bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interactive whiteboards and talking books: a new approach to teaching children to write?
Authors: Martin Sheena 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis article presents work undertaken with a class of Scottish Primary Six children (aged 10) to investigate the use of interactive whiteboard technology and interactive talking books in whole‐class writing lessons. The paper reports on a research project with three aims: to investigate how the use of an interactive whiteboard to reflect on the language and style of professional authors influenced the children's own writing; to examine the effect of this experience on the writing and behaviour of children with additional support needs; and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using such technology in whole‐class writing lessons. The resulting evidence suggests that while some children benefited from the approach, teaching children to write through examination of professional models of writing in whole‐class lessons did not promote the most effective learning even where the text was provided in such an interactive medium. The implications of these results for practitioners who wish to use talking books and whiteboard technology to teach writing are discussed.
‘Good Farmers’ as Reflexive Producers: an Examination of Family Organic Farmers in the US Midwest
Authors: Stock Paul V. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn the wake of an explosion in the organic food sector, it is vital to differentiate, not only between conventional and organic producers, but between types of organic producers. By exploring a network of family organic farmers in the US Midwest through participant observation and interviews we can better understand the inherent overlap between the categorisations of producer and consumer through the lenses of identity and the reflexive producer. By studying a small network of organic food producers, I illustrate the emergence of a small, but important category of reflexive producers that shed light on the alternative ideology and actions of family organic farmers concerned with protecting the environment and the health of their customers and people in general. Furthermore, reflexive farmers illustrate the moral care associated with good farming.
Q Methodology and Rural Research
Authors: Previte Josephine , Pini Barbara , Haslam‐McKenzie Fiona 
Published: April 2007

AbstractTraditionally, rural scholarship has been limited in its methodological approach. This has begun to change in recent years as rural researchers have embraced a range of different methodological tools. The aim of this article is to contribute to greater methodological pluralism in rural sociology by introducing readers to a method of research that is rarely engaged in the field, that is, Q methodology. The article describes the defining features of the approach as well as providing examples of its application to argue that it is a method that offers particular opportunities and synergies for rural social science research.
Transporters of ligands for essential metal ions in plants
Authors: Haydon Michael J. , Cobbett Christopher S. 
Published: April 2007

SummaryEssential metals are required for healthy plant growth but can be toxic when present in excess. Therefore plants have mechanisms of metal homeostasis which involve coordination of metal ion transporters for uptake, translocation and compartmentalization. However, very little metal in plants is thought to exist as free ions. A number of small, organic molecules have been implicated in metal ion homeostasis as metal ion ligands to facilitate uptake and transport of metal ions with low solubility and also as chelators implicated in sequestration for metal tolerance and storage. Ligands for a number of essential metals have been identified and proteins involved in the transport of these ligands and of metal–ligand complexes have been characterized. Here we review recent advances in understanding the role of mugineic acid, nicotianamine, organic acids (citrate and malate), histidine and phytate as ligands for iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and nickel (Ni) in plants, and the proteins identified as their transporters.
Pollen wall development in flowering plants
Authors: Blackmore Stephen , Wortley Alexandra H. , Skvarla John J. , Rowley John R. 
Published: April 2007

SummaryThe outer pollen wall, or exine, is more structurally complex than any other plant cell wall, comprising several distinct layers, each with its own organizational pattern. Since elucidation of the basic events of pollen wall ontogeny using electron microscopy in the 1970s, knowledge of their developmental genetics has increased enormously. However, self‐assembly processes that are not under direct genetic control also play an important role in pollen wall patterning. This review integrates ultrastructural and developmental findings with recent models for self‐assembly in an attempt to understand the origins of the morphological complexity and diversity that underpin the science of palynology.

Contents

Summary
483

I.
Introduction
483

II.
Progress of research on pollen wall development
485

III.
The developmental role of the special cell wall
487

IV.
Meiosis and the establishment of microspore symmetry
489

V.
The origins of the exine during the tetrad stage
490

VI.
The free microspore stage to pollen maturation
495

VII.
Conclusions
495

Acknowledgements
496

References
496
Measuring efficiency and productive performance of colleges at the university of Santo Tomas: a nonparametric approach
Authors: Fernando Babeth Isa S. , Cabanda Emilyn C. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis paper estimates relative efficiency and productive performance of 13 colleges at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), using data envelopment analysis (DEA) – Malmquist indices and a multi‐stage model. DEA is a management evaluation tool that assists with identifying the most efficient and inefficient decision‐making units (DMUs) in the best practice frontier. Total factor productivity (TFP) is measured for a sample of 13 colleges at UST over the period 1998–2003. Empirical results show that the main contributing factor to TFP growth is efficiency change. That is, UST colleges are technically operating efficiently in the frontier technology; though there is a downward shift in the technological advancement. Our results further imply that with the use of output–input mix, UST colleges as a whole have recorded a higher level of technical efficiency than innovation. These new findings contribute significantly to the existing literature on efficiency and productive performance in the education sector.
China's Economy in 2006/2007: Managing High Growth for Faster Structural Adjustment
Authors: Wong John 
Published: April 2007

AbstractChina's economy in 2006 continued to register high growth of 10.5 to 10.7 percent with low inflation (CPI at 1.3 percent), dissipating fears of a hard landing. Since its accession to the WTO, China has become a significant global economic player, and is the favorite destination for many regional and global production networks. China is now a truly economic power (jingji daguo). China s economic leadership is also increasingly confident of its ability to manage China s domestic economic growth and its growing relations with the outside world. Although China s growth is expected to slow down in 2007 to approximately 9.5 percent, the national mood now is one of “more balanced” growth rather than “fast growth”. Therefore, the building of a “harmonious society” is to be emphasized in China, while letting economic growth solve the burning social and environmental issues. In 2007, the government will also need to deal with various internal and external macroeconomic imbalances. The renminbi will be under even stronger pressure to revalue, given China s record trade surplus of US$160bn and foreign reserves of US$1tn.
Migration and the Right to Social Security: Perceptions of Off‐farm Migrants' Rights to Social Insurance in China's Jiangsu Province
Authors: Nielsen Ingrid , Nyland Chris , Smyth Russell , Zhang Minqiong 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn 2001 China ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. By so doing the national government became legally bound, “to the maximum of its available resources”, to achieve “progressively” full realization of the rights specified in the Covenant. Included amongst these entitlements is the “right of everyone to social security, including social insurance”. This paper uses data from Jiangsu to examine the extent to which urbanites agree that previously disenfranchised migrants have the same right to social insurance as the urban population. Many urbanites fear that their existing entitlements to social protection will be diluted if social insurance coverage is extended to include new populations. Accordingly, state agencies and the media have sought to promote acceptance of a more positive view of migrant workers than has traditionally prevailed within towns and cities. We find that younger urban residents, urban residents who already have social insurance and urban residents working in the state‐owned sector are more likely to agree that migrants have the same right to social insurance as the urban population.
Low Inflation, Pass‐through, and a Discrete Inflation‐targeting Framework for Monetary Policy in China
Authors: Zhang Chengsi 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe performance of inflation in China over the past few decades has been remarkable. This paper characterizes the statistical nature of the inflation series in China over the past quarter of a century and presents an interesting scenario of large decline in inflation pass‐through accompanied with low inflation since the end of the 1990s. How should monetary policy in China be conducted under these new economic conditions? We propose a discrete inflation‐targeting framework for monetary policy, which is likely to be suitable for the regime of low inflation and inflation pass‐through. The advantages and caveats of adopting such a framework are also discussed.
Silencing MAT2A gene by RNA interference inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in human hepatoma cells
Authors: Liu Quanyan , Wu Kailang , Zhu Ying , He Yueming , Wu Jianguo , Liu Zhisu 
Published: April 2007

Aims:  A switch in gene expression from MAT1A to MAT2A was found in liver cancer, suggesting that MAT2A plays an important role in facilitating cancer growth. MAT2A is an interesting target for antineoplastic therapy. The molecular mechanisms of silencing MAT2A by RNA interference inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in hepatoma cells was studied.Methods:  We investigated the effects of MAT2A on S‐adenosyl‐methionine (SAM) production, cell growth and apoptotic cell death in hepatoma cell lines (Bel‐7402, HepG2, and Hep3B) using an RNA interference approach.Results:  The treatment of three hepatoma cell lines with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting to the MAT2A gene resulted in reducing the MAT II activity, facilitating SAM production, increasing SAM : SAH ratio, inhibiting cell growth and inducing cell apoptosis in hepatoma cells. In addition, silencing MAT2A gene resulted in the stimulation of MAT1A mRNA production, which was blocked by 3‐deazaadenosine and l‐ethionine, but not d‐ethionine, suggesting that such effect was specific and mediated by upregulation of SAM level and SAM : S‐adenosylethionine (SAH) ratio.Conclusion:  Silencing MAT2A by sequence‐specific small interfering RNA caused a switch of MAT gene expression from MAT2A to MAT1A, which led the content of SAM to change to a higher steady‐state level that resulted in the inhibition of cell growth and the induction of apoptotic cell death in human hepatoma cells. These results also suggested that MAT2A may hold potential as a new target for liver cancer gene therapy.
Vascular endothelial growth factor does not improve liver regeneration and survival after 90% subtotal liver resection
Authors: Bockhorn Maximilian , Schöllmann Stefanie , Opitz Bettina , Sotiropoulos Georgious C. , Sheu Sien‐Yi , Niehaus Eva , Trippler Martin , Frilling Andreja , Broelsch Christoph E. , Schlaak Jörg F. 
Published: April 2007

Aim:  Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to stimulate liver regeneration after 70% partial hepatectomy (PH). It is unclear, however, whether exogenous administration of VEGF can also be used to improve liver regeneration and survival after 90% subtotal liver resection. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of exogenous and endogenous VEGF after 90% subtotal hepatectomy (SH).Methods:  Rats were subjected to 90% SH and treated with VEGF, anti‐VEGF or NaCl. Postoperatively (3 h – 5 days) liver body weight ratio (LBR), hepatocyte proliferation and biochemical markers were assessed. ELISA was performed to measure protein levels for VEGF. Gene expression was determined by customized cDNA arrays and quantitative RT‐PCR.Results:  Administration of VEGF did not enhance LBR or hepatic proliferation, or reduce the serum parameters. VEGF levels were the highest in VEGF‐treated animals. The overall survival after 90% SH reached 78% in VEGF‐treated animals, but did not differ significantly from that of anti‐VEGF or NaCl‐treated animals (74% and 75%, respectively). Gene expression analysis showed a modulation of anti‐apoptotic and cell cycle control genes that was independent of VEGF.Conclusions:  In contrast to PH, liver regeneration and survival after SH cannot be modulated by VEGF. This indicates that the relevant mechanisms that stimulate liver regeneration after hepatectomy at least partially depend upon the extent of liver resection.
Paradoxical Effect of Echinocandins across
Candida
Species In Vitro: Evidence for Echinocandin-Specific and
Candida
Species-Related Differences
Authors: Chamilos Georgios , Lewis Russell E. , Albert Nathaniel , Kontoyiannis Dimitrios P. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

Paradoxical growth of some
Candida
isolates occurs at concentrations above the MIC for echinocandins. In 60
Candida
bloodstream isolates from cancer patients (20
C. albicans
isolates and 10 isolates each of
C. parapsilosis
,
C. tropicalis
,
C. krusei
, and
C. glabrata
), paradoxical growth was more frequent with caspofungin than micafungin or anidulafungin, was unrelated to MIC, and was strikingly absent in
C. glabrata
isolates.
Isoniazid Bactericidal Activity and Resistance Emergence: Integrating Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacogenomics To Predict Efficacy in Different Ethnic Populations
Authors: Gumbo Tawanda , Louie Arnold , Liu Weiguo , Brown David , Ambrose Paul G. , Bhavnani Sujata M. , Drusano George L. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

Isoniazid, administered as part of combination antituberculosis therapy, is responsible for most of the early bactericidal activity (EBA) of the regimen. However, the emergence of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
resistance to isoniazid is a major problem. We examined the relationship between isoniazid exposure and
M. tuberculosis
microbial kill, as well as the emergence of resistance, in our in vitro pharmacodynamic model of tuberculosis. Since single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the
N
-acetyltransferase-2 gene lead to two different clearances of isoniazid from serum in patients, we simulated the isoniazid concentration-time profiles encountered in both slow and fast acetylators. Both microbial kill and the emergence of resistance during monotherapy were associated with the ratio of the area under the isoniazid concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC
0-24
) to the isoniazid MIC. The time in mutant selection window hypothesis was rejected. Next, we utilized the in vitro relationship between the isoniazid AUC
0-24
/MIC ratio and microbial kill, the distributions of isoniazid clearance in populations with different percentages of slow and fast acetylators, and the distribution of isoniazid MICs for isonazid-susceptible
M. tuberculosis
clinical isolates in Monte Carlo simulations to calculate the EBA expected for ∼10,000 patients treated with 300 mg of isoniazid. For those patient populations in which the proportion of fast acetylators and the isoniazid MICs were high, the average EBA of the standard dose was ∼0.3 log
10
CFU/ml/day and was thus suboptimal. Our approach, which utilizes preclinical pharmacodynamics and the genetically determined multimodal distributions of serum clearances, is a preclinical tool that may be able to predict the EBAs of various doses of new antituberculosis drugs.
Transient Loss of High-Level Mupirocin Resistance in
Staphylococcus aureus
Due to MupA Polymorphism
Authors: Driscoll Daniel G. , Young Casey L. , Ochsner Urs A. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

Spontaneous loss of MupA-mediated high-level mupirocin resistance was observed in
Staphylococcus aureus
, although the isolate gave a PCR-positive test result for
mupA
. Sequencing of the
mupA
gene identified a single base-pair deletion that resulted in a frameshift mutation and loss of functional protein. Reversion to the wild-type allele and restoration of high-level resistance occurred with high frequency (>10
−6
), indicating the transient nature of MupA polymorphism.
Evidence and Possible Consequences of the Phosphorylation of Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors in Human Red Blood Cells
Authors: Durand-Gasselin Lucie , Da Silva David , Benech Henri , Pruvost Alain , Grassi Jacques 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT
The intracellular metabolism of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) in mononuclear cells has been thoroughly studied, but that in red blood cells (RBC) has been disregarded. However, the phosphorylation of other analogous nucleosides (in particular, ribavirin) has been described previously. In this study, we investigated for the first time the phosphorylation of NRTI in human RBC. The presence of intracellular zidovudine (AZT) monophosphate, AZT triphosphate, lamivudine (3TC) triphosphate, and tenofovir (TFV) diphosphate, as well as endogenous dATP, dGTP, and dTTP, in RBC collected from human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients was examined. We observed evidence of a selective phosphorylation of 3TC, TFV, and endogenous purine deoxynucleosides to generate their triphosphate moieties. Conversely, no trace of AZT phosphate metabolites was found, and only faint dTTP signals were visible. A comparison of intracellular TFV diphosphate and 3TC triphosphate levels in RBC and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) further highlighted the specificity of NRTI metabolism in each cell type. These findings raise the issue of RBC involvement in drug-drug interaction, drug pharmacokinetics, and drug-induced toxicity. Moreover, the typical preparation of PBMC samples by gradient density centrifugation does not prevent their contamination with RBC. We demonstrated that the presence of RBC within PBMC hampers an accurate determination of intracellular TFV diphosphate and dATP levels in clinical PBMC samples. Thus, we recommend removing RBC during PBMC preparation by using an ammonium chloride solution to enhance both the accuracy and the precision of intracellular drug monitoring.
In Vitro Susceptibility of
Sporothrix schenckii
to Six Antifungal Agents Determined Using Three Different Methods
Authors: Alvarado-Ramírez Eidi , Torres-Rodríguez Josep M. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

The in vitro susceptibility of
Sporothrix schenckii
to antifungal drugs has been determined with three different methods. Nineteen Peruvian clinical isolates of
S. schenckii
were tested against amphotericin B (AB), flucytosine (FC), fluconazole (FZ), itraconazole (IZ), voriconazole (VZ), and ketoconazole (KZ). Modified NCCLS M38-A, Sensititre YeastOne (SYO), and ATB Fungus 2 (ATBF2) methods were used to determine the MICs. ATCC isolates of
Candida parapsilosis
,
Candida krusei
, and
Aspergillus flavus
were used for quality control.
Sporothrix
inocula were prepared with the mycelial form growing on potato dextrose agar at 28 ± 2°C. MICs of AB, FC, FZ, and IZ were determined with all three methods, VZ with M38-A and SYO, and KZ with only SYO. The three methods showed high MICs of FZ and FC (MIC
90
of 0.5 μg/ml), being homogeneously lower than those of IZ and KZ. The M38-A method showed a variable MIC range of VZ (4.0 to 16 μg/ml); the geometric mean (GM) was 9.3 μg/ml. The MIC range of AB was wide (0.06 to 16 μg/ml), but the GM was 1.2 μg/ml, suggesting that the MIC is strain dependent. Agreement (two log
2
dilutions) between commercial techniques and the modified M38-A method was very high with FZ, IZ, and FC. In AB and VZ, the agreement was lower, being related to the antifungal concentrations of each method. The highest activity against
S. schenckii
was found with IZ and KZ. Lack of activity was observed with FZ, VZ, and FC. When AB is indicated for sporotrichosis, the susceptibility of the strain must be analyzed. Commercial quantitative antifungal methods have a limited usefulness in
S. schenckii
.
Biochemical Characterization of PER-2 and Genetic Environment of
bla
PER-2
Authors: Power Pablo , Di Conza José , Rodríguez María Margarita , Ghiglione Bárbara , Ayala Juan A. , Casellas José María , Radice Marcela , Gutkind Gabriel 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

PER-2 was the first detected and the second most prevalent extended-spectrum β-lactamase in clinical pathogens isolated in Argentina and was also reported only in other South American countries.
Citrobacter freundii
33587 was isolated in 1999 in Buenos Aires and was resistant to all tested β-lactams except cephamycins and carbapenems. The strain produced both plasmid-borne TEM-1 and PER-2 (pI 5.4), which could be transferred by conjugation. By PCR screening, thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR, and DNA sequencing, we detected an IS
Pa12
/IS
1387a
insertion sequence upstream of
bla
PER-2
, previously reported as also being associated with
bla
PER-1
. The presence of similar structures upstream of
bla
PER-1
and
bla
PER-2
suggests a common origin and mobilization. Compared to
bla
PER-1
genes, an additional putative promoter for
bla
PER-2
was found. PER-2 kinetic analysis showed its high hydrolysis efficiencies toward both CTX and CAZ (
k
cat
/

K
m

, 0.76 and 0.43 μM
−1
·s
−1
, respectively).
Multicopy
bla
OXA-58
Gene as a Source of High-Level Resistance to Carbapenems in
Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Bertini Alessia , Poirel Laurent , Bernabeu Sandrine , Fortini Daniela , Villa Laura , Nordmann Patrice , Carattoli Alessandra 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

The mechanisms at the origin of heterogeneous carbapenem resistance levels observed among
Acinetobacter baumannii
isolates collected in 2005 in a large University Hospital of Rome, Italy, were investigated. These isolates were related and possessed similar plasmids carrying the carbapenem-hydrolyzing oxacillinase gene
bla
OXA-58
but showed variable levels of resistance to carbapenems. Analysis of sequences surrounding the
bla
OXA-58
gene showed genetic variability, with the presence in several isolates of multiple copies of the
bla
OXA-58
gene; this extra copy number was likely related to an IS
26
-mediated transposition or recombination process.