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Kinds of Repository Selected AbstractsCollaborative recommendation of e-learning resources: an experimental investigationJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 4 2010N. Manouselis Abstract Repositories with educational resources can support the formation of online learning communities by providing a platform for collaboration. Users (e.g. teachers, tutors and learners) access repositories, search for interesting resources to access and use, and in many cases, also exchange experiences and opinions. A particular class of online services that take advantage of the collected knowledge and experience of users are collaborative filtering ones. The successful operation of such services in the context of real-life applications requires careful testing and parameterization before their actual deployment. In this paper, the case of developing a learning resources' collaborative filtering service for an online community of teachers in Europe was examined. More specifically, a data set of evaluations of learning resources was collected from the teachers that use the European Schoolnet's learning resource portal. These evaluations were then used to support the experimental investigation of design choices for an online collaborative filtering service for the portal's learning resources. A candidate multi-attribute utility collaborative filtering algorithm was appropriately parameterized and tested for this purpose. Results indicated that the development of such systems should be taking place considering the particularities of the actual communities that are to be served. [source] Apoptotic cell blebs: Repositories of autoantigens and contributors to immune contextARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2009Tomeka Suber First page of article [source] Characterization and comparison of health-related utility in people with diabetes with various single and multiple vascular complicationsDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 10 2006C. Ll. Abstract Aims To characterize and compare health-related utility in a large cohort of patients treated in hospital with diabetes and with single and multiple comorbidities. Methods The study was conducted in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, UK. Health-related utility was measured using the EQ5Dindex, a standardized instrument for measuring health outcome. Patients from the Health Outcomes Data Repository (HODaR) were surveyed by postal questionnaire 6 weeks post discharge for in-patients and during clinics for patients attending as out-patients between January 2002 and July 2005. Patients with diabetes were identified by a previous history of in-patient admission with diabetes or as an out-patient with diabetes recorded as a coexisting diagnosis. Results, We identified 4502 patients with diabetes. Mean ages were 65.4 and 64.2 years for males and females, respectively. Of these, 2003 (45%) had no recorded vascular complication. Overall, the EQ5Dindex was 0.584 (sd 0.325) for males and 0.533 (sd 0.351) for females. For those without any vascular complications the mean EQ5Dindex was 0.735 (sd 0.288). In a general linear model, the presence of single and multiple complications had a detrimental impact on the EQ5Dindex. Conclusion The results of this study provide an indication of the true impact of diabetes in terms of health-related utility. There was a decrease in the mean EQ5Dindex for those with vascular complications. Economic models of diabetes that have used additive or multiplicative methods to assess utility in individuals with several complications may be unreliable, and direct measurements, such as this, are recommended. [source] Automated comparative protein structure modeling with SWISS-MODEL and Swiss-PdbViewer: A historical perspectiveELECTROPHORESIS, Issue S1 2009Nicolas Guex Abstract SWISS-MODEL pioneered the field of automated modeling as the first protein modeling service on the Internet. In combination with the visualization tool Swiss-PdbViewer, the Internet-based Workspace and the SWISS-MODEL Repository, it provides a fully integrated sequence to structure analysis and modeling platform. This computational environment is made freely available to the scientific community with the aim to hide the computational complexity of structural bioinformatics and encourage bench scientists to make use of the ever-increasing structural information available. Indeed, over the last decade, the availability of structural information has significantly increased for many organisms as a direct consequence of the complementary nature of comparative protein modeling and experimental structure determination. This has a very positive and enabling impact on many different applications in biomedical research as described in this paper. [source] A two-step procedure for constructing confidence intervals of trait loci with application to a rheumatoid arthritis datasetGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Charalampos Papachristou Abstract Preliminary genome screens are usually succeeded by fine mapping analyses focusing on the regions that signal linkage. It is advantageous to reduce the size of the regions where follow-up studies are performed, since this will help better tackle, among other things, the multiplicity adjustment issue associated with them. We describe a two-step approach that uses a confidence set inference procedure as a tool for intermediate mapping (between preliminary genome screening and fine mapping) to further localize disease loci. Apart from the usual Hardy-Weiberg and linkage equilibrium assumptions, the only other assumption of the proposed approach is that each region of interest houses at most one of the disease-contributing loci. Through a simulation study with several two-locus disease models, we demonstrate that our method can isolate the position of trait loci with high accuracy. Application of this two-step procedure to the data from the Arthritis Research Campaign National Repository also led to highly encouraging results. The method not only successfully localized a well-characterized trait contributing locus on chromosome 6, but also placed its position to narrower regions when compared to their LOD support interval counterparts based on the same data. Genet. Epidemiol. 30:18,29, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 RET protooncogene database: Repository of MEN2-associated RET sequence variation and reference for genotype/phenotype correlations,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 4 2009Rebecca L. Margraf Abstract Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) is an inherited, autosomal-dominant disorder caused by deleterious mutations within the RET protooncogene. MEN2 RET mutations are mainly heterozygous, missense sequence changes found in RET exons 10, 11, and 13,16. Our group has developed the publicly available, searchable MEN2 RET database to aid in genotype/phenotype correlations, using Human Genome Variation Society recommendations for sequence variation nomenclature and database content. The MEN2 RET database catalogs all RET sequence variation relevant to the MEN2 syndromes, with associated clinical information. Each database entry lists a RET sequence variation's location within the RET gene, genotype, pathogenicity classification, MEN2 phenotype, first literature reference, and comments (which may contain information on other clinical features, complex genotypes, and additional literature references). The MEN2 phenotype definitions were derived from the International RET Mutation Consortium guidelines for classification of MEN2 disease phenotypes. Although nearly all of the 132 RET sequence variation entries initially cataloged in the database were from literature reports, novel sequence variation and updated phenotypic information for any existing database entry can be submitted electronically on the database website. The database website also contains links to selected MEN2 literature reviews, gene and protein information, and RET reference sequences. The MEN2 RET database (www.arup.utah.edu/database/MEN2/MEN2_welcome.php) will serve as a repository for MEN2-associated RET sequence variation and reference for RET genotype/MEN2 phenotype correlations. Hum Mutat 0,1,9, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Practices and Outcome of Artificial Cardiac Pacing in 154 DogsJOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2001Mark A. Oyama Artificial pacing (AP) is a treatment for symptomatic bradyarrhythmias unresponsive to medical therapy. This retrospective study was designed to define the practices and outcome of AP in dogs at 7 referral institutions participating in the Companion Animal Pacemaker Registry and Repository (CANPACERS). The indications, implantation techniques, complications, long-term outcome, and owner satisfaction were examined. One hundred fifty-four dogs were identified as undergoing AP from January 1, 1991, to January 1, 1996. Third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block (n = 91; 59%) and sinus node dysfunction (n = 45; 29%) were the most common indications for AP. Transvenous endocardial AP systems were implanted in 136 dogs (88%), and epicardial systems were implanted in 18 (12%). Complications associated with AP were reported in 84 dogs (55%). Major complications occurred in 51 dogs (33%), including dislodgement of the pacing lead (n = 15; 10%), generator failure (n = 10; 6%), cardiac arrest during implantation (n = 9; 6%), and infection (n = 7; 5%). Minor complications occurred in 47 dogs (31%), including seroma formation (n = 18; 12%), muscle twitch (n = 17; 11%), and inconsequential arrhythmias (n = 15; 10%). Fourteen dogs (9%) experienced both major and minor complications. Survival analysis revealed 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of 70, 57, and 45%, respectively. Age and presence of preexisting congestive heart failure (CHF) had a negative effect on survival (P= .001). Sixty percent of dogs with preexisting CHF died within 1 year of implantation, whereas 25% of dogs without heart failure died during the same period. Owners rated their satisfaction with the procedure as high in 80% of the dogs. [source] The House of Lords' Records Repository and the Clerk of the Parliaments' House: A Tudor Achievement*PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY, Issue 3 2002ANDREW THRUSH First page of article [source] Market Data Resources for Researchers: The SIRCA Data RepositoryTHE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Maurice Peat First page of article [source] Parkinson's Disease and Low Frequency Alleles Found Together Throughout LRRK2ANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 4 2009Coro Paisán-Ruiz Summary Mutations within LRRK2, most notably p.G2019S, cause Parkinson's disease (PD) in rare monogenic families, and sporadic occurrences in diverse populations. We investigated variation throughout LRRK2 (84 SNPs; genotype or diplotype found for 49 LD blocks) for 275 cases (European ancestry, onset at age 60 or older) and 275 neurologically healthy control subjects (NINDS Neurogenetics Repository). Three grade-of-membership groups, i.e. genetic risk sets, were identified that exactly matched many subjects (cases: 46, 4, 137; controls: 0, 178, 0), and distinguished 94% of the subjects (i.e. >50% likeness to one set). Set I, affected, carried certain low frequency alleles located in multiple functional domains. Set II was unaffected. Set III, also affected, resembled set II except for slightly elevated frequencies of minor alleles not defining set I. We conclude that certain low frequency alleles distributed throughout LRRK2 are a genetic background to a third of cases, defining a distinct subset. [source] Primary infection with the Epstein-Barr virus and risk of multiple sclerosis,ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 6 2010Lynn I. Levin PhD To determine whether multiple sclerosis (MS) risk increases following primary infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), we conducted a nested case-control study including 305 individuals who developed MS and 610 matched controls selected among the >8 million active-duty military personnel whose serum has been stored in the Department of Defense Serum Repository. Time of EBV infection was determined by measuring antibody titers in serial serum samples collected before MS onset among cases, and on matched dates among controls. Ten (3.3%) cases and 32 (5.2%) controls were initially EBV negative. All of the 10 EBV-negative cases became EBV positive before MS onset; in contrast, only 35.7% (n = 10) of the 28 controls with follow-up samples seroconverted (exact p value = 0.0008). We conclude that MS risk is extremely low among individuals not infected with EBV, but it increases sharply in the same individuals following EBV infection. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:824,830 [source] Autoantibodies to a 140-kd protein in juvenile dermatomyositis are associated with calcinosisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 6 2009H. Gunawardena Objective The identification of novel autoantibodies in juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) may have etiologic and clinical implications. The aim of this study was to describe autoantibodies to a 140-kd protein in children recruited to the Juvenile DM National Registry and Repository for UK and Ireland. Methods Clinical data and sera were collected from children with juvenile myositis. Sera that recognized a 140-kd protein by immunoprecipitation were identified. The identity of the p140 autoantigen was investigated by immunoprecipitation/immunodepletion, using commercial monoclonal antibodies to NXP-2, reference anti-p140, and anti-p155/140, the other autoantibody recently described in juvenile DM. DNA samples from 100 Caucasian children with myositis were genotyped for HLA class II haplotype associations and compared with those from 864 randomly selected UK Caucasian control subjects. Results Sera from 37 (23%) of 162 patients with juvenile myositis were positive for anti-p140 autoantibodies, which were detected exclusively in patients with juvenile DM and not in patients with juvenile DM,overlap syndrome or control subjects. No anti-p140 antibody,positive patients were positive for other recognized autoantibodies. Immunodepletion suggested that the identity of p140 was consistent with NXP-2 (the previously identified MJ autoantigen). In children with anti-p140 antibodies, the association with calcinosis was significant compared with the rest of the cohort (corrected P < 0.005, odds ratio 7.0, 95% confidence interval 3.0,16.1). The clinical features of patients with anti-p140 autoantibodies were different from those of children with anti-p155/140 autoantibodies. The presence of HLA,DRB1*08 was a possible risk factor for anti-p140 autoantibody positivity. Conclusion This study has established that anti-p140 autoantibodies represent a major autoantibody subset in juvenile DM. This specificity may identify a further immunogenetic and clinical phenotype within the juvenile myositis spectrum that includes an association with calcinosis. [source] Early targets of nuclear RNP humoral autoimmunity in human systemic lupus erythematosusARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 3 2009Brian D. Poole Objective The U1 small nuclear RNPs are common targets of autoantibodies in lupus and other autoimmune diseases. However, the etiology and progression of autoimmune responses directed against these antigens are not well understood. The aim of this study was to use a unique collection of serial samples obtained from patients before and after the development of nuclear RNP (nRNP) antibodies to investigate early humoral events in the development of anti-nRNP autoimmunity. Methods Lupus patients with sera available from both before and after the development of nRNP antibody precipitin were identified from the Oklahoma Clinical Immunology Serum Repository. Antibodies in the serial samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, solid-phase epitope mapping, and competition assays. Results The first-detected nRNP antibodies targeted 6 common initial epitopes in nRNP A, 2 in nRNP C, and 9 in nRNP 70K. The initial epitopes of nRNP A and nRNP C were significantly enriched for proline and shared up to 95% sequence homology. The initial nRNP 70K humoral epitopes differed from those of nRNP A and nRNP C. The initial antibodies to nRNP A and nRNP C were cross-reactive with the SmB,-derived peptide PPPGMRPP. Antibody binding against all 3 nRNP subunits diversified significantly over time. Conclusion Autoantibodies to nRNP A and nRNP C initially targeted restricted, proline-rich motifs. Antibody binding subsequently spread to other epitopes. The similarity and cross-reactivity between the initial targets of nRNP and Sm autoantibodies identifies a likely commonality in cause and a focal point for intermolecular epitope spreading. [source] Macrophage migration inhibitory factor promoter polymorphisms and the clinical expression of sclerodermaARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 11 2006Sou-Pan Wu Objective To investigate the potential association between functional polymorphisms in the gene for the innate mediator, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and the clinical expression of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods Genomic DNA samples and clinical data were collected from the Scleroderma Family Registry and DNA Repository at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. A total of 740 subjects were studied; 203 of them had diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), 283 had limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), and the remaining 254 healthy subjects served as controls. Association analyses were performed on the whole data set and on patient and sex subsets. Significant relationships were determined between clinical variables and MIF polymorphisms for each disease subtype in the studied groups. Results The frequency of the ,173*C MIF allele, which was previously reported to be associated with high production of MIF, was lower in the lcSSc group (12.6%) than in the dcSSc (19.2%) or control (18.5%) groups (P = 0.010 and P = 0.011, respectively). Haplotype analysis for 2 closely linked polymorphisms in the MIF promoter showed that in white subjects with lcSSc or dcSSc, the lcSSc population had a significantly lower representation of the high-expression MIF haplotype defined by ,173*C and ,794 with 7 CATT repeats (C7) (P = 0.015, odds ratio 1.94 [95% confidence interval 1.14,3.32]). Fibroblasts encoding the C7 MIF haplotype were observed to produce more MIF upon in vitro stimulation than those with a non-C7 haplotype. Conclusion Functional promoter polymorphisms in the MIF gene affect the clinical presentation of SSc. The proinflammatory haplotype defined by C7 is underrepresented in patients with lcSSc. [source] Functional and prognostic relevance of the ,173 polymorphism of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene in systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 5 2003Fabrizio De Benedetti Objective To address the functional and prognostic relevance of the ,173 single-nucleotide G-to-C polymorphism of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene in patients with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (systemic-onset JIA) by evaluating its association with serum and synovial fluid levels of MIF, with glucocorticoid requirement, and with the outcome of the disease. Methods A total of 136 patients with systemic-onset JIA were studied, including 98 patients from the British Paediatric Rheumatology Study Group's National Repository for JIA and 38 patients who were followed up at the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo (Pavia, Italy) and the IRCCS G. Gaslini (Genoa, Italy). The MIF-173 polymorphism was genotyped using SnaPshot ddNTP primer extension and capillary electrophoresis. MIF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The evaluation of the association of the MIF-173 polymorphism with outcome was performed only in Italian patients who were followed up for >5 years, by analyzing retrospectively 1) the number of joints with active arthritis and the number of joints with limited range of motion; 2) the score, at the last visit, on the Italian version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (C-HAQ); and 3) data concerning the treatment regimens during the disease course. Results Systemic-onset JIA patients carrying a MIF-173*C allele had serum and synovial fluid levels of MIF significantly higher than those in patients with the GG genotype. The duration of glucocorticoid treatment on a daily regimen was significantly longer in patients carrying a MIF-173*C allele than in MIF-173 GG homozygous patients. Moreover, the duration of clinical response to intraarticular injection of triamcinolone hexacetonide was significantly shorter in patients carrying a MIF-173*C allele. At the last visit, the numbers of joints with active arthritis, the C-HAQ scores, and the numbers of joints with limited range of motion were significantly higher in patients carrying the MIF-173*C allele. Conclusion Our study shows the functional relevance of the MIF-173 polymorphism and suggests that the MIF-173*C allele is a predictor of poor outcome in systemic-onset JIA. [source] Selection and Basic Properties of the Buffer Material for High-Level Radioactive Waste Repository in ChinaACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 5 2008WEN Zhijian Abstract Radioactive wastes arising from a wide range of human activities are in many different physical and chemical forms, contaminated with varying radioactivity. Their common features are the potential hazard associated with their radioactivity and the need to manage them in such a way as to protect the human environment. The geological disposal is regarded as the most reasonable and effective way to safely disposing high-level radioactive wastes in the world. The conceptual model of geological disposal in China is based on a multi-barrier system that combines an isolating geological environment with an engineered barrier system. The buffer is one of the main engineered barriers for HLW repository. It is expected to maintain its low water permeability, self-sealing property, radio nuclides adsorption and retardation properties, thermal conductivity, chemical buffering property, canister supporting property, and stress buffering property over a long period of time. Bentonite is selected as the main content of buffer material that can satisfy the above requirements. The Gaomiaozi deposit is selected as the candidate supplier for China's buffer material of high level radioactive waste repository. This paper presents the geological features of the GMZ deposit and basic properties of the GMZ Na-bentonite. It is a super-large deposit with a high content of montmorillonite (about 75%), and GMZ-1, which is Na-bentonite produced from GMZ deposit is selected as the reference material for China's buffer material study. [source] Parallel heterogeneous CBIR system for efficient hyperspectral image retrieval using spectral mixture analysisCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 9 2010Antonio J. Plaza Abstract The purpose of content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is to retrieve, from real data stored in a database, information that is relevant to a query. In remote sensing applications, the wealth of spectral information provided by latest-generation (hyperspectral) instruments has quickly introduced the need for parallel CBIR systems able to effectively retrieve features of interest from ever-growing data archives. To address this need, this paper develops a new parallel CBIR system that has been specifically designed to be run on heterogeneous networks of computers (HNOCs). These platforms have soon become a standard computing architecture in remote sensing missions due to the distributed nature of data repositories. The proposed heterogeneous system first extracts an image feature vector able to characterize image content with sub-pixel precision using spectral mixture analysis concepts, and then uses the obtained feature as a search reference. The system is validated using a complex hyperspectral image database, and implemented on several networks of workstations and a Beowulf cluster at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Our experimental results indicate that the proposed parallel system can efficiently retrieve hyperspectral images from complex image databases by efficiently adapting to the underlying parallel platform on which it is run, regardless of the heterogeneity in the compute nodes and communication links that form such parallel platform. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Training aesthetic perception: John Dewey on the educational role of art museumsEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 4 2004Tracie E. Costantino In this article I examine Dewey's ambivalent attitude toward art museums , criticizing their existence as repositories for the rich, while exploring their educational potential , by analyzing Dewey's comments on museums in various texts, by relating his ideas to museum education theories and practice of the time, and by exploring his involvement with Albert Barnes and the Barnes Foundation. Specifically, I discuss how these men influenced each other and consider possible reasons for Dewey's involvement with a "capitalist collector" such as Barnes. This examination is placed within the broader context of Dewey's philosophy of art as experience. An analysis of these issues is especially relevant at the present time, given that museums are increasingly involved in K-12 education through outreach and professional development programs, in addition to school tours. [source] Assessment of the sensitivity of the computational programs DEREK, TOPKAT, and MCASE in the prediction of the genotoxicity of pharmaceutical moleculesENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 3 2004Ronald D. Snyder Abstract Computational models are currently being used by regulatory agencies and within the pharmaceutical industry to predict the mutagenic potential of new chemical entities. These models rely heavily, although not exclusively, on bacterial mutagenicity data of nonpharmaceutical-type molecules as the primary knowledge base. To what extent, if any, this has limited the ability of these programs to predict genotoxicity of pharmaceuticals is not clear. In order to address this question, a panel of 394 marketed pharmaceuticals with Ames Salmonella reversion assay and other genetic toxicology findings was extracted from the 2000,2002 Physicians' Desk Reference and evaluated using MCASE, TOPKAT, and DEREK, the three most commonly used computational databases. These evaluations indicate a generally poor sensitivity of all systems for predicting Ames positivity (43.4,51.9% sensitivity) and even poorer sensitivity in prediction of other genotoxicities (e.g., in vitro cytogenetics positive; 21.3,31.9%). As might be expected, all three programs were more highly predictive for molecules containing carcinogenicity structural alerts (i.e., the so-called Ashby alerts; 61% ± 14% sensitivity) than for those without such alerts (12% ± 6% sensitivity). Taking all genotoxicity assay findings into consideration, there were 84 instances in which positive genotoxicity results could not be explained in terms of structural alerts, suggesting the possibility of alternative mechanisms of genotoxicity not relating to covalent drug-DNA interaction. These observations suggest that the current computational systems when applied in a traditional global sense do not provide sufficient predictivity of bacterial mutagenicity (and are even less accurate at predicting genotoxicity in tests other than the Salmonella reversion assay) to be of significant value in routine drug safety applications. This relative inability of all three programs to predict the genotoxicity of drugs not carrying obvious DNA-reactive moieties is discussed with respect to the nature of the drugs whose positive responses were not predicted and to expectations of improving the predictivity of these programs. Limitations are primarily a consequence of incomplete understanding of the fundamental genotoxic mechanisms of nonstructurally alerting drugs rather than inherent deficiencies in the computational programs. Irrespective of their predictive power, however, these programs are valuable repositories of structure-activity relationship mutagenicity data that can be useful in directing chemical synthesis in early drug discovery. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 43:143,158, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Expressing inter-link constraints in OWL knowledge basesEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 4 2004David J. Russomanno Abstract: In this paper the Web Ontology Language (OWL) is examined to instantiate expert system knowledge bases intended for semantic Web applications. In particular, OWL is analyzed for expressing Unified Modeling Language (UML) representations that have been augmented with propositional logic asserted as inter-link constraints. The motivation is ultimately to provide declarative propositional logic constraints that can be represented in UML and declaratively implemented using OWL and other constructs to realize semantic Web knowledge base repositories and databases to facilitate expert system applications. The results of this paper show that OWL is sufficient for capturing most inter-link constraints asserted on generalization/specialization instances; however, OWL alone is inadequate for representing some inter-link constraints asserted on associations. We propose enhancements to OWL via RDF extensions for the reification of associations into classes. These extensions mitigate all concerns that were identified in OWL as part of this study. The result is increased support of declarative constraint representations, which can be expressed in knowledge bases in the context of the semantic Web. [source] Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi are common root inhabitants of non- Ericaceae plants in a south-eastern Australian sclerophyll forestFEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Susan M. Chambers Abstract Fungi were isolated from the roots of 17 plant species from the families Apiaceae, Cunoniaceae, Cyperaceae, Droseraceae, Fabaceae-Mimosoideae, Lomandraceae, Myrtaceae, Pittosporaceae, Proteaceae and Stylidiaceae at a sclerophyll forest site in New South Wales, Australia. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence comparisons indicated that the isolated fungi had affinities to a range of ascomycetes, basidiomycetes and zygomycetes. Four RFLP types had closest affinities to previously identified Helotiales ericoid mycorrhizal (ERM) or Oidiodendron spp. Isolates representing six RFLP types, which were variously isolated from all 17 plant species, formed ERM coils in hair root epidermal cells of Woollsia pungens (Ericaceae) under gnotobiotic conditions. Three of these isolates formed intercellular hyphae, intracellular hyphae and/or microsclerotia, which are typical of dark septate endophyte infection, in roots of Stylidium productum (Stylidiaceae), indicating an ability to form different types of association with roots of different hosts. Overall the data indicate that a broad range of plant taxa may act as repositories for ERM fungi in sclerophyll forest soil. [source] STRINGS ATTACHED: NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT, COMPETITIVE GRANT FUNDING AND SOCIAL CAPITALFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2009Helen Irvine This paper first investigates the impact of New Public Management (NPM) practices, particularly competitive grant funding, on Bushcare New South Wales (NSW), an Australian environmental volunteering organisation. Secondly, identifying such local volunteering organisations as repositories of valuable social capital, it explores the link between volunteering and social capital. Using mixed methods and institutional theory, the study reveals that an increased level of professionalism and accountability is required of Bushcare groups, and that local coordinators face a challenge in balancing local, regional and national priorities without sacrificing Bushcare's mission. These dynamics, it is proposed, have potentially serious social capital implications. [source] Individual Participation in Organizational Information CommonsHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005Technology-Specific Competence, The Impact of Team Level Social Influence This research extended earlier public goods research on individual incentives to use an organizational information commons that was based in Marwell and Oliver's (1993) collective action model. A revised theoretical model that incorporated team-level social influence and technology-specific competence was proposed. The model was tested using online survey data from 150 individuals in 13 work groups across 5 organizations. The research demonstrated that perceived team member behavior and technology-specific competence were positively related to individual use of intranets, over and above the collective level influences modeled in earlier research. These findings supported a more "socialized" model of individuals' motivations to participate in organizational information sharing via collective repositories and suggested that management could boost levels of intranet usage through group level social influence and technology-specific training. [source] CoagMDB: a database analysis of missense mutations within four conserved domains in five vitamin K,dependent coagulation serine proteases using a text-mining tool,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 3 2008Rebecca E. Saunders Abstract Central repositories of mutations that combine structural, sequence, and phenotypic information in related proteins will facilitate the diagnosis and molecular understanding of diseases associated with them. Coagulation involves the sequential activation of serine proteases and regulators in order to yield stable blood clots while maintaining hemostasis. Five coagulation serine proteases,factor VII (F7), factor IX (F9), factor X (F10), protein C (PROC), and thrombin (F2),exhibit high sequence similarities and all require vitamin K. All five of these were incorporated into an interactive database of mutations named CoagMDB (http://www.coagMDB.org; last accessed: 9 August 2007). The large number of mutations involved (especially for factor IX) and the increasing problem of out-of-date databases required the development of new database management tools. A text mining tool automatically scans full-length references to identify and extract mutations. High recall rates between 96 and 99% and precision rates of 87 to 93% were achieved. Text mining significantly reduces the time and expertise required to maintain the databases and offers a solution to the problem of locus-specific database management and upkeep. A total of 875 mutations were extracted from 1,279 literature sources. Of these, 116 correspond to Gla domains, 86 to the N-terminal EGF domain, 73 to the C-terminal EGF domain, and 477 to the serine protease domain. The combination of text mining and consensus domain structures enables mutations to be correlated with experimentally-measurable phenotypes based on either low protein levels (Type I) or reduced functional activities (Type II), respectively. A tendency for the conservation of phenotype with structural location was identified. Hum Mutat 29(3), 333,344, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Approaches to locating expertise using corporate knowledgeINTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IN ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2002Richard Crowder In many organizations people need to locate colleagues with knowledge and information to resolve a problem. Computer-based systems that assist users with ,nding such expertise are increasingly important to industrial organizations. In this paper we discuss the development of Expertise Finders suitable for use within the engineering design environment, as illustrated through the use of a scenario. A key feature of this work is that the Expertise Finder returns both recommended contacts and supporting documentation. The Expertise Finder bases its results on information held within the organization, e.g. on-line publications repositories, human resource records, and not on individually compiled Curriculum Vitaes or other forms of user-maintained records. The recommendations are presented to the user with due regard to the social context, and are supported by the documents used to make the recommendation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Business process semi-automation based on business model managementINTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IN ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2002Koichi Terai It is important to respond to customers' requirements more rapidly than ever before due to the recent trend in e -business and its technologies. In order to achieve an agile response, we have to manage business models, to re,ect the changes in the models and to develop or modify IT systems for further chances. This paper proposes a management framework of layered enterprise models. The proposed framework consists of a business model repository and a software repository, and de,nes three different grain sizes of modeling layers, namely business modeling, business process modeling and business application modeling, in order to support business modeling and application development. This framework helps us to develop business application in incremental deployment of analysis, design, and implementation to execute business processes. We have implemented a prototype environment using Java. Each repository's contents are described using XML so that the repositories are interoperable. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] An evaluation of the process and initial impact of disseminating a nursing e-thesisJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2009Colin Macduff Abstract Title.,An evaluation of the process and initial impact of disseminating a nursing e-thesis. Aim., This paper is a report of a study conducted to evaluate product, process and outcome aspects of the dissemination of a nursing PhD thesis via an open-access electronic institutional repository. Background., Despite the growth of university institutional repositories which make theses easily accessible via the world wide web, nursing has been very slow to evaluate related processes and outcomes. Method., Drawing on Stake's evaluation research methods, a case study design was adopted. The case is described using a four-phase structure within which key aspects of process and impact are reflexively analysed. Findings., In the conceptualization/re-conceptualization phase, fundamental questions about the purpose, format and imagined readership for a published nursing PhD were considered. In the preparation phase, seven key practical processes were identified that are likely to be relevant to most e-theses. In the dissemination phase email invitations were primarily used to invite engagement. The evaluation phase involved quantitative indicators of initial impact, such as page viewing and download statistics and qualitative feedback on processes and product. Conclusion., Analysis of process and impact elements of e-thesis dissemination is likely to have more than intrinsic value. The advent of e-theses housed in web-based institutional repositories has the potential to transform thesis access and use. It also offers potential to transform the nature and scope of thesis production and dissemination. Nursing scholars can exploit and evaluate such opportunities. [source] The Height of (Architectural) Seduction: Reading the "Changes" through Stalin's Palace in Warsaw, PolandJOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2001Magdalena J. Zaborowska Joseph Stalin's Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland, is a representative architectural structure, whose diverse and divergent readings and interpretations elicit larger historic and cultural contexts of pre- and post-1989 developments in Eastern Europe and the West. The Palace's unique ability to encode and compel changing constructions of individual and collective narratives of Polish identity provides a valuable lesson on the relationships between architecture, literature, history, and politics. Structures like the Palace carry ideological and political messages inscribed onto them by their designers and builders and serve as repositories of the changing desires and fantasies of their individual spectators or readers. [source] Collaborative recommendation of e-learning resources: an experimental investigationJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 4 2010N. Manouselis Abstract Repositories with educational resources can support the formation of online learning communities by providing a platform for collaboration. Users (e.g. teachers, tutors and learners) access repositories, search for interesting resources to access and use, and in many cases, also exchange experiences and opinions. A particular class of online services that take advantage of the collected knowledge and experience of users are collaborative filtering ones. The successful operation of such services in the context of real-life applications requires careful testing and parameterization before their actual deployment. In this paper, the case of developing a learning resources' collaborative filtering service for an online community of teachers in Europe was examined. More specifically, a data set of evaluations of learning resources was collected from the teachers that use the European Schoolnet's learning resource portal. These evaluations were then used to support the experimental investigation of design choices for an online collaborative filtering service for the portal's learning resources. A candidate multi-attribute utility collaborative filtering algorithm was appropriately parameterized and tested for this purpose. Results indicated that the development of such systems should be taking place considering the particularities of the actual communities that are to be served. [source] The Effect of High Nursing Surveillance on Hospital CostJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 2 2008Leah L. Shever Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the cost of one nursing treatment, surveillance, for older, hospitalized adults at risk for falling. Design: An observational study using information from data repositories at one Midwestern tertiary hospital. The inclusion criteria included patients age >60 years, admitted to the hospital between July 1, 1998 and June 31, 2002, at risk for falls or received the nursing treatment of fall prevention. Methods: Data came from clinical and administrative data repositories that included Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). The nursing treatment of interest was surveillance and total hospital cost associated with surveillance was the dependent variable. Propensity-score analysis and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used as methods to analyze the data. Independent variables related to patient characteristics, clinical conditions, nurse staffing, medical treatments, pharmaceutical treatments, and other nursing treatments were controlled for statistically. Findings: The total median cost per hospitalization was $9,274 for this sample. The median cost was different (p = 0.050) for patients who received high versus low surveillance. High surveillance delivery cost $191 more per hospitalization than did low surveillance delivery. Conclusion: Propensity scores were applied to determine the cost of surveillance among hospitalized adults at risk for falls in this observational study. The findings show the effect of high surveillance delivery on total hospital cost compared to low surveillance delivery and provides an example of a useful method of determining cost of nursing care rather than including it in the room rate. More studies are needed to determine the effects of nursing treatments on cost and other patient outcomes in order for nurses to provide cost-effective care. Propensity scores were a useful method for determining the effect of nursing surveillance on hospital cost in this observational study. Clinical Relevance: The results of this study along with possible clinical benefits would indicate that frequent nursing surveillance is important and might support the need for additional nursing staff to deliver frequent surveillance. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||