic price premium in 2006 was more than $9 per bushel. Long-term cropping systems data suggest significant returns to organic systems result from similar yields and lower costs than conventional systems, but the high returns to commercial organic production found in this study can only be attributed to the significant price premiums paid for organic soybeans. Average organic soybean price premiums have remained high since 2006 despite much higher conventional soybean prices as users of organic soybeans attempt to retain and attract more acreage. However, increases in conventional soybean prices and fuel prices reduce the incentive for planting organic soybeans by improving returns to conventional production and increasing the relative costs of organic production.
Effects of organic nitrogen fortifiers on some growth parameters of green amaranths (Amaranthus caudatus L.)
Authors: AdeOluwa O.O. , Adeoye G.O. , Yusuff S.A. 
Published: November 2009

AbstractChemical fertilizers for boosting crop production are becoming more expensive and scarce. Green amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.) is a fast growing and highly nutritious crop, but its common use in the diet of Nigerians is constrained by its high demand for nitrogen fertilizer. Thus, there is a need to find local fertilizer materials that are readily available to peasant farmers. A preliminary field study was conducted to evaluate urine and neem (Azadirachta indica L. juss) as alternative sources for mineral fertilizers in fortifying organic fertilizer (OF) made from cow dung and market waste compost, and OF fortified with urea and bone meal [organo-mineral fertilizer (OMF)], for yield and growth of green amaranth. Fifteen treatments, based on the percentages of N supplied, were NPK15-15-15, OMF, OF, urine, neem and ten treatments of 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90% OF supplemented with a total of 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10% urine or neem, respectively, to provide a total application rate of 100 kg N ha−1, with no fertilizer treatment as a control. Planting was done in two successions (main with fertilizer treatments and residual without further application). The fertilizer sources and levels had significant effects on plant height, number of leaves, stem girth, fresh weight and dry weight. The residual effects were also significant for plant height, number of leaves, total fresh and dry weights. Forty percent N urine amendment of the OF produced the highest total fresh amaranth biomass (269.3 g plot−1 main effect and 110.8 g plot−1 residual effect), which was significantly better than the values of (140 and 35.3 g plot−1, respectively) obtained with respect to OMF during main planting and NPK during residual planting. Results of our study reveal that 40% N urine fortification of OF was a viable substitute for synthetic fertilizers in production of amaranth, and that urine and neem cake can be alternatives to mineral fertilizer for crop production.
Eye witness – memorialising humanity in Steve McQueen’sHunger
Authors: McNamee Eugene 
Published: November 2009

This paper builds on a developing field of enquiry regarding the potency of film as an intervention into normative patterns in popular culture which are recognisable in a legal pluralist sense, and that relate to more standard legal analyses of constitutional development. The argument is developed that Steve McQueen inHungerhas made a film which marries a particular filmic formal device of lingering on highly aestheticised details of human behaviour with an overall filmic sensibility of refusing ‘politics’ in favour of ‘humanity’. The film demonstrates a resounding success, both in critical terms and in having the film accepted on its own terms of ‘humanity’. The suggestion in this paper is that the ongoing processes of ‘dealing with the past’ in Northern Ireland and other post-conflict societies may have something to learn from the marriage of idea and aesthetic form inHunger.‘People say, “Oh, it’s a political film” but for me it’s essentially about what we, as humans, are capable of, morally, physically, psychologically. What we will inflict and what we will endure.’(McQueen, quoted in O’Hagan, 2008)
Cause lawyers are alright: ideology works its magic on the cause
Authors: Aristodemou Maria 
Published: November 2009

To paraphrase Barack Obama, cause lawyers aren’t supposed to make any money: ‘their poverty is proof of their integrity’ (Obama, 2007, p. 135). Integrity and its insignia are, of course, sought-after signifiers not only in the field of community organising that Obama was describing, but in all professions, not least that of cause lawyers that is the focus of this book. The Cultural Lives of Cause Lawyers is the fifth in a series of essays edited by Austin Sarat and Stuart Scheingold on the activities of cause lawyers. Previous collections set the scene for the nature and aims of cause lawyering, analysing their professional and political commitments in theory and in practice, and their relationship to the state and to social movements in a global era. It is a series that almost single-handedly, quickly and efficiently helped define, as well as develop, this exciting new field.
Student payloads for a near‐space research balloon
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2009

U.S. college students with the right stuff could have their experiments sent into near space on the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP), a NASA highaltitude research balloon. The application deadline is 18 December.The annual NASA project provides nearspace access for 12 undergraduate and graduate student experiments on a balloon flight that could last 15 to 20 hours and reach an altitude of 37 kilometers. The goals of the project—a joint effort between NASA and the Louisiana Space Grant Consortium—are to provide a space test platform to encourage student research and stimulate development of student satellite payloads and other space‐engineering products, according to NASA. Since 2006, the program has selected 44 payloads for flight, representing the work of more than 200 U.S. students.
Bacteriophage predation regulates microbial abundance and diversity in a full-scale bioreactor treating industrial wastewater
Authors: Shapiro Orr H , Kushmaro Ariel , Brenner Asher 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Changes in the microbial community composition of a full-scale membrane bioreactor treating industrial wastewater were studied over a period of 462 days using a series of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Frequent changes in the relative abundance of specific taxonomic groups were observed, which could not be explained by changes in the reactor's conditions or wastewater composition. Phage activity was proposed to drive some of the observed changes. Bacterial hosts were isolated from a biomass sample obtained towards the end of the study period, and specific phage counts were carried out for some of the isolated hosts using stored frozen biomass samples as the phage inocula. Plaque-forming unit concentrations were shown to change frequently over the study period, in correlation with changes in the relative abundance of taxonomic groups closely related by 16S rRNA gene sequence to the isolated strains. Quantitative PCR was used to verify changes in the abundance of a taxonomic group closely related to one of the isolated hosts, showing good agreement with the changes in relative abundance in the clone libraries of that group. The emerging pattern was consistent with the ‘killing the winner’ hypothesis, although alternative interaction mechanisms could not be ruled out. This is the first time that phage–host interactions in a complex microbial community are demonstrated over an extended period, and possibly the first in situ demonstration of ‘killing the winner’ stochastic behavior.
Plasticity of the α4βδ GABAA receptor
Authors: Shen Hui , Smith Sheryl S. 
Published: November 2009

The GABAR [GABAA (γ-aminobutyric acid type A) receptor], which mediates most inhibition in the brain, is regulated homoeostatically to maintain an optimal level of neuronal excitability. In particular, the α4βδ subtype of the GABAR plays a pivotal role in this regulation. This receptor, which is expressed extrasynaptically on the dendrites, normally has low expression in the brain, but displays a remarkable degree of plasticity. It can also be a sensitive target for endogenous neurosteroids such as THP (3α-hydroxy-5[α]β-pregnan-20-one (allo-pregnanolone); a neurosteroid and positive modulator of the GABAR), which is released during stress, although the effect of the steroid is polarity-dependent, such that it increases inward current, but decreases outward current, at α4β2δ GABAR. Expression of α4β2δ GABAR in CA1 hippocampus is also tightly regulated by fluctuating levels of neurosteroids, as seen at the onset of puberty. Declining levels of inhibition resulting from the decrease in THP at puberty are compensated for by an increase in α4βδ GABAR along the apical dendrites of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells, which reduces neuronal excitability by decreasing the input resistance. However, excessive decrease of neuronal function is averted when THP levels rise, as would occur during stress, because this steroid decreases the outward GABAergic tonic current via inhibition of α4β2δ GABAR, thereby restoring measures of neuronal excitability to pre-pubertal levels. Thus the homoeostatic regulation of α4βδ GABAR expression plays an important role in maintaining ambient levels of neuronal excitability at puberty.
Hole spin precession in semiconductors: Clifford algebra approach
Authors: Dargys A 
Published: November 2009

Recently the Clifford (geometrical) algebra was addressed to describe dynamical properties of electron spin in semiconductors (Dargys 2009 Phys. Scr. 79 055702). In this paper, the Clifford algebra is used to investigate heavy and light hole spins in valence bands of cubic semiconductors. Owing to strong spin–orbit interaction in the valence band, the precession trajectories of hole spin polarization are ellipses, or even lines, rather than circles as usually found in the case of electrons. The paper shows how one can investigate the valence band spectrum and free-hole spin precession trajectories within a framework of the Clifford algebra Cl
4, 1. General formulae that describe free heavy- and light-mass hole spin precession are presented.
Bayesian variable selection for disease classification using gene expression data
Authors: Ai-Jun Yang , Xin-Yuan Song 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Motivation: An important application of gene expression microarray data is the classification of samples into categories. Accurate classification depends upon the method used to identify the most relevant genes. Owing to the large number of genes and relatively small sample size, the selection process can be unstable. Modification of existing methods for achieving better analysis of microarray data is needed.
Results: We propose a Bayesian stochastic variable selection approach for gene selection based on a probit regression model with a generalized singular g-prior distribution for regression coefficients. Using simulation-based Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for simulating parameters from the posterior distribution, an efficient and dependable algorithm is implemented. It is also shown that this algorithm is robust to the choices of initial values, and produces posterior probabilities of related genes for biological interpretation. The performance of the proposed approach is compared with other popular methods in gene selection and classification via the well-known colon cancer and leukemia datasets in microarray literature.
Availability: A free Matlab code to perform gene selection is available at http://www.sta.cuhk.edu.hk/xysong/geneselection/.
Contact: ajyang81@gmail.com; xysong@sta.cuhk.edu.hk.
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
MAVEN: a tool for visualization and functional analysis of genome-wide association results
Authors: Narayanan Kanchana , Li Jing 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Summary: We describe the features and implementation of a web application tool named MAVEN—for Management, Analysis, Visualization and rEsults shariNg of genome-wide association data using cutting edge technologies. Main capabilities include user data uploading and management, queries using a variety of criteria, visualization of results, interactive selections and seamless integration of users' data with databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) for functional annotations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes.
Availability: http://cbc.case.edu/maven
Contact: jingli@case.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
LegumeTFDB: an integrative database of Glycine max, Lotus japonicus and Medicago truncatula transcription factors
Authors: Mochida Keiichi , Yoshida Takuhiro , Sakurai Tetsuya , Yamaguchi-Shinozaki Kazuko , Shinozaki Kazuo , Tran Lam-Son Phan 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Summary: We have established a database named LegumeTFDB to provide access to transcription factor (TF) repertoires of three major legume species: soybean (Glycine max), Lotus japonicus and Medicago truncatula. LegumeTFDB integrates unique information for each TF gene and family, including sequence features, gene promoters, domain alignments, gene ontology (GO) assignment and sequence comparison data derived from comparative analysis with TFs found within legumes, in Arabidopsis, rice and poplar as well as with proteins in NCBI nr and UniProt. We also analyzed the promoter regions for all of the TFs to identify all types of cis-motifs provided by the PLACE database. Additionally, we supply hyperlinks to make available expression data of 2411 soybean TF genes. LegumeTFDB provides an important user-friendly public resource for comparative genomics and understanding of transcriptional regulation in agriculturally important legumes.
Availability: http://legumetfdb.psc.riken.jp/
Contact: tran@psc.riken.jp; mochida@psc.riken.jp
Supplementary information: Supplementary data available at Bioinformatics online.
Propofol Facilitates Glutamatergic Transmission to Neurons of the Ventrolateral Preoptic Nucleus
Authors: Li Ke Y. , Guan Yan-zhong , Krnjević Kresimir , Ye Jiang H. 
Published: November 2009

Background
There is much evidence that the sedative component of anesthesia is mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors on hypothalamic neurons responsible for arousal, notably in the tuberomammillary nucleus. These GABA(A) receptors are targeted by gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated (GABAergic) neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO): When these neurons become active, they inhibit the arousal-producing nuclei and induce sleep. According to recent studies, propofol induces sedation by enhancing VLPO-induced synaptic inhibition, making the target cells more responsive to GABA(A). The authors explored the possibility that propofol also promotes sedation less directly by facilitating excitatory inputs to the VLPO GABAergic neurons.

Methods
Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents were recorded from VLPO cells-principally mechanically isolated, but also in slices from rats.

Results
In isolated VLPO GABAergic neurons, propofol increased the frequency of glutamatergic spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents without affecting their mean amplitude. The action of propofol was mimicked by muscimol and prevented by gabazine, respectively a specific agonist and antagonist at GABA(A) receptors. It was also suppressed by bumetanide, a blocker of Na-K-Cl cotransporter-mediated inward Cl transport. In slices, propofol also increased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and, at low doses, accelerated firing of VLPO cells.

Conclusion
Propofol induces sedation, at least in part, by increasing firing of GABAergic neurons in the VLPO, indirectly by activation of GABA(A) receptors on glutamatergic afferents: Because these axons/terminals have a relatively high internal Cl concentration, they are depolarized by GABAergic agents such as propofol, which thus enhance glutamate release.
Involvement of the Phospholipid Sterol Acyltransferase1 in Plant Sterol Homeostasis and Leaf Senescence
Authors: Bouvier-Naveݩ Pierrette , Berna Anne , Noiriel Alexandre , Compagnon Vincent , Carlsson Anders S. , Banas Antoni , Stymne Sten , Schaller Hubert 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Genes encoding sterol ester-forming enzymes were recently identified in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome. One belongs to a family of six members presenting homologies with the mammalian Lecithin Cholesterol Acyltransferases. The other one belongs to the superfamily of Membrane-Bound O-Acyltransferases. The physiological functions of these genes, Phospholipid Sterol Acyltransferase1 (PSAT1) and Acyl-CoA Sterol Acyltransferase1 (ASAT1), respectively, were investigated using Arabidopsis mutants. Sterol ester content decreased in leaves of all mutants and was strongly reduced in seeds from plants carrying a PSAT1-deficient mutation. The amount of sterol esters in flowers was very close to that of the wild type for all lines studied. This indicated further functional redundancy of sterol acylation in Arabidopsis. We performed feeding experiments in which we supplied sterol precursors to psat1-1, psat1-2, and asat1-1 mutants. This triggered the accumulation of sterol esters (stored in cytosolic lipid droplets) in the wild type and the asat1-1 lines but not in the psat1-1 and psat1-2 lines, indicating a major contribution of the PSAT1 in maintaining free sterol homeostasis in plant cell membranes. A clear biological effect associated with the lack of sterol ester formation in the psat1-1 and psat1-2 mutants was an early leaf senescence phenotype. Double mutants lacking PSAT1 and ASAT1 had identical phenotypes to psat1 mutants. The results presented here suggest that PSAT1 plays a role in lipid catabolism as part of the intracellular processes at play in the maintenance of leaf viability during developmental aging.
Specification of Cortical Parenchyma and Stele of Maize Primary Roots by Asymmetric Levels of Auxin, Cytokinin, and Cytokinin-Regulated Proteins
Authors: Saleem Muhammad , Lamkemeyer Tobias , Schuݶtzenmeister Andreݩ , Madlung Johannes , Sakai Hajime , Piepho Hans-Peter , Nordheim Alfred , Hochholdinger Frank 
Published: November 2009

AbstractIn transverse orientation, maize (Zea mays) roots are composed of a central stele that is embedded in multiple layers of cortical parenchyma. The stele functions in the transport of water, nutrients, and photosynthates, while the cortical parenchyma fulfills metabolic functions that are not very well characterized. To better understand the molecular functions of these root tissues, protein- and phytohormone-profiling experiments were conducted. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry identified 59 proteins that were preferentially accumulated in the cortical parenchyma and 11 stele-specific proteins. Hormone profiling revealed preferential accumulation of indole acetic acid and its conjugate indole acetic acid-aspartate in the stele and predominant localization of the cytokinin cis-zeatin, its precursor cis-zeatin riboside, and its conjugate cis-zeatin O-glucoside in the cortical parenchyma. A root-specific β-glucosidase that functions in the hydrolysis of cis-zeatin O-glucoside was preferentially accumulated in the cortical parenchyma. Similarly, four enzymes involved in ammonium assimilation that are regulated by cytokinin were preferentially accumulated in the cortical parenchyma. The antagonistic distribution of auxin and cytokinin in the stele and cortical parenchyma, together with the cortical parenchyma-specific accumulation of cytokinin-regulated proteins, suggest a molecular framework that specifies the function of these root tissues that also play a role in the formation of lateral roots from pericycle and endodermis cells.
ArticleRank: a PageRank‐based alternative to numbers of citations for analysing citation networks
Authors: Li Jiang , Willett Peter 
Published: November 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to suggest an alternative to the widely used Times Cited criterion for analysing citation networks. The approach involves taking account of the natures of the papers that cite a given paper, so as to differentiate between papers that attract the same number of citations.Design/methodology/approachArticleRank is an algorithm that has been derived from Google's PageRank algorithm to measure the influence of journal articles. ArticleRank is applied to two datasets – a citation network based on an early paper on webometrics, and a self‐citation network based on the 19 most cited papers in the Journal of Documentation – using citation data taken from the Web of Knowledge database.FindingsArticleRank values provide a different ranking of a set of papers from that provided by the corresponding Times Cited values, and overcomes the inability of the latter to differentiate between papers with the same numbers of citations. The difference in rankings between Times Cited and ArticleRank is greatest for the most heavily cited articles in a dataset.Originality/valueThis is a novel application of the PageRank algorithm.
Intellectual capital disclosure, cost of finance and firm value
Authors: Orens Raf , Aerts Walter , Lybaert Nadine 
Published: November 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the impact of web‐based intellectual capital (IC) reporting on firm's value and its cost of finance.Design/methodology/approachA content‐analysis of corporate web sites is conducted from four continental European countries (Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands) on the presence of IC information. Simultaneous regression modelling is used to control for endogeneity within a firm's disclosure strategy.FindingsThe data show that cross‐sectional differences in the extent of IC disclosure are positively associated with firm value. Greater IC disclosure in continental Europe is associated with lower information asymmetry, lower implied cost of equity capital and lower rate of interest paid.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is restricted to an analysis of firm's benefits of increased web‐based disclosure without considering related costs.Practical implicationsThe results of the study show that firms tend to benefit economically from better IC disclosure.Originality/valueExisting evidence is extended by considering the capital market implications of IC related disclosure and web‐based related disclosure.