bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A high‐throughput, low cost gel‐based SNP assay for positional cloning and marker assisted breeding of useful genes in cereals
Authors: Xu X. , Babu R. , Fujimura T. , Kawasaki S. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractSeveral SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) genotyping methods have been developed in the past most of which require sophisticated instrumentation and large initial investments. We describe here a high‐throughput SSCP (single strand conformation polymorphism) system on our HEGS (high efficiency genome scanning) platform, which is simple, accurate, cost effective and requires neither restriction digestion of the amplification products nor elaborate post‐PCR processing detection. Several parameters critical to SSCP analysis were optimized viz., gel matrix and concentration, gel running temperature, buffer composition, running conditions and PCR primer design so as to identify SNPs in amplicons ranging from 100 to 750 bp in size. A simple post‐PCR processing system was developed using fluorescent dye for quick and easy detection of SNP polymorphism. HEGS‐SSCP was also found to be useful in uncovering simple sequence repeat differences between different genotypes that differ by one or few di/tri nucleotide repeats. The practical utility of this system is illustrated with two successful efforts towards construction of high resolution linkage maps of a lesion mimic locus on chromosome 7 and a major quantitative trait locus conditioning field blast resistance on chromosome 4 in rice.
Characterization of a green non‐dormant sunflower (Helianthus annuus) mutant NDG
Authors: Vick B. A. , Cook L. W. , Jan C. C. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) mutant was observed in the progeny of a cross between the sunflower cultivar ‘HA 89’ and an amphiploid of a Helianthus divaricatus L. × P21 cross that exhibited loss of dormancy induction in the developing embryo. Seeds of this mutant frequently germinate on the head about 40 days after pollination. The cotyledons of this mutant remain green, whereas some other non‐dormant mutants exhibit loss of pigmentation. The objectives of this investigation were to compare levels and activities of abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone that induces dormancy in developing embryos, in the non‐dormant green mutant (NDG) and ‘HA 89’ from which NDG was derived. Immunoassays showed that abscisic acid was present in NDG and the levels were not significantly different from those in ‘HA 89’. Exposure of excised NDG mutant embryos to 40 μm abscisic acid failed to prevent germination, suggesting that non‐dormancy could result from impairment in ABA receptors or from a defect in other proteins participating in the subsequent signalling pathway that normally induces dormancy.
Floristic homogenization by native ruderal and alien plants in north‐east Spain: the effect of environmental differences on a regional scale
Authors: Pino Joan , Font Xavier , De Cáceres Miquel , Molowny‐Horas Roberto 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTAim  To evaluate the relative potential contribution of native ruderals and aliens to plant homogenization at a regional scale, after taking into account the effect of diverse environmental distances.Location  Catalonia (north‐east Spain)Methods  We have used the flora module of the BDBC project (Catalonian Database of Biodiversity), which provides information on plant species distribution per 10 × 10 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) cell. Pairwise floristic similarities of: (1) total, (2) native non‐ruderal, (3) native ruderal, and (4) alien vascular plant species have been calculated for a particularly well‐sampled subset of UTM cells, using a modified version of the Simpson index. These similarities have been compared per UTM pair using Mantel tests, before and after considering their relative association with geographical, climatic and landscape distances from linear regression models. The floristic similarity of both total and native non‐ruderal species was also correlated with the proportion of alien and native ruderal species after discounting the effects of environmental distances.Results  The proportion of variance explained by environmental correlates was highest for the floristic similarity of native non‐ruderal plants and lowest for that of aliens. In all plant groups, climatic distance was the main significant variable of species similarity. Geographical distance was only significant for total and native non‐ruderal species and was of secondary importance in both cases. Landscape distance was not significant in any case. Similarities among both aliens and native ruderals were significantly higher than among native non‐ruderals, but these differences disappeared after removing the effect of environmental distances.Main conclusions  Species similarity between sites may depend on differences in environmental factors other than geographical distance. This has to be taken into account when exploring the implications for biotic homogenization. In the case of Catalonian flora, the potentially homogenizing effect of native ruderal and alien species seems to be associated with their lower dependence on geographical distance and climatic factors compared with those of native, non‐ruderal species.
Population energy use scales positively with body size in natural aquatic microcosms
Authors: Hayward April , Khalid Maaheen , Kolasa Jurek 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTAim  We test the ‘energetic equivalence rule’ (EER) – the idea that the amount of energy used by a population per unit area per unit time is independent of body mass – in meio‐invertebrate communities from a series of natural, multitrophic aquatic ‘rock pool’ microcosms. Our study represents the first rigorous test of the EER at local scales of observation in a community of naturally coexisting species.Location  Discovery Bay, Jamaica.Method  We estimated population energy use (PEU) for every occurrence of every species of meio‐invertebrate fauna found in each of 29 microcosms (233 observations of 31 species) using estimates of population density obtained in January 2005 in combination with published metabolism–mass relations for closely related taxa.Results  In the rock pool system as a whole, population density decreased (ancova: b = –0.38 (–0.55 to –0.19), r2 = 0.19, P < 0.001) and PEU increased with body mass (ancova: b = 0.55 (0.36–0.73), r2 = 0.28, P < 0.001).Main conclusions  The positive PEU–body mass relation found here suggests that larger organisms are energetically dominant and points to the importance of size‐structured competition in these systems. Our results contrast those obtained in the few other previously published tests of the EER and challenge the idea that all species use similar amounts of energy regardless of their size.
Comparative Effectiveness Research and Evidence‐Based Health Policy: Experience from Four Countries
Authors: CHALKIDOU KALIPSO , TUNIS SEAN , LOPERT RUTH , ROCHAIX LISE , SAWICKI PETER T. , NASSER MONA , XERRI BERTRAND 
Published: June 2009

Context: The discussion about improving the efficiency, quality, and long‐term sustainability of the U.S. health care system is increasingly focusing on the need to provide better evidence for decision making through comparative effectiveness research (CER). In recent years, several other countries have established agencies to evaluate health technologies and broader management strategies to inform health care policy decisions. This article reviews experiences from Britain, France, Australia, and Germany.Methods: This article draws on the experience of senior technical and administrative staff in setting up and running the CER entities studied. Besides reviewing the agencies' websites, legal framework documents, and informal interviews with key stakeholders, this analysis was informed by a workshop bringing together U.S. and international experts.Findings: This article builds a matrix of features identified from the international models studied that offer insights into near‐term decisions about the location, design, and function of a U.S.‐based CER entity. While each country has developed a CER capacity unique to its health system, elements such as the inclusiveness of relevant stakeholders, transparency in operation, independence of the central government and other interests, and adaptability to a changing environment are prerequisites for these entities' successful operation.Conclusions: While the CER entities evolved separately and have different responsibilities, they have adopted a set of core structural, technical, and procedural principles, including mechanisms for engaging with stakeholders, governance and oversight arrangements, and explicit methodologies for analyzing evidence, to ensure a high‐quality product that is relevant to their system.
Toward a Transdisciplinary Model of Evidence‐Based Practice
Authors: SATTERFIELD JASON M. , SPRING BONNIE , BROWNSON ROSS C. , MULLEN EDWARD J. , NEWHOUSE ROBIN P. , WALKER BARBARA B. , WHITLOCK EVELYN P. 
Published: June 2009

Context:This article describes the historical context and current developments in evidence‐based practice (EBP) for medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, and public health, as well as the evolution of the seminal “three circles” model of evidence‐based medicine, highlighting changes in EBP content, processes, and philosophies across disciplines.Methods:The core issues and challenges in EBP are identified by comparing and contrasting EBP models across various health disciplines. Then a unified, transdisciplinary EBP model is presented, drawing on the strengths and compensating for the weaknesses of each discipline.Findings:Common challenges across disciplines include (1) how “evidence” should be defined and comparatively weighted; (2) how and when the patient's and/or other contextual factors should enter the clinical decision‐making process; (3) the definition and role of the “expert”; and (4) what other variables should be considered when selecting an evidence‐based practice, such as age, social class, community resources, and local expertise.Conclusions:A unified, transdisciplinary EBP model would address historical shortcomings by redefining the contents of each model circle, clarifying the practitioner's expertise and competencies, emphasizing shared decision making, and adding both environmental and organizational contexts. Implications for academia, practice, and policy also are discussed.
How Do You Modernize a Health Service? A Realist Evaluation of Whole‐Scale Transformation in London
Authors: GREENHALGH TRISHA , HUMPHREY CHARLOTTE , HUGHES JANE , MACFARLANE FRASER , BUTLER CERI , PAWSON RAY 
Published: June 2009

Context: Large‐scale, whole‐systems interventions in health care require imaginative approaches to evaluation that go beyond assessing progress against predefined goals and milestones. This project evaluated a major change effort in inner London, funded by a charitable donation of approximately $21 million, which spanned four large health care organizations, covered three services (stroke, kidney, and sexual health), and sought to “modernize” these services with a view to making health care more efficient, effective, and patient centered.Methods: This organizational case study draws on the principles of realist evaluation, a largely qualitative approach that is centrally concerned with testing and refining program theories by exploring the complex and dynamic interaction among context, mechanism, and outcome. This approach used multiple data sources and methods in a pragmatic and reflexive manner to build a picture of the case and follow its fortunes over the three‐year study period. The methods included ethnographic observation, semistructured interviews, and scrutiny of documents and other contemporaneous materials. As well as providing ongoing formative feedback to the change teams in specific areas of activity, we undertook a more abstract, interpretive analysis, which explored the context‐mechanism‐outcome relationship using the guiding question “what works, for whom, under what circumstances?”Findings: In this example of large‐scale service transformation, numerous projects and subprojects emerged, fed into one another, and evolved over time. Six broad mechanisms appeared to be driving the efforts of change agents: integrating services across providers, finding and using evidence, involving service users in the modernization effort, supporting self‐care, developing the workforce, and extending the range of services. Within each of these mechanisms, different teams chose widely differing approaches and met with differing success. The realist analysis of the fortunes of different subprojects identified aspects of context and mechanism that accounted for observed outcomes (both intended and unintended).Conclusions: This study was one of the first applications of realist evaluation to a large‐scale change effort in health care. Even when an ambitious change program shifts from its original goals and meets unforeseen challenges (indeed, precisely because the program morphs and adapts over time), realist evaluation can draw useful lessons about how particular preconditions make particular outcomes more likely, even though it cannot produce predictive guidance or a simple recipe for success. Noting recent calls by others for the greater use of realist evaluation in health care, this article considers some of the challenges and limitations of this method in the light of this experience and suggests that its use will require some fundamental changes in the worldview of some health services researchers.
Health Consequences of Uninsurance among Adults in the United States: Recent Evidence and Implications
Authors: MICHAEL McWILLIAMS J. 
Published: June 2009

Context: Uninsured adults have less access to recommended care, receive poorer quality of care, and experience worse health outcomes than insured adults do. The potential health benefits of expanding insurance coverage for these adults may provide a strong rationale for reform. However, evidence of the adverse health effects of uninsurance has been largely based on observational studies with designs that do not support causal conclusions. Although recent research using more rigorous methods may offer a better understanding of this important subject, it has not been comprehensively reviewed.Methods: The clinical and economic literature since 2002 was systematically searched. New research contributions were reviewed and evaluated based on their methodological strength. Because the effectiveness of medical care varies considerably by clinical risk and across conditions, the consistency of study findings with clinical expectations was considered in their interpretation. Updated conclusions were formulated from the current body of research.Findings: The quality of research has improved significantly, as investigators have employed quasi‐experimental designs with increasing frequency to address limitations of earlier research. Recent studies have found consistently positive and often significant effects of health insurance coverage on health across a range of outcomes. In particular, significant benefits of coverage have now been robustly demonstrated for adults with acute or chronic conditions for which there are effective treatments.Conclusions: Based on the evidence to date, the health consequences of uninsurance are real, vary in magnitude in a clinically consistent manner, strengthen the argument for universal coverage in the United States, and underscore the importance of evidence‐based determinations in providing health care to a diverse population of adults.
Housing First for Homeless Persons with Active Addiction: Are We Overreaching?
Authors: KERTESZ STEFAN G. , CROUCH KIMBERLY , MILBY JESSE B. , CUSIMANO ROBERT E. , SCHUMACHER JOSEPH E. 
Published: June 2009

Context: More than 350 communities in the United States have committed to ending chronic homelessness. One nationally prominent approach, Housing First, offers early access to permanent housing without requiring completion of treatment or, for clients with addiction, proof of sobriety.Methods: This article reviews studies of Housing First and more traditional rehabilitative (e.g., “linear”) recovery interventions, focusing on the outcomes obtained by both approaches for homeless individuals with addictive disorders.Findings: According to reviews of comparative trials and case series reports, Housing First reports document excellent housing retention, despite the limited amount of data pertaining to homeless clients with active and severe addiction. Several linear programs cite reductions in addiction severity but have shortcomings in long‐term housing success and retention.Conclusions: This article suggests that the current research data are not sufficient to identify an optimal housing and rehabilitation approach for an important homeless subgroup. The research regarding Housing First and linear approaches can be strengthened in several ways, and policymakers should be cautious about generalizing the results of available Housing First studies to persons with active addiction when they enter housing programs.
DISENCHANTMENT, RE‐ENCHANTMENT, AND ENCHANTMENT
Authors: SHERRY PATRICK 
Published: June 2009

AbstractMax Weber described the modern world as disenchanted. By contrast, some contemporary writers have said that postmodernism and other developments are re‐enchanting the world. I put Weber and these writers alongside each other, and then undercut the discussion by considering a third possibility raised by some recent writers on theological aesthetics: that the world is still enchanted in certain ways. But this third point of view depends on a wide reading of the concept of “sacrament”, and one very different from Weber's understanding.
PROMETHEUS AND KANT: NEUTRALIZING THEOLOGICAL DISCOURSE AND DOXOLOGY
Authors: SCIGLITANO ANTHONY C. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis essay argues that Kant's writings on religion recapitulate or anticipate many of the theoretical moves we find in Promethean discourses of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The first portion of the article lays out fundamental elements of Promethean discourse from a theological point of view, and distinguishes between “aggressive” and “urbane” Prometheanism. I contend that both types attack divine transcendence and Christian doxology, focus almost entirely on soteriology to the detriment of creation, and advocate a movement from theo‐centric discourse to anthropocentric discourse. Yet urbane Prometheanism differs from its aggressive cousin by moving from hatred of God to a non‐dialogical mode of indifference to God as an impotent and inconsequential deity. I argue that an urbane Prometheanism is what properly characterizes Kant's philosophy of religion—from his epistemic work in the first Critique, through his way of parsing theological and philosophical discursive responsibilities, to his actual hermeneutics of Christian doctrine.
BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS: MICHEL HENRY AND JEAN‐LUC MARION ON THE AESTHETICS OF THE INVISIBLE
Authors: FRITZ PETER JOSEPH 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis essay examines how Michel Henry's and Jean‐Luc Marion's continuation of phenomenology's turn to the invisible relates to painting, aesthetics, and theology. First, it discusses Henry and Marion's redefinition of phenomenality. Second, it explores Henry's “Kandinskian” description of abstract painting as expressing “Life.” Third, it explicates Marion's “Rothkoian” rehabilitation of the idol and renewed zeal for the icon—both phenomena exemplify “givenness.” Fourth, it unpacks my thesis: Henry's phenomenology, theologically applied, exercises an inadequate Kantian apophasis, characterized by a sublime sacrifice of the imagination; although Marion's work sometimes evidences a similar tendency, its prevailing momentum offers theology a fully catholic scope.
ECONOMY OF THE GIFT: RETHINKING THE ROLE OF LAND ENCLOSURE IN POLITICAL ECONOMY*
Authors: MEI TODD S. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe theological revivification of the concept of gift and gift exchange in the last two decades has provoked questions on how notions of divine superabundance can be translated into economics. In this article, I relate the thinking of Paul Ricoeur, John Milbank, Philip Goodchild and Albino Barrera to a specific economic reform that entails seeing land enclosure as inimical to the stability and fairness of an economy. I refer to the political economy of Henry George (1839–97) which takes land value taxation to be its centrally defining principle for a just economy.
PHENOMENOLOGY—METAPHYSICS—THEOLOGY
Authors: PEPERZAK ADRIAAN 
Published: June 2009

Abstract Phenomenology—Metaphysics—Theology (a review article of Belief and Metaphysics and Transcendence and Phenomenology, edited by Conor Cunningham and Peter M. Candler, Jr. [JCM Press, London 2007]).The forty papers collected in these books form the proceedings of two conferences organized by the University of Nottingham's Centre of Theology and Philosophy. These articles present an image of the diverse ways in which continental philosophers working in the Anglophone world approach the relation between philosophy and theology.The reviewer highlights the most inspiring essays and summarizes others. He emphasizes and appreciates the strong influence of 20th century phenomenologists and of Aquinas, as well as the high esteem of some contributors for a certain form of metaphysics as condition of a new orthodox theology. He also draws attention, however, to the absence of dialogue among the contributors, and the paucity of properly scriptural and theological analysis—both of which failings are especially problematic in relation to the Centre's overall program.
IRRESPONSIBLE LOVE: RETHINKING INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, HUMANITY AND THE CHURCH1
Authors: VOLPE MEDI ANN 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis review essay considers three recent studies at the intersection of theology and intellectual disability. All three authors work out constructive proposals against a background of literature in which Nancy Eiesland and Stanley Hauerwas are central. Each explores the nature of intellectual disability through interdisciplinary study and draws this work into conversation with classical Christian theology. The essay welcomes these three books, and also suggests ways in which their constructive proposals might be strengthened. In particular, their use of resources within late ancient Christian tradition fails to take into account some of the doctrinal formulations most congenial to their projects.
Simplified Implementation of the Heckman Estimator of the Dynamic Probit Model and a Comparison with Alternative Estimators*
Authors: Arulampalam Wiji , Stewart Mark B. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis paper presents a convenient shortcut method for implementing the Heckman estimator of the dynamic random effects probit model and other dynamic nonlinear panel data models using standard software. It then compares the estimators proposed by Heckman, Orme and Wooldridge, based on three alternative approximations, first in an empirical model for the probability of unemployment and then in a set of simulation experiments. The results indicate that none of the three estimators dominates the other two in all cases. In most cases, all three estimators display satisfactory performance, except when the number of time periods is very small.