bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heterozygous Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Derived from Nonhuman Primate Parthenotes
Authors: Dighe Vikas , Clepper Lisa , Pedersen Darlene , Byrne James , Ferguson Betsy , Gokhale Sumita , Penedo M. Cecilia T. , Wolf Don , Mitalipov Shoukhrat 
Published: January 2008

Abstract
Monoparental parthenotes represent a potential source of histocompatible stem cells that should be isogenic with the oocyte donor and therefore suitable for use in cell or tissue replacement therapy. We generated five rhesus monkey parthenogenetic embryonic stem cell (PESC) lines with stable, diploid female karyotypes that were morphologically indistinguishable from biparental controls, expressed key pluripotent markers, and generated cell derivatives representative of all three germ layers following in vivo and in vitro differentiation. Interestingly, high levels of heterozygosity were observed at the majority of loci that were polymorphic in the oocyte donors. Some PESC lines were also heterozygous in the major histocompatibility complex region, carrying haplotypes identical to those of the egg donor females. Expression analysis revealed transcripts from some imprinted genes that are normally expressed from only the paternal allele. These results indicate that limitations accompanying the potential use of PESC-derived phenotypes in regenerative medicine, including aberrant genomic imprinting and high levels of homozygosity, are cell line-dependent and not always present. PESC lines were derived in high enough yields to be practicable, and their derivatives are suitable for autologous transplantation into oocyte donors or could be used to establish a bank of histocompatible cell lines for a broad spectrum of patients.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Distance Education But Beyond: “meLearning”—What If the Impossible Isn't?
Authors: Hodgins Wayne 
Published: January 2008

It's not the physical distance between teachers and learners that is the problem but the gap between what all of us as learners need and what those who supply the education, training, and learning have to offer. Mass-produced education for the masses will give way to massively customized learning with contributions from all. While the scope of such an endeavor appears staggering, the dream of adaptive, personalized “meLearning” for every person every day, and thus the brightest future ever imagined, lies immediately in front of us and within our grasp. The vision for a future world state where every person experiences personalized learning every day is clear, but it has arrived prematurely, is inequitably distributed, and remains unseen by most. Moreover, and as has been common in the history of conditions preceding such mass revolutions, the existing organizations and institution stand in stark contrast to this vision and, in many ways, oppose it. All quite predictable and understandable. However, the status quo is no longer an option. The distance between the supply side of the equation (solutions offered) and the demand side (demands and needs) is disproportionately large. Change is inevitable, and is increasingly demanded by all involved. If you have not done so already, it is time to start imagining what our world would be like if we increased the effectiveness of learning for everyone, all the time, by customizing the learning to fit each individual person and situation. Imagine if the impossible isn't! Many others already have. This future is ours for the choosing if we can muster the courage to ignite the transformation from vision to reality by simply imagining that this bright future is now possible and beginning to shape its design and implementation.
Loss of presenilin function causes Alzheimer's disease‐like neurodegeneration in the mouse
Authors: Chen Qian , Nakajima Akira , Choi Se Hoon , Xiong Xiaoli , Tang Ya‐Ping 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAccumulating evidence has indicated that gain‐of‐function in β‐amyloid production may be not the necessary mechanism for mutant presenilin‐1 (PS1) or PS2 to cause familial Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present article, we show that conditional knockout of PS1 from the adult stage in the forebrain of mice with the PS2 null mutation triggers robust AD‐like neurodegeneration including brain shrinkage, cortical and hippocampal atrophy,ventricular enlargement, severe neuronal loss, gliosis, tau hyperphosphorylation, neurofillament tangle‐like structures, and intracellular filaments. Learning and memory functions in these mice are almost completely lost. Notably, there is no β‐amyloid deposition, indicating that presenilin dysfunction can directly cause neurodegeneration without the involvement of β‐amyloid. Furthermore, neurodegeneration occurs in a progressive manner following aging, suggesting that an accumulating effect of presenilin dysfunction over time might be a pathogenic mechanism for the involvement of mutant PS1/PS2 in causing AD. These results validate a mouse model characterized by the presence of many features of AD pathology. Furthermore, the demonstration of AD‐like neurodegeneration in the absence of β‐amyloid deposition challenges the long‐standing β‐amyloid cascade hypothesis and encourages an open debate on the role of β‐amyloid in causing AD. Most important, our results strongly suggest that to develop γ‐secretase inhibitors for the pharmacological treatment of AD may be not a reasonable strategy because antagonism of presenilin function may worsen neurodegeneration. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trophic factors and neuronal interactions regulate the cell cycle and Pax6 expression in Müller stem cells
Authors: Insua M. Fernanda , Simón M. Victoria , Garelli Andrés , de los Santos Beatriz , Rotstein Nora P. , Politi Luis E. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe finding that Müller cells have stem cell properties in the retina has led to the hypothesis that they might be a source for replacing neurons lost in neurodegenerative diseases. However, utilization of Müller cells for regenerative purposes in the mammalian eye still requires identifying those factors that regulate their multipotentiality and proliferation. In addition, because Pax6 expression is indispensable for eye development, its regulation would be required during regeneration. In the present study we investigated the regulation of cell‐cycle progression and Pax6 expression in pure Müller glial cell cultures and neuroglial cocultures from rat retinas. At early times in vitro, glial cells showed high expression of Pax6 and of nestin, a stem cell marker, and of markers of cell‐cycle progression; expression of these markers decreased during development in parallel with increased glial differentiation. The addition of glial‐derived neurotrophic factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and insulin restored proliferation and also Pax6 and nestin expression in glial cells. Noteworthy, in neuroglial cocultures Müller cells retained Pax6 expression for longer periods, and, in turn, neuronal progenitors preserved their proliferative potential for several days in vitro. This suggests that neuroglial interactions mutually regulate their mitogenic capacity. In addition, in glial secondary cultures incubated with insulin, many neuroblast‐like cells expressed the neuronal marker NeuN. Our results suggest that the proliferative capacity and the features of eye stem cells of Müller glial cells are regulated by molecular and cellular factors, which might then provide potential tools for manipulating retinal regeneration. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Early postnatal development of rat brain: In vivo diffusion tensor imaging
Authors: Bockhorst K.H. , Narayana P.A. , Liu R. , Ahobila‐Vijjula P. , Ramu J. , Kamel M. , Wosik J. , Bockhorst T. , Hahn K. , Hasan K.M. , Perez‐Polo J.R. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractPerinatal hypoxia is a major cause of neurodevelopmental deficits. Neuronal migration patterns are particularly sensitive to perinatal hypoxia/ischemia and are associated with the clinical deficits. The rat model of hypoxia/ischemia at P7 mimics that of perinatal injury in humans. Before assessing the effects of postnatal injury on brain development, it is essential to determine the normal developmental trajectories of various brain structures in individual animals. In vivo longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed from postnatal day 0 (P0) to P56 on Wistar rats. The DTI metrics, mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial (λl) and radial (λt) diffusivities, were determined for four gray matter and eight white matter structures. The FA of the cortical plate and the body of corpus callosum decreased significantly during the first 3 weeks after birth. The decrease in the cortical plate's FA value was associated mainly with an increase in λt. The initial decrease in FA of corpus callosum was associated with a significant decrease in λl. The FA of corpus callosum increased during the rest of the observational period, which was mainly associated with a decrease in λt. The FA of gray matter structures, hippocampus, caudate putamen, and cortical mantle did not show significant changes between P0 and P56. In contrast, the majority of white matter structures showed significant changes between P0 and P56. These temporal changes in the DTI metrics were related to the neuronal and axonal pruning and myelination that are known to occur in the developing brain. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology: German translation and psychometric validation
Authors: Drieling T. , Schärer L.O. , Langosch J.M. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS) is a rating scale for depression, widely used in international multicentre studies. There are two corresponding versions: a self‐rated (IDS‐SR) and a clinician‐rated (IDS‐C) scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the German versions of the IDS‐SR and IDS‐C in comparison to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The sample consisted of 59 inpatients and outpatients treated for unipolar or bipolar disorders. Internal consistency of the IDS‐SR and IDS‐C was found highly acceptable (α = 0.94 and α = 0.93). Item‐total‐correlations of the IDS‐SR revealed that 68% of the items were strongly correlated with the sum score (≥0.50). This was in the same range with the IDS‐C (54%), the HRSD (53%) and the BDI (76%). Furthermore, there is a high concurrent validity (r ≥ 0.88) of the IDS‐SR with the IDS‐C, the BDI and the HRSD. Substantial score‐differences between inpatients and outpatients indicate a good discriminant validity. It is concluded that the German version of the IDS is a useful instrument for the assessment of depressive symptoms and that it has the same highly acceptable psychometric properties as the original English version. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The new covenant of employability
Authors: Clarke Marilyn , Patrickson Margaret 
Published: January 2008

PurposeChanging career patterns and the erosion of job security have led to a growing emphasis on employability as a basis for career and employment success. The written and psychological contracts between employer and employer have become more transactional and less relational, and loyalty is no longer a guarantee of ongoing employment. Individuals are thus expected to take primary responsibility for their own employability rather than relying on the organisation to direct and maintain their careers. The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the assumptions underpinning the concept of employability and evaluate the extent to which employability has been adopted as a new covenant in the employment relationship.Design/methodology/approachThrough a review of relevant literature the paper discusses current research on careers and employability and examines the available evidence regarding its adoption as a basis for contemporary employment relationships.FindingsThe paper finds that the transfer of responsibility for employability from organisation to individual has not been widespread. There is still an expectation that organisations will manage careers through job‐specific training and development. Employability has primarily benefited employees with highly developed or high‐demand skills. Employability is not a guarantee of finding suitable employment.Practical implicationsEmployers can assist their employees by clarifying changes to the psychological contract, highlighting the benefits of career self‐management, and providing training and development in generic employability skills.Originality/valueThe paper questions underlying assumptions about employability and explores issues of relevance to human resource managers, policy‐makers, employers and employees.
To move or not to move?
Authors: De Vos Ans , Dewettinck Koen , Buyens Dirk 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore professional employees' career move preferences and the impact of both individual and organizational career management. Departing from theoretical work on the “new career”, different types of career moves employees can make on the internal labor market are discussed and related to the literature on both organizational and individual career management.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypotheses, a cross‐sectional survey of 472 professional employees from one company is presented.FindingsThe preferences for both vertical career moves and moves relating to job enrichment and temporary moves are significantly affected by individual career management, but not by organizational career management practices. The preference for making lateral moves could not be explained by our antecedent variables.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should involve a larger sample of organizations in order to collect empirical data about the extent to which OCM practices impact career preferences. Our results provide evidence for the relationship between individual career management and career move preferences and thereby adds to the literature on the “new career”.Practical implicationsThis study has a number of practical implications that relate to the ways in which organizations can stimulate different career moves among their employees through the enhancement of personal career initiatives.Originality/valueThe value of this paper is the contribution it makes to the career literature by relating to different streams of research, about career mobility on the one hand and individual and organizational career management on the other.
Relationships and engagement
Authors: Williamson Vicki 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to overview the professional context for Canadian research libraries (as outlined in the 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resources Study by Ingles et al.) and to examine the approach and response to dynamic human resources challenges and opportunities unfolding through a strategic planning and change management process at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Library.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the context and challenges for Canadian research libraries as highlighted in the 8Rs Study and overviews this in the context of the U of S Library's response through its strategic planning and change management process. It explores institutional responses and the possibilities of joint collaborative action across member libraries of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL).FindingsThe study finds that greatest challenge to transforming library services, resources and facilities lies in transforming the knowledge, skills and abilities of library staff and to developing new models and approaches to professional practice, which meet and exceed client expectations and overcome the traditionally conservative approach to the practice of librarianship.Originality/valueThe paper provides a discussion on strategic options and strategies for research libraries as exemplified by the experiences and work underway at the U of S Library. While some of the context is Canadian specific, the U of S response contains many strategies applicable in other academic and research libraries contexts.
Librarians do fly: strategies for staying aloft
Authors: Parry Julie 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine past and future predictions about academic libraries and identify the skills that librarians will need to survive in an increasingly digital environment.Design/methodology/approachA review of relevant literature, including ephemeral material such as job advertisements, indicates a broad consensus about the skills required. The life cycle of an academic librarian is considered from initial training, through recruitment and performance management to staff development and training.FindingsVarious predictions about the future of academic libraries that were made during the 1990s have largely proved accurate. Therefore, this paper presumes that predictions about the skills of academic librarians for the forthcoming decade may prove useful in their recruitment and management.Practical implicationsManagers in library and information services are encouraged to maintain an awareness of developing skills requirements within the sector in order to inform good practice in staff management.Originality/value implicationsSome visions for the future are drawn together with the aim of defining a set of professional skills.
Digital nature and digital nurture: libraries, learning and the digital native
Authors: Robinson Michael 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe so‐called “digital native” – the first generation of students and learners who have been born and raised in a world of digital technologies – is now in our universities and, hopefully, using library services. This paper aims to survey recent debate about the delivery of information services to the “digital native”, using Hong Kong academic libraries as a case study to reflect on the appropriateness of the services offered.Design/methodology/approachThe paper questions whether academic libraries which have begun to recognize this phenomenon, and have changed their services significantly in response to this “digital” generation of students and their approach to learning. It looks at the role that academic librarians should have in equipping tertiary students to function in the digital information environment. It also questions whether academic librarians continue to have a role in this, or if they are in fact lagging behind the students' understanding of information technology, and their adoption of new technologies to acquire and use information.FindingsThe paper finds that libraries will be better served in the long run if they consider in what particular ways they appeal to students, and focus on developing services that are aligned with student preferences in their access to and use of information. Rather than competing with search engines, libraries can learn from the way in which they design their services, and through link resolving software can combine the convenience of the web with the quality of their own resources. Identifying reasons for using the library which are not satisfied by the internet, and promoting these through improved virtual and physical access help to define the niche that academic libraries serve and how they can build a better affinity with their student community.Originality/valueThe paper provides useful information on developing academic libraries to accommodate the new digital developments in information.
Academic reference librarians prepare for change: an Australian case study
Authors: Leong Julia 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe study aims to identify strategies to enhance change readiness and professional competence in academic reference librarians in a time of organizational change and challenge.Design/methodology/approachThe author, as departmental head, was able to influence strategies taken and to directly observe and record processes and outcomes. Staff also participated in two surveys to establish and trace competence. Motivation to deal proactively with the changing environment was built through good communication and looking at likely future scenarios. Required competencies were established, skills assessed, goals set for professional development, and progress assessed. Staff participated in determining directions and took responsibility for implementing agreed actions.FindingsThe paper finds that reference staff responded positively to enhanced opportunities to influence directions. They willingly took responsibility, developed new skills for a changing environment, and demonstrated effectiveness in new ways. Positive outcomes included recognition through a national award, successful grant applications and project work, and positive attitudes shown by staff at a time of organizational restructuring and downsizing.Practical implicationsReference staff capability to provide innovative services and to adapt to changing expectations and opportunities is enhanced by participation in management of library directions and through staff development.Originality/valueThis case study offers insight into practical and inexpensive approaches to enhancing reference librarian change readiness and competence.
The transit lounge: a view of organisational change from a point in the journey
Authors: Paton Barbara , Beranek Lea , Smith Ian 
Published: January 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the organisational change processes in an academic library in the context of change management theory.Design/methodology/approachThe process of achieving organisational change in La Trobe University Library, a medium‐sized Australian academic library is examined. The focus is the library's experience of effecting wide reaching changes in interconnected areas of organisational structure, client services delivery and the physical service environment and facilities. The drivers for undertaking change in service delivery are outlined and the changes that have been implemented are discussed. The practical experience of achieving change is examined using the framework of key change management theory and expert advice.FindingsLa Trobe University Library has been a leader in innovative service delivery and an early adopter of technologies to improve services; however it had not previously experienced significant organisational change. The library initiated a number of strategies to address resistance to the changes, achieving some success. Workshops for staff to better understand and cope with change were introduced. Extensive consultation and communication with staff was undertaken; finding the balance between perceived inadequate communication with staff and communication overload was a challenge. People are the key factor to success in any organisational change and the library's experiences confirmed the need to attend to the people element in any change process. Planning and leadership were core elements to achieving successful change.Originality/valueThe paper provides a useful comparison between management theory and expert advice on organisational change and the practical experience of a library.