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Redundancy
Kinds of Redundancy Terms modified by Redundancy Selected AbstractsReactions of the International Stock Exchange to Company Employment Announcements: Redundancies and New JobsJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 9-10 2002Nick CollettArticle first published online: 3 MAR 200 This paper is the first to look directly at the reaction of the London market to company announcements of changes to employee count. Using event study methodology, we examine market reactions to 54 redundancy announcements during the period 1990,1999 and 52 announcements of new jobs during the period 1993,1999. In line with previous US studies we find that market reaction, measured by cumulative abnormal returns, is negative before the day of redundancy announcement. The actual redundancy announcement is greeted positively by the market when measured in terms of the mean, but negatively when measured in terms of the median. Thus, in a minority of cases the announcements are seen as value enhancing. The market reacts positively before new job announcements and this positive reaction is highly significant when the announcement is made. The results suggest that new job announcements contain value,relevant information for the market. Potential causal factors other than announcement size are not significant. [source] Restructuring and Redundancy: The Impacts and Illogic of Neoliberal Agricultural Reforms in JamaicaJOURNAL OF AGRARIAN CHANGE, Issue 4 2004TONY WEIS Since the onset of IMF lending in the late 1970s, Washington-based planners have progressively compelled the Jamaican state to abandon its role in agriculture. Jamaica's agricultural adjustment occurred in two stages: first, agricultural development programmes were rolled back in the 1980s; second, liberalizing pressures in the 1990s threatened both the uncompetitive plantation sector (imperilling preferential markets) and domestically oriented small farmers (initiating a flood of cheap food imports). Today, agriculture in Jamaica is on the brink of irrelevance, with serious social and economic consequences in the balance. In critically assessing the process, impacts and illogic of agricultural restructuring in Jamaica, this paper highlights the uneven outcomes of global market integration and points to the urgent need for a reassertion of local sovereignty. [source] Nonlinear Indices of Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: Redundancy and Comparative Clinical ValueJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2007ROBERTO MAESTRI M.S. Aims: We aimed to assess the mutual interrelationships and to compare the prognostic value of a comprehensive set of nonlinear indices of heart rate variability (HRV) in a population of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. Methods and Results: Twenty nonlinear HRV indices, representative of symbolic dynamics, entropy, fractality-multifractality, predictability, empirical mode decomposition, and Poincaré plot families, were computed from 24-hour Holter recordings in 200 stable CHF patients in sinus rhythm (median age [interquartile range]: 54 [47,58] years, LVEF: 23 [19,28]%, NYHA class II,III: 88%). End point for survival analysis (Cox model) was cardiac death or urgent transplantation. Homogeneous variables were grouped by cluster analysis, and in each cluster redundant variables were discarded. A prognostic model including only known clinical and functional risk factors was built and the ability of each selected HRV variable to add prognostic information to this model assessed. Bootstrap resampling was used to test the models stability. Four nonlinear variables showed a correlation >0.90 with classical linear ones and were discarded. Correlations >0.80 were found between several nonlinear variables. Twelve clusters were obtained and from each cluster a candidate predictor was selected. Only two variables (from empirical mode decomposition and symbolic dynamics families) added prognostic information to the clinical model. Conclusion: This exploratory study provides evidence that, despite some redundancies in the informative content of nonlinear indices and strong differences in their prognostic power, quantification of nonlinear properties of HRV provides independent information in risk stratification of CHF patients. [source] The Role of Alliance Network Redundancy in the Creation of Core and Non-core TechnologiesJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 2 2009Wim Vanhaverbeke abstract This paper studies the effect of a focal firm, and its partners' local alliance actions, on the creation of technological innovations by the former. More specifically, we study how two types of redundancy in a focal firm's ego network affect its ability to create new technologies in its technology core areas (exploitation) and/or non-core areas (exploration). We analyse this empirically in three different industry settings: chemicals, motor vehicles, and pharmaceuticals. One of our key findings is that individual firms can indeed boost both types of innovative output by shaping the degree of redundancy in their local alliance network, but that the way in which this should be done differs between the creation of core and non-core technologies. Next, we find that it is very useful to unpack the rather abstract notion of redundancy into more specific types of redundancy in ego networks. Overall, these findings reflect an action-oriented view on the role of individual firms in collaborative networks, which may complement the dominant view in the alliance literature emphasizing the role of the overall network structure and firms' network position within it. [source] "I Need You to Pin Me Down": Repetition, Redundancy and S/M as a Metaphor in One Eurythmics SongJOURNAL OF POPULAR MUSIC STUDIES, Issue 3 2007Gillian Rodger [source] An improved method for searching plant functional types by numerical analysisJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2003Valério DePatta Pillar Abstract. The use of plant functional types (PFTs) to describe patterns and processes in plant communities has become essential to study and predict consequences of global change on vegetation and ecosystem processes. A PFT is a group of plants that, irrespective of phylogeny, are similar in a given set of traits and similar in their association to certain variables, which may be factors to which the plants are responding or effects of the plants in the ecosystem. To define PFTs relevant traits must be selected and an appropriate method must be used to classify plants into types. We critically review methods used for the analysis of PFT-based data and describe a new recursive algorithm to numerically search for traits and find optimal PFTs. The algorithm uses three data matrices: describing populations by traits, communities by these populations and community sites by environmental factors or effects. It defines PFTs polythetically by cluster analysis, revealing plant types whose performance in communities is maximally associated to the specified environmental variables. We test the method with data from natural grassland communities of southern Brazil, which were experimentally subjected to combinations of grazing levels and N-fertilizer. The new method is found to be better than similar analytical procedures previously described. Redundancy among traits is discussed and a procedure for comparing alternative solutions is presented based on the similarity in terms of PFT responses between different trait subsets. The concept of PFT response group is illustrated by example. [source] Redundancy in the function of mitochondrial phosphate transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Arabidopsis thalianaMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Patrice Hamel Summary Most cellular ATP is produced within the mitochondria from ADP and Pi which are delivered across the inner-membrane by specific nuclearly encoded polytopic carriers. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, some of these carriers and in particular the ADP/ATP carrier, are represented by several related isoforms that are distinct in their pattern of expression. Until now, only one mitochondrial Pi carrier (mPic) form, encoded by the MIR1 gene in S. cerevisiae, has been described. Here we show that the gene product encoded by the YER053C ORF also participates in the delivery of phosphate to the mitochondria. We have called this gene PIC2 for Pi carrier isoform 2. Overexpression of PIC2 compensates for the mitochondrial defect of the double mutant ,mir1 ,pic2 and restores phosphate transport activity in mitochondria swelling experiments. The existence of two isoforms of mPic does not seem to be restricted to S. cerevisiae as two Arabidopsis thaliana cDNAs encoding two different mPic-like proteins are also able to complement the double mutant ,mir1 ,pic2. Finally, we demonstrate that Pic2p is a mitochondrial protein and that its steady state level increases at high temperature. We propose that Pic2p is a minor form of mPic which plays a role under specific stress conditions. [source] Alternative T-Cell Costimulatory Pathways in Transplant Rejection and Tolerance Induction: Hierarchy or Redundancy?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2003Alan D. Salama No abstract is available for this article. [source] Modelling a general standby system and evaluation of its performanceAPPLIED STOCHASTIC MODELS IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, Issue 2 2008Ji Hwan Cha Abstract Redundancy or standby is a technique that has been widely applied to improving system reliability and availability in system design. In this paper, a general method for modelling standby system is proposed and system performance measures are derived. It is shown that the proposed general standby system includes the cases of cold, hot and warm standby systems with units of exponential distribution, which were studied in the literature, as special cases. An optimal allocation problem for a standby system is also discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Trophic-dynamic considerations in relating species diversity to ecosystem resilienceBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 3 2000KRIS H. JOHNSON ABSTRACT Complexity in the networks of interactions among and between the living and abiotic components forming ecosystems confounds the ability of ecologists to predict the economic consequences of perturbations such as species deletions in nature. Such uncertainty hampers prudent decision making about where and when to invest most intensively in species conservation programmes. Demystifying ecosystem responses to biodiversity alterations may be best achieved through the study of the interactions allowing biotic communities to compensate internally for population changes in terms of contributing to ecosystem function, or their intrinsic functional redundancy. Because individual organisms are the biologically discrete working components of ecosystems and because environmental changes are perceived at the scale of the individual, a mechanistic understanding of functional redundancy will hinge upon understanding how individuals' behaviours influence population dynamics in the complex community setting. Here, I use analytical and graphical modelling to construct a conceptual framework for predicting the conditions under which varying degrees of interspecific functional redundancy can be found in dynamic ecosystems. The framework is founded on principles related to food web successional theory, which provides some evolutionary insights for mechanistically linking functional roles of discrete, interacting organisms with the dynamics of ecosystems because energy is the currency both for ecological fitness and for food web commerce. Net productivity is considered the most contextually relevant ecosystem process variable because of its socioeconomic significance and because it ultimately subsumes all biological processes and interactions. Redundancy relative to productivity is suggested to manifest most directly as compensatory niche shifts among adaptive foragers in exploitation ecosystems, facilitating coexistence and enhancing ecosystem recovery after disturbances which alter species' relative abundances, such as extinctions. The framework further explicates how resource scarcity and environmental stochasticity may constitute ,ecosystem legacies' influencing the emergence of redundancy by shaping the background conditions for foraging behaviour evolution and, consequently, the prevalence of compensatory interactions. Because it generates experimentally testable predictions for a priori hypothesis testing about when and where varying degrees of functional redundancy are likely to be found in food webs, the framework may be useful for advancing toward the reliable knowledge of biodiversity and ecosystem function relations necessary for prudent prioritization of conservation programmes. The theory presented here introduces explanation of how increasing diversity can have a negative influence on ecosystem sustainability by altering the environment for biotic interactions - and there by changing functional compensability among biota - under particular conditions. [source] Using spatial models and kriging techniques to optimize long-term ground-water monitoring networks: a case studyENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 5-6 2002Kirk Cameron Abstract In a pilot project, a spatial and temporal algorithm (geostatistical temporal,spatial or GTS) was developed for optimizing long-term monitoring (LTM) networks. Data from two monitored ground-water plumes were used to test the algorithm. The primary objective was to determine the degree to which sampling, laboratory analysis, and/or well construction resources could be pared without losing key statistical information concerning the plumes. Optimization of an LTM network requires an accurate assessment of both ground-water quality over time and trends or other changes in individual monitoring wells. Changes in interpolated concentration maps over time indicate whether ground-water quality has improved or declined. GTS separately identifies temporal and spatial redundancies. Temporal redundancy may be reduced by lengthening the time between sample collection. Spatial redundancy may be reduced by removing wells from the network which do not significantly impact assessment of ground-water quality. Part of the temporal algorithm in GTS involves computation of a composite temporal variogram to determine the least redundant overall sampling interval. Under this measure of autocorrelation between sampling events, the lag time at which the variogram reaches a sill is the sampling interval at which same-well measurements lack correlation and are therefore non-redundant. The spatial algorithm assumes that well locations are redundant if nearby wells offer nearly the same statistical information about the underlying plume. A well was considered redundant if its removal did not significantly change: (i) an interpolated map of the plume; (ii) the local kriging variances in that section of the plume; and (iii) the average global kriging variance. To identify well redundancy, local kriging weights were accumulated into global weights and used to gauge each well's relative contribution to the interpolated plume map. By temporarily removing that subset of wells with the lowest global kriging weights and re-mapping the plume, it was possible to determine how many wells could be removed without losing critical information. Test results from the Massachusetts Military Reserve (MMR) indicated that substantial savings in sampling, analysis and operational costs could be realized by utilizing GTS. Annual budgetary savings that would accrue were estimated at between 35 per cent and 5 per cent for both LTM networks under study.Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Characterization of porcine dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) cDNA clonesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2003Yasuo Yamakoshi Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is a chimeric glycoprotein with dentin sialoprotein (DSP) on its N -terminus and dentin phosphoprotein (DPP) on its C -terminus. We have constructed and screened a unidirectional cDNA library derived from the pulp organ of developing pig teeth, and isolated cDNA clones encoding DSP-only, as well as two DSPP clones with alternative sequences in their 3, coding regions. The DSP-only transcript has an open reading frame of 386 codons, and is generated through the use of a polyadenylation signal within intron 4, immediately following the DSP coding region. the use of this polyadenylation signal deletes the DPP coding region and places a TGA translation termination signal as the fourth codon following the exon 4-encoded segment. The DSPP cDNAs contain open reading frames of 593 and 600 codons. Northern blots hybridized to radiolabeled DSP probes showed bands at 1.4, 2.5, 4.4, and 4.8 kb. Cloning and characterization of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction products confirmed the existence of mRNA encoding pDSP386, pDSPP593, and pDSPP600in vivo, but also suggested that DNA sequence redundancies in the DSPP coding region make it prone to cloning artifacts. [source] Generalised algorithm of novel space vector modulation: for N -level three-phase voltage source inverterEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 2 2008Hachemi Chekireb Abstract This paper concerns the development of a generalised algorithm of a novel space vector modulation (SVM) for N -level three-phase voltage source inverter. It is considering that the (N,1) DC input voltages of inverter are constant. The proposed method ensures initially the determination of the N3 inverter switching states, the extraction of the redundancies to obtain 3N(N -1),+,1 independent switching states and their organisation by sector in six distinct matrices Wk with k,=,(1,,,,,6). After that, these matrices Wk with k,=,(2,,,,,6) are ordered as the matrix W1 related to the first sector. So, the research of the three closest vectors to the reference vector is carried out only in first sector and for this purpose, the equivalent reference vector is introduced which is resulting from the rotation by ,(k,1),/3 of the reference vector. The on-line choice of the three vectors (three switching states of the inverter) is based on the distances between the equivalent reference vector and some vectors located in its vicinity in the (,,,) plane of the first sector. Moreover, a simple method for the calculation of the duty cycles for these three switching states is proposed which exploits directly the three shortest distances associated to these three selected vectors. The sequence of these three switching states over a sampling period is investigated in view to reduce the harmonic contents of the voltage output. The application is carried out on an N -level three-phase voltage source inverter, where N is an arbitrary odd integer. Finally, the phase voltage and its harmonic spectrum provided by a three-phase N- level inverter with N,=,(3,5,7,9,13,15) are presented to confirm the generalisation of this method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] SHORT COMMUNICATION: Response to Dr Stephen Cooper's ,On the use of metaphor to understand, explain, or rationalize redundant genes in yeast'FEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008Xuewen Pan Abstract Earlier use of a metaphor in explaining genetic redundancy in a news article has triggered a commentary and a competing metaphor by Dr Stephen Cooper, who went on to conclude that genetic redundancies are relatively unimportant for microorganisms. We argue here that the new metaphor is flawed and that genetic redundancies are integral to buffering all organisms against environmental and genetic damage. [source] Technical basis on structural fire resistance design in building standards law of JapanFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 2-4 2004Kazunori Harada Abstract Structural fire resistance design method came into effect due to the revision of Japan's building code (building standards law of Japan) in June 2001. The method includes standard methods to calculate (1) fire exposure to structural elements, (2) temperature rise of steel and RC elements during fire exposure and (3) structural end points such as ultimate steel temperature for buckling of columns, bending failure of beams and so on. This paper discusses the technical basis for design methods especially focused on steel framed buildings. The calculated values by design equations were compared with experimental values in order to examine the redundancies implied. In the final stage, all the redundancies were combined by Monte-Carlo method and first-order moment method (AFORM). Target safety index and corresponding partial safety factors were discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Gendered Work Ideals in Swedish IT Firms: Valued and Not Valued WorkersGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2007Helen Peterson The analysis in this article draws on interviews with managers and employees in the Swedish IT consultant sector, a sector characterized by widespread redundancies in the first three years of the 21st century. The article suggests that the interviewees' distinction between and assessment of workers of value and workers without value to justify and explain these lay-offs, are permeated by stereotyped images of gendered qualities and reflect a gendered work ideal. As the interviewees argued, not everybody had the necessary and valued competence of an ideal consultant and those who failed to fulfil the requirements of an ideal consultant were subsequently laid off. Since the behaviour, qualities, technical skills and knowledge considered necessary for the effective and competent performance of an ideal IT consultant are associated with hegemonic masculinity, male qualities and men's experiences, these arguments justify the exclusion of women from this occupation. [source] Handling indefinite and maybe information in logical fuzzy relational databasesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 3 2004Nan-Chen Hsieh In this article, fuzzy set theory uses an extension of the classical logical relational database model. A logical fuzzy relational database model was developed with the aim of manipulating imprecise information and adding deduction capabilities to the database system. The essence of this work is the detailed discussion on fuzzy definite, fuzzy indefinite, and fuzzy maybe information and the development of an information theoretical approach of query evaluation on the logical fuzzy relational database. We define redundancies among fuzzy tuples and the operator of their removal. A complete set of fuzzy relational operations in relational algebra and the calculus of linguistically quantified propositions are included also. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Downsizing and reorganization: demands, challenges and ambiguity for registered nursesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2004Anna Hertting MD Background., The 1990s were characterized by substantial financial cuts, and related staff redundancies and reorganizations in the Swedish health care sector. A large hospital in Sweden was selected for the study, in which downsizing had occurred between 1995 and 1997. The number of staff in the hospital was reduced by an average of 20%, and 10% were relocated to other departments. Objective., The aims of this study were to explore registered nurses' experiences of psychosocial ,stressors' and ,motivators', and how they handled their work situations, following a period of personnel reductions and ongoing reorganization. Method., Interviews were undertaken with 14 nurses working in one Swedish hospital. Nurses were interviewed in 1997 about the recent and last round of redundancies, and were followed up 1 year later in 1998 and again in 2001. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed for thematic content. Results., Five themes emerged in relation to nurses' perceived stressors, motivators, and coping options: ,distrust towards the employer', ,concurrent demands and challenges', ,professional ambiguity, ,a wish for collaboration', and ,efforts to gain control'. A common feature was duality and ambiguity in nurses' descriptions of the phenomena studied, meaning that identified themes had underlying sub-themes with both negative and positive dimensions. Conclusions., The concurrence of ,ever-growing job demands' and ,work going unrewarded' contributed to a feeling of being taken advantage of by the employer. The ,waste of human resources' and ,competence drain' that followed redundancies provoked anger. Unfulfilled collaboration with doctors was a major stress producer, which related to both the downsized work organization, and the complex ,deference-dominance' doctor,nurse relationship. The well-being of nurses depends on being an equal/parallel health professional in a comprehensive team that shares knowledge and improves collaborative care of patients. A consciously formulated nursing philosophy emerged as a health-promoting resource. This study demonstrates the importance of analysing feelings relating to professional ambiguity and gaining influence in a gender-related, hierarchical environment, and the need to support professional assertiveness in relation to superiors and doctors. It is also important to stress considerations that relate to differences in the age, care philosophy, and psychosocial health conditions of nurses. [source] Nonlinear Indices of Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: Redundancy and Comparative Clinical ValueJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2007ROBERTO MAESTRI M.S. Aims: We aimed to assess the mutual interrelationships and to compare the prognostic value of a comprehensive set of nonlinear indices of heart rate variability (HRV) in a population of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. Methods and Results: Twenty nonlinear HRV indices, representative of symbolic dynamics, entropy, fractality-multifractality, predictability, empirical mode decomposition, and Poincaré plot families, were computed from 24-hour Holter recordings in 200 stable CHF patients in sinus rhythm (median age [interquartile range]: 54 [47,58] years, LVEF: 23 [19,28]%, NYHA class II,III: 88%). End point for survival analysis (Cox model) was cardiac death or urgent transplantation. Homogeneous variables were grouped by cluster analysis, and in each cluster redundant variables were discarded. A prognostic model including only known clinical and functional risk factors was built and the ability of each selected HRV variable to add prognostic information to this model assessed. Bootstrap resampling was used to test the models stability. Four nonlinear variables showed a correlation >0.90 with classical linear ones and were discarded. Correlations >0.80 were found between several nonlinear variables. Twelve clusters were obtained and from each cluster a candidate predictor was selected. Only two variables (from empirical mode decomposition and symbolic dynamics families) added prognostic information to the clinical model. Conclusion: This exploratory study provides evidence that, despite some redundancies in the informative content of nonlinear indices and strong differences in their prognostic power, quantification of nonlinear properties of HRV provides independent information in risk stratification of CHF patients. [source] PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON PHYSICAL AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITIES OF SOME INDIGENOUS AND IMPORTANT RICE CULTIVARS OF NORTH-EASTERN HILL REGION OF INDIAJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 6 2008TH. PREMILA DEVI ABSTRACT The northeastern hills of India are endowed with rich source of rice germplasm, which may be safely estimated about 9,000 accessions, excluding the redundancies. Even though much of the germplasm have been collected, studies on nutritional aspects of these local cultivars are still lacking. Fifteen important indigenous rice genotypes collected from different rice growing ecosystem of this region were studied for physical and nutritional qualities. Kernel color of the genotypes varied from white to dark purple. All the genotypes except Manipuri were of bold-grain type. Most of the genotypes studied have fat contents more than 2.0%. The protein content was found higher in Chahou angouba and Naga special. Five cultivars were identified as high-protein cultivars of rice, with 10,12.07% protein content. Amylose content varied from 2.27 to 24.5%. Most of long-grained genotypes recorded lesser amylose than short grained. Chahou varieties were found aromatic and glutinous, which demand higher market prices in local market. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The north-eastern hills of India are endowed with rich source of rice germplasm, and much of the germplasm have been collected, but studies on basic and advanced nutritional aspects of these local cultivars are still lacking. This part of India has valuable rice genotypes of strong aroma, glutinous characters and slender grains with high amount of protein, fat and fiber. Having not known to the rest of the world and even to indigenous end users, some of such cultivars have already been lost, and some more are at the verge of extinction. Quality evaluation done in the present study provided useful information on their commercial exploitation and utilization in breeding programs of nutritional enhancement of rice to fight malnutrition among rice-consuming population, which is largest in the world. [source] Unemployment and Employment Protection in a Unionized Economy with Search FrictionsLABOUR, Issue 2 2008Nikolai Stähler Higher employment protection reduces job creation as well as job destruction. However, in most models, wages are bargained individually between workers and firms. Using a conventional matching model in which a monopoly union sets wages, I show that employment protection can unambiguously increase unemployment. Interestingly, I find that tightening the restrictions on redundancies and dismissals may even increase the probability of dismissal. [source] Analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae null allele strains identifies a larger role for DNA damage versus oxidative stress pathways in growth inhibition by seleniumMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 11 2008Eden Seitomer Abstract Selenium toxicity is a growing environmental concern due to widespread availability of high-dose selenium supplements and the development of high-selenium agricultural drainage basins. To begin to analyze the effects of selenium toxicity at the genetic level, we have systematically determined which genes are involved in responding to high environmental selenium using a collection of viable haploid null allele strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae representing three major stress pathways: the RAD9 -dependent DNA repair pathway, the RAD6/RAD18 DNA damage tolerance pathway, and the oxidative stress pathway. A total of 53 null allele strains were tested for growth defects in the presence of a range of sodium selenite and selenomethionine (SeMet) concentrations. Our results show that ,64,72% of the strains lacking RAD9 -dependent DNA repair or RAD6/RAD18 DNA damage tolerance pathway genes show reduced growth in sodium selenite versus ,28,36% in SeMet. Interestingly both compounds reduced growth in ,21,25% of the strains lacking oxidative stress genes. These data suggest that both selenite and SeMet are likely inducing DNA damage by generating reactive species. The anticipated effects of loss of components of the oxidative stress pathway were not observed, likely due to apparent redundancies in these gene products that may keep the damaging effects in check. [source] The Measure of Performance in Logistics AcquisitionNAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000J. A. Elliott-Brown ABSTRACT Acquisition reform initiatives changed the way we buy logistics are bought Structured military standards and regulations were replaced with performance specifications to enable determination up front of the best logistics resources for a system as a function of the systems engineering process. The emphasis is on planning the acquisition to know "what, how, when, where, and why" before the contract is written. The need is to incorporate "guidance" in the contract to eliminate future supportability and sus-tainability issues and problems. The goal is to reduce redundancies in deliv-erables, use and enhance what is available, and to be flexible and innovative in meeting logistics requirements. [source] Evaluating Oversight Systems for Emerging Technologies: A Case Study of Genetically Engineered OrganismsTHE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS, Issue 4 2009Jennifer Kuzma The U.S. oversight system for genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) was evaluated to develop hypotheses and derive lessons for oversight of other emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology. Evaluation was based upon quantitative expert elicitation, semi-standardized interviews, and historical literature analysis. Through an interdisciplinary policy analysis approach, blending legal, ethical, risk analysis, and policy sciences viewpoints, criteria were used to identify strengths and weaknesses of GEOs oversight and explore correlations among its attributes and outcomes. From the three sources of data, hypotheses and broader conclusions for oversight were developed. Our analysis suggests several lessons for oversight of emerging technologies: the importance of reducing complexity and uncertainty in oversight for minimizing financial burdens on small product developers; consolidating multi-agency jurisdictions to avoid gaps and redundancies in safety reviews; consumer benefits for advancing acceptance of GEO products; rigorous and independent pre- and post-market assessment for environmental safety; early public input and transparency for ensuring public confidence; and the positive role of public input in system development, informed consent, capacity, compliance, incentives, and data requirements and stringency in promoting health and environmental safety outcomes, as well as the equitable distribution of health impacts. Our integrated approach is instructive for more comprehensive analyses of oversight systems, developing hypotheses for how features of oversight systems affect outcomes, and formulating policy options for oversight of future technological products, especially nanotechnology products. [source] United by a Common Language?ANTIPODE, Issue 1 2008India to Call Centre Offshoring, Trade Union Responses in the UK Abstract:, The offshoring of business processes from the global North to low-cost countries of the global South has grown spectacularly in the current decade. Self-evidently, transnational relocation presents considerable challenges for organised labour since it suggests both a ,race to the bottom' in respect of pay, conditions and workers' rights and wholesale redundancies in the developed economies. This paper examines the specific case of the migration of call centres from the UK to India and trade union responses in both geographies. Informed by theoretical developments, insights and evidence from diverse disciplines and literatures, the authors concur particularly with Herod's conviction that union strategies to counter TNCs should not be counterposed between ,organising globally' and ,organising locally'and that ,organising at both scales simultaneously may best serve their goals'. Following reflection upon the nature of the call centre and consideration of important contradictions in the offshoring process, we present evidence of UK union responses ranging from the nationalistic, even xenophobic, to the internationalsist, and conclude that membership mobilisation on a principled basis has been key to the limited successes unions have achieved. The paper also evaluates developments in India and the emergence of an embryonic organisation UNITES which is attempting to organise its call centre and business process outsourcing (BPO) workforce. We conclude by considering the gap between the potential and the reality of effective internationally co-ordinated union activity. [source] Reinterpretable Imager: Towards Variable Post-Capture Space, Angle and Time Resolution in PhotographyCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2010Amit Agrawal Abstract We describe a novel multiplexing approach to achieve tradeoffs in space, angle and time resolution in photography. We explore the problem of mapping useful subsets of time-varying 4D lightfields in a single snapshot. Our design is based on using a dynamic mask in the aperture and a static mask close to the sensor. The key idea is to exploit scene-specific redundancy along spatial, angular and temporal dimensions and to provide a programmable or variable resolution tradeoff among these dimensions. This allows a user to reinterpret the single captured photo as either a high spatial resolution image, a refocusable image stack or a video for different parts of the scene in post-processing. A lightfield camera or a video camera forces a-priori choice in space-angle-time resolution. We demonstrate a single prototype which provides flexible post-capture abilities not possible using either a single-shot lightfield camera or a multi-frame video camera. We show several novel results including digital refocusing on objects moving in depth and capturing multiple facial expressions in a single photo. [source] Effect of redundancy on the mean time to failure of wireless sensor networksCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 8 2007Anh Phan Speer Abstract In data-driven wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the system must perform data sensing and retrieval and possibly aggregate data as a response at runtime. As a WSN is often deployed unattended in areas where replacements of failed sensors are difficult, energy conservation is of primary concern. While the use of redundancy is desirable in terms of satisfying user queries to cope with sensor and transmission faults, it may adversely shorten the lifetime of the WSN, as more sensor nodes will have to be used to answer queries, causing the energy of the system to drain quickly. In this paper, we analyze the effect of redundancy on the mean time to failure (MTTF) of a WSN in terms of the number of queries the system is able to answer correctly before it fails due to either sensor/transmission faults or energy depletion. In particular, we analyze the effect of redundancy on the MTTF of cluster-structured WSNs for energy conservations. We show that a tradeoff exists between redundancy and MTTF. Furthermore, an optimal redundancy level exists such that the MTTF of the system is maximized. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multiple states based temporal consistency for dynamic verification of fixed-time constraints in Grid workflow systemsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 7 2007Jinjun Chen Abstract To verify fixed-time constraints in Grid workflow systems, consistency and inconsistency conditions have been defined in conventional verification work. However, with a view of the run-time uncertainty of activity completion duration, we argue that, although the conventional consistency condition is feasible, the conventional inconsistency condition is too restrictive and covers several different states. These states, which are handled conventionally by the same exception handling, should be handled differently for the purpose of cost saving. Therefore, in this paper, we divide conventional inconsistency into weak consistency, weak inconsistency and strong inconsistency and treat conventional consistency as strong consistency. Correspondingly, we develop some algorithms on how to verify them. Based on this, for weak consistency we present a method on how to adjust it to strong consistency by using mean activity time redundancy and temporal dependency between fixed-time constraints. For weak inconsistency, we analyse briefly why it can be handled by simpler and more cost-saving exception handling while for strong inconsistency, the conventional exception handling remains deployed. The final quantitative evaluation demonstrates that our research can achieve better cost-effectiveness than the conventional work. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Review of Fractional Photothermolysis: Treatment Indications and EfficacyDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 10 2009EMILY P. TIERNEY MD BACKGROUND Fractional photothermolysis (FP) is one of the most significant milestones in laser technology and resurfacing. METHODS Review of the Medline English literature and recent international conferences regarding FP technology, applications, and indications. RESULTS Successful conditions treated with nonablative FP reported in the literature include acne scarring; dyschromia and fine wrinkling of photoaging on the face, chest, neck, and hands; melasma; poikiloderma of Civatte; nevus of Ota; scars; minocycline hyperpigmentation; telangiectatic matting; residual hemangioma; granuloma annulare; colloid milium; and disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis. An advance in 2007 was the introduction of ablative FP (AFP), which results in significantly greater improvement in skin laxity and textural abnormalities. Most recently, AFP has demonstrated significantly greater improvement than nonablative FP in reducing acne scarring and skin redundancy and laxity associated with photoaging. CONCLUSIONS Through the induction of microthermal zones of injury, FP technology stimulates a robust and rapid wound healing response resulting in improvement in a diversity of aesthetic, inflammatory, and preneoplastic skin disorders. Further investigation into the technology and diverse array of cutaneous conditions that can benefit from FP is highly needed. [source] bmp2b and bmp4 are dispensable for zebrafish tooth developmentDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 10 2010Sarah B. Wise Abstract Bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) signaling has been shown to play important roles in tooth development at virtually all stages from initiation to hard tissue formation. The specific ligands involved in these processes have not been directly tested by loss-of-function experiments, however. We used morpholino antisense oligonucleotides and mutant analysis in the zebrafish to reduce or eliminate the function of bmp2b and bmp4, two ligands known to be expressed in zebrafish teeth and whose mammalian orthologs are thought to play important roles in tooth development. Surprisingly, we found that elimination of function of these two genes singly and in combination did not prevent the formation of mature, attached teeth. The mostly likely explanation for this result is functional redundancy with other Bmp ligands, which may differ between the zebrafish and the mouse. Developmental Dynamics 239:2534,2546, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||