DNA molecules and human therapeutics

Nucleic acid molecules are championing a new generation of reverse engineered biopharmaceuticals. In terms of potential application in gene medicine, plasmid DNA (pDNA) vectors have exceptional therapeutic and immunological profiles as they are free from safety concerns associated with viral vectors, display non-toxicity and are simpler to develop. This review addresses the potential applications of pDNA molecules in vaccine design/development and gene therapy via recombinant DNA technology as well as a staged delivery mechanism for the introduction of plasmid-borne gene to target cells via the nasal route.

Foreign news coverage in five African newspapers

One of the principal arguments that dominated intellectual debate in the 19805 concerned the imbalance in the quantity and quality of world news, in particular news from developing countries. African delegates at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), supported by other developing countries, argued that most of the news disseminated by the major Western news agencies was unfavourable to developing countries in qualitative and quantitative terms. Not only did Western news media pay little attention to news of developing countries, it was also argued that the few items that made the news tended to focus on negative events such as crises, wars, coups, riots, street demonstrations, diseases, poverty, pestilence, etc. More than 20 years after the intellectual debate received attention in academic journals, this study set out to examine systematically how African newspapers report the world. The researchers investigate the relative degree of balance and imbalance in the coverage of world news by Nigerian and Ghanaian newspapers. The study also examines Nigerian and Ghanaian journalists’ perceptions of world news coverage by local and foreign newspapers.

Democracy, Participation, and Deliberation in China : The discussion about democratic centralism in the official Chinese press, 1978-1981

This study examines the Chinese press discussion about democratic centralism in 1978-1981 in newspapers, political journals and academic journals distributed nationwide. It is thus a study of intellectual trends during the Hua Guofeng period and of methods, strategies, and techniques of public political discussion of the time. In addition, this study presents democratic centralism as a comprehensive theory of democracy and evaluates this theory. It compares the Chinese theory of democratic centralism with Western traditions of democracy, not only with the standard liberal theory but also with traditions of participatory and deliberative democracy, in order to evaluate whether the Chinese theory of democratic centralism forms a legitimate theory of democracy. It shows that the Chinese theory comes close to participatory types of democracy and shares a conception of democracy as communication with the theory of deliberative democracy. Therefore, the Chinese experience provides some empirical evidence of the practicability of these traditions of democracy. Simultaneously, this study uses experiences of participatory democracies outside of China to explain some earlier findings about the Chinese practices. This dissertation also compares Chinese theory with some common Western theories and models of Chinese society as well as with Western understandings of Chinese political processes. It thus aims at opening more dialogue between Chinese and Western political theories and understandings about Chinese polity. This study belongs to scholarly traditions of the history of ideas, political philosophy, comparative politics, and China studies. The main finding of this study is that the Chinese theory of democratic centralism is essentially a theory about democracy, but whether its scrupulous practicing alone would be sufficient for making a country a democracy depends on which established definition of democracy one applies and on what kind of democratic deficits are seen as being acceptable within a truly democratic system. Nevertheless, since the Chinese theory of democratic centralism fits well with some established definitions of democracy and since democratic deficits are a reality in all actual democracies, the Chinese themselves are talking about democracy in terms acceptable to Western political philosophy as well.

Real-time locating systems applications in construction

Real-time locating systems (RTLSs) are considered an effective way to identify and track the location of an object in both indoor and outdoor environments. Various RTLSs have been developed and made commercially available in recent years. Research into RTLSs in the construction sector is ubiquitous and results have been published in many construction-related academic journals over the past decade. A succinct and systematic review of current applications would help academics, researchers and industry practitioners in identifying existing research deficiencies and therefore future research directions. However, such a review is lacking to date. This paper provides a framework for understanding RTLS research and development in the construction literature over the last decade. The research opportunities and directions of construction RTLS are highlighted. Background information relating to construction RTLS trends, accuracy, deployment, cost, purposes, advantages and limitations is provided. Four major research gaps are identified and research opportunities and directions are highlighted.

Open-access more harm than good in developing world

The traditional 'publish for free and pay to read' business model adopted by publishers of academic journals can lead to disparity in access to scholarly literature, exacerbated by rising journal costs and shrinking library budgets. However, although the 'pay to publish and read for free' business model of open-access publishing has helped to create a level playing field for readers, it does more harm than good in the developing world.

Lähteiden lumoamat : Henry Biaudet, Liisi Karttunen ja suomalainen historiantutkimus Roomassa 1900-luvun alussa

Enchanted by Sources. Henry Biaudet, Liisi Karttunen and Finnish Historical Research in Rome in the Early Twentieth Century This study traces the scholarly endeavours of Henry Biaudet (1870 1915) and Liisi Karttunen (1880 1957) and "La mission historique finlandaise à Rome" which they founded in 1909. They are forgotten in Finnish historiography, but remain internationally renowned for their contribution to the nunciature studies. By investigating their historical work on the Counter- Reformation era, their roles in the scientific communities of Helsinki and Rome as well as the intersection of politics and science in their scholarly practices the study explores the nature of historical research in general at the turn of the twentieth century. The work covers fields such as historiography, university history and the political use of history. Methodologically the research is based on the analysis and contextualization of published and unpublished sources (e.g. correspondences, university records, scholarly publications and reviews in academic journals). Henry Biaudet criticized the previous research on the Nordic Counter-Reformation for its narrow national scope and sources. He sought out a new approach, including the use of sources in archives all over Europe and the inclusion of the Catholic viewpoint. Accordingly, Biaudet and Karttunen searched for records in archives in Southern Europe. Their unorthodox interpretations were denounced in Finland since the picture they gave of late sixteenth-century Sweden was too different from the national narrative. Moreover, Finnish national identity was firmly rooted in Protestantism, and questioning the benevolence of the Reformation and its main actors was considered as an attack not only against historical truth but also national values. The comparison between Biaudet s and Karttunen s arguments and the accepted narrative in Finland shows how traditional interpretations of the Nordic Reformation were influenced by the Lutheran ethos and European anticlerical rhetoric. Historians have recently paid substantial attention to the political use of history, usually focusing on politicized constructions of the national past. This study shows how research that met the criteria of modern historiography also served political purposes. Conducting research in an international community of historians and publishing ambitious scholarly studies that interested an international audience were ways to create a positive image of Finland abroad. These were not uniquely Finnish ideas but rather ideas shared by the international community of historians in Rome. In this context, scientific pursuits were given a clear political meaning. This enhances our understanding of nineteenth-century historiography being firmly rooted between science and politics.

Where to Submit? Journal Choice by Construction Management Authors

Publishers of academic journals can be seen as service providers to authors, in addition to the traditional role of providers of research results to readers. The purpose of this study was to analyse how author choices of journal in construction management are affected by quality and service perceptions. Seven journals were identified and for each 2006 article, one author e-mail address was extracted. A web based questionnaire was sent to 397 authors and 35% responded. It was found that there were three journals regularly followed by at least half the respondents. Most of the other four journals have scopes broader than construction management and receive lower scores for characteristics such as impact on researchers. No open access journals were included, and authors in the field of construction management rarely post openly accessible copies of their manuscripts or publications on the web. Author ranking of journals for their next submission is found to be related to general criteria such as academic status, circulation figures and ISI indexation.

Detection of clinical mastitis with the help of a thermal camera

Increasing dairy farm size and increase in automation in livestock production require that new methods are used to monitor animal health. In this study, a thermal camera was tested for its capacity to detect clinical mastitis. Mastitis was experimentally induced in 6 cows with 10 mu g of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The LPS was infused into the left forequarter of each cow, and the right forequarters served as controls. Clinical examination for systemic and local signs and sampling for indicators of inflammation in milk were carried out before morning and evening milking throughout the 5-d experimental period and more frequently on the challenge day. Thermal images of experimental and control quarters were taken at each sampling time from lateral and medial angles. The first signs of clinical mastitis were noted in all cows 2 h postchallenge and included changes in general appearance of the cows and local clinical signs in the affected udder quarter. Rectal temperature, milk somatic cell count, and electrical conductivity were increased 4 h postchallenge and milk N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity 8 h postchallenge. The thermal camera was successful in detecting the 1 to 1.5 degrees C temperature change on udder skin associated with clinical mastitis in all cows because temperature of the udder skin of the experimental and control quarters increased in line with the rectal temperature. Yet, local signs on the udder were seen before the rise in udder skin and body temperature. The udder represents a sensitive site for detection of any febrile disease using a noninvasive method. A thermal camera mounted in a milking or feeding parlor could detect temperature changes associated with clinical mastitis or other diseases in a dairy herd.

Enhancement of fish production in Borno State with extension services

Borno State possesses great potentials for fish production both from inland fisheries and aquaculture. The socio-economic and environmental production factors are suitable for fish production. If the potential of the State were well harnessed, it would be playing significant roles in achieving self-sufficiency in fish production in Nigeria. But the situation at the moment is that its fisheries potentials are not being optimally utilized. While the inland waters of Lake Chad are currently being recklessly exploited, aquaculture development is given little or no attention. It is evident that there is a missing link between research results and the potential end users. Because information in fish production variables is a pre-requisite for fisheries development, the gap that exists between two poles must be bridged, fisheries Extension provides this important link between research result and the end users of research findings. The paper examines the importance of extension services as the key to unlock fish production information that are usually consigned to the pages of academic journals and research publications

Aprendizagem do profissional de saúde na web: perfis, percepções e representações sociais

No campo da educação permanente na área da saúde, podem ser citadas diferentes iniciativas que visam formar profissionais com o uso das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs). No entanto, pouco se sabe ainda sobre o uso da web por profissionais da saúde como estratégia da aprendizagem formal, menos ainda quando se aborda a aprendizagem informal. Percebe-se que as ações no campo da educação com uso e, sobretudo, para o uso da tecnologia como ferramenta de aprendizagem ainda são feitas de forma muito intuitivas, por acerto e erro, tendo em vista a própria evolução da tecnologia em um curto período temporal. Sendo assim, o objetivo geral da pesquisa é compreender o perfil, as percepções e representações sociais sobre aprendizagem na web de médicos, enfermeiros e cirurgiões-dentistas e uma possível influência desse uso no cotidiano profissional. Para atingir o objetivo delimitado, foi empregada a metodologia quali-quantitativa através da utilização de um questionário on-line, contendo questões fechadas e questões abertas, respondido por 277 alunos do Curso de Especialização em Saúde da Família oferecido pelo núcleo da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) da Universidade Aberta do Sistema Único de Saúde (UNA-SUS). Para análise das questões fechadas, foi utilizada a estatística descritiva e testes bivariados não paramétricos. A análise das questões abertas foi feita à luz da teoria da representações sociais com emprego da técnica da análise do conteúdo e das evocações livres. Os resultados da pesquisa foram apresentados em formato de três trabalhos para apresentação em eventos e quatro artigos submetidos para publicação em revistas de alta qualidade acadêmica. Com base nos resultados, destaca-se como preocupação que o simples consumo de informações esteja justificando e a ele esteja restrito o uso da internet para os sujeitos, em detrimento às possibilidades educacionais da cibercultura. Acredita-se ser necessário o desenvolvimento de ações que subsidiem uma prática mais reflexiva a fim de reverter um possível uso reduzido das potencialidades da TICs.

Crowdfunding the Azolla fern genome project: a grassroots approach.

Much of science progresses within the tight boundaries of what is often seen as a "black box". Though familiar to funding agencies, researchers and the academic journals they publish in, it is an entity that outsiders rarely get to peek into. Crowdfunding is a novel means that allows the public to participate in, as well as to support and witness advancements in science. Here we describe our recent crowdfunding efforts to sequence the Azolla genome, a little fern with massive green potential. Crowdfunding is a worthy platform not only for obtaining seed money for exploratory research, but also for engaging directly with the general public as a rewarding form of outreach.

Fabricating Economic Development

This paper is concerned with the institutions of Irish economics; it is structured around two arguments each of which links to the thesis presented in Garvin’s Preventing the future (2004). Overall it will be demonstrated that Irish economics was shaped by intellectual trends experienced within economic thought globally as well as the social considerations that were peculiar to Ireland. The evidence presented indicates that firstly while Economic Development mattered to the Irish economy it did not matter for the reasons that most writers have suggested it did. It is argued for instance that much of the literature, regardless of academic discipline, presents the publication of Economic Development in 1958 as analogous to a “big bang” event in the creation of modern Ireland. However, such a “big bang” perspective misrepresents the sophistication of economic debates prior to Whitaker’s report as well as distorting the interpretation of subsequent developments. The paper secondly, by drawing on the contents of contemporary academic journals, reappraises Irish economic thinking before and after the publication of Economic Development. It is argued that an economically “liberal” approach to Keynesianism, such as that favoured by TK Whitaker and George O’Brien, lost out in the 1960s to a more interventionist approach: only later did a more liberal approach to macroeconomic policy triumph. The rival approaches to academic economics were in turn linked to wider debates on the influence of religious authorities on Irish higher education. Academic economists were particularly concerned with preserving their intellectual independence and how a shift to planning would keep decisions on resource allocation out of the reach of conservative political and religious leaders.

Multinational enterprises in Australia: Two decades of international human resource management research reviewed

This paper reviews empirical international human resource management (IHRM) journal articles on foreign- and indigenous-owned multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in Australia. More specifically, we explore the extent to which papers using Australian data in this area are being published in 53 of the world's leading academic journals and identify the topics that have been researched. We then propose a number of research areas, of Australian and international interest, that researchers could pursue in the future. Our findings point to a picture of limited publications in the leading international journals. There is also support for recent arguments that substantial capacity exists for a greater theoretical contribution by researchers in the IHRM field.

Antioxidant activity of some Morrocan hydrosols

Essential oils are used in Cosmetic, Perfumery, Food and Pharmaceutical Industries as flavours and/or medicines. However, part of the essential oil components that remains in the distillation water (hydrosol or distillate water) has been less studied both in chemical and biological terms. This research concerns the antioxidant activity, measured through several methods, of Lavandula officinalis L., Origanum majorana L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L. and Thymus vulgaris L., Cinnamomum verum J. Presl. and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merrill and Perry hydrosols. The ability of hydrosols to prevent oxidation was checked by two main methods: prevention of lipid peroxidation through the measurement of malonaldehyde produced after degradation of hydroperoxides; and ability for scavenging free radicals including hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals. The S. aromaticum and T. vulgaris hydrosols, predominantly constituted by eugenol and carvacrol, respectively, were the most effective as antioxidants, except for scavenging superoxide anion radical. In this case, L. officinalis hydrosol in which linalool prevailed was a stronger antioxidant. The worst hydrosol as antioxidant was that of S. officinalis, independent on the method checked.

Image and value of product brand in industrial markets: Case Stora Enso Consumer Packaging Boards

TUTKIMUKSEN TAVOITTEET Tutkielman tavoitteena oli luoda ensin yleiskäsitys tuotemerkkimarkkinoinnin roolista teollisilla markkinoilla, sekä suhdemarkkinoinnin merkityksestä teollisessa merkkituotemarkkinoinnissa. Toisena oleellisena tavoitteena oli kuvata teoreettisesti merkkituoteidentiteetin rakenne teollisessa yrityksessä ja sen vaikutukset myyntihenkilöstöön, ja lisäksi haluttiin tutkia tuotemerkkien lisäarvoa sekä asiakkaalle että myyjälle. Identiteetti ja sen vaikutukset, erityisesti imago haluttiin tutkia myös empiirisesti. LÄHDEAINEISTO JA TUTKIMUSMENETELMÄT Tämän tutkielman teoreettinen osuus perustuu kirjallisuuteen, akateemisiin julkaisuihin ja aikaisempiin tutkimuksiin; keskittyen merkkituotteiden markkinointiin, identiteettiin ja imagoon, sekä suhdemarkkinointiin osana merkkituotemarkkinointia. Tutkimuksen lähestymistapa on kuvaileva eli deskriptiivinen ja sekä kvalitatiivinen että kvantitatiivinen. Tutkimus on tapaustutkimus, jossa caseyritykseksi valittiin kansainvälinen pakkauskartonki-teollisuuden yritys. Empiirisen osuuden toteuttamiseen käytettiin www-pohjaista surveytä, jonka avulla tietoja kerättiin myyntihenkilöstöltä case-yrityksessä. Lisäksi empiiristä osuutta laajennettiin tutkimalla sekundäärilähteitä kuten yrityksen sisäisiä kirjallisia dokumentteja ja tutkimuksia. TULOKSET. Teoreettisen ja empiirisen tutkimuksen tuloksena luotiin malli jota voidaan hyödyntää merkkituotemarkkinoinnin päätöksenteon tukena pakkauskartonki-teollisuudessa. Teollisen brandinhallinnan tulee keskittyä erityisesti asiakas-suhteiden brandaukseen – tätä voisi kutsua teolliseksi suhdebrandaukseksi. Tuote-elementit ja –arvot, differointi ja positiointi, sisäinen yrityskuva ja viestintä ovat teollisen brandi-identiteetin peruskiviä, jotka luovat brandi-imagon. Case-yrityksen myyntihenkilöstön tuote- ja yritysmielikuvat osoittautuivat kokonaisuudessaan hyviksi. Paras imago on CKB tuotteilla, kun taas heikoin on WLC tuotteilla. Teolliset brandit voivat luoda monenlaisia lisäarvoja sekä asiakas- että myyjäyritykselle.