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Greater Efficiency (greater + efficiency)
Selected AbstractsA cross-Canada analysis of the efficiency of residential recycling servicesCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 4 2008James C. McDavid The findings are based on a survey of 128 residential recycling producers from all regions of Canada. One of the most significant findings is the lack of a relationship between private-sector companies collecting recyclables and the overall efficiency of collection operations. The dominance of the private-sector collection of recyclables (over seventy-seven per cent of all producers were contracted companies) does not translate into greater efficiencies. The most important variables in the model are amenable to local control. They include tonnes collected per vehicle per year, requiring full bins, inclusion of composting operations in the overall recycling program, the number of different kinds of materials recycled, participation rate, and reliance on side-loading collection vehicles. Among the direct predictors of unit costs, the key underlying factor is the productivity of residential recycling operations. Because recyclables are marketed, handling them takes time, reduces the weights that collection vehicles can carry, and generally reduces productivity. Even diligent efforts to improve productivity will not bring recycling costs down to the levels for residential solid-waste collection. Sommaire: L'objectif principal du présent article est d'examiner les facteurs qui prévoient l'efficacité des services de collecte de produits recyclables résidentiels dans les municipalités canadiennes. Les résultats reposent sur un sondage réalisé auprès de 128 producteurs de collecte de produits recyclables résidentiels opérant dans toutes les régions du Canada. L'un des résultats les plus notoires est le manque de relations entre les sociétés du secteur privé qui récupèrent les produits recyclables et l'efficacité d'ensemble des opérations de collecte. La prédominance de la collecte de produits recyclables par le secteur privé (plus de soixante-dix-sept pour cent de tous les producteurs étaient des sociétés contractuelles) ne se traduit pas par une plus grande efficacité. Les variables les plus importantes du modèle peuvent faire l'objet d'un contrôle local. Elles comprennent les tonnes récupérées par véhicule par an, l'exigence de poubelles pleines, l'inclusion d'opérations de compostage au programme général de recyclage, le nombre de différentes sortes de matériaux recyclés, le taux de participation, et le recours à des camions de collecte à chargement latéral. Parmi les variables explicatives directes des coûts unitaires, le principal facteur sous-jacent est la productivité des opérations de recyclage résidentiel. Comme les produits recyclables sont commercialisés, leur manutention prend du temps, réduit le poids que les camions de collecte peuvent transporter, et réduit d'une manière générale la productivité. Même des efforts diligents pour améliorer la productivité ne feront pas baisser les coûts du recyclage aux niveaux de ceux de la collecte des déchets solides résidentiels. [source] A comparison of the host-searching efficiency of two larval parasitoids of Plutella xylostellaECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Xin-Geng Wang Summary 1. A host specialist parasitoid is thought to have greater efficiency in locating hosts or greater ability to overcome host defence than a generalist species. This leads to the prediction that a specialist should locate and parasitise more hosts than a generalist in a given arena. The work reported here tested these predictions by comparing the host-searching behaviour of Diadegma semiclausum (a specialist) and Cotesia plutellae (an oligophagous species), two parasitoids of larval Plutella xylostella. 2. Both parasitoids employed antennal search and ovipositor search when seeking hosts but D. semiclausum also seemed to use visual perception in the immediate vicinity of hosts. 3. Larvae of P. xylostella avoided detection by parasitoids by moving away from damaged plant parts after short feeding bouts. When they encountered parasitoids, the larvae wriggled vigorously as they retreated and often hung from silk threads after dropping from a plant. 4. These two parasitoids differed in their responses to host defences. Diadegma semiclausum displayed a wide-area search around feeding damage and waited near the silk thread for a suspended host to climb up to the leaf, then attacked it again. Cotesia plutellae displayed an area-restricted search and usually pursued the host down the silk thread onto the ground. 5. Diadegma semiclausum showed a relatively fixed behavioural pattern leading to oviposition but C. plutellae exhibited a more plastic behavioural pattern. 6. The time spent by the two parasitoids on different plants increased with increasing host density, but the time spent either on all plants or a single plant by D. semiclausum was longer than that of C. plutellae. Diadegma semiclausum visited individual plants more frequently than C. plutellae before it left the patch, and stung hosts at more than twice the rate of C. plutellae. 7. The results indicated that the host-location strategies employed by D. semiclausum were adapted better to the host's defensive behaviour, and thus it was more effective at detecting and parasitising the host than was C. plutellae. [source] Analysis of major alkaloids in Rhizoma coptidis by capillary electrophoresis-electrospray-time of flight mass spectrometry with different background electrolytesELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 10 2008Junhui Chen Abstract CE-based techniques with DAD and detection ESI-TOF-MS have been developed for the analysis of seven protoberberine alkaloids and one aporphinoid alkaloid in Huanglian (Rhizoma coptidis), a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine. One aqueous BGE and one nonaqueous BGE were developed for CE-DAD and CE-MS analyses, and the CE-ESI-TOF-MS conditions including nebulizer gas pressure, the sheath-liquid composition, its flow rate, etc. were optimized. Eight main alkaloids in R. coptidis could be separated with baseline resolution by CE-DAD with these two different BGEs, and identified by TOF-MS analysis. Moreover, three major alkaloids (berberine, palmatine, and jatrorrhizine) could be quantified accurately by CE-DAD and CE-MS with the BGE system consisting of 50:50 v/v water and ACN containing 50,mM ammonium acetate at pH,6.8. Both techniques provided similar LODs and could be applied with confidence within similar linear dynamic range. However, reproducibility and speed of analysis were better using CE-DAD. When the CE technique was compared with the RP-HPLC method, the CE-DAD and CE-MS methods provided greater efficiency and faster analysis speed, i.e., achieving baseline resolution for all the eight main basic compounds in less than 14,min. The CE method, as a viable alternative to HPLC, is suitable for use as a routine procedure for the rapid identification and quantification of basic compounds in herbal or natural product applications. [source] Toward a more efficient and effective neurologic examination for the 21st century,EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 12 2005T. H. Glick Practice pressures and quality improvement require greater efficiency and effectiveness in the neurologic examination. I hypothesized that certain ,marginal' elements of the examination rarely add value and that ,core' elements, exemplified by the plantar response (Babinski), are too often poorly performed or interpreted. I analyzed 100 published, neurologic clinicopathologic conferences (CPCs) and 180 ambulatory neurologic consultations regarding 13 hypothetically ,marginal' examination components (including ,frontal' reflexes, olfaction, jaw strength, corneal reflex, etc.); also, 120 exams on medical inpatients with neurologic problems, recording definitive errors. I surveyed the recalled practices of 24 non-neurologists and reviewed the literature for relevant data or guidance. In the CPCs the ,marginal' elements of the examination were rarely provided, requested, or used diagnostically, nor did they contribute in the 180 ambulatory consultations. In the chart review errors and omissions dominated testing of plantar responses, with missed Babinski signs in 14% of all cases and 77% of patients with Babinski signs. House officers harbored unrealistic expectations for performance of ,marginal' examination elements. Most textbooks omit detailed guidance (and none cite evidence) on achieving greater efficiency. Exams should be streamlined, while improving ,core' skills. Neurologists should apply evidence to update the exam taught to students and non-neurologists. [source] The impact of managed competition on diversity, innovation and creativity in the delivery of home-care servicesHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 4 2008Glen E. Randall PhDArticle first published online: 28 JUN 200 Abstract Reforming publicly funded healthcare systems by introducing elements of competition, often by allowing for-profit providers to compete with not-for-profit providers, is a strategy that has become commonplace in Western democracies. It is widely thought that the competitive forces of the marketplace will lead to greater efficiency, diversity and even innovation in the delivery of services. Between 1997 and 2000, a model of ,managed competition' was introduced as a major reform to the delivery of home-care services in Ontario, Canada. It was expected that by allowing greater competition within the home-care sector, this model would constrain costs and encourage provider agencies to become more innovative and creative in meeting service delivery needs. The purpose of this case study is to explore the impact of the managed competition reform on the for-profit and the not-for-profit organisations that provided rehabilitation home-care services, and, more specifically, to assess the extent to which the goal of greater diversity, innovation and creativity was achieved following implementation of the reform. A purposive sample of 49 key informants were selected for in-depth interviews, and a survey of the 36 organisations that provided rehabilitation home-care services and the 43 community care access centres that purchased services from these provider agencies was conducted. Data were collected between November 2002 and May 2003. Findings demonstrate that a combination of coercive, mimetic and normative isomorphic pressures have constrained diversity, innovation and creativity within the home-care sector. The implication is that the features that have traditionally distinguished for-profit and not-for-profit provider agencies from each other are rapidly disappearing, and a new hybrid organisational structure is evolving. [source] Degradable, Surfactant-Free, Monodisperse Polymer-Encapsulated Emulsions as Anticancer Drug CarriersADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 18 2009Sri Sivakumar Anticancer emulsions: Degradable, surfactant- free, micrometer- to sub-micrometer-sized polymer-encapsulated emulsions loaded with lipophilic drugs (doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil) are prepared. In vitro drug-release studies demonstrate controlled release under redox conditions and incubation with human colorectal cancer cells triggers cell death with greater efficiency (,106 fold) than the free drug. [source] Decentralization and health care in the former Yugoslav Republic of MacedoniaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2006Sonia Menon Abstract Since its independence in 1991, the Republic of Macedonia became a highly centralized state, with most relevant decisions taken at the central level in Skopje, resembling the highly centralized system, which once characterized Former Yugoslavia. As agreed in the Framework Agreement, which ended six months of internal conflict, the Macedonian Government will decentralize public services delivery, including social protection, health, education, and infrastructure over the course of the next few years. Within health care, it is argued that by placing policy-making authority and operating control closer to the client, decentralization will reduce some of the inequities in service provision and inefficiencies present within the current centrally controlled system. In principle, local voters will have more information on the price and quality of services, thereby increasing competition in the sector and strengthening the private sector. The emphasis on market incentives resulting in greater efficiency and better management of health care institutions is viewed as one of the benefits of privatization. Critics of decentralization and the subsequent privatization of public services fear it may result in an erosion of quality and consistency across regions, leaving some regions, cities, villages and potentially vulnerable groups worse off than others. The paper argues that if the institutional weaknesses in Macedonia have not been addressed, decentralisation could result in further excluding the rural population from health care provision. Similarly, the need for a clear delineation of responsibilities and functions among different levels and institutions is outlined. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ruthenium-Indenylidene Complexes: Scope in Cross-Metathesis TransformationsADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 18 2008Fabien Boeda Abstract A comparative study examining the catalytic activity of a series of five indenylidene-containing ruthenium complexes in olefin cross-metathesis reactions is presented. Results reveal the greater efficiency of precatalyst 5, highlighting the key role of the N,N, -bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene (IPr) ligand for this transformation. The scope of this precatalyst was investigated and several microwave experiments were carried out allowing for catalyst loadings as low as 0.1 mol%. Overall, cross-metathesis products were isolated in moderate to excellent yields with high stereoselectivity. [source] Nuclear aggregates of polyaminesIUBMB LIFE, Issue 2 2006Luciano D'Agostino Abstract Nuclear aggregates of polyamines (NAPs) are cyclic supramolecular compounds made of polyamines and phosphate groups. Three different aggregates, s-NAP, m-NAP and l-NAP, with a molecular weight of 1035, 5175 and 9552 Da, respectively, are described. These molecules interact with genomic DNA. In consequence of this interaction, NAPs not only protect DNA from nucleases with extraordinarily greater efficiency than single polyamines (spermine, spermidine and putrescine), but also induce noticeable changes in DNA condensation status, as shown by temperature-dependent modifications of DNA electrophoretic properties. The biochemical characterization of these compounds has allowed the definition of a structural model for each NAP. According to this model, five s-NAPs assemble together to form a m-NAP unit. We hypothesize that the complexation of s-NAP into m-NAP favours the transition to Z-DNA through the progressive widening of DNA strands and the exposure of bases. We propose that NAPs, by wrapping the DNA helixes, form supramolecular tunnel-like structures that confer efficient protection without affecting DNA elasticity. iubmb Life, 58: 75-82, 2006 [source] Matching Technologies with Potential End Users: A Knowledge Engineering Approach for Agricultural Research ManagementJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2004J. David Reece This paper addresses the problem of priority setting that faces developing country agricultural research, a problem whose relevance has been sharpened by the current context of demands for greater efficiency and targeted impact. A new method for ex ante estimation of the impact of developing each of several alternative proposed technologies is described and illustrated through an example from West Africa. This method is based on the notion of market segmentation, which normally makes intensive use of secondary data-sets that are simply not available for rural areas of developing countries. To circumvent this lack of secondary data, the method adopts a knowledge engineering approach based on the views of an expert panel familiar with the region to be served. Descriptions of proposed technologies are matched with the interests and resources of identified market segments, together with the characteristics of their farming systems and locations, to identify those segments whose members are likely to use the proposed technology. Further development of the method is discussed. [source] Peracetic acid as an alternative wastewater disinfectant to chlorine dioxideJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2002S. Stampi Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of peracetic acid with that of chlorine dioxide in the disinfection of wastewater from a sewage treatment plant (serving about 650 000 inhabitants) that has been using peracetic acid as a disinfectant since 1998. Methods and Results: A total of 23 samplings were made, each consisting of three samples: from secondary effluent, effluent disinfected with 2 mg l,1 of peracetic acid and effluent disinfected with 2·2 mg l,1 of chlorine dioxide (contact time 20 min). For each sample, measurements were made of the heterotrophic plate count at 36°C, total and faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci, pH, suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand (COD). During the first phase of the experiment the peracetic acid was seen to be less efficient than chlorine dioxide. To improve the disinfectant action a system of mechanical agitation was added which led to a greater efficiency in the inactivation of bacteria of faecal origin. Conclusions: Both products were found to be influenced by the level of microbial contamination, the amount of suspended solids and COD but not by the pH of the effluent before disinfection. The immediate mixing of the wastewater and disinfectant caused a greater reduction in enterococci. Significance and Impact of the Study: Since peracetic acid was seen to produce a high abatement of micro-organisms, it can be considered as a valid alternative to chlorine dioxide in the disinfection of wastewaters. [source] An efficient algorithm for multistate protein design based on FASTERJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2010Benjamin D. Allen Abstract Most of the methods that have been developed for computational protein design involve the selection of side-chain conformations in the context of a single, fixed main-chain structure. In contrast, multistate design (MSD) methods allow sequence selection to be driven by the energetic contributions of multiple structural or chemical states simultaneously. This methodology is expected to be useful when the design target is an ensemble of related states rather than a single structure, or when a protein sequence must assume several distinct conformations to function. MSD can also be used with explicit negative design to suggest sequences with altered structural, binding, or catalytic specificity. We report implementation details of an efficient multistate design optimization algorithm based on FASTER (MSD-FASTER). We subjected the algorithm to a battery of computational tests and found it to be generally applicable to various multistate design problems; designs with a large number of states and many designed positions are completely feasible. A direct comparison of MSD-FASTER and multistate design Monte Carlo indicated that MSD-FASTER discovers low-energy sequences much more consistently. MSD-FASTER likely performs better because amino acid substitutions are chosen on an energetic basis rather than randomly, and because multiple substitutions are applied together. Through its greater efficiency, MSD-FASTER should allow protein designers to test experimentally better-scoring sequences, and thus accelerate progress in the development of improved scoring functions and models for computational protein design. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010 [source] Autonomous straightening and traversing of shipboard helicoptersJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 2 2006A. R. Feldman This paper describes an investigation into autonomous shipboard helicopter maneuvering and traversing operations using the Aircraft/Ship Integrated Secure and Traverse (ASIST) recovery and handling system developed by Indal Technologies, Inc. The ASIST system continuously monitors the aircraft's position and orientation and provides a means of actuation to maneuver the helicopter on deck. This allows the possibility for completely autonomous aircraft securing, maneuvering, and traversing capability. An autonomous maneuvering algorithm offers the potential for automatically selecting the optimal maneuvering sequence and executing it with greater efficiency and reliability than can be achieved by a human operator. The proposed method takes advantage of the position and orientation of the helicopter measured by the existing Helicopter Position Sensing Equipment thereby not requiring additional sensors on the actual helicopter. The paper presents the development and validation of the autonomous straightening and traversing algorithms using a nonlinear on-deck helicopter maneuvering simulation and the Carleton Experimental Shipboard Helicopter Interface Platform. [source] Factors affecting the deposition of inhaled porous drug particlesJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 7 2002Cynthia J. Musante Abstract Recent findings indicate that the inhalation of large manufactured porous particles may be particularly effective for drug delivery. In this study, a mathematical model was employed to systematically investigate the effects of particle size, particle density, aerosol polydispersity, and patient ventilatory parameters on deposition patterns of inhaled drugs in healthy human lungs. Aerodynamically similar particles with densities of 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 g/cm3 were considered. Particle size distributions were defined with mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMADs) ranging from 1 to 3 ,m and geometric standard deviations ranging from 1.5 to 2.5, representing particles in the respirable size range. Breathing rates of 30 and 60 L/min with tidal volumes of 500 to 3000 mL were assumed, simulating shallow to deep breaths from a dry powder inhaler. Particles with a high density and a small geometric diameter had slightly greater deposition fractions than particles that were aerodynamically similar, but had lower density and larger geometric size (typical of manufactured porous particles). This can be explained by the fact that particles with a small geometric diameter deposit primarily by diffusion, which is a function of geometric size but is independent of density. As MMAD increased, the effect of density on deposition was less pronounced because of the decreased efficiency of diffusion for large particles. These data suggest that polydisperse aerosols containing a significant proportion of submicron particles will deposit in the pulmonary airways with greater efficiency than aerodynamically similar aerosols comprised of geometrically larger porous particles. © 2002 Wiley-Liss Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 91:1590,1600, 2002 [source] The Transitional Impacts of Municipal ConsolidationsJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 4 2000Igor Vojnovic This article examines the transition and short-term effects of municipal consolidation on five recently amalgamated municipalities in Canada. The data for this study were collected from provincial and municipal legislations, tax-rate by-laws and finance reports, as well as surveys and interviews with a variety of municipal officials and mayors. The analysis shows that municipal consolidation involves a complex reorganization of intricate administrative and political structures. Many of the problems encountered, and successes achieved, were particular to the circumstances of the municipalities that amalgamated. Ultimately, the success of consolidation in achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness in governance and service delivery will depend on the distinct history, as well as the spatial and economic circumstances, of the region considering reform. The five case studies, however, provide some useful lessons on how to improve the success of consolidations. [source] Effect of cyanoguanidine-metal and urea-metal complexes on the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)JOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Abir S. Abdel-Naby Tin, nickel, cobalt, zinc, and copper complexes of cyanoguanidine and urea were synthesized and investigated as thermal stabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride) at 180°C in air. Their stabilizing efficiencies were evaluated by measuring the induction period (the period during which no evolved hydrogen chloride could be detected) and the rate of dehydrochlorination as determined by continuous potentiometric measurements, in addition to the extent of discoloration. The results clearly revealed the greater efficiency of all of the investigated metal complexes as compared to those of well-recognized reference stabilizers. The tin complex always exhibited the highest efficiency irrespective of the type of ligand used. The nickel and cobalt complexes also possessed high stabilizing efficiencies. The order of the stabilizing potency of the various metal complexes was Sn , Co, Ni , Zn, Cu. Combining the ligand itself with dimethyltin- s,s,-bis (isooctyl thioglycolate), as a reference stabilizer containing a tin atom, led to a true synergism. This synergistic effect might be attributed to the formation in situ of a complex between the ligand and the tin atom. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Selection of Leucaena species for afforestation and amelioration of sodic soilsLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2002V. L. Goel Abstract Performance of three exotic species of Leucaena (L. diversifolia, L. shannonii and L. leucocephala) and one local selection of L. leucocephala was evaluated on sodic soil sites (pH 8.6,10.5) in order to select promising species for biomass production and reclamation of these soils. There were significant differences among three species with respect to their field survival (47.7,95.5 per cent), growth in terms of stem volume (40.8,118.6,m3,ha,1) and biomass production (24,70,Mg,ha,1) after eight years of growth. L. leucocephala was rated as the most promising species irrespective of seed source, followed by L. shannonii. L. diversifolia could not perform well on these hostile soils. A definite improvement in physicochemical properties of soil particularly in surface layers (0,5,cm) was observed after eight years of plantations as compared to the same at uncultivated site. The soil pH and sodium content decreased followed by an increase in organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content. However, efficiency of different species varied greatly to ameliorate these soils depending on quantity and quality of organic matter lying on the floor. L. leucocephala, irrespective of seed origin, showed greater promise for afforestation of sodic soils because of its potential to produce higher biomass per unit area and greater efficiency to ameliorate fertility status of these soils. The study revealed that matching of species to soil conditions is very important for a successful plantation programme and sustainable development of degraded soil sites. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Soil chemical quality changes and implications for fertilizer management after 11 years of no-tillage wheat production systems in semiarid MoroccoLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2001R. Mrabet Abstract A long-term experiment comparing no-till with conventional tillage systems across five rotations was evaluated 11 years after initiation. The objectives of the present paper are (1) to report differences in soil chemical properties (namely soil organic matter, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and pH) that have resulted by converting from conventional to no-till under contrasting cropping systems and (2) to draw tentative conclusions and recommendations on fertility status and fertilizer use and management. Soil in the no-till system had increased surface soil organic C levels relative to conventional tillage regardless of rotation. In addition, depending on the rotation, the N and P content of the soil improved with no-till compared with conventional tillage. In other words, no-till has helped to retain soil organic matter (SOM), conserved more N, and resulted in increased extractable P and exchangeable K concentrations in the upper root-zone. Hence, wheat produced in a no-till system may receive more nutrients from decomposition of SOM and acidification of the seed zone. It is possible that lesser amounts of fertilizer nutrients will be needed because of the greater efficiency of nutrient cycling in no-till systems relative to conventional systems. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of coil characteristics for femoral nerve magnetic stimulationMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 3 2010Katja Tomazin PhD Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of two coils used for femoral nerve magnetic stimulation and to compare them with electrical stimulation in inducing maximal response of the quadriceps. The mechanical and electromyographic (EMG) responses were dependent on the coil used. The 45-mm double coil showed greater efficiency to elicit a maximal quadriceps response, which was similar to electrical stimulation. Muscle Nerve, 2010 [source] In vitro antioxidant studies and free radical reactions of triphala, an ayurvedic formulation and its constituentsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2005G. H. Naik Abstract The aqueous extract of the fruits of Emblica officinalis (T1), Terminalia chebula (T2) and Terminalia belerica (T3) and their equiproportional mixture triphala were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant activity. , -Radiation induced strand break formation in plasmid DNA (pBR322) was effectively inhibited by triphala and its constituents in the concentration range 25,200 µg/mL with a percentage inhibition of T1 (30%,83%), T2 (21%,71%), T3 (8%,58%) and triphala (17%,63%). They also inhibited radiation induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes effectively with IC50 values less than 15 µg/mL. The extracts were found to possess the ability to scavenge free radicals such as DPPH and superoxide. As the phenolic compounds present in these extracts are mostly responsible for their radical scavenging activity, the total phenolic contents present in these extracts were determined and expressed in terms of gallic acid equivalents and were found to vary from 33% to 44%. These studies revealed that all three constituents of triphala are active and they exhibit slightly different activities under different conditions. T1 shows greater efficiency in lipid peroxidation and plasmid DNA assay, while T2 has greater radical scavenging activity. Thus their mixture, triphala, is expected to be more efficient due to the combined activity of the individual components. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Relative enhancement of photosynthesis and growth at elevated CO2 is greater under sunflecks than uniform irradiance in a tropical rain forest tree seedlingPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 12 2002A. D. B. LEAKEY Abstract The survivorship of dipterocarp seedlings in the deeply shaded understorey of South-east Asian rain forests is limited by their ability to maintain a positive carbon balance. Photosynthesis during sunflecks is an important component of carbon gain. To investigate the effect of elevated CO2 upon photosynthesis and growth under sunflecks, seedlings of Shorealeprosula were grown in controlled environment conditions at ambient or elevated CO2. Equal total daily photon flux density (PFD) (,7·7 mol m,2 d,1) was supplied as either uniform irradiance (,170 µmol m,2 s,1) or shade/fleck sequences (,30 µmol m,2 s,1/,525 µmol m,2 s,1). Photosynthesis and growth were enhanced by elevated CO2 treatments but lower under flecked irradiance treatments. Acclimation of photosynthetic capacity occurred in response to elevated CO2 but not flecked irradiance. Importantly, the relative enhancement effects of elevated CO2 were greater under sunflecks (growth 60%, carbon gain 89%) compared with uniform irradiance (growth 25%, carbon gain 59%). This was driven by two factors: (1) greater efficiency of dynamic photosynthesis (photosynthetic induction gain and loss, post-irradiance gas exchange); and (2) photosynthetic enhancement being greatest at very low PFD. This allowed improved carbon gain during both clusters of lightflecks (73%) and intervening periods of deep shade (99%). The relatively greater enhancement of growth and photosynthesis at elevated CO2 under sunflecks has important potential consequences for seedling regeneration processes and hence forest structure and composition. [source] Mobile technology in the village: ICTs, culture, and social logistics in IndiaTHE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 3 2008Sirpa Tenhunen Mobile technology is currently emerging as the first extensive form of electronic communication system in many regions of Africa and Asia. This article analyses the appropriation of mobile phones in rural India by exploring what new social alternatives mobile phones enable and how these new social constellations relate to culture and cultural change. The ethnographic description relates phone usage to other communication patterns and ongoing processes of transformation. The article shows how the appropriation of phones draws from the local cultural and social context, but also that phones facilitate new patterns that show great similarity with social processes in other places where phones have been introduced as the first form of communication technology, such as the increased multiplicity of social contacts and the greater efficiency of market relationships. I argue that mobile technology amplifies ongoing processes of cultural change but does so selectively, so that it brings about the homogenization of ,social logistics'. Résumé Dans de nombreuses régions d'Asie et d'Afrique, la technologie mobile apparaît aujourd'hui comme la première forme étendue de communications électroniques. L'auteur analyse ici l'appropriation de la téléphonie mobile en Inde, en explorant les nouvelles alternatives sociales que le téléphone portable rend possibles et les liens entre ces nouvelles constellations sociales, d'une part, et d'autre part la culture et le changement culturel. La description ethnographique fait le lien entre l'utilisation du téléphone et les autres modes de communication et avec les processus actuels de transformation. L'article montre comment l'appropriation du téléphone s'inscrit dans le contexte culturel et social local, tout en mettant en lumière la similarité entre la façon dont le téléphone facilite de nouveaux schémas de communication et les processus sociaux qui se déploient dans d'autres lieux où la téléphonie a été introduite comme première forme de technologie de communication : multiplication des contacts sociaux, efficacité accrue des relations de marché. L'auteur affirme que la technologie mobile amplifie les processus actuels de changement culturel, mais quelle le fait de manière sélective, en induisant ainsi une homogénéisation de la « logistique sociale ». [source] Rewarding Excellence and Efficiency in Medicare PaymentsTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2007KAREN DAVIS Medicare could become an innovative leader in using financial incentives to reward health care providers for providing excellent and efficient care throughout a patient's illness. This article examines the variations in cost and quality in the provision of episodes of care and describes how a pay-for-performance payment system could be designed to narrow those variations and serve as a transition to a new Medicare payment policy that would align physicians' incentives with improvements in both quality and efficiency. In particular, Medicare could stimulate greater efficiency by developing new payment methods that are neither pure fee-for-service nor pure capitation, beginning with a pay-for-performance payment system that rewards quality and efficiency and moving to a blended fee-for-service and case-rate system. [source] Protein tyrosine phosphorylation under capacitating conditions in porcine fresh spermatozoa and sperm cryopreserved with and without alpha tocopherolANDROLOGIA, Issue 3 2009M. M. Satorre Summary The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacitation behaviour of fresh and ,-tocopherol frozen spermatozoa. Spermatozoa frozen with or without ,-tocopherol and fresh semen were incubated under capacitating conditions. Aliquots were collected at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min of incubation time. Parameters of semen quality were evaluated by optical microscopy and capacitation was determined by the epifluorescence chlortetracycline technique. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation was examined by Western immunoblotting. Motility, viability and intact spermatozoa were higher (P < 0.05) in fresh semen compared with frozen samples. These parameters significantly decreased, in every treatment, throughout the incubation time. Fresh semen showed a progressive increase in capacitated spermatozoa, reaching 25 ± 3% at 180 min. Cryopreserved semen had a fast increase at the beginning of incubation time (28 ± 5% at 45 min and 28 ± 3% at 30 min for samples with or without ,-tocopherol, respectively). The amount of an MW 32 kDa tyrosine-phosphorilated protein, associated with capacitation, increased throughout incubation for fresh semen and spermatozoa cryopreserved with ,-tocopherol. The supplementation with ,-tocopherol preserved sperm plasma membrane, reflected not only in the acrosome integrity but also in a greater efficiency of energy production. [source] Strain differences in feed efficiency measured as residual feed intake in individually reared rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2005Jeffrey T Silverstein Abstract The efficient use of feed for growth and meat production is important for all animal production industries including aquaculture. Residual feed intake (RFI) is an alternative measure of feed efficiency that has been widely used in livestock production. Residual feed intake was calculated as the difference between intake observed and intake predicted on the basis of a bioenergetics model; a low RFI indicates greater efficiency. Residual feed intake offers some advantages as a selection criterion for improving production efficiency over traditional feed efficiency statistics because it is not a ratio and it typically has a larger coefficient of variation. The RFI of individually reared rainbow trout progeny from six different genetic cross-types was examined for genetic variation. Proximate analysis and nitrogen retention were also evaluated to determine if differences in RFI correlate to differences in body composition and nutrient retention and varied by cross-type. Differences between cross-types indicated a genetic component for RFI, with the most efficient fish of approximately 160 g consuming 0.99 g less and inefficient fish consuming 0.05 g more feed per day than expected. Lower RFI was associated with higher growth rates (r=,0.38, P<0.05) and greater nitrogen retention (r=,0.82 P<0.001). [source] Do PPPs in Social Infrastructure Enhance the Public Interest?AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2010Evidence from England's National Health Service This article outlines and critiques the main fiscal and economic rationales for the Private Finance Initiative , by far the dominant form of public-private partnership in the United Kingdom (UK) , and examines the impact of the policy on the long term financial viability of the National Health Service. It shows that the interest rate on private finance contains a significant element of ,excess return' to investors, and there is no evidence that this ,excess cost' to the public sector is offset by greater efficiency through the contracting process. It concludes that the private financing of public capital investment is highly problematic , and can have a serious impact on the finances and capacity of public authorities. [source] The Changing Face of Public Sector EmploymentAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2001Linda Colley While it is easy, and almost a national sport, to criticise the traditional model of public sector employment as being too generous, there is a rationale for its distinctiveness. The career service model that endured for most of the last century was aligned to the bureaucratic form of public administration of that time. As public administration was ,transformed' into public sector management through the importing of private sector techniques, so too has public sector employment been varied in pursuit of greater efficiency, flexibility and responsiveness. [source] Design and Inference for Cancer Biomarker Study with an Outcome and Auxiliary-Dependent SubsamplingBIOMETRICS, Issue 2 2010Xiaofei Wang Summary In cancer research, it is important to evaluate the performance of a biomarker (e.g., molecular, genetic, or imaging) that correlates patients' prognosis or predicts patients' response to treatment in a large prospective study. Due to overall budget constraint and high cost associated with bioassays, investigators often have to select a subset from all registered patients for biomarker assessment. To detect a potentially moderate association between the biomarker and the outcome, investigators need to decide how to select the subset of a fixed size such that the study efficiency can be enhanced. We show that, instead of drawing a simple random sample from the study cohort, greater efficiency can be achieved by allowing the selection probability to depend on the outcome and an auxiliary variable; we refer to such a sampling scheme as,outcome and auxiliary-dependent subsampling,(OADS). This article is motivated by the need to analyze data from a lung cancer biomarker study that adopts the OADS design to assess epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations as a predictive biomarker for whether a subject responds to a greater extent to EGFR inhibitor drugs. We propose an estimated maximum-likelihood method that accommodates the OADS design and utilizes all observed information, especially those contained in the likelihood score of EGFR mutations (an auxiliary variable of EGFR mutations) that is available to all patients. We derive the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator and evaluate its finite sample properties via simulation. We illustrate the proposed method with a data example. [source] The RUMI manipulator and Koh colpotomiser system for total laparoscopic hysterectomyBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Remon Keriakos Senior Registrar The initial experience in 25 patients of using the Koh Colpotomiser System in conjunction with the RUMI Manipulator, a new modified technique for performing total laparoscopic hysterectomy, is presented. Of 25 operations, 23 (92%) were completed successfully. Complications were limited to minor pre-operative haemorrhage in two patients and post-operative bleeding in another. The Koh Colpotomiser System successfully maintained a pneumoperitoneum following colpotomy, giving the operator improved visibility and access to the pelvic organs. This resulted in greater efficiency, while eliminating the difficulties of vaginal access. [source] Differences in human macrophage receptor usage, lysosomal fusion kinetics and survival between logarithmic and metacyclic Leishmania infantum chagasi promastigotesCELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Norikiyo Ueno Summary The obligate intracellular protozoan, Leishmania infantum chagasi (Lic) undergoes receptor-mediated phagocytosis by macrophages followed by a transient delay in phagolysosome maturation. We found differences in the pathway through which virulent Lic metacyclic promastigotes or avirulent logarithmic promastigotes are phagocytosed by human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). Both logarithmic and metacyclic promastigotes entered MDMs through a compartment lined by the third complement receptor (CR3). In contrast, many logarithmic promastigotes entered through vacuoles lined by mannose receptors (MR) whereas most metacyclic promastigotes did not (P < 0.005). CR3-positive vacuoles containing metacyclic promastigotes stained for caveolin-1 protein, suggesting CR3 localizes in caveolae during phagocytosis. Following entry, the kinetics of phagolysosomal maturation and intracellular survival also differed. Vacuoles containing metacyclic parasites did not accumulate lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) at early times after phagocytosis, whereas vacuoles with logarithmic promastigotes did. MDMs phagocytosed greater numbers of logarithmic than metacyclic promastigotes, yet metacyclics ultimately replicated intracellularly with greater efficiency. These data suggest that virulent metacyclic Leishmania promastigotes fail to ligate macrophage MR, and enter through a path that ultimately enhances intracellular survival. The relatively quiescent entry of virulent Leishmania spp. into macrophages may be accounted for by the ability of metacyclic promastigotes to selectively bypass deleterious entry pathways. 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