Use of e-journals by the scientists of CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, India

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 928-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal Qasim ◽  
Abdul Mannan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Area ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Technological Problem ◽  
Integrative Biology ◽  
Software Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
High Bandwidth ◽  
Industrial Research Institute ◽  
Almost All

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of electronic journals (e-journals) by the scientists of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) – a center of excellence in the field of genomics and integrative biology situated in Delhi, India. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the results of a well-structured questionnaire administered to all the scientists of the institute for the purpose of data collection. Findings – The main findings are that the scientists are more attracted toward e-journals specially on those provided by CSIR-NISCAIR Consortia, NKRC than those available via direct subscription. From this survey, the investigator has been able to find out that almost all the scientists are consulting e-journals from their campus cabin, not only for research purposes but also to update their own knowledge. The infrastructure to use e-journals are superb and there is no technological problem specially hardware and software support with high bandwidth of Internet speed exists here, as CSIR-IGIB uses largest computing facility (four Tflop/s) in Asia outside Japan (ranked 158th among the World’s Top 500 Super Computers). Respondents also identified that there is dire need for training in using e-resources and retrieving pinpointed information from the databases. Research limitations/implications – The present paper consists only of scientists and the geographical area is restricted to CSIR-IGIB, Delhi. The scope of the paper can be extended to additional CSIR libraries. A comparative study can also be made among some biological research libraries of CSIR Institutes. Originality/value – There are a number of studies on the use of e-journals by CSIR scientists, but this is the first of its kind which covers scientists of IGIB that has the largest computing facility (four Tflop/s) in Asia outside Japan. As such, it should pave the way for research and lead a model role for other CSIR Institutes as well as elsewhere.

Bioprinting in ophthalmology: current advances and future pathways

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 496-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataraj Poomathi ◽  
Sunpreet Singh ◽  
Chander Prakash ◽  
Rajkumar V. Patil ◽  
P.T. Perumal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Eye Diseases ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Time Of Operation

Purpose Bioprinting is a promising technology, which has gained a recent attention, for application in all aspects of human life and has specific advantages in different areas of medicines, especially in ophthalmology. The three-dimensional (3D) printing tools have been widely used in different applications, from surgical planning procedures to 3D models for certain highly delicate organs (such as: eye and heart). The purpose of this paper is to review the dedicated research efforts that so far have been made to highlight applications of 3D printing in the field of ophthalmology. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the state-of-the-art review has been summarized for bioprinters, biomaterials and methodologies adopted to cure eye diseases. This paper starts with fundamental discussions and gradually leads toward the summary and future trends by covering almost all the research insights. For better understanding of the readers, various tables and figures have also been incorporated. Findings The usages of bioprinted surgical models have shown to be helpful in shortening the time of operation and decreasing the risk of donor, and hence, it could boost certain surgical effects. This demonstrates the wide use of bioprinting to design more precise biological research models for research in broader range of applications such as in generating blood vessels and cardiac tissue. Although bioprinting has not created a significant impact in ophthalmology, in recent times, these technologies could be helpful in treating several ocular disorders in the near future. Originality/value This review work emphasizes the understanding of 3D printing technologies, in the light of which these can be applied in ophthalmology to achieve successful treatment of eye diseases.

The spatiality of men who go missing on a night out

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-166
Author(s):  
Geoff Newiss ◽  
Ian Greatbatch
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Search Heuristics ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Almost All

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantify the risk of fatality for men who are reported missing following a night out. Additionally, the paper aimed to develop search heuristics to inform the development of search strategies, through an examination of the key geographical points involved in these cases. Design/methodology/approach Cases were identified, and data collected, from online media sources supplemented with a request to UK police forces and a search of the UK Missing Persons Unit database. In total, 96 cases which occurred over a five-and-a-half-year period in the UK were included. The study compares the profile of fatalities that result from disappearances occurring in different types of geographical area. Location data were georeferenced allowing Euclidean distances between geographical locations to be generated. Findings In total, 60 per cent of disappearances lasting longer than 48 h resulted in fatality, rising to almost all cases after three days missing. In 89 per cent of cases bodies are recovered from water; 11 per cent on land after the individual died from a fall, hypothermia or a drugs overdose. Practical implications Search strategies can be informed by a consideration of the type of area the person was socialising (high night-time economy through to rural areas) and the geography of subsequent sightings. Originality/value In focusing on the specific circumstances of a disappearance rather than an individual’s personal characteristics, the paper offers an innovative approach to understanding risk (i.e. what is the likelihood of a particular outcome occurring) and the development of heuristics for search strategies in missing person cases.

scholarly journals Multiple Mammarenaviruses Circulating in Angolan Rodents

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 982
Author(s):  
Jana Těšíková ◽  
Jarmila Krásová ◽  
Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Area ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Virus Diversity ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Biogeographical Regions ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Rodent Community ◽  
High Virus ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Virus Genomes

Rodents are a speciose group of mammals with strong zoonotic potential. Some parts of Africa are still underexplored for the occurrence of rodent-borne pathogens, despite this high potential. Angola is at the convergence of three major biogeographical regions of sub-Saharan Africa, each harbouring a specific rodent community. This rodent-rich area is, therefore, strategic for studying the diversity and evolution of rodent-borne viruses. In this study we examined 290 small mammals, almost all rodents, for the presence of mammarenavirus and hantavirus RNA. While no hantavirus was detected, we found three rodent species positive for distinct mammarenaviruses with a particularly high prevalence in Namaqua rock rats (Micaelamys namaquensis). We characterised four complete virus genomes, which showed typical mammarenavirus organisation. Phylogenetic and genetic distance analyses revealed: (i) the presence of a significantly divergent strain of Luna virus in Angolan representatives of the ubiquitous Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), (ii) a novel Okahandja-related virus associated with the Angolan lineage of Micaelamys namaquensis for which we propose the name Bitu virus (BITV) and (iii) the occurrence of a novel Mobala-like mammarenavirus in the grey-bellied pygmy mouse (Mus triton) for which we propose the name Kwanza virus (KWAV). This high virus diversity in a limited host sample size and in a relatively small geographical area supports the idea that Angola is a hotspot for mammarenavirus diversity.

Lumbosacral intersegmental epispinal axons and ectopic ventral nerve rootlets

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley W. Parke ◽  
Ryo Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Root ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Conus Medullaris ◽  
Spinal Nerve ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Ventral Horn ◽  
Spinal Nerve Roots ◽  
Nerve Roots ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Almost All

✓ An epispinal system of motor axons virtually covers the ventral and lateral funiculi of the human conus medullaris between the L-2 and S-2 levels. These nerve fibers apparently arise from motor cells of the ventral horn nuclei and join spinal nerve roots caudal to their level of origin. In all observed spinal cords, many of these axons converged at the cord surface and formed an irregular group of ectopic rootlets that could be visually traced to join conventional spinal nerve roots at one to several segments inferior to their original segmental level; occasional rootlets joined a dorsal nerve root. As almost all previous reports of nerve root interconnections involved only the dorsal roots and have been cited to explain a lack of an absolute segmental sensory nerve distribution, it is believed that these intersegmental motor fibers may similarly explain a more diffuse efferent distribution than has previously been suspected.

Applicability of the DUNDRUM-1 in a forensic Belgium setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Habets ◽  
Inge Jeandarme ◽  
Harry G. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measurements ◽  
Security Level ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forensic Patients ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Dundrum Toolkit ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Receive Treatment ◽  
Almost All

Purpose Criteria to determine in which level of security forensic patients should receive treatment are currently non-existent in Belgium. Research regarding the assessment of security level is minimal and few instruments are available. The DUNDRUM toolkit is a structured clinical judgement instrument that can be used to provide support when determining security level. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability and validity of the DUNDRUM-1 in Flanders. Design/methodology/approach The DUNDRUM-1 was scored for 50 male patients admitted at the forensic units in the public psychiatric hospital Rekem. Some files were rated by three researchers who were blind to participants’ security status, resulting in 33 double measurements. Findings Almost all files (96 per cent) contained enough information to score the DUNDRUM-1. Average DUNDRUM-1 final judgement scores were concordant with a medium security profile. No difference was found between the current security levels and the DUNDRUM-1 final judgement scores. Inter-rater reliability was excellent for the DUNDRUM-1 final judgement scores. On item level, all items had excellent to good inter-rater reliability with the exception of one item institutional behaviour which had an average inter-rater reliability. Practical implications The DUNDRUM-1 can be a useful tool in Flemish forensic settings. It has good psychometric properties. More research is needed to investigate the relationship between DUNDRUM-1 scores and security level decisions by the courts. Originality/value This is the first study that investigated the applicability of the DUNDRUM-1 in a Belgian setting, also a relative large number of repeated measurements were available to investigate the inter-rater reliability of the DUNDRUM-1.

scholarly journals A Distinctive and Host-Restricted Gut Microbiota in Populations of a Cactophilic Drosophila Species

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent G. Martinson ◽  
Javier Carpinteyro-Ponce ◽  
Nancy A. Moran ◽  
Therese A. Markow
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Columnar Cacti ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Insect Gut ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Natural Settings ◽  
Bacterial Groups

ABSTRACT Almost all animals possess gut microbial communities, but the nature of these communities varies immensely. For example, in social bees and mammals, the composition is relatively constant within species and is dominated by specialist bacteria that do not live elsewhere; in laboratory studies and field surveys of Drosophila melanogaster, however, gut communities consist of bacteria that are ingested with food and that vary widely among individuals and localities. We addressed whether an ecological specialist in its natural habitat has a microbiota dominated by gut specialists or by environmental bacteria. Drosophila nigrospiracula is a species that is endemic to the Sonoran Desert and is restricted to decaying tissues of two giant columnar cacti, Pachycereus pringlei (cardón cactus) and Carnegiea gigantea (saguaro cactus). We found that the D. nigrospiracula microbiota differs strikingly from that of the cactus tissue on which the flies feed. The most abundant bacteria in the flies are rare or completely absent in the cactus tissue and are consistently abundant in flies from different cacti and localities. Several of these fly-associated bacterial groups, such as the bacterial order Orbales and the genera Serpens and Dysgonomonas, have been identified in prior surveys of insects from the orders Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera, including several Drosophila species. Although the functions of these bacterial groups are mostly unexplored, Orbales species studied in bees are known to break down plant polysaccharides and use the resulting sugars. Thus, these bacterial groups appear to be specialized to the insect gut environment, where they may colonize through direct host-to-host transmission in natural settings. IMPORTANCE Flies in the genus Drosophila have become laboratory models for microbiota research, yet the bacteria commonly used in these experiments are rarely found in wild-caught flies and instead represent bacteria also present in the food. This study shows that an ecologically specialized Drosophila species possesses a distinctive microbiome, composed of bacterial types absent from the flies' natural food but widespread in other wild-caught insects. This study highlights the importance of fieldwork-informed microbiota research.

Gated communities in Ankara: are they a tool of social segregation?

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-702
Author(s):  
Leyla Alkan-Gökler
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Gated Communities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive View ◽  
Social Segregation ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Gated communities, surrounded by walls or fences, have emerged as a new trend in almost all cities in Turkey, and are homogenous in terms of the socioeconomic status of their occupants. Within these communities, several facilities and services are provided that are available only to the residents, with restrictions on access from the outside, and this has led to criticisms of social segregation. This study aims to analyze the impact of these communities on social segregation in Ankara, through two different surveys aimed at investigating the attitudes of the residents of local neighborhoods and gated communities toward each other. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzes how the process of gating has affected social segregation in Ankara through two separate surveys: with the residents of gated communities and with the residents of local neighborhoods around these gated communities. Findings The study revealed that the residents of gated communities tended to have a positive view of the residents of local neighborhoods. In contrast, the responses of the local residents show evidence of feelings of social segregation, based on the presence of the high walls, fences and guards that are in place to keep them out of the community. Originality/value This study shows that, although segregation from the rest of the society is not the main reason for gating, the emergence of gated communities in Ankara leads inevitably to a socially and economically segregated city in which local residents feel excluded from these gated areas.

Institutional context and hotel social responsibility

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 413-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Dolores Sánchez-Fernández ◽  
Alfonso Vargas-Sánchez ◽  
Paula Remoaldo
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Institutional Context ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The authors want to study the connection between institutional theory and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the set of hotels with three, four and five star situated in Galicia (Spain) and in the Northern region of Portugal. The authors aim to see whether there is a contrast of isomorphic behaviour in the institutional context of both regions. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative study in which the authors apply the partial least square (PLS) technique, a methodology based on structural equations models using the software Visual-PLS. The authors intend to study the relationships between the pressures of institutional context and CSR practices, together with the relationship between legitimacy and these practices. The focus of the proposed model is based on the system theory. Findings – The main findings of this research clearly show that hotels are incorporated into an institutional context marked by enforced and regulatory pressures. Research limitations/implications – The proposed research model can be replicated using other units of study, sectors, geographic areas, among others, due to the explanatory capacity of the theoretical framework used. Originality/value – The originality of this work derives from the main contributions based on the theoretical framework (institutional theory and CSR), the object of study and geographical area (three, four and five star hotels located in Galicia and in the North of Portugal), the context (economic crisis), the field of study (private sphere) and the type of organizations (profit making).

Cooperative behaviour and place branding: a longitudinal case study in Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Rinaldi ◽  
Alessio Cavicchi
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Area ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Cooperative Behaviour ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
As Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to understand the motivations driving cooperative behaviour between heterogeneous stakeholders in place-branding activities, focusing on contract-based and relation-based cooperation constructs. Design/methodology/approach The longitudinal case study method is used to help understanding how the investigated network has evolved over four years from an attempt to build a regional umbrella-brand to a network contract between 13 enterprises. Findings The findings suggest that the relationships of trust and shared values among stakeholders are essential to foster cooperation, but also that contract-based governance complements a relation-based governance, enhancing the performance of the alliance. Research limitations/implications The main limitation is related to the case study methodology, as results are strongly dependent on the specific characteristics of the stakeholders and the geographical area analysed. Social implications The role of stakeholders in building a place brand is increasingly important. When analysing cooperative behaviour drivers, more attention should be paid to such intangible assets as social, human, relational and organisational capital. Originality/value This longitudinal case study emphasises that for success in place-branding activities, contract-based cooperation can be particularly useful at the beginning of a network alliance, while relation-based cooperation ensures the strength and continuity of the partnership but it takes time to develop. Responsible leaders, working as relationship facilitators/enablers, are important to keep network members engaged, by creating trust and favouring mutual beneficial relationships between stakeholders.

scholarly journals Cell Wall-Related Bionumbers and Bioestimates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans M. Klis ◽  
Chris G. de Koster ◽  
Stanley Brul
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Turgor Pressure ◽  
Hyphal Growth ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point

ABSTRACTBionumbers and bioestimates are valuable tools in biological research. Here we focus on cell wall-related bionumbers and bioestimates of the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand the polymorphic, pathogenic fungusCandida albicans. We discuss the linear relationship between cell size and cell ploidy, the correlation between cell size and specific growth rate, the effect of turgor pressure on cell size, and the reason why using fixed cells for measuring cellular dimensions can result in serious underestimation ofin vivovalues. We further consider the evidence that individual buds and hyphae grow linearly and that exponential growth of the population results from regular formation of new daughter cells and regular hyphal branching. Our calculations show that hyphal growth allowsC. albicansto cover much larger distances per unit of time than the yeast mode of growth and that this is accompanied by strongly increased surface expansion rates. We therefore predict that the transcript levels of genes involved in wall formation increase during hyphal growth. Interestingly, wall proteins and polysaccharides seem barely, if at all, subject to turnover and replacement. A general lesson is how strongly most bionumbers and bioestimates depend on environmental conditions and genetic background, thus reemphasizing the importance of well-defined and carefully chosen culture conditions and experimental approaches. Finally, we propose that the numbers and estimates described here offer a solid starting point for similar studies of other cell compartments and other yeast species.

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