13 research outputs found
Bioinformatic prediction of conserved promoters across multiple whole genomes of Chlamydia
No full textThe genome sequencing projects have generated a wealth of genomic data and the analysis of this data has provided many interesting findings. However, genome wide analysis of bacteria for promoters has lagged behind, because it has been difficult to accurately predict the promoters with so much background noise that are found in bacterial genomes. One approach to overcome this problem is to predict phylogenetically conserved promoters across multiple genomes of different bacteria, thus filtering out many of the false positives, which are predicted by the current methods. However, there are no programmes capable of doing this. Therefore, the work presented in this thesis has developed a position weight matrix (PWM) based programme called Multiscan that predicts conserved promoters across multiple bacterial genomes. Since Chlamydia is one of the most sequenced bacterial genera and has a high level of conservation of genes and large-scale conservation of gene order between species, Multiscan was developed and tested on Chlamydia. When Multiscan analysed a genome wide dataset of equivalent non-coding regions (NCRs) upstream of genes, from Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia caviae for σ66 promoters that are phylogenetically conserved, Multiscan predicted 42 promoters. Since only one of the 42 promoters predicted by Multiscan had previously available biological data to confirm its prediction, an additional subset of 10 of the remaining 41 σ66 promoters were analysed in C. trachomatis by mapping the 5' end of the transcripts. The primer extension assay synthesised cDNA products of the correct length for seven of the 10 genes chosen. When the performance of Multiscan was compared to one of the accepted method for genome wide prediction of promoters in bacteria, the "standard PWM method", Multiscan predicted 32 more promoters than the "standard PWM method" in Chlamydia. Furthermore, the promoters predicted by Multiscan were up to three more mismatches from the Escherichia coli σ70 consensus sequence than the promoters predicted by the standard PWM method. Although Multiscan predicted 42 promoters that were well conserved across the three chlamydial species, the analysis was unable to identify the 14 known σ66 promoters in C. trachomatis. These promoters were missed (1) because they were dissimilar to the E. coli σ70 consensus sequence and/or (2) because the promoters were poorly conserved across the three chlamydial species. To address the second possibility, the 14 false negatives were analysed by another phylogenetic footprinting method. Fourteen sets of equivalent NCRs located upstream of the homologous genes from the three chlamydiae were aligned with the computer programme Clustal W and the alignment analysed "by eye" for evidence of phylogenetic footprints containing the 14 false negatives. The analysis identified that seven of the 14 false negatives were poorly conserved across the chlamydial species. Analysis of two of the seven promoters that could not be footprinted, the promoters of ltuA and ltuB, by mapping the transcriptional start sites in C. caviae, confirmed their poor conservation across C. trachomatis and C. caviae. This analysis showed that substantial differences exist in chlamydial σ66 promoters from equivalent NCRs upstream of genes. This study has developed a new computer programme for genome wide prediction of promoters that are phylogenetically conserved and has shown the value of this programme by identifying seven new well conserved promoters and seven candidate poorly conserved promoters in Chlamydia
Effect of 1-month war in Lebanon on sex ratio
No full textOur study showed no effect of 33-day war in Lebanon on sex ratio. More research is needed to explore other modifying factors for a better understanding of the complex effect of wars on sex ratio changes. © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.Abu-Musa A, 2008, REPROD BIOMED ONLINE, V17, P21; Abu-Musa AA, 2007, FERTIL STERIL, V88, P1579, DOI 10.1016-j.fertnstert.2007.01.067; Ansari-Lari M, 2002, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V56, P622, DOI 10.1136-jech.56.8.622; Bisioli C, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, P218, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh027; *CAP OCHA, 2006, LEB CRIS FLASH APP; Catalano R., 2003, HUM REPROD, V9, P1972; Catalano RA, 2005, SOC SCI MED, V60, P537, DOI 10.1016-j.socscimed.2004.06.008; *CENTR ADM STAT PR, LEB REP; Fukuda M, 1996, HUM REPROD, V11, P1244; Fukuda M, 1998, HUM REPROD, V13, P2321, DOI 10.1093-humrep-13.8.2321; Graffelman J, 2000, HUM BIOL, V72, P433; Grech V, 2000, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V54, P244, DOI 10.1136-jech.54.4.244; Hansen D, 1999, BRIT MED J, V319, P548; Hilsenrath RE, 1997, FERTIL STERIL, V68, P510, DOI 10.1016-S0015-0282(97)00247-1; Jacobsen R, 2000, HUM REPROD, V15, P2369, DOI 10.1093-humrep-15.11.2369; James WH, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh261; James WH, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, P1250, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh245; James WH, 2003, HUM REPROD, V18, P1133, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deg220; Mathews T J, 2005, Natl Vital Stat Rep, V53, P1; Mocarelli P, 2000, LANCET, V355, P1858, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(00)02290-X; Moller H, 1996, LANCET, V348, P828, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(05)65253-1; Polasek O, 2005, HUM REPROD, V20, P2489, DOI 10.1093-humrep-dei097; Safarinejad MR, 2001, UROLOGY, V58, P90, DOI 10.1016-S0090-4295(01)01085-8; Shearer D, 2007, DISASTERS, V31, P336, DOI 10.1111-j.0361-3666.2007.01012.x; vandenBroek JM, 1997, LANCET, V349, P805, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(05)60234-6; Zorn B, 2002, HUM REPROD, V17, P3173, DOI 10.1093-humrep-17.12.317311
Effect of the Lebanese civil war on sex ratio
No full textSex ratio is a subject of scientific interest but little is known about the factors that affect the sex ratio of humans. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the Lebanese civil war on sex ratio. Data on all live births delivered at a large university hospital for the years 1977-2005 were used in this study. Study periods were defined as wartime (1977-1992) and post-war (1993-2005). The sex ratio in the study time period was calculated as the male proportion, i.e. males-males + females in live-born infants. Sex ratio during the war was compared with that of the post-war period. The sex ratio was similar in the war and post-war period (0.515 versus 0.513; OR = 1.007; 95percent CI 0.98-1.04). The annual variation in the sex ratio during the study period did not show any significant change in any of the years. In conclusion, the Lebanese civil war did not cause a detectable change in sex ratio at birth. Factors that might have affected the sex ratio include the nature of the study population (civilians), the variable intensity of war in different periods, and the effect of stress and environmental toxins. © 2008 Published by Reproductive Healthcare Ltd.Abu-Musa AA, 2007, FERTIL STERIL, V88, P1579, DOI 10.1016-j.fertnstert.2007.01.067; Ansari-Lari M, 2002, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V56, P622, DOI 10.1136-jech.56.8.622; Bisioli C, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, P218, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh027; Catalano R., 2003, HUM REPROD, V9, P1972; Catalano RA, 2005, SOC SCI MED, V60, P537, DOI 10.1016-j.socscimed.2004.06.008; Erickson K, 2001, J CLIN ENDOCR METAB, V86, P2544, DOI 10.1210-jc.86.6.2544; Fisher RA, 1930, GENETICAL THEORY NAT; Fukuda M, 1996, HUM REPROD, V11, P1244; Graffelman J, 2000, HUM BIOL, V72, P433; Grech V, 2000, J EPIDEMIOL COMMUN H, V54, P244, DOI 10.1136-jech.54.4.244; Hamdan F, 2002, LEBANON'S SECOND REPUBLIC: PROSPECTS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, P175; Hansen D, 1999, BRIT MED J, V319, P548; Hobel CJ, 1999, AM J OBSTET GYNECOL, V180, pS257, DOI 10.1016-S0002-9378(99)70712-X; Jabbra NW, 2004, J COMP FAM STUD, V35, P259; Jacobsen R, 2000, HUM REPROD, V15, P2369, DOI 10.1093-humrep-15.11.2369; James WH, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh261; James WH, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, P1250, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh245; James WH, 2003, HUM REPROD, V18, P1133, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deg220; JAMES WH, 1987, HUM BIOL, V59, P721; James WH, 1996, J THEOR BIOL, V180, P271, DOI 10.1006-jtbi.1996.0102; JOSEPH S, 1994, SOCIAL POLITICS, V1, P270; LYSTER WR, 1974, J OBSTET GYN BR COMM, V81, P626; MAYNARDSMITH J, 1980, BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, V7, P247; Mocarelli P, 2000, LANCET, V355, P1858, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(00)02290-X; Moller H, 1996, LANCET, V348, P828, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(05)65253-1; Polasek O, 2005, HUM REPROD, V20, P2489, DOI 10.1093-humrep-dei097; Polasek O, 2006, EUR J EPIDEMIOL, V21, P61, DOI 10.1007-s10654-005-4845-7; ROSE RM, 1969, PSYCHOSOM MED, V31, P418; Saxena PC, 2004, J COMP FAM STUD, V35, P241; SEMPLE CG, 1986, BRIT MED J, V293, P1049; Sureau C, 1999, HUM REPROD, V14, P867, DOI 10.1093-humrep-14.4.867; Trivers R., 1985, SOCIAL EVOLUTION; vandenBroek JM, 1997, LANCET, V349, P805, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(05)60234-6; vanderPaldeBruin KM, 1997, LANCET, V349, P62, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(05)62204-0; Zorn B, 2004, HUM REPROD, V19, P219, DOI 10.1093-humrep-deh026; Zorn B, 2002, HUM REPROD, V17, P3173, DOI 10.1093-humrep-17.12.317323
Anwar Akhtar Brian Douglas Bower Timothy David Brentnall Michael Patrick Gogan Ian James Gordon Joseph Grech Michael Gurnell Green John Bridge Lilly Rukhsana Majeed Douglas Fraser Nicholson Donald Reginald Pratt Trevor Bleddyn Lloyd Roberts Sydney Rosehill Charles Michael Casterton Smelt Kenneth Carl Pfeiffer Smith William Arthur Leigh Tucker Guy Wilson Madhav Wipat Anne Christine Wright
No full textAn analysis of recent studies of the effect of foreign exchange intervention
No full textTwo recent strands of research have contributed to our understanding of the effects of foreign exchange intervention: (i) the use of high-frequency data and (ii) the use of event studies to evaluate the effects of intervention. This article surveys recent empirical studies of the effect of foreign exchange intervention and analyzes the implicit assumptions and limitations of such work. After explicitly detailing such drawbacks, the paper suggests ways to better investigate the effects of intervention.Foreign exchange ; Time-series analysis
The planning and management of tourism in Europe: case studies of planning, management and control in the coastal zone.
No full textThis study is an investigation of aspects of tourism planning and management in Europe. In particular it is an examination within three distinct and complementary case study areas in the European coastal zone, of factors that may contribute to tourist area success. The historical development and the current problems of the tourism industry at international and national levels are discussed and the framework of European Community and national government approaches to tourism planning are analysed. Based on studies of the planning and management
framework and extensive field work undertaken in Weymouth, the Algarve and Malta the thesis provides an interpretation of the mechanisms of development and control in operation at destination areas. It considers the extent to which the aims presented in the planning documentation for the area have been met in terms of visitor, resident and business success, and explores the relationships between these factors. The study concludes that, in general, the planning mechanisms and support for tourism development have been implemented only as a reaction to market failure and that resort managers are ill-equipped to deal with many of the problems that are evident in the tourism system. In particular the study
highlights the importance of information and monitoring within the process of planning and control, and argues for greater emphasis on the role of residents, businesses and the quality of the environment in the tourism planning process
A case study of inclusion and diversity: a whole school approach using the social model of disability
No full textThis thesis evaluates the experiences of a Maltese school that decided to embrace the philosophy of inclusion. It provides a synthesis of knowledge about the processes of inclusive education, derived from the experience of the main stakeholders in the school. The main research question being: “What changes does the implementation of the Social Model of Disability that focuses on abilities and skills rather than labelling and deficit have on a school population?” Specifically, the study investigated:
· The practices within the school that enable inclusion.
· The experience of students, students’ parents, teachers, learning support assistants (LSAs) and administrators.
· Whether or not, and if so, how disabled students are participating, active members of the school.
· The effect of inclusion on the school community/culture.
A case study approach is used in order to evaluate this school’s process of inclusion and its ramifications on stakeholders. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used, along with a triangulation of questionnaires, focus groups, semi-structure interviews and observations. A thematic analysis supported by descriptive statistics was used within an interpretative approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. This research contributes theory to the following three areas in:
1. Offering a different model for an inclusive school.
2. The use of innovative structures in school management.
3. The changes brought about by valuing the education of disabled students.
The findings show a general positive attitude towards inclusive education and suggest that inclusive education heightens the awareness of each interrelated aspect of the school as a community, challenges stereotypes, and promotes contextually relevant research. The work concludes with a series of possible future directions for research and a critical reflection that is needed to help educators achieve progress towards philosophical and practical ideals of a socially and academically just education
PENSIONS IN THE CHINESE COMMUNITY
No full textThis thesis investigates and compares the development and characteristics of the pension systems in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. It uses a policy index to compare the inputs of these four pension systems as well as their social outputs.
The thesis starts by reviewing the ancient Chinese welfare and political ideologies and practices and the Western welfare ideologies and regimes to discover the core values behind the Chinese Community pensions. Four country case studies examine the development and performance of these state pension schemes in the context of the family support system and demographic trends. They explore the sustainability of pension provisions, the adequacy of public pensions, personal and private sources of retirement income. The problems of these four pension provisions are thus revealed. The policy index constructed through the radar chart and Surface Measure of Overall Performance (SMOP) approaches is used to compare the performances of these four pension systems on policy inputs and social outputs.
The conclusion of the research is that Confucianism and capitalism integrate into a new paternalism through the patriarchal values they share and which dominate the Chinese Community nowadays. But the features of these four pension systems vary due to the different political, historical, economic and social contexts of each state. The findings show that none of these pension provisions can effectively prevent elderly people from poverty in old age. They all rely on personal social security responsibility and the continuation of the family support system. This thesis concludes that all these states lack a needs-based basic pension system to secure retirees’ income level
The role of conflict & negotiation in the complexity of projects
No full textProjects are pervasive and disparate spanning a plethora of domains. Most projects are unified by certain characteristics regardless of the sector or industry to which they belong i.e. time & budget limitedness, a concern for quality, and a goal orientation. Although, projects have been around for a longtime, the phenomenon of conflict in projects gained interest around the 1960s with the introduction of the matrix form of organization. However, out of all the research papers on project centric conflict between 1960 to 1980 time period, only one is empirically grounded and that too focused on IT projects. Surprisingly, the findings put forward during this time period are to date considered valid and propagated by most project literature as universally true. Several other studies have contributed peripheral contributions to the project conflict literature, however, no study has focused on building an understanding of why and how conflicts arise on projects, how they are managed, and affects they create within projects.Recent concerns pertaining to project failures, despite the existence of well-defined problems and toolsets, gave birth to an ESRC funded research network named `Rethinking Project Management'. Whose members in examining the ontological groundings of project management identified several areas of interest for future research in project management; one of which is complexity. The present study therefore focuses on integrating the concerns of conflict & negotiation within the context of project complexity.Every research has its philosophical bearings. This study is ontologically objectivist and epistemologically subjectivist (consequently the axiology is subjectivist as well). This study accepts a Critical Realist view of the world and perceive the conceivable knowledge about this world to be subjective in nature. As the study is concerned about understanding the processes through which conflict & negotiation reify and interplay within a project the objective is not to find generalizations but rather to seek out patterns of occurrences and to build explanations. The methodology followed in the study is mixed, borrowing from both positivistic and constructivist ideologies. The survey methodology is used to, in loose terms, cast a net and capture the status quo. Results of the survey supplement the literature review driven a priori assumptions and seek out context embedded variables that the literature has not touched upon. Findings from the survey contribute to the succeeding case study methodology, which inquired into their detail through the use of interviews.Data for the study was collected between March through August 2010. During the first phase of the study 86 questionnaires were filled from 73 different projects. The survey data was analyzed using aggregate statistical techniques and a thesaurus based automated coding software named Leximancer. Results of the survey indicate that all projects surveyed had experienced some form of conflict and used at least one type of negotiation technique. A large number of projects faced conflicts related to land access, political pressures, time, interdepartmental relationships, and availability of resources. Project behavior when experiencing conflict exhibits a theme of delay, slowness, and work stoppages; there are also negative effects on group cohesion and productivity. The respondents described projects experiencing conflict as challenging, time consuming, delayed, and difficult. The data also revealed several useful patterns within projects experiencing conflicts. Additionally, baseline data for project complexity was captured using Shenhar and Dvir's Diamond Approach from all the projects surveyed. Findings, from the survey contributed to the study by providing preliminary answers to each of the research questions asked. Data gathered as a result of the survey contributed significantly to the design and orientation of the case study interviews.The second phase of the data collection involved implementation of the case study methodology. Personnel at various levels of nine projects, one government consultant, and a tribal elder were interviewed, for a total of thirty interviews. Additionally, six meetings on one of the projects, and two movie filming sequences were observed. Published and non-published reports on all the projects were examined. Interviews were captured using causal-maps (a cognitive mapping technique) and short notes. The causal-maps were captured using Banxia Decision Explorer and later refined using Cmap (an open-source mapping software). Each project's complexity measurements were taken and compared against the complexity baseline developed as a result of the survey.Results from the case study reveals certain patterns of behavior on the projects, specifically in the interactions taking place between a project and its principle organization, peers, and subordinates. Additionally, I find that quality plays the most active role in project conflict & negotiation and contributes significantly to project complexity because of its interconnection to other concepts and the recursive nature of the connections it spawns. Some factors that were reported by the survey as contributing significantly to project complexity and project conflict & negotiation were disqualified and a foundation laid for further inquiry into the role played by conflict & negotiation in project complexity.In concluding the study the data is first discussed through the lens of Jurgen Habermas' (1984) Theory of Communicative Action (TCA) and is followed by a general discussion on the data. The study concludes with a discussion on the possible future work that could result from this work
