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Systematic Comparison (systematic + comparison)
Selected AbstractsA new land-cover map of Africa for the year 2000JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2004Philippe Mayaux Abstract Aim, In the framework of the Global Land Cover 2000 (GLC 2000), a land-cover map of Africa has been produced at a spatial resolution of 1 km using data from four sensors on-board four different Earth observing satellites. Location, The map documents the location and distribution of major vegetation types and non-vegetated land surface formations for the entire African continent plus Madagascar and the other surrounding islands. Methods, The bulk of these data were acquired on a daily basis throughout the year 2000 by the VEGETATION sensor on-board the SPOT-4 satellite. The map of vegetation cover has been produced based upon the spectral response and the temporal profile of the vegetation cover. Digital image processing and geographical information systems techniques were employed, together with local knowledge, high resolution imagery and expert consultation, to compile a cartographic map product. Radar data and thermal sensors were also used for specific land-cover classes. Results, A total of 27 land cover categories are documented, which has more thematic classes than previously published land cover maps of Africa contain. Systematic comparison with existing land cover data and 30-m resolution imagery from Landsat are presented, and the map is also compared with other pan-continental land cover maps. The map and digital data base are freely available for non-commercial uses from http://www.gvm.jrc.it/tem/africa/products.htm Main conclusions, The map improves our state of knowledge of the land-cover of Africa and presents the most spatially detailed view yet published at this scale. This first version of the map should provide an important input for regional stratification and planning purposes for natural resources, biodiversity and climate studies. Résumé Objet, Dans le cadre du projet Global Land Cover 2000 (GLC 2000), une carte d'Afrique d'occupation du sol a été produite à la résolution spatiale de 1 km à partir de données satellitales de 4 capteurs différents. Localisation, La carte représente la distribution des principaux types de végétation et des surfaces non-végétales du continent africain plus Madagascar et les autres îles voisines du continent. Méthodes, La plupart des données fut acquise durant l'année 2000 par le capteur VEGETATION, embarquéà bord du satellite SPOT-4. La réponse spectrale et le profil temporel des formations végétales ont permis la production de la carte d'occupation du sol. Des techniques de traitement d'image et de systèmes d'information géographique ont été combinées à la consultation d'experts locaux et à l'utilisation de cartes nationales et de données à haute résolution spatiale. Des images radar et thermiques ont servi à cartographier des classes spécifiques. Résultats, Un total de 27 classes est cartographié, ce qui est plus que les précédentes cartes basées sur l'imagerie satellitale. Une comparaison systématique avec les cartes publiées et des images Landsat à 30 m est présentée. Les données sont libres d'accès pour un usage non-commercial à l'adresse http://www.gvm.jrc.it/tem/africa/products.htm Conclusion, Cette carte accroît notre connaissance de l'occupation du sol de l'Afrique et présente la vue la plus détaillée jamais publiée à cette échelle. La première version de la carte devrait fournir une base importante pour une stratification régionale et pour la planification d'études sur les ressources naturelles, la biodiversité et le climat. [source] A comparison of taiga flora in north-eastern Russia and Alaska/YukonJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 7 2003David K. Swanson Abstract Aim, To understand the similarities and differences between the taiga floras of far north-eastern Asia and north-western North America in the light of their Tertiary and Quaternary histories. Does the taiga flora follow the tundra pattern (Asian,American commonality of species as a result of continuity through the Quaternary), the temperate forest pattern (distinct species because of late Tertiary disjunction), a combination of these two patterns, or some pattern unique to the taiga? Location, The taiga regions of interior Alaska and the Yukon in North America (the ,Alaskan taiga'), and the Kolyma and eastern Indigirka River basins in Russia (the ,Kolyma taiga'). The study areas include both forested and unforested habitats below elevational treeline. The two regions have similar climate and topography and were linked via the Bering Land Bridge in the Tertiary and for several extended periods during Quaternary cold periods. Methods, Systematic comparison of the vascular floras of the two regions from published sources; and review of palaeoecological literature for the region. Results, Of the 796 species found in the study areas, 27% occur only in the Alaskan taiga, 35% occur only in the Kolyma taiga, and 38% occur in both the regions. The following subsets of species show a high proportion of species in common between the study areas (subsets are not mutually exclusive): plants that occur on the tundra and the taiga, non-flowering plants, abundant taiga understory plants, and wetland and aquatic plants. A lower proportion of shared plants was noted for warm, south-facing steppe communities. No tree species are common to both areas. Main conclusions, The Bering Strait region in the Quaternary has acted as a biogeographical filter for taiga plants. Significant divergence between northeast Asia and northwest North America has developed among the more southerly ranging fraction of the flora (e.g. trees), while the more cosmopolitan and the most cold-adapted elements of the taiga flora are common to both areas. Many plants in the former group have been disjunct between Asia and North America for millions of years, while many plants in the latter group have probably maintained continuity between the study areas via the Bering Land Bridge through much of the late Tertiary and Quaternary periods. Repeated extirpation of the less cold-adapted species from both study areas during Pleistocene cold periods has probably enhanced floristic differences between the two regions. [source] Systematic comparison of surface coatings for protein microarraysPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 18 2005Birgit Guilleaume Dr. Abstract To process large numbers of samples in parallel is one potential of protein microarrays for research and diagnostics. However, the application of protein arrays is currently hampered by the lack of comprehensive technological knowledge about the suitability of 2-D and 3-D slide surface coatings. We have performed a systematic study to analyze how both surface types perform in combination with different fluorescent dyes to generate significant and reproducible data. In total, we analyzed more than 100 slides containing 1152 spots each. Slides were probed against different monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and recombinant fusion proteins. We found two surface coatings to be most suitable for protein and antibody (Ab) immobilization. These were further subjected to quantitative analyses by evaluating intraslide and slide-to-slide reproducibilities, and the linear range of target detection. In summary, we demonstrate that only suitable combinations of surface and fluorescent dyes allow the generation of highly reproducible data. [source] High-level distribution for the rapid production of robust telecoms software: comparing C++ and ERLANGCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 8 2008J. H. Nyström Abstract Currently most distributed telecoms software is engineered using low- and mid-level distributed technologies, but there is a drive to use high-level distribution. This paper reports the first systematic comparison of a high-level distributed programming language in the context of substantial commercial products. Our research strategy is to reengineer some C++/CORBA telecoms applications in ERLANG, a high-level distributed language, and make comparative measurements. Investigating the potential advantages of the high-level ERLANG technology shows that two significant benefits are realized. Firstly, robust configurable systems are easily developed using the high-level constructs for fault tolerance and distribution. The ERLANG code exhibits resilience: sustaining throughput at extreme loads and automatically recovering when load drops; availability: remaining available despite repeated and multiple failures; dynamic reconfigurability: with throughput scaling near-linearly when resources are added or removed. Secondly, ERLANG delivers significant productivity and maintainability benefits: the ERLANG components are less than one-third of the size of their C++ counterparts. The productivity gains are attributed to specific language features, for example, high-level communication saves 22%, and automatic memory management saves 11%,compared with the C++ implementation. Investigating the feasibility of the high-level ERLANG technology demonstrates that it fulfils several essential requirements. The requisite distributed functionality is readily specified, even although control of low-level distributed coordination aspects is abrogated to the ERLANG implementation. At the expense of additional memory residency, excellent time performance is achieved, e.g. three times faster than the C++ implementation, due to ERLANG's lightweight processes. ERLANG interoperates at low cost with conventional technologies, allowing incremental reengineering of large distributed systems. The technology is available on the required hardware/operating system platforms, and is well supported. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Disclosure of UK Boardroom Pay: the March 2001 DTI proposalsCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2001Martin J. Conyon In March 2001 the government announced that new disclosure rules relating to UK boardroom pay would be introduced. This paper critically evaluates these proposals. The new proposals emerged from the government's Directors Remuneration consultative document issued in July 1999. The current paper makes the following contributions to the governance literature. First, the new disclosure proposals are reviewed. I suggest that they are incomplete both in their detail and scope. I also suggest that the government has conceded that more US style executive compensation disclosure is required. Second, I describe US executive compensation disclosure practices. If convergence in disclosure practice is potentially desirable then a more systematic comparison and analysis of current disclosure policies in the two economies is warranted. [source] Efficacy of single-agent bortezomib vs. single-agent thalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: a systematic comparisonEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2007H. Miles Prince Abstract Objective:, To conduct a systematic review of the efficacy of single-agent bortezomib vs. single-agent thalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple. Methods:, Publications in English from 1966 to June 2005 (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library), publication reference lists, Janssen-Cilag data-on-file and abstracts from recent multiple myeloma conferences were reviewed. Prospective studies containing at least a single arm of either treatment group with n,30 were included. Studies adding dexamethasone for non-responders were excluded. Statistical pooling was performed for response rate and overallsurvival. Results:, One bortezomib study (n = 333, NEJM 2005, 352; 2487,98) and 15 thalidomide (n = 1007) studies met these criteria and were included. Patient baseline characteristics including age, gender, IgG : IgA, disease duration and beta-2 microglobulin were well matched except that 48% of bortezomib patients had received prior thalidomide. Response rate, defined as serum M-protein reduction ,50%, was 53% for patients receiving bortezomib vs. 32% for thalidomide (P < 0.001, n = 10 studies). Response rate determined by European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) criteria was 41% for patients receiving bortezomib vs. 22% for thalidomide (P < 0.001, n = 4 studies). Conclusion:, Bortezomib was associated with a significantly higher response rate and complete remission rate using both M-protein and EBMT criteria. [source] Buttressing Effects Rerouting the Deprotonation and Functionalization of 1,3-Dichloro- and 1,3-DibromobenzeneEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 23 2003Christophe Heiss Abstract A systematic comparison between 1,3-difluorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, and 1,3-dibromobenzene did not reveal major differences in their behavior towards strong bases such as lithium diisopropylamide or lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide. Thus, all 2,6-dihalobenzoic acids 1 are directly accessible by consecutive treatment with a suitable base and dry ice. In contrast, (2,6-dichlorophenyl)- and (2,6-bromophenyl)triethylsilane (2a and 2b) were found to undergo deprotonation at the 5-position (affording acids 3 and, after deprotection, 4), whereas the 1,3-difluoro analog is known to react at the 4-position. The 2,4-dihalobenzoic acids 7 were selectively prepared from either the silanes 2 (by bromination at the 4-position, metalation and carboxylation of the neighboring position, followed by desilylation and debromination) or the 1,3-dihalo-2-iodobenzenes 8 (by base-promoted migration of iodine to the 4-position followed by iodine/magnesium permutation and subsequent carboxylation). (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003) [source] Modeling three-dimensional crack propagation,A comparison of crack path tracking strategiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2008P. Jäger Abstract The development of a new finite element technique for the simulation of discontinuous failure phenomena in three dimensions is the key objective of this study. In contrast to the widely used extended finite element technique, we apply a purely deformation-based strategy based on an independent interpolation of the deformation field on both sides of the discontinuity. This method has been applied successfully for two-dimensional crack propagation problems in the past. However, when it comes to three-dimensional failure phenomena, it faces the same difficulties as the extended finite element method. Unlike in two dimensions, the characterization for the three-dimensional failure surface is non-unique and the tracking of the discrete crack can be performed in several conceptually different ways. In this work, we review the four most common three-dimensional crack tracking strategies. We perform a systematic comparison in terms of standard algorithmic quality measures such as mesh independency, efficiency, robustness, stability and computational cost. Moreover, we discuss more specific issues such as crack path continuity and integratability in commercial finite element packages. The features of the suggested crack tracking algorithms will be elaborated by means of characteristic benchmark problems in failure analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Disciplinary Observance and Sanctions on German and Danish AuditorsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2002Reiner Quick This paper presents the results of a comparative study on disciplinary observance systems of the auditing profession within two member states of the European Union: Germany and Denmark. Disciplinary observance is an important factor in reducing the hidden action problem, but could also be used by the profession to signal quality. In Germany, the Wirtschaftsprüferkammer is the supervisory body which oversees compliance with standards and professional duties. It is entitled to sanction the minor violations of duties by auditors. Only more severe types of misbehaviour are dealt with by courts. In Denmark, a special court (Disciplinæernævn) is concerned with disciplinary actions against auditors. The results of this study will demonstrate that audit regulations and in particular disciplinary laws remain basically national, despite efforts to harmonise auditing. This study identifies characteristics of disciplinary systems common to both countries and provides information on the functioning of both systems that may be useful in a number of ways. The results presented might initiate a more systematic comparison of disciplinary systems within member states of the European Union, which would enhance institutional knowledge of the European market for auditing services. This in turn could promote the process of achieving a single European market for auditing services and thus reduce market inefficiencies. [source] On currency crises and contagionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2003Marcel Fratzscher Abstract This paper analyses the role of contagion in the currency crises in emerging markets during the 1990s. It employs a non-linear Markov-switching model to conduct a systematic comparison and evaluation of three distinct causes of currency crises: contagion, weak economic fundamentals, and sunspots, i.e. unobservable shifts in agents' beliefs. Testing this model empirically through Markov-switching and panel data models reveals that contagion, i.e. a high degree of real integration and financial interdependence among countries, is a core explanation for recent emerging market crises. The model has a remarkably good predictive power for the 1997,1998 Asian crisis. The findings suggest that in particular the degree of financial interdependence and also real integration among emerging markets are crucial not only in explaining past crises but also in predicting the transmission of future financial crises. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Allocation of Power in the Enlarged ECB Governing Council: An Assessment of the ECB Rotation ModelJCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 5 2006ANSGAR BELKE This study analyses the allocation of power in the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) as it enlarges to accommodate new members of the economic and monetary union. For this purpose, two classical power indices that have their origin in solutions to co-operative games are applied. First, an assessment is made of the effects of enlargement on the voting power of different subgroups of the Governing Council that arise in the wake of the continuous accession process. Second, a systematic comparison is carried out to the status quo rule (,one member, one vote') with respect to the voting power of the ECB Executive Board and to the representativeness of European monetary policy, along with the potential for its renationalization. [source] 1,3,5-Triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA): A Practical and Versatile Nucleophilic Phosphine OrganocatalystADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 11-12 2007Xiaofang Tang Abstract In this paper, the air-stable and readily available 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadmantane (PTA) is reported as a practical and versatile nucleophilic phosphine organocatalyst. Under the mediation of 15,30 mol,% of PTA, various electrophiles like aldehydes and imines readily undergo the Morita,Baylis,Hillman reactions with a variety of activated olefins, giving the corresponding adducts in high yields. In the phosphine-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of 4-substituted 2,3-butadienoates with N -tosylimines, PTA is also proven to be a comparable catalyst as tributylphosphine (PBu3). By systematic comparison with other structurally similar N,P catalysts, it is concluded that the superiority of PTA in the above nucleophilic catalysis is attributable to its comparable nucleophilicity with that of trialkylphosphines. The feasibility to use PTA as an alternative catalyst in place of the air-sensitive trialkylphosphines is also discussed. [source] Delusional disorder,jealous type: how inclusive are the DSM,IV diagnostic criteria?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Judith A. Easton Abstract Delusional disorder,jealous type is a new diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) in which delusions concerning a partner's infidelity must be present. Therefore, patients who experience a jealousy disorder, but do not experience delusions will not fit the diagnostic criteria. Using a database of 398 case histories of jealousy disorders reported in the literature from 1940,2002, we examined the percentage of these cases that met the diagnostic criteria for delusional disorder,jealous type. Only 4% of the cases met all diagnostic criteria. This is the first systematic comparison of the prevalence of these disorders. The results provide evidence that the diagnostic criteria are not inclusive, as most individuals suffering with a jealousy disorder were excluded from the diagnosis. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64: 1,12, 2008. [source] Dispersion and repulsion contributions to the solvation free energy: Comparison of quantum mechanical and classical approaches in the polarizable continuum modelJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 15 2006Carles Curutchet Abstract We report a systematic comparison of the dispersion and repulsion contributions to the free energy of solvation determined using quantum mechanical self-consistent reaction field (QM-SCRF) and classical methods. In particular, QM-SCRF computations have been performed using the dispersion and repulsion expressions developed in the framework of the integral equation formalism of the polarizable continuum model, whereas classical methods involve both empirical pairwise potential and surface-dependent approaches. Calculations have been performed for a series of aliphatic and aromatic compounds containing prototypical functional groups in four solvents: water, octanol, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. The analysis is focused on the dependence of the dispersion and repulsion components on the level of theory used in QM-SCRF computations, the contribution of those terms in different solvents, and the magnitude of the coupling between electrostatic and dispersion,repulsion components. Finally, comparison is made between the dispersion,repulsion contributions obtained from QM-SCRF calculations and the results determined from classical approaches. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2006 [source] Detection and correction of artificial shifts in climate seriesJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES C (APPLIED STATISTICS), Issue 3 2004Henri Caussinus Summary., Many long instrumental climate records are available and might provide useful information in climate research. These series are usually affected by artificial shifts, due to changes in the conditions of measurement and various kinds of spurious data. A comparison with surrounding weather-stations by means of a suitable two-factor model allows us to check the reliability of the series. An adapted penalized log-likelihood procedure is used to detect an unknown number of breaks and outliers. An example concerning temperature series from France confirms that a systematic comparison of the series together is valuable and allows us to correct the data even when no reliable series can be taken as a reference. [source] A systematic comparison of coupled and distributive smoothing in multigrid for the poroelasticity systemNUMERICAL LINEAR ALGEBRA WITH APPLICATIONS, Issue 2-3 2004F. J. Gaspar Abstract In this paper, we present efficient multigrid methods for the system of poroelasticity equations discretized on a staggered grid. In particular, we compare two different smoothing approaches with respect to efficiency and robustness. One approach is based on the coupled relaxation philosophy. We introduce ,cell-wise' and ,line-wise' versions of the coupled smoothers. They are compared with a distributive relaxation, that gives us a decoupled system of equations. It can be smoothed equation-wise with basic iterative methods. All smoothing methods are evaluated for the same poroelasticity test problems in which parameters, like the time step, or the Lamé coefficients are varied. Some highly efficient methods result, as is confirmed by the numerical experiments. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Presidential Leadership: Skill in ContextPOLITICS & POLICY, Issue 2 2002Erwin C. Hargrove The essay illustrates the value of studying individual presidents consecutively across time in order to compare and assess the relative importance of personal political skill in political and historical contexts. The presidency is the primary source of moral agency in American politics, and policy and agency occur in the leadership of individuals. An analytic framework to compare presidents encompasses the historical context; the skill factor; leadership strategies and tactics; and the assessment of results of skill in contexts. Use of the framework will permit systematic comparison of presidents in relation to the ad hoc ahistorical comparisons that permeate journalism and some scholarship. Narratives of leadership in domestic, economic, and foreign policy are presented for presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. This approach achieves an understanding of presidential leadership that cannot be achieved by work that bemoans the small N and focuses on pieces of the presidential institution, without including the president, because the dynamics of leadership shape the institution more than the reverse. Among the conclusions are that skill and context reinforce each other in policy achievement; skill can be effective at the margins, even in unfavorable contexts; ineptness makes a difference for the worse; and cumulative presidents may resolve policy problems across time as each contributes a step on the way. [source] Protein expression profiling of glutathione S -transferase pi null mice as a strategy to identify potential markers of resistance to paracetamol-induced toxicity in the liverPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 2 2003Neil R. Kitteringham Abstract GST pi (GSTP) is a member of the glutathione S -transferase (EC 2.5.1.18; GST) family of enzymes that catalyse the conjugation of electrophilic species with reduced glutathione and thus play an important role in the detoxification of electrophilic metabolites. Deletion of GSTP in mice has previously been shown to lead to enhanced susceptibility to chemical-induced skin carcinoma, consistent with its known metabolic functions. A decreased susceptibility to paracetamol hepatotoxicity has also been observed, which has not been fully explained. One possibility is that deletion of the GSTP gene locus results in compensatory changes in other proteins involved in defence against chemical stress. We have therefore used complementary protein expression profiling techniques to perform a systematic comparison of the protein expression profiles of livers from GSTP null and wild-type mice. Analysis of liver proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis confirmed the absence of GSTP in null mice whereas GSTP represented 3,5% of soluble protein in livers from wild-type animals. There was a high degree of quantitative and qualitative similarity in other liver proteins between GSTP null and wild-type mice. There was no evidence that the absence of GSTP in null animals resulted in enhanced expression of other GST isoforms in the null mice (GST alpha, 1.48%, GST mu, 1.68% of resolved proteins) compared with the wild-type animals (GST alpha, 1.50%, GST mu, 1.40%). In contrast, some members of the thiol specific antioxidant family of proteins, notably antioxidant protein 2 and thioredoxin peroxidases, were expressed at a higher level in the GSTP null mouse livers. These changes presumably reflect the recently described role of GSTP in cell signalling and may underlie the protection against paracetamol toxicity seen in these animals. [source] Effects of positive and negative affect on electromyographic activity over zygomaticus major and corrugator superciliiPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Jeff T. Larsen Abstract Pleasant stimuli typically elicit greater electromyographic (EMG) activity over zygomaticus major and less activity over corrugator supercilii than do unpleasant stimuli. To provide a systematic comparison of these 2 measures, the authors examined the relative form and strength of affective influences on activity over zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii. Self-reported positive and negative affective reactions and facial EMG were collected as women (n=68) were exposed to series of affective pictures, sounds, and words. Consistent with speculations based on known properties of the neurophysiology of the facial musculature, results revealed a stronger linear effect of valence on activity over corrugator supercilii versus zygomaticus major. In addition, positive and negative affect ratings indicated that positive and negative affect have reciprocal effects on activity over corrugator supercilii, but not zygomaticus major. [source] Wages, participation and unemployment in the economic transition of urban China,THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION, Issue 3 2010Jun Han Wages; participation rates; unemployment rates; economic transition Abstract Wages, participation and unemployment are major topics for researchers of the labour market. How have these measures evolved in the economic transition of urban China? Have they evolved in accordance with those in the Statistical Yearbook of China (produced by the National Bureau of Statistics, China) and previous studies? We find that the estimated wage level based on Urban Household Survey (UHS) data was higher than that in the Statistical Yearbook in earlier years, but the relationship has reversed since 1999. Our estimated participation rate is lower than that of Giles et al. (2006) but higher than Dong et al. (2007) and Maurer-Fazio et al. (2007). The analysis shows that the unemployment rate is lower than that estimated with the China Urban Labor Survey data in Giles et al. (2005). Our estimation results on unemployment rates turn out to be more similar to those in Dong et al. (2007) but are different from those in Hu and Sheng (2007). This analysis provides the first systematic comparison of the wage level from different sources, and supplements the existing estimates on participation and unemployment using a more representative dataset for urban China. [source] Exploring cellular adhesion and differentiation in a micro-/nano-hybrid polymer scaffoldBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010Ke Cheng Abstract Polymer scaffolds play an important role in three dimensional (3-D) cell culture and tissue engineering. To best mimic the archiecture of natural extracellular matrix (ECM), a nano-fibrous and micro-porous combined (NFMP) scaffold was fabricated by combining phase separation and particulate leaching techniques. The NFMP scaffold possesses architectural features at two levels, including the micro-scale pores and nano-scale fibers. To evaluate the advantages of micro/nano combination, control scaffolds with only micro-pores or nano-fibers were fabricated. Cell grown in NFMP and control scaffolds were characterized with respect to morphology, proliferation rate, diffentiation and adhesion. The NFMP scaffold combined the advantages of micro- and nano-scale structures. The NFMP scaffold nano-fibers promoted neural differentiation and induced "3-D matrix adhesion", while the NFMP scaffold micro-pores facilitated cell infiltration. This study represents a systematic comparison of cellular activities on micro-only, nano-only and micro/nano combined scaffolds, and demonstrates the unique advantages of the later. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source] Addressing the Numbers Problem in Directed EvolutionCHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 11 2008Manfred T. Reetz Prof. Dr. Abstract Our previous contribution to increasing the efficiency of directed evolution is iterative saturation mutagenesis (ISM) as a systematic means of generating focused libraries for the control of substrate acceptance, enantioselectivity, or thermostability of enzymes. We have now introduced a crucial element to knowledge-guided targeted mutagenesis in general that helps to solve the numbers problem in directed evolution. We show that the choice of the amino acid (aa) alphabet, as specified by the utilized codon degeneracy, provides the experimenter with a powerful tool in designing "smarter" randomized libraries that require considerably less screening effort. A systematic comparison of two different codon degeneracies was made by examining the relative quality of the identically sized enzyme libraries in relation to the degree of oversampling required in the screening process. The specific example in our case study concerns the conventional NNK codon degeneracy (32 codons/20 aa) versus NDT (12 codons/12 aa). The model reaction is the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a chiral trans -disubstituted epoxide, catalyzed by the epoxide hydrolase from Aspergillus niger. The NDT library proves to be of much higher quality, as measured by the dramatically higher frequency of positive variants and by the magnitude of catalyst improvement (enhanced rate and enantioselectivity). We provide a statistical analysis that constitutes a useful guide for the optimal design and generation of "smarter" focused libraries. This type of approach accelerates the process of laboratory evolution considerably and can be expected to be broadly applicable when engineering functional proteins in general. [source] The N -Arylamino Conjugation Effect in the Photochemistry of Fluorescent Protein Chromophores and AminostilbenesCHEMISTRY - AN ASIAN JOURNAL, Issue 9 2010Guan-Jhih Huang Abstract To understand the nonradiative decay mechanism of fluorescent protein chromophores in solutions, a systematic comparison of a series of (Z)-4-(N -arylamino)benzylidene-2,3-imidazolinones (ABDIs: 2,P, 2,PP, 2,OM, and 2,OMB) and the corresponding trans -4-(N -arylamino)-4,-cyanostilbenes (ACSs: 1,P, 1,PP, 1,OM, and 1,OMB) was performed. We have previously shown that the parameter ,f+2,,tc, in which ,f and ,tc are the quantum yields of fluorescence and trans,cis photoisomerization, respectively, is an effective probe for evaluating the contribution of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) states in the excited decays of trans -aminostilbenes, including the push,pull ACSs. One of the criteria for postulating the presence of a TICT state is ,f+2,,tc,1.0, because its formation is decoupled with the CC bond (,) torsion pathway and its decay is generally nonradiative. Our results show that the same concept also applies to ABDIs 2 with the parameter ,f+2,,ZE in which ,ZE is the quantum yield of Z,E photoisomerization. We conclude that the , torsion rather than the CC bond (,) torsion is responsible for the nonradiative decays of ABDIs 2 in aprotic solvents (hexane, THF, acetonitrile). The phenyl-arylamino CN bond (,) torsion that leads to a nonradiative TICT state is important only for 2,OM in THF and acetonitrile. If the solvent is protic (methanol and 10,20,% H2O in THF), a new nonradiative decay channel is present for ABDIs 2, but not for ACSs 1. It is attributed to internal conversion (IC) induced by solvent (donor),solute (acceptor) hydrogen-bonding (HB) interactions. The possible HB modes and the concept of , torsion-coupled proton transfer are also discussed. [source] Patient ethnicity and three psychiatric intensive care units compared: the Tompkins Acute Ward StudyJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2008L. BOWERS rmn phd Psychiatric care units provide care to disturbed patients in a context of higher security and staffing levels. Although such units are numerous, few systematic comparisons have been made, and there are indications that ethnic minority groups may be over-represented. The aim of this study was to compare the rates of adverse incidents and patterns of usage of three psychiatric intensive care units. The study used a triangulation or multi-method design, bringing together data from official statistics, local audit and interviews conducted with staff. Intensive care patients were more likely to be young, male and suffering a psychotic disorder, as compared with general acute ward patients. Caribbean patients were twice as likely, and Asian patients half as likely, to receive intensive care (age, gender and diagnosis controlled). There were large differences in service levels, staffing, team functioning and adverse incidents between the three units. Various aspects of physical security were important in preventing absconds. More evaluative research is required in order to define effective service levels, and to explore the nature of the interaction between ethnicity and inpatient care provision during acute illness. [source] Following America into the second industrial revolution: new rules of competition and Ontario's farm machinery industry, 1850,1930THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 4 2002CORDON M. WINDER Despite the hiatus in farm expansion from 1880 to 1900, Canadian-owned Massey-Harris became a competitive multinational corporation as American branch plants arrived in Ontario. This equivocal performance in Canada's agricultural implements industry poses problems for explanations of Canada's branch plant economy. Most commentators blame an ill-conceived National Policy for promoting and protecting inefficient industry and frustrating industrial development. In reviewing their explanations, I use systematic comparisons among plants as well as between the Ontario, New York, Ohio, and Illinois industries. I argue that Canada's National Policy was an effective industrial policy that promoted competitive implement manufacture under the constraints of Victorian era technology. Problems emerged in the 1880s, however, as Chicago firms developed mass production in harvesting machinery, and these became entrenched as gasoline tractor development swept the industry after 1900. Ontario firms struggled, but they outperformed competitors in New York and Ohio, who had been industry leaders in] 880. Canada's branch plant economy in the farm machinery industry was made in Chicago and by mechanical engineers, not in Ottawa and by politicians. En dépit de l'hiatus dans l'expansion du pare agricole entre 1880 et 1900, la société canadienne Massey-Harris est devenue une grande société multinational compétitive lorsque des usines-succursales américaines ont fait leur arrivée en l'Ontario. Cette baisse de performance de I'Industrie canadienne de fabrication d'outils et d'engins agricoles pose des problèmes sur le plan de l'explication de l'économie des usines-succursales canadiennes. Pour la plupart des analystes, cette situation serait due à une politique nationals mal-conçue. Celle-ci aurait favorisé et protégé une Industrie inefficace, et ainsi frustré le développement industriel. En passant en revue ces analyses, je procède à une série de comparisons systématiques, d'une part des usines entre elles et, d'autre part, entre les industries de New York, de l'Ohio et de l'lllinois. J'avance que la Politique nationale canadienne etait une politique industrielle efficace qui a su promouvoir une Industrie de fabrication d'outils et d'engins agricoles compétitive dans le cadre de la technologie de l'époque victorienne et de ses contraintes. Des problèmes, qui ont fait leur apparition au cours des années 1880, suite à l'adoption par les sociétés de Chicago de la production de masse des moissonneuses, ont perduré suite à l'arrivée en masse des tracteurs à essence après 1900. Ce fut un moment très difficile pour les sociétés de l'Ontario mais elles réussirent à battre leurs concurrents de New York et de l'Ohio qui étaient leaders de l'industrie en 1880. Dans l'industrie des engins agricoles, le sort de l'économie des usines-succursales était décidéà Chicago, par des ingénieurs en mécanique agricole, non à Ottawa, par des hommes politiques. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||