cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
G protein signaling and G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) pathway in Xenopus oocyte maturation
Creators: name: Sheng, Yinglun
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2005
Subjects: subject: Biology, Cell.
subject: Biology, Animal Physiology.
subject: Chemistry, Biochemistry.

description: Xenopus laevis oocytes are physiologically arrested at the first meiotic prophase. Progesterone reinitiates meiosis (maturation) through inhibition of an oocyte adenylyl cyclase (AC) and reduction of intracellular cAMP. However, the mechanism by which progesterone regulates AC activity and cAMP level still remains unclear. In this thesis, I summarize work I conducted that collectively helps elucidate how high levels of cAMP might be achieved in G2 arrested oocytes. In Chapter 2, I describe our finding that inhibiting endogenous G-protein betagamma subunits, through the use of two structurally distinct Gbetagamma scavengers, causes hormone-independent oocyte maturation. In contrast, overexpression of Xenopus Gbeta1, alone or together with bovine Ggamma2, inhibits progesterone-induced oocyte maturation. These results for the first time implicate that an endogenous G protein coupled receptor system releases a Gbetagamma complex as the dominant meiosis inhibitor. Chapter 3 describes my research aiming to reveal the identity of the oocyte AC responsible for generating meiosis-inhibiting cAMP. I provide further evidence here that the ability of Gbetagamma to inhibit meiosis is attributed to the activation of an endogenous AC, rather than other possible Gbetagamma effectors. Through molecular cloning and biochemical characterization, I discovered that the likely AC candidate is Xenopus AC7, an isoform that is activated by Gbetagamma, but only in the presence of GTP-bound Gsalpha. The identification of xAC7 suggests that the maintenance of high levels of cAMP may require the cooperation of Gsalpha and Gbetagamma. Finally, in Chapter 4, I describe our efforts in identifying the GPCR(s) responsible for activating the cAMP signaling in prophase-arrested oocytes. A screening of known antagonists of GPCR(s) led to the identification of ritanserin, a potent antagonist of serotonin receptors, as a potent maturation inducer in Xenopus oocytes. Pharmacological and molecular studies, however, have ruled out the involvement of a known serotonin receptor in meiosis arrest. Instead, the most likely candidate is a "constitutively activated" GPCR that bears structural similarities to Xenopus serotonin receptor 7.
TILLING is an effective reverse genetics technique for Caenorhabditis elegans
Creators: name: Gilchrist, Erin J.
name: O'Neil, Nigel J.
name: Rose, Ann M.
name: Zetka, Monique C.
name: Haughn, George W.
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2016

description: Background: TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) is a reverse genetic technique based on the use of a mismatch-specific enzyme that identifies mutations in a target gene through heteroduplex analysis. We tested this technique in Caenorhabditis elegans, a model organism in which genomics tools have been well developed, but limitations in reverse genetics have restricted the number of heritable mutations that have been identified. Results: To determine whether TILLING represents an effective reverse genetic strategy for C. elegans we generated an EMS-mutagenised population of approximately 1500 individuals and screened for mutations in 10 genes. A total of 71 mutations were identified by TILLING, providing multiple mutant alleles for every gene tested. Some of the mutations identified are predicted to be silent, either because they are in non-coding DNA or because they affect the third bp of a codon which does not change the amino acid encoded by that codon. However, 59% of the mutations identified are missense alleles resulting in a change in one of the amino acids in the protein product of the gene, and 3% are putative null alleles which are predicted to eliminate gene function. We compared the types of mutation identified by TILLING with those previously reported from forward EMS screens and found that 96% of TILLING mutations were G/C-to-A/T transitions, a rate significantly higher than that found in forward genetic screens where transversions and deletions were also observed. The mutation rate we achieved was 1/293 kb, which is comparable to the mutation rate observed for TILLING in other organisms. Conclusion: We conclude that TILLING is an effective and cost-efficient reverse genetics tool in C. elegans. It complements other reverse genetic techniques in this organism, can provide an allelic series of mutations for any locus and does not appear to have any bias in terms of gene size or location. For eight of the 10 target genes screened, TILLING has provided the first genetically heritable mutations which can be used to study their functions in vivo.
France Bevk Public Library Citizen Science Case Study
Creators: name: Montanari, Madeleine Cléa
name: Vidmar, Saša
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Public libraries
subject: Citizen Science
subject: Scientific activities

description: France Bevk Public Library Citizen Science Case Study is a case study of how France Bevk Public Library situated in Nova Gorica (Slovenia) has developed citizen science activities at their public library. It focuses on one of their activity, which is a Seed Library. 

This case study informs the reader about the library itself, gives an executive summary, how its citizen science project connects to the mission, how the seed library came to be, how it was implemented, partnerships and collaboration, community engagement, resources used, its promotion, impacts, challenges and solutions and lessons learned. 

This case study is and was used as a training material as part of the 'Citizen Science at Your Library' course, carried out by SciStarter and the ECS Academy in March 2024.

This case study is a source of inspiration and know how on what type of citizen science activty can emerge wtihin a public library. 

This case study is under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International. This entails the following rights: 

You are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes .

NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
The Metabolic Cost of Electric Signalling in Weakly Electric Fish
Creators: name: Moorhead, Mayron
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Biology, Physiology.

description: Wave-type weakly electric fish emit a highly regular electric discharge using a specialized electric organ. This electric organ discharge (EOD) forms the basis for an electric sense used for navigation, prey detection and communication. The metabolic cost of the EOD is not fully understood, but recent research suggests that it constitutes a significant portion of the fish's energy budget. In the current study, manipulation of metabolic rate via exposure to hypoxia did not significantly alter EOD frequency. Changes in metabolic rate through swimming resulted in EOD frequency increase. To manipulate EOD frequency directly in individual fish, the jamming avoidance response (JAR) and long term frequency elevation (LTFE) were used. EOD frequency elevation and jamming stimulation resulted in an increased M˙O2 possibly associated with increases in sensory processing. Taken together, these data indicate that electric signalling in wave-type weakly electric fish is a not a major contributor to whole-animal energetic cost.
title: Estimating the demand for tap water quality: avertive expenditures on substitutes for hardness and aesthetic quality
Creators: name: Lanz, Bruno
name: Provins, Allan
Publisher: name: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/007ygn379
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2014

description: CIES Research Paper ; no. 23
Jutta Berninghausen, Ursula Cescau, Christiane Hahn, Hedda Küster, Garimo Scott, Christel Uhlshöfer: Zuhause, wo der Pfeffer wächst. Ratgeber Indonesien
Creators: name: Kapteina, Axel
Publisher: name: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia
Year: 2021

description: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 68 (1998): ASIEN (Juli)
Les préférences de l'état sur les projets macroéconomiques touchant les relations canado-américaines
Creators: name: Michaud, Denis
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2005
Subjects: subject: Political Science, International Law and Relations.

description: Lorsque de larges discussions sont lancées sur des questions comme la création d'une zone de libre-échange, d'une union monétaire ou d'une union douanière, quel type d'interactions peut-on observer dans les espaces national et bilatéral? Cette thèse étudie des projets macroéconomiques impliquant plus d'un État en s'intéressant tout particulièrement au comportement des élites politiques et économiques. Durant les dernières décennies, des débats sur l'intégration continentale ont eu lieu dans l'espace national canadien. Nous souhaitons mieux comprendre le niveau d'autonomie obtenu par les gouvernants canadiens lorsque des groupes de la société civile ont lancé des propositions visant à changer, sur des bases structurelles, la relation commerciale ou monétaire entre le Canada et les Etats-Unis. Comment les gouvernants ont-ils réagi, quel type de prise de position ont-ils présenté et quel niveau de contrôle ont-ils obtenu sur les débats et l'élaboration des politiques publiques? Quelle aura été l'emprise des gouvernants sur l'évolution des positions et les principaux déplacements? À cette problématique s'ajoute le fait que le Canada est généralement vu comme étant dans une relation de pouvoir asymétrique avec les États-Unis, le second État impliqué dans les cas étudiés. Nous montrons dans cette thèse qu'un élément central de l'analyse doit être les interactions entre les gouvernants des deux pays alors que des projets sont discutés dans les espaces nationaux respectifs. En nous intéressant aux déclarations publiques des gouvernants, nous cherchons à mieux comprendre les tactiques et stratégies mises en oeuvre par ceux qui, dans la promotion de certains projets, doivent s'assurer qu'ils pourront obtenir les appuis d'un nombre de groupes d'intérêt suffisamment grand, mais aussi que les gouvernants du second État arrivent aussi à obtenir une victoire politique sur leur version de ce même projet. Nous soutenons qu'alors que les élites politiques et économiques canadiennes doivent réagir aux grandes orientations fixées par les gouvernants américains, ces derniers arrivent mal, dans la préparation de leurs politiques macroéconomiques, à s'arrêter à des projets qui porteraient spécifiquement sur le Canada. Nous cherchons à voir comment cette situation peut influencer les tactiques et stratégies utilisées par les gouvernants canadiens. Cette thèse porte sur l'integration économique, sur les relations canado-américaines et sur le niveau d'autonomie de l'État dans l'espace national. De plus, nous apportons une réflexion sur le concept d'État et sur les processus d'élaboration des politiques publiques au Canada. Les postulats retenus sont principalement ceux de l'approche centrée sur la sphère étatique.
Dietmar Rothermund: Mahatma Gandhi - eine politische Biographie; Rainer Hörig: Auf Gandhis Spuren; Eknath Easwaran: Der Mensch Gandhi - Sein Leben ist eine Botschaft; Keshavan Nair: Führen durch Vorbild - Lehren aus dem Leben Gandhis
Creators: name: Hertlein, Bernhard
Publisher: name: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia
Year: 2021

description: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 68 (1998): ASIEN (Juli)
Het onderwijsachterstandenbeleid: Effect onbekend
Creators: name: Driessen, Geert
Publisher: name: Didactief
Year: 2016
Subjects: ondrwijsachterstandenbeleid
effectiviteit

description: Kinderen van laagopgeleide en allochtone ouders doen het minder goed in het onderwijs. De overheid steekt al decennia miljarden in de onderwijsachterstanden om daar verandering in te brengen. Maar wat heeft dat beleid aantoonbaar opgeleverd?
International Council on Archives; Editor-in Chief: K.D.G. Wimalaratne: Guide to the Sources of Asian History, 11 / Sri Lanka.
Creators: name: Gödde, Heinz
Publisher: name: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia
Year: 2021

description: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 68 (1998): ASIEN (Juli)
Learning as a process of becoming within communities of practice: A multiple case study of moose hunters in northern Ontario
Creators: name: Larocque, Leon
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Education, Adult and Continuing.
subject: Psychology, Developmental.
subject: Recreation.

description: In the last decade or so, the work of Lave and Wenger (1991) on situated learning has become increasingly popular: "Rather than asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they ask what kinds of social engagements provide the proper context for learning to take place" (p.14). Wenger (1998) extended his previous work with Lave by elaborating a conceptual framework called Communities of Practice. This framework presents a social theory of learning based on the following assumption: engagement in social practice is the fundamental process by which we learn and so become who we are. Up to now this conceptual framework has been mainly used in workplace and education settings. This research aims to derive from these settings by describing the process through which individuals learn and become moose hunters. The main question that guides our research is: How do individuals become moose hunters? To answer this main question a qualitative research approach using a multiple case study design was chosen. Data were collected through open-ended and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed on an ongoing basis, throughout the process of data collection which took place over three distinct phases. Phase 1 consists of five cases each including an initial participant and a peer. This phase looks at the existence of communities of practice within the context of moose hunting, as well as documents the process of transformation of identity for the five initial participants. For phase 2, five more participants were added, increasing the number of cases to ten. During this phase, the focus was placed on childhood learning as a prerequisite for gaining access to a moose hunting group later on. For phase 3, 20 more participants were interviewed to complement and validate the findings of the previous phases. The present research confirms the presence and formation of communities of practice in the context of recreational moose hunting. The research also demonstrates the process of transformation of identities as the participants learn from engagement within the context of practice. Moreover, the findings reveal an important period of learning during childhood, prior to engagement in practice. Consequently, the research shows that interest for the activity is developed at a young age and a considerable amount of learning occurs during childhood as children engage in various outdoor activities with parents. The findings of the research contribute to both the theoretical and the practical levels by highlighting the versatility of Wenger's conceptual framework to study learning across various social contexts and by revealing that the current training strategies for hunters are not efficient and need to be revised.
Zum Wandel des Indienbildes von Karl Marx
Creators: name: Wimmer, Christopher
Publisher: name: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia
Year: 2021

description: Karl Marx dealt with India at various points in his work. There are clear changes in his approach to the subject matter. I am tracing this development — beginning with the “Manifesto” to his articles in the New York Daily Tribune and his views on the Asiatic mode of production — and ask why Marx’s view on India is still relevant today. Because there is no doubt that the work Marx undertook on India not only influenced his later theoretical work, but also gave him the opportunity to apply general principles of his method to the study of complex circumstances prevalent in different parts of the world.
description: ASIEN: The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 152/153 (2019): ASIEN (Juli/Oktober)
A Sankofa Retrospective Literature Review & Analysis of "What Really Went Wrong" in the Sahel
Creators: name: Benjamin A.
Publisher: name: gjrpublication
Year: 2024

description: It has been over two decades since Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs of Department of State Robert Perry and S/CT Deputy Coordinator Stephanie Kinney, along with other State representatives, visited Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Mali, to brief host nations on the Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI), a program designed to protect borders, track movement of people, combat terrorism, and enhance regional cooperation and stability, terrorism remains a pivotal national security threat to the United States and regional peace security challenge facing the Western Sahel regions. Since then, the countries in the Western Sahel have now become the epicenter for terrorists’ activities in the world with its consequences on U.S National Security interests, while the ECOWAS regional block struggles to raise $2.6 billion annually to establish a 5,000-strong security force to combat terrorism and promote regional peace and security. The epicenter of global terrorism has shifted from the Middle East to Africa’s Central Sahel region. For the first time in 13 years, a country other than Afghanistan or Iraq has topped the GTI, with Burkina Faso now ranked first. Mali and Niger remain among the most affected by terrorism as well. According to the latest data from the Africa Union Counter Terrorism Center (AUCTC), the five most affected countries by terrorist attacks during the second quarter of 2024 (April-June 2024) were Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Mali, and Cameroon in decreasing order. The most active terrorist groups on the continent include Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al Muslimin (JNIM), Al-Shabaab, Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP), Boko Haram, and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). While no region of the continent is spared from conflicts involving terrorist groups, apart from the dire situation in the Sahel, particularly troubling, as noted by the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, is the expansion of terrorism into the coastal states of West Africa, including Benin, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. (Amani Africa 2024). With all the CT U.S. security assistance to the member states of the Sahel region, one will ask “What Really Went Wrong” and what next for U.S. in the region?
Recent Developments in Afghan Family Law
Creators: name: Schneider, Irene
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: The aim of this article is to explore whether this situation still prevails more than twenty years after the country went through the experience of Soviet occupation (1979-1988), which had a clear tendency to secularise the legal system, the time of re-establishment of the Islamic system during the rule of the MujahidTn, the civil war (1988-1994) and the Taliban who tried to impose their strict interpretation of Islamic law on the country (1994-2001).
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
Scaling fitness optima-Studying adaptive evolution with multiple genotypes of Aspergillus nidulans
Creators: name: Gifford, Danna R
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Biology, General.

description: Adaptation involves the successive substitution of beneficial mutations by selection, a process known as an adaptive walk. Theoretical models of adaptation have made predictions regarding the properties of adaptive walks, but we know little empirically about how adaptation differs between different genotypes faced with the same environment, knowledge that is critical to a broad understanding of natural adaptation. Furthermore, as the body of theoretical knowledge continues to grow, it is becoming apparent that the conventional model systems used to study adaptation, chiefly single-celled organisms, are not well-suited for studying adaptation in spatially structured environments, and, barring yeasts, cannot be used to study the effects of sex on adaptation. This thesis tackles both questions using the fungus Aspergillus nidulans , first demonstrating that the selection coefficients of mutations, but not the total number, are affected by initial adaptedness to an environment and then developing a mathematical growth model that will allow for further development of theoretical models of adaptation in spatially structured environments.
Bridging Newcomers in the Neighbourhood Scale : A Study on Settlement/Integration Roles and Functions of Neighbourhood Houses in Vancouver : Final Report
Creators: name: Yan, Miu Chung
name: Lauer, Sean
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2023

description: A legacy of the Settlement House Movement, neighbourhood houses (NHs) have been part of the history of immigration in Vancouver, one of Canada’s three major immigrant settlement locations, for more than 70 years. This study investigates the roles and functions of NHs in bridging newcomers to the community. Bridging is conceptually understood in this study as a form of social capital with two different natures: bonding (within a given group) and bridging (between different groups).
The Man Outside: The Problem with the External Perception of Afghanistan in Historical Sources
Creators: name: Schadl, Marcus
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: The article aims to unravel the biases of those sources relating to modern Afghan history, which were written by foreigners. In fact, these make up the bulk of the available source material. The recurring attitudes range from colonial chauvinism to a perpetuated myth of Afghanistan as the last bastion of the wild and uncivilized East, which successfully fought of two European colonial powers in the 19th century. Also the allure of plain exoticism is echoing in many historical sources. It is attempted to show as an impressionistic sketch, by citing freely from textual and graphic material, the distorted perspective of these historical records. This may help to understand some of the prejudices which are often found in the literature on Afghanistan and which thus strongly influence still today how we perceive the country at the Hindu Kush and its culture.
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
Cognitive mechanisms underlying virtual reality exposure's efficacy in the treatment of arachnophobia
Creators: name: Cote, Sophie
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Psychology, Clinical.

description: Virtual exposure therapy for phobias is a growing field of interest. Studies have begun to demonstrate its efficacy, which is probably equivalent to traditional in vivo exposure. However, although a majority of studies addressed treatment efficacy itself, few have attempted to understand its mechanisms. In the case of traditional therapy for phobias, two models are still the object of strong debate: the information processing model and the perceived self-efficacy model. Interestingly, the debate among the supporters of these models is still fuelled by their attempts to prove the predictive superiority of their own model by using predicted variables that are in fact different. No study has yet compared directly the most likely predictors of change, either for in vivo or for in virtuo exposure. The goal of this thesis was to contrast the predictive value of different treatment mechanisms for specific phobias with a therapy using virtual reality exposure. The hypotheses are the following: general improvement (as measured by the Fear of Spiders Questionnaire) will be significantly predicted by changes in process variables such as perceived self-efficacy, beliefs and the emotional Stroop task, changes in information processing (as measured with the pictorial Stroop task) will better predict changes in anxiety during a Behavioural Avoidance Test (BAT), while changes in perceived self-efficacy will better predict changes in avoidance behaviours during a BAT. Twenty-eight adults suffering from arachnophobia were assessed for standardized inclusion and exclusion criteria. General outcome and specific processes measures included various questionnaires, a pictorial Stroop task and a BAT . The avoidance behaviour was measured by the participants' capacity to approach a live tarantula during the BAT. Anxiety was measured by recording participants' heart rate as they looked at the tarantula during the first minute of the BAT. All measures were completed before treatment (session 1) and at post-treatment (session 7). After explanations about the cognitive-behavioural rationale for the treatment of phobias and an initiation to the virtual reality equipment (session 2), participants went through virtual exposure for five sessions (of 60 minutes each) in various virtual environments with spiders. During the last session, a discussion about relapse prevention took place. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
"Where Is the Village?" - Local Perceptions and Development Approaches in Kunduz Province
Creators: name: Mielke, Katja
name: Schetter, Conrad
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: Based on research in Kunduz, a province in northeast Afghanistan, this paper argues that the 'Western' notion of a 'village' cannot be automatically applied to local contexts in other regions of the world. The perception that villages are the only type of rural settlement that exists is a very modern one. It reflects the fact that a state apparatus has achieved the penetration, ordering and categorisation of its territory on a micro level. This is not a mere truism if we take a look at the apparent difficulties which development organisations, government agencies and national elites that are used to thinking in biased administrative terms face when they implement local-level projects in rural areas.
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
Investigating the mode of action of novel bis-1,2,4-triazine antimalarials using proteomics and LC-MS-based analytical techniques
Creators: name: LUO, PEIYUAN
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 320211
subject: Infectious diseases
classificationCode: 310205
subject: Proteomics and metabolomics
classificationCode: 310407
subject: Host-parasite interactions

description: Malaria threatens global health and new medicines are urgently required to combat drug resistance. This thesis investigates the mode of action of a new series of antimalarial compounds to inform future antimalarial development.
The ’’Enclaved" Culture of Parun in Former Kafiristan
Creators: name: Klimburg, Max
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: The former region of Kafiristan or "Land of Heathens", renamed Nuristan or "Land of Light" after its forced Islamisation at the end of the 19th century, is a special case in virtually all respects - firstly because of its long survival as an "enclaved" cultural retreat in the midst of the Islamic world with strong "anti-heathen" attitudes, and secondly due to its general cultural peculiarities and the amazing ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity that existed.
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
Covering arrays on graphs: Qualitative independence graphs and extremal set partition theory
Creators: name: Meagher, Karen
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2005
Subjects: subject: Mathematics.

description: There has been a good deal of research on covering arrays over the last 20 years. Most of this work has focused on constructions, applications and generalizations of covering arrays. The main focus of this thesis is a generalization of covering arrays, covering arrays on graphs. The original motivation for this generalization was to improve applications of covering arrays to testing systems and networks, but this extension also gives us new ways to study covering arrays. Two vectors v, w in Znk are qualitatively independent if for all ordered pairs (a, b) ∈ Zk x Zk there is a position i in the vectors where ( a, b) = (vi, w i). A covering array is an array with the property that any pair of rows are qualitatively independent. A covering array on a graph is an array with a row for each vertex of the graph with the property that any two rows which correspond to adjacent vertices are qualitatively independent. A covering array on the complete graph is a covering array. A covering array is optimal if it has the minimum number of columns among covering arrays with the same number of rows. The addition of a graph structure to covering arrays makes it possible to use methods from graph theory to study these designs. In this thesis, we define a family of graphs called the qualitative independence graphs . A graph has a covering array, with given parameters, if and only if there is a homomorphism from the graph to a particular qualitative independence graph. Cliques in qualitative independence graphs relate to covering arrays and independent sets are connected to intersecting partition systems. It is known that the exact size of an optimal binary covering array can be determined using Sperner's Theorem and the Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem. In this thesis, we find good bounds on the size of an optimal binary covering array on a graph. In addition, we determine both the chromatic number and a core of the binary qualitative independence graphs. Since the rows of general covering arrays correspond to set partitions, we give extensions of Sperner's Theorem and the Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem to set-partition systems. These results are part of a general framework to study extremal partition systems. The core of the binary qualitative independence graphs can be generalized to a subgraph of a general qualitative independence graph called the uniform qualitative independence graph. Cliques in the uniform qualitative independence graphs relate to balanced covering arrays. Using these graphs, we find bounds on the size of a balanced covering array. We give the spectra for several of these graphs and conjecture that they are graphs in an association scheme. We also give a new construction for covering arrays which yields many new upper bounds on the size of optimal covering arrays.
Krasovsky K (2012) Dynamics of smoking prevalence and tobacco products market in Belarus. Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe 2 (1):9-16
Creators: name: Andreeva, Tatiana
name: Krasovsky, Konstantin
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Medicine

description: Krasovsky K (2012) Dynamics of smoking prevalence and tobacco products market in Belarus. Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe 2 (1):9-16 Original article Dynamics of smoking prevalence and tobacco products market in Belarus
Konstantin S. Krasovsky  BACKGROUND: In 2005, Belarus ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and then adopted several governmental documents aimed to decrease the population tobacco use. The aim of the paper is to review available data to estimate trends of smoking prevalence and tobacco market in Belarus and to evaluate impact of policies implemented since 2005 on population tobacco use.
METHODS: The explorative study was conducted including online search of data on tobacco use and tobacco market and estimation of the revealed indicators dynamics by year.
RESULTS: Surveys conducted by the National Statistical Committee and by the Institute of Sociology provide rather different levels of smoking rates, especially in women. However, both groups of surveys indicate that in 1995-2011 smoking prevalence in men and women had the opposite trends: an increase among women and a decrease among men. Both groups of surveys also indicate that for the adult population in general the current smoking rates were increasing in early 2000s and decreasing in late 2000s, having returned by the end of the decade to the rates observed at its beginning. However, the sales of cigarettes increased by 59% in 2005-2010 and continued to grow in 2011.
DISCUSSION: The differences of smoking prevalence indicators of various survey agencies are caused by differences in sampling, interviewing procedure, questionnaires and other methodological features. The tobacco control policies introduced since 2005 resulted in a decrease of total population smoking prevalence by about 5% in 2006-2010. For further tobacco use decline, all tobacco control policies should be implemented in line with the FCTC provisions and guidelines. The steep increase of cigarette sales in Belarus in 2005-2010 cannot be explained by tobacco use increase within the country. A probable cause of sales increase is smuggling of large amounts of Belarus-produced cigarettes to other countries.

KEY WORDS: Belarus, smoking, tobacco, prevalence.

Full text (pdf) in Russian
Kabul's Urban Identity
Creators: name: Issa, Christine
name: M. Kohistani, Sardar
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: When passing through Kabul today, it is obvious that huge glass facades have been introduced as a new element in the urban appearance of the city. It seems that many commercial and private buildings sparkling like glass palaces in the mud-brown landscape of Kabul represent a new modernity. In fact, since the fall of the Taliban a new era has started, one that is different from the past. The first steps in modernising the city started in the early 20th century, but these failed because the modernisation process was so fast and radical. During the reign of Nadir Shah (1929-1933) and later that of his son, Zahir Shah (1933-1973), a policy of carefully opening to progress followed, which left traces in the urban development of Kabul. With the invasion of the Soviet Army, urban development gained more ideological aspects. This process was interrupted by heavy fighting during the civil war (1992-1994) when Kabul suffered from severe destruction. With the invasion of the Taliban in 1996, Kabul was enclosed in a vacuum. Following their fall from power, the reconstruction process started in 2002; Kabul then witnessed a development it had never seen before. The capital of the country, the city seemed to be an open gate for new influences due to modern ideas and developments.
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
An optimized grapevine RNA isolation procedure and statistical determination of reference genes for real-time RT-PCR during berry development
Creators: name: Reid, Karen E
name: Olsson, Niclas
name: Schlosser, James
name: Peng, Fred
name: Lund, Steven T
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2015

description: Background: Accuracy in quantitative real-time RT-PCR is dependent on high quality RNA, consistent cDNA synthesis, and validated stable reference genes for data normalization. Reference genes used for normalization impact the results generated from expression studies and, hence, should be evaluated prior to use across samples and treatments. Few statistically validated reference genes have been reported in grapevine. Moreover, success in isolating high quality RNA from grapevine tissues is typically limiting due to low pH, and high polyphenolic and polysaccharide contents. Results We describe optimization of an RNA isolation procedure that compensates for the low pH found in grape berries and improves the ability of the RNA to precipitate. This procedure was tested on pericarp and seed developmental series, as well as steady-state leaf, root, and flower tissues. Additionally, the expression stability of actin, AP47 (clathrin-associated protein), cyclophilin, EF1-α (elongation factor 1-α), GAPDH (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase), MDH (malate dehydrogenase), PP2A (protein phosphatase), SAND, TIP41, α-tubulin, β-tubulin, UBC (ubiquitin conjugating enzyme), UBQ-L40 (ubiquitin L40) and UBQ10 (polyubiquitin) were evaluated on Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon pericarp using three different statistical approaches. Although several of the genes proved to be relatively stable, no single gene outperformed all other genes in each of the three evaluation methods tested. Furthermore, the effect of using one reference gene versus normalizing to the geometric mean of several genes is presented for the expression of an aquaporin and a sucrose transporter over a developmental series. Conclusion In order to quantify relative transcript abundances accurately using real-time RT-PCR, we recommend that combinations of several genes be used for normalization in grape berry development studies. Our data support GAPDH, actin, EF1-α and SAND as the most relevant reference genes for this purpose.
Democratic Articulations of Cultural Identity: The Arts in Afghanistan
Creators: name: Herrschaft, Felicia
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: The article “Democratic Articulations of Cultural Identity: The Arts in Afghanistan” discusses the hypothesis that artists can become protagonists of a new democratic culture through the possibility they have of creatively shaping the public sphere. Artists in post-war societies find themselves confronted with the experience of being marginalized, ridiculed and prosecuted. The artists’ creativity is one strategy they use in finding new ways of coping with unbearable situations. The paper concludes with an interpretation on how artists experience democracy as an area of conflict.
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
Storyboard: Metaphor and metonymy through the lens of reverberations, computer-generated
Creators: name: Mallos, Melina
Publisher: name: The University of Melbourne
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 390101
subject: Creative arts, media and communication curriculum and pedagogy
classificationCode: 390401
subject: Comparative and cross-cultural education
classificationCode: 470212
subject: Multicultural, intercultural and cross-cultural studies

description: In the metaphor and metonymy storyboard, the participants referred to new media as the bridge that connected Greece and Australia – our past (there) and our present (here). Alexandros’s tennis hobby from his youth in Kavala, and the sentiment behind Costas’s competitiveness in swimming, are integrated in the storyboard, giving life to the tension of Greece versus Australia: a game of tennis will determine which country or identity wins the loyalty of the players. This storyboard allows reflections of the past, the present and an emerging future – a journaling of becoming and a horizon line of new opportunities that may arise because of migrating to Australia, both for the individual and for others in their online community. The storyboard can thus be valuable as an educational tool. It presents movement in terms of time travel (represented by the DeLorean car from Back to the Future) and of crossing the bridge virtually, across time zones. Likening new media to time travel reveals my desire for connection in the physical world.
The ecological transition to auditory-verbal therapy: Mothers' and fathers' experiences with children who wear cochlear implants
Creators: name: Neuss, Deirdre
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2005
Subjects: subject: Health Sciences, Audiology.

description: The research reported in this study centred around the experience of adopting auditory-verbal therapy from the perspective of parents whose children wear cochlear implants. Although it has been asserted that family involvement is pivotal to the communication attainment of children with hearing loss, and despite the significant parental commitment required to implement auditory-verbal therapy, there have been no studies thus far that have examined the auditory-verbal process from the parents' perspective. Therefore, the major research question was: What are parents' experiences in making the transition to auditory-verbal therapy with their children who wear cochlear implants? A qualitative case study methodology, framed in Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human development and family systems theory guided this exploratory study. Bronfenbrenner indicates that an ecological transition occurs "whenever during the life course, a person undergoes a change in role either within the same or a different setting" (Bronfenbrenner & Crouter, 1983, p. 381). Parents whose children are diagnosed with a hearing loss and who adopt auditory-verbal therapy experience such a transition. Participants were 9 parents and 2 auditory-verbal therapists. Data collection procedures included individual interviews, observation sessions, a group discussion and a family information questionnaire. The major themes were: personal characteristics and family interactions (microsystem level of Bronfenbrenner's model); choice, compliance and support (mesosystem); support (exosystem); and accessibility and inclusion (macrosystem). This is the first time that Bronfenbrenner's model has been used as a theoretical framework for examining auditory-verbal therapy. The study revealed the importance of parent and child personality traits and their compatibility. It underlined that support from the cochlear implant team, as well as funding from the provincial Ministries assist the parents' transition. It emphasized that ease of access to technology, therapy and speaking role models, as well as inclusion in mainstream education also facilitate this transition.
Andreeva T (2012) Surveys used to assess the population health and to inform healthy public policy: challenges for research in poor countries
Creators: name: Andreeva, Tatiana
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Medicine

description: Andreeva T (2012) Surveys used to assess the population health and to inform healthy public policy: challenges for research in poor countries. Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe 2 (1):1-4. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.92913
 Editorial Surveys used to assess the population health and to inform healthy public policy: challenges for research in poor countries
Tatiana Andreeva Extract

In this editorial note, I would like to attract the readers’ attention to the particular challenges researchers in poor countries face as reflected in the results of population surveys in these countries and illustrated by the papers in this issue. I also hope to invite the readers to the debate about the possible solutions for these typical problems and to share my understanding of the input that TCPHEE journal intends to make in order to overcome the ‘social disparity gap’ between public health researchers in rich and poor countries. In addressing these issues I face the dilemma of choosing between too much explanation for the advanced researchers and too little for the novice ones, but I hope that headings will help the reader to decide where to read and what to skip.

KEY WORDS: surveys; surveillance; low and middle income countries; LMIC; descriptive results; analytic studies; self-reported data; informing policy decisions; healthy public policy; study design.

Full text (pdf) in English
Recent Developments in Kabul's Shar-e-Naw and Central Bazaar Districts
Creators: name: Dittmann, Andreas
Publisher: name: Asien
Year: 2021

description: This paper focuses on recent infrastructural and functional changes in two central areas of Kabul, namely, Shar-e-Naw and the bazaar area. While the latter got the impetus for its reconstruction from the fact that it was one of Kabul's most severely destroyed areas, the opposite holds true for Shar-e-Naw which recently suffered from a more functional change due to the fact that there was hardly any destruction in this area. As a result of a growing urban economy and population in combination with a multitude of international activities connected with the so-called reconstruction of Afghanistan, Kabul is characterized by quite important functional changes in certain areas. The recent reconstruction of Kabul is dominated by challenges and opportunities, among which we can identify two major processes as changing the face of Kabul significantly. One is the growing influence of international organizations as a dominant factor in reshaping the city in certain parts and the second focus is the changing functions of Kabul's central bazaar as a result of it becoming more and more a playfield of local forces struggling for influence and power in Kabul.
description: Asien, Nr. 104 (2007): ASIEN (Juli)
Nordstrom DL (2012) Primer on Health Surveys. Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe 2 (1):5-8
Creators: name: Andreeva, Tatiana
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Medicine

description: Nordstrom DL (2012) Primer on Health Surveys. Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe 2 (1):5-8 Literature Review Primer on Health Surveys
David L Nordstrom  The aim of this paper is to introduce novice researchers to surveys as a method of data collection. It starts with the definition of a survey, its major purposes and types as well as changes in the goals surveys have helped to achieve over time. Advantages and disadvantages of surveys over population censuses and medical examinations are discussed. Approaches to questionnaire construction are introduced along with properties that questionnaires are evaluated for. Modes of administration, sample size issues, and data analysis approaches are also introduced. The primer is illustrated with examples of surveys conducted in different countries with various public health purposes.

KEY WORDS: population survey, data collection, sample size, cross-sectional, longitudinal, descriptive, analytic, KAP surveys, census, reliability, validity, ethics, survey questions, modes of administration.

Full text (pdf)
The study of Local Healthy Food from Identity of Community-based Tourism for Health Tourism Destinations in Western Thailand: A Case Study of Maha Sawat Canal Community-based Tourism, Maha Sawat Sub-district, Putthamonthon District, Nakhon Pathom Province
Creators: name: Wararat Sanon
Publisher: name: Faculty of Management Science Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University
Year: 2019
Subjects: Local Healthy Food, Food Learning Tourism, Mahasawat Canal Community

description: Journal of Management Science Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, 6, 2, 97-114
Growing With the Flow: Interactions Between Exposure, Currents, and Intertidal Oyster Reef Growth
Creators: name: Brager, Sophie
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2024

description: The objective of this study is to identify the optimal flow and exposure conditions conducive to reef growth by combining high spatial resolution mapping of decadal reef growth with weekly flow and water level measurements.
We placed three to four tilt-current meters around three intertidal patch reefs in Back Sound, North Carolina and recorded the speed and heading for two-to-three-week deployment periods. Using observations from co-located water level loggers, we parsed velocities into rising and falling tides to determine tidal flow dependance. We produced three digital elevation models collected over ten years to quantify decadal reef growth patterns in relation to the flow velocities.
Influence of Microbial Activities in Reducing Erodibility of Sand
Creators: name: S. Datta And D. Roy
Publisher: name: Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society
Year: 2021
Subjects: Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS)
Bacillus megaterium RB-05
Erodibility
Flow velocity
Nutrient availability

description: The Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the SEAGS & AGSSEA, 52, 3, 1-7