Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
New Dimension (new + dimension)
Selected AbstractsBiodegradable Polylactide and Its Nanocomposites: Opening a New Dimension for Plastics and CompositesMACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 14 2003Suprakas Sinha Ray Abstract The academic and industrial aspects of the preparation, characterization, mechanical and materials properties, crystallization behavior, melt rheology, and foam processing of pure polylactide (PLA) and PLA/layered silicate nanocomposites are described in this feature article. Recently, these materials have attracted considerable interest in polymer science research. PLA is linear aliphatic thermoplastic polyester and is made from agricultural products. Hectorite and montmorillonite are among the most commonly used smectite-type layered silicates for the preparation of nanocomposites. Smectites are a valuable mineral class for industrial applications because of their high cation exchange capacities, surface area, surface reactivity, adsorptive properties, and, in the case of hectorite, high viscosity, and transparency in solution. In their pristine form, they are hydrophilic in nature, and this property makes them very difficult to disperse into a polymer matrix. The most common way to overcome this difficulty is to replace interlayer cations with quaternized ammonium or phosphonium cations, preferably with long alkyl chains. In general, polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites are of three different types: (1) intercalated nanocomposites, in which insertion of polymer chains into the layered silicate structure occurs in a crystallographically regular fashion, regardless of polymer to layered silicate ratio, with a repeat distance of few nanometer; (2) flocculated nanocomposites, in which intercalated and stacked silicate layers are sometimes flocculated due to the hydroxylated edge,edge interactions between the silicate layers; (3) exfoliated nanocomposites, in which individual silicate layers are uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix by average distances that totally depend on the layered silicate loading. This new family of composite materials frequently exhibits remarkable improvements in its material properties when compared with those of virgin PLA. Improved properties can include a high storage modulus both in the solid and melt states, increased flexural properties, a decrease in gas permeability, increased heat distortion temperature, an increase in the rate of biodegradability of pure PLA, and so forth. Illustration of the biodegradability of PLA and various nanocomposites. [source] GUEST EDITORIAL: New dimensions in human laboratory models of addictionADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009GEORGE F. KOOB First page of article [source] New dimensions in endodontic imaging: Part 2.INTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009Cone beam computed tomography Abstract Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been specifically designed to produce undistorted three-dimensional information of the maxillofacial skeleton, including the teeth and their surrounding tissues with a significantly lower effective radiation dose compared with conventional computed tomography (CT). Periapical disease may be detected sooner using CBCT compared with periapical views and the true size, extent, nature and position of periapical and resorptive lesions can be assessed. Root fractures, root canal anatomy and the nature of the alveolar bone topography around teeth may be assessed. The aim of this paper is to review current literature on the applications and limitations of CBCT in the management of endodontic problems. [source] Preparation for Crisis Management: A Proposed Model and Empirical EvidenceJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2004S. Elsubbaugh This article explores the forces restricting effective crisis management in a crisis ridden industry. Models of crisis preparedness have typically been developed based upon research in US or Western business. This study is based upon the Egyptian industry which, until the 1990s was state owned and heavily state supported. Changes in government policy, combined with external forces, not in the least the loss of markets in the previous Soviet bloc, had plunged the industry into serious crisis. Crisis is a cultural embarrassment to most Egyptian managers and this, combined with the depth of economic difficulties faced by the industry, makes it extraordinarily difficult for any level of crisis preparedness to be achieved. Based on interview and questionnaire data, this article extends existing models of crisis preparedness to better accommodate conditions in crisis prone industries outside the West. New dimensions in the proposed model are the stress on national culture and how this limits the range of managerial responses. This in turn requires the active development of an organisational culture to counteract these limitations. [source] Comparative and developmental study of the immune system in XenopusDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 6 2009Jacques Robert Abstract Xenopus laevis is the model of choice for evolutionary, comparative, and developmental studies of immunity, and invaluable research tools including MHC-defined clones, inbred strains, cell lines, and monoclonal antibodies are available for these studies. Recent efforts to use Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis for genetic analyses have led to the sequencing of the whole genome. Ongoing genome mapping and mutagenesis studies will provide a new dimension to the study of immunity. Here we review what is known about the immune system of X. laevis integrated with available genomic information from S. tropicalis. This review provides compelling evidence for the high degree of similarity and evolutionary conservation between Xenopus and mammalian immune systems. We propose to build a powerful and innovative comparative biomedical model based on modern genetic technologies that takes take advantage of X. laevis and S. tropicalis, as well as the whole Xenopus genus. Developmental Dynamics 238:1249,1270, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A new dimension in combining data?ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 1 2010The use of morphology, phylogenomic data in metazoan systematics Abstract Giribet, G. 2010. A new dimension in combining data? The use of morphology and phylogenomic data in metazoan systematics. ,Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 11,19 Animal phylogenies have been traditionally inferred by using the character state information derived from the observation of a diverse array of morphological and anatomical features, but the incorporation of molecular data into the toolkit of phylogenetic characters has shifted drastically the way researchers infer phylogenies. A main reason for this is the ease at which molecular data can be obtained, compared to, e.g., traditional histological and microscopical techniques. Researchers now routinely use genomic data for reconstructing relationships among animal phyla (using whole genomes or Expressed Sequence Tags) but the amount of morphological data available to study the same phylogenetic patterns has not grown accordingly. Given the disparity between the amounts of molecular and morphological data, some authors have questioned entire morphological programs. In this review I discuss issues related to the combinability of genomic and morphological data, the informativeness of each set of characters, and conclude with a discussion of how morphology could be made scalable by utilizing new techniques that allow for non-intrusive examination of large amounts of preserved museum specimens. Morphology should therefore remains a strong field in evolutionary and comparative biology, as it continues to provide information for inferring phylogenetic patterns, is an important complement for the patterns derived from the molecular data, and it is the common nexus that allows studying fossil taxa with large data sets of molecular data. [source] Comprehensive proteome analysis by chromatographic protein prefractionationELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 7-8 2004Pierre Lescuyer Abstract Protein copy number is distributed from 7 to 8 orders of magnitude in cells and probably up to 12 orders of magnitude in plasma. Classical silver-stained two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) can only display up to four orders of magnitude. This is a major drawback since it is assumed that most of the regulatory proteins are low-abundance gene products. It is thus clear that the separation of low copy number proteins in amounts sufficient for postseparation analysis is an important issue in proteome studies to complete the comprehensive description of the proteome of any given cell type. The visualization of a polypeptide on a 2-DE gel will depend on the copy number, on the quantity loaded onto the gel and on the method of detection. As the amount of protein that can be loaded onto a gel is limited, one efficient solution is to fractionate the sample prior to 2-DE analysis. Several approaches exist including subcellular fractionation, affinity purification and chromatographic and electrophoretic protein prefractionation. The chromatographic step adds a new dimension in the protein separation using specific protein properties. It allows proteins to be adsorbed to a surface and eluted differentially under certain conditions. This review article presents studies combining chromatography-based methods to 2-DE analysis and draws general conclusions on this strategy. [source] Improved understanding of velocity,saturation relationships using 4D computer-tomography acoustic measurementsGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 2 2005K. Monsen ABSTRACT A recently developed laboratory method allows for simultaneous imaging of fluid distribution and measurements of acoustic-wave velocities during flooding experiments. Using a specially developed acoustic sample holder that combines high pressure capacity with good transparency for X-rays, it becomes possible to investigate relationships between velocity and fluid saturation at reservoir stress levels. High-resolution 3D images can be constructed from thin slices of cross-sectional computer-tomography scans (CT scans) covering the entire rock-core volume, and from imaging the distribution of fluid at different saturation levels. The X-ray imaging clearly adds a new dimension to rock-physics measurements; it can be used in the explanation of variations in measured velocities from core-scale heterogeneities. Computer tomography gives a detailed visualization of density regimes in reservoir rocks within a core. This allows an examination of the interior of core samples, revealing inhomogeneities, porosity and fluid distribution. This mapping will not only lead to an explanation of acoustic-velocity measurements; it may also contribute to an increased understanding of the fluid-flow process and gas/liquid mixing mechanisms in rock. Immiscible and miscible flow in core plugs can be mapped simultaneously with acoustic measurements. The effects of core heterogeneity and experimentally introduced effects can be separated, to clarify the validity of measured velocity relationships. [source] Single-trial analysis of oddball event-related potentials in simultaneous EEG-fMRIHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 7 2007Christian-G. Abstract There has recently been a growing interest in the use of simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional MRI (fMRI) for evoked activity in cognitive paradigms, thereby obtaining functional datasets with both high spatial and temporal resolution. The simultaneous recording permits obtaining event-related potentials (ERPs) and MR images in the same environment, conditions of stimulation, and subject state; it also enables tracing the joint fluctuations of EEG and fMRI signals. The goal of this study was to investigate the possibility of tracking the trial-to-trial changes in event-related EEG activity, and of using this information as a parameter in fMRI analysis. We used an auditory oddball paradigm and obtained single-trial amplitude and latency features from the EEG acquired during fMRI scanning. The single-trial P300 latency presented significant correlation with parameters external to the EEG (target-to-target interval and reaction time). Moreover, we obtained significant fMRI activations for the modulation by P300 amplitude and latency, both at the single-subject and at the group level. Our results indicate that, in line with other studies, the EEG can bring a new dimension to the field of fMRI analysis by providing fine temporal information on the fluctuations in brain activity. Hum Brain Mapp, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Toward better scoring metrics for pseudo-independent modelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 8 2004Y. Xiang Learning belief networks from data is NP-hard in general. A common method used in heuristic learning is the single-link lookahead search. When the problem domain is pseudo-independent (PI), the method cannot discover the underlying probabilistic model. In learning these models, to explicitly trade model accuracy and model complexity, parameterization of PI models is necessary. Understanding of PI models also provides a new dimension of trade-off in learning even when the underlying model may not be PI. In this work, we adopt a hypercube perspective to analyze PI models and derive an improved result for computing the maximum number of parameters needed to specify a full PI model. We also present results on parameterization of a subclass of partial PI models. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 19: 749,768, 2004. [source] Implications of mitochondrial DNA polyphyly in two ecologically undifferentiated but morphologically distinct migratory birds, the masked and white-browed woodswallows Artamus spp. of inland AustraliaJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Leo Joseph The white-browed woodswallow Artamus superciliosus and masked woodswallow A. personatus (Passeriformes: Artamidae) are members of Australia's diverse arid- and semi-arid zone avifauna. Widely sympatric and among Australia's relatively few obligate long-distance temperate-tropical migrants, the two are well differentiated morphologically but not ecologically and vocally. They are pair breeders unlike other Artamus species, which are at least facultative cooperative breeders. For these reasons they are an excellent case in which to use molecular data in integrative study of their evolution from ecological and biogeographical perspectives. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to test whether they are each other's closest relatives, whether they evolved migration independently, whether they have molecular signatures of population expansions like some other Australian arid zone birds, and to estimate the timing of any inferred population expansions. Their mtDNAs are monophyletic with respect to other species of Artamus but polyphyletic with respect to each other. The two species appear not to have evolved migration independently of each other but their morphological and mtDNA evolution have been strongly decoupled. Some level of hybridization and introgression cannot be dismissed outright as being involved in their mtDNA polyphyly but incomplete sorting of their most recent common ancestor's mtDNA is a simpler explanation consistent with their ecology. Bayesian phylogenetic inference and analyses of diversity within the two species (n=77) with conventional diversity statistics, statistical parsimony, and tests for population expansion vs stability (Tajima's D, Fu's Fs and Ramos-Onsin and Rozas's R2) all favour recent population increases. However, a non-starlike network suggests expansion(s) relatively early in the Pleistocene. Repeated population bottlenecks corresponding with multiple peaks of Pleistocene aridity could explain our findings, which add a new dimension to accruing data on the effects of Pleistocene aridity on the Australian biota. [source] An affordable modular mobile robotic platform with fuzzy logic control and evolutionary artificial neural networksJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 8 2004Maurice Tedder Autonomous robotics projects encompass the rich nature of integrated systems that includes mechanical, electrical, and computational software components. The availability of smaller and cheaper hardware components has helped make possible a new dimension in operational autonomy. This paper describes a mobile robotic platform consisting of several integrated modules including a laptop computer that serves as the main control module, microcontroller-based motion control module, a vision processing module, a sensor interface module, and a navigation module. The laptop computer module contains the main software development environment with a user interface to access and control all other modules. Programming language independence is achieved by using standard input/output computer interfaces including RS-232 serial port, USB, networking, audio input and output, and parallel port devices. However, with the same hardware technology available to all, the distinguishing factor in most cases for intelligent systems becomes the software design. The software for autonomous robots must intelligently control the hardware so that it functions in unstructured, dynamic, and uncertain environments while maintaining an autonomous adaptability. This paper describes how we introduced fuzzy logic control to one robot platform in order to solve the 2003 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) Autonomous Challenge problem. This paper also describes the introduction of hybrid software design that utilizes Fuzzy Evolutionary Artificial Neural Network techniques. In this design, rather than using a control program that is directly coded, the robot's artificial neural net is first trained with a training data set using evolutionary optimization techniques to adjust weight values between neurons. The trained neural network with a weight average defuzzification method was able to make correct decisions to unseen vision patterns for the IGVC Autonomous Challenge. A comparison of the Lawrence Technological University robot designs and the design of the other competing schools shows that our platforms were the most affordable robot systems to use as tools for computer science and engineering education. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Prospects for progress in diagnostic imagingJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2000E. J. Potchen Abstract. Potchen EJ (Michigan State University, Michigan, USA). Prospects for progress in diagnostic imaging (Internal Medicine in the 21st Century). J Intern Med 2000; 247: 411,424. New fast-imaging MRI systems designed specifically for cardiac magnetic resonance enable new applications of noninvasive vascular imaging. The use of functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging to map brain function and structure offers a new dimension to an understanding of the human condition. Clinical applications of functional MRI will influence many specialties including surgery, education, and rehabilitation. Functional imaging has the potential to visualize the regional concentration of specific proteins. This imaging at the level of molecules may be possible by use of a contrast material whose signal is changed by local enzymatic activity. The three-dimensional digital data collected in modern imaging techniques allow for virtual endoscopy in the respiratory, alimentary, and cardiovascular systems. Virtual endoscopy may replace many of the more invasive diagnostic methods in the near future. The measurement of clinical decision-making through observer performance studies better informs both the physician and the patient on how to improve upon the quality of clinical practice. These prospects for progress reinforce diagnostic imaging as a cornerstone in medical informatics. The history of creating images used in medicine reveals the invention of diagnostic tools which may provide new information but premature use can result in improper application of a poorly understood technology. Research into the use of new technology may be as important as the technology itself in improving the human condition. [source] BEFORE THE ORIGINAL POSITION: The Neo-Orthodox Theology of the Young John RawlsJOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS ETHICS, Issue 2 2007Eric Gregory ABSTRACT This paper examines a remarkable document that has escaped critical attention within the vast literature on John Rawls, religion, and liberalism: Rawls's undergraduate thesis, "A Brief Inquiry into the Meaning of Sin and Faith: An Interpretation Based on the Concept of Community" (1942). The thesis shows the extent to which a once regnant version of Protestant theology has retreated into seminaries and divinity schools where it now also meets resistance. Ironically, the young Rawls rejected social contract liberalism for reasons that anticipate many of the claims later made against him by secular and religious critics. The thesis and Rawls's late unpublished remarks on religion and World War II offer a new dimension to his intellectual biography. They show the significance of his humanist response to the moral impossibility of political theology. Moreover, they also reveal a kind of Rawlsian piety marginalized by contemporary debates over religion and liberalism. [source] Cell therapies: realizing the potential of this new dimension to medical therapeuticsJOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008Pawanbir Singh Abstract Stem cells promise to treat conditions poorly served by conventional therapeutics. Cells from both embryonic and somatic tissues are being used to create cell therapies for genetic, traumatic and degenerative conditions. The current human, healthcare and fiscal costs of these conditions are significant. This review summarizes the use of stem cells for neurological and cardiac disorders and diabetes to determine the requirements for generic translational research to assist such therapies to be a reality. While there are multiple strategies in each disease area, with no clear favourite, there are clear opportunities in treatments that use a single cell type. A key requirement is to work with pluripotent progenitor cells to cultivate and differentiate a sufficiently large population of functioning cells. Challenges also arise in determining and achieving timely delivery of the correct dose of cells to where they can most effectively treat the disease and best benefit individual patients. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A new dimension of leadershipLEADER TO LEADER, Issue 46 2007Vijay Sathe [source] Where Public and Private Intersect: The Intermingling of Spheres in Christa Wolf's Ein Tag im JahrORBIS LITERARUM, Issue 4 2005Carol Anne Costabile-Heming In Ein Tag im Jahr 1960,2000 (2003), Christa Wolf offers readers another example of her pursuit of ,subjective Authentizität.' Wolf's compilation of diary-like texts records routine daily activities, including notes about her dreams, references to newspaper headlines and global events, and conversations with friends, family, and important political functionaries. Interwoven with the mundane are detailed descriptions of the writing process as well as constant reassessments of prior fictional texts and essays. Through the juxtaposition of objective and subjective moments and the recording of routine external details coupled with extensive introspection, Wolf intermingles her private domain with the public sphere of GDR culture. This essay addresses the way that this text ruptures the traditional genre boundaries of diary and autobiography, expands pre-conceived notions of the public sphere and substantively contributes to a redrawing of Wolf's public image. The autobiographical nature of this work enables an investigation of the intersection of Wolf's private life with the public sphere of GDR culture, adding a new dimension to prior understandings of her literary texts within an autobiographical context, making apparent how indivisible the public and private are for understanding Wolf and her works. [source] The 2.0 Å crystal structure of the ER, ligand-binding domain complexed with lasofoxifenePROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 5 2007Felix F. Vajdos Abstract Lasofoxifene is a new and potent selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). The structural basis of its interaction with the estrogen receptor has been investigated by crystallographic analysis of its complex with the ligand-binding domain of estrogen receptor , at a resolution of 2.0 Å. As with other SERMs, lasofoxifene diverts the receptor from its agonist-bound conformation by displacing the C-terminal AF-2 helix into the site at which the LXXLL motif of coactivator proteins would otherwise be able to bind. Lasofoxifene achieves this effect by occupying the space normally filled by residue Leu 540, as well as by modulating the conformation of residues of helix 11 (His 524, Leu 525). A well-defined salt bridge between lasofoxifene and Asp 351 suggests that charge neutralization in this region of the receptor may explain the some of the antiestrogenic effects of lasofoxifene. The results suggest general features of ER,/SERM recognition, and add a new dimension to efforts to rationalize differences between the biological activity profiles exhibited by these important pharmacological agents. [source] Brain electrical correlates of dimensional weighting: An ERP studyPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Klaus Gramann Abstract In visual search, there is a reaction time (RT) cost for targets on a given trial if the previous target was defined in a different dimension. According to the "dimension-weighting" account (Müller, Heller, & Ziegler, 1995), limited attentional weight needs to be shifted to the new dimension, resulting in slower RTs. The present study aimed at identifying brain electrical correlates associated with the weight shift. Analyses of ERPs revealed several components to reflect dimension changes whether the task was to detect the target or to identify its defining dimension. N2 amplitudes were more negative whenever the dimension changed. The P3 exhibited latency differences that mirrored RTs in both tasks, but the amplitudes showed no direct relation to stimulus- or response-related processes. Finally, slow-wave amplitudes were enhanced for dimension changes. Taken together, the results provide support for relatively early, perceptual processes underlying dimension change costs. [source] Has International Trade in Saving Improved US Economic Welfare?THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 2009ANTHONY J. MAKIN Over the past decade international policy-makers have perceived the current account deficit of the world's largest foreign borrower economy, the United States, as a threat to global economic and financial stability. Yet, by bridging the US domestic saving-investment gap, capital inflow that matched the huge US current account deficit also enabled a faster rate of domestic capital accumulation than home saving alone would have permitted. Consistent with the theory of international capital movements, this study identifies and compares the respective contributions of domestic and foreign saving to US gross domestic product per worker over the two decades prior to the onset of the US banking crisis. By revealing that foreign borrowing contributed significantly to raising US output and hence living standards over this period, it adds a new dimension to the debate about global imbalances. [source] Cross-talk between gibberellin and auxin in development of Populus wood: gibberellin stimulates polar auxin transport and has a common transcriptome with auxinTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007Simon Björklund Summary Both indole acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellins (GAs) stimulate cell and organ growth. We have examined GA/IAA cross-talk in cambial growth of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula×tremuloides). Decapitated trees were fed with IAA and GA, alone and in combination. Endogenous hormone levels after feeding were measured, by mass spectrometry, in the stem tissues below the point of application. These stem tissues with defined hormone balances were also used for global transcriptome analysis, and the abundance of selected transcripts was measured by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. By feeding isotope-labeled IAA, we demonstrated that GA increases auxin levels in the stem by stimulating polar auxin transport. This finding adds a new dimension to the concept that the endogenous GA/IAA balance in plants is determined by cross-talk between the two hormones. We also show that GA has a common transcriptome with auxin, including many transcripts related to cell growth. This finding provides molecular support to physiological experiments demonstrating that either hormone can induce growth if the other hormone is absent/deficient because of mutations or experimental treatments. It also highlights the potential for extensive cross-talk between GA- and auxin-induced responses in vegetative growth of the intact plant. The role of endogenous IAA and GA in wood development is discussed. [source] NOTES: new dimension of minimally invasive surgeryANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 5 2009Song-Ling Yan Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is an emerging experimental alternative to conventional surgery. NOTES eliminates abdominal incisions and incision-related complications by combining endoscopic and laparoscopic techniques to diagnose and treat abdominal pathology. Since the first NOTES was reported by Kalloo et al. in 2004, significant achievements in the laboratory have occurred. Clinical use in humans has been limited, but several cases and one small clinical trial were published recently. As a further technical revolution in minimally invasive surgery, NOTES has the promising potential to be safer, less invasive, provide better cosmesis and possibly be more cost-effective. The purpose of the present article was to review the development and current status of NOTES and highlight important advances associated with this innovative approach. [source] Curcumin in Cancer Chemoprevention: Molecular Targets, Pharmacokinetics, Bioavailability, and Clinical TrialsARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 9 2010Adeeb Shehzad Abstract Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a derivative of turmeric is one of the most commonly used and highly researched phytochemicals. Abundant sources provide interesting insights into the multiple mechanisms by which curcumin may mediate chemotherapy and chemopreventive effects on cancer. The pleiotropic role of this dietary compound includes the inhibition of several cell signaling pathways at multiple levels, such as transcription factors (NF-,B and AP-1), enzymes (COX-2, MMPs), cell cycle arrest (cyclin D1), proliferation (EGFR and Akt), survival pathways (,-catenin and adhesion molecules), and TNF. Curcumin up-regulates caspase family proteins and down-regulates anti-apoptotic genes (Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL). In addition, cDNA microarrays analysis adds a new dimension for molecular responses of cancer cells to curcumin at the genomic level. Although, curcumin's poor absorption and low systemic bioavailability limits the access of adequate concentrations for pharmacological effects in certain tissues, active levels in the gastrointestinal tract have been found in animal and human pharmacokinetic studies. Currently, sufficient data has been shown to advocate phase II and phase III clinical trials of curcumin for a variety of cancer conditions including multiple myeloma, pancreatic, and colon cancer. [source] Production of Inorganic Nanoparticles by MicroorganismsCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 7 2009N. Krumov Abstract A promising new dimension in the field of biotechnology is the use of microorganisms for the production of inorganic nanoscale particles. The interest in nanotechnology is provoked by the unique properties of nanostructured materials and their potential fields of application ranging from medicine to electronics. This review article presents a systematic overview of the microorganisms capable of producing nanoparticles, and describes cellular mechanisms and outlines cultivation conditions that turn this process into a successful synthetic pathway. [source] Closer interaction with paediatricians in everyday practice as well as in research gives a more holistic view of the child and offers a new dimension for the paediatric ophthalmologistACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 3 2008Kristina Teär Fahnehjelm [source] Oriented Ensembles in Ultrafast Electron DiffractionCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 7 2006J. Spencer Baskin Abstract Electron scattering expressions are presented which are applicable to very general conditions of implementation of anisotropic ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) experiments on the femto- and picosecond time scale. "Magic angle" methods for extracting from the experimental diffraction patterns both the isotropic scalar contribution (population dynamics) and the angular (orientation-dependent) contribution are described. To achieve this result, the molecular scattering intensity is given as an expansion in terms of the moments of the transition-dipole distribution created by the linearly polarized excitation laser pulse. The isotropic component (n=0 moment) depends only on population and scalar internuclear separations, and the higher moments reflect bond angles and evolve in time due to rotational motion of the molecules. This clear analytical separation facilitates assessment of the role of experimental variables in determining the influence of anisotropic orientational distributions of the molecular ensembles on the measured diffraction patterns. Practical procedures to separate the isotropic and anisotropic components of experimental data are evaluated and demonstrated with application to reactions. The influence of vectorial properties (bond angles and rotational dynamics) on the anisotropic component adds a new dimension to UED, arising through the imposition of spatial order on otherwise randomly oriented ensembles. [source] Online Journalism and the War in Cyberspace: A Comparison Between U.S. and International NewspapersJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2006Daniela V. Dimitrova The 2003 Iraq War was the first military conflict in which online media played a significant role. Traditional news organizations from around the world provided extensive coverage of the conflict on their websites, reaching global audiences and adding new dimensions to traditional war reporting. This study explores how the Internet disseminated news about the war by comparing 26 international newspaper sites (N = 791) and their use of Web-specific features such as hyperlinks, animations, multimedia content, and interactive elements. By proposing a three-stage model of online journalism and applying it to the online war coverage, the analysis suggests that online journalism has not yet reached the state of convergence. The differences in online news coverage between the United States and international websites and their implications are also discussed. [source] Social planning: past, present, and futureJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 7 2003Ray Bromley This article discusses the history of the idea of social planning, and of the pioneering Masters Programme in Social Planning established at the University of Wales Swansea in 1973. Swansea's initiative in social planning led to the creation of the University's Centre for Development Studies (CDS), and it broadened development studies as an academic and policy field. Social planning is a controversial term because it has sometimes been associated with social engineering and totalitarianism. Nevertheless, it has a very important intellectual and policy agenda, and if the word ,planning' proves a liability it can be replaced by ,policy' or ,strategy'. The major questions reviewed at CDS-Swansea in the 1970s are still pertinent, and new dimensions have been added through growing concerns for nation-building, sustainability, democracy, gender equity and human rights. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How are new citation-based journal indicators adding to the bibliometric toolbox?JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Loet Leydesdorff The launching of Scopus and Google Scholar, and methodological developments in social-network analysis have made many more indicators for evaluating journals available than the traditional impact factor, cited half-life, and immediacy index of the ISI. In this study, these new indicators are compared with one another and with the older ones. Do the various indicators measure new dimensions of the citation networks, or are they highly correlated among themselves? Are they robust and relatively stable over time? Two main dimensions are distinguished,size and impact,which together shape influence. The h-index combines the two dimensions and can also be considered as an indicator of reach (like Indegree). PageRank is mainly an indicator of size, but has important interactions with centrality measures. The Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR) indicator provides an alternative to the journal impact factor, but the computation is less easy. [source] In this issue: Biotechnology Journal 12/2009BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 12 2009Article first published online: 14 DEC 200 Genome-scale in silico modeling Milne et al., Biotechnol. J. 2009, 4, 1653,1670 Driven by advancements in high-throughput biological technologies and the growing number of sequenced genomes, the construction of in silico models at the genome scale has provided powerful tools to investigate a vast array of biological systems and applications. Nathan Price and colleagues review comprehensively the use of such models in industrial and medical biotechnology, including biofuel generation, food production, and drug development. As such, genome-scale models can provide a basis for rational genome-scale engineering and synthetic biology. Genome-scale in silico models promise to extend their application and analysis scope to become a transformative tool in biotechnology. From metagenomics to metaproteomics Tuffin et al., Biotechnol. J. 2009, 4, 1671,1683 Metagenomics emerged in the late 1990s as a tool for accessing and studying the collective microbial genetic material in the environment and has been widely predicted to reach new dimensions of the protein sequence space. A decade on, researchers from South Africa see that while several novel enzyme activities and protein structures have been identified the greatest advancement has been made in the isolation of novel protein sequences, some of which have no close relatives, form deeply branched lineages and even represent novel families. However, there is much room for improvement in the methods employed that need to be addressed in order to access novel biocatalytic activities. Recombinant secondary metabolites Schäfer et al., Biotechnol. J. 2009, 4, 1684,1703 Plants produce a high diversity of natural products or secondary metabolites which have interesting biological properties and quite a number are of medicinal importance. Their functions range from the protection against herbivores and/or microbial pathogens to defend against abiotic stress, e.g. UV-B exposure. Because the production of valuable natural products, such as the anticancer drugs paclitaxel, vinblastine or camptothecin in plants is a costly process, biotechnological alternatives to produce these alkaloids more economically become more and more important. This review provides an overview of the state of art to produce alkaloids in recombinant microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast. In a longterm perspective, it will probably be possible to generate gene cassettes for complete pathways, which could then be used for the production of valuable natural products in bioreactors or for metabolic engineering of crop plants. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||