610 research outputs found
Analysis of Readex's Serial Set MARC records: improving the data for the library catalog
No full textColorado State University Libraries (CSUL) purchased the digitized United States Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994 and American State Papers (1789-1838) from the Readex Division of NewsBank, inc and, once funds and records were available, the accompanying MARC records. The breadth of information found in the Serial Set is described, along with the difficulties in using the print version (incorporated in the literature review, which includes citations of announcements of the digital collections and reviews of the software). The digital version of the Serial Set has its advantages, but there are additional rewards (much greater discovery opportunities) when items in the digital collection are directly accessible from the library catalog. The purchased MARC records, while overall excellent, had problems that needed to be corrected before they were loaded into CSUL's Innovative Interfaces library catalog. Patron access impact was used as a criterion when determining which of the records would be fixed before loading. High impact problems were identified and solutions derived for: multiple 245 (title) fields; 245 second indicator zero with titles beginning with a, an, or the; dollar sign used in text; fixed field date; languages; subject headings; creating proxy URLs; classification numbers; and author authority control (e.g. corporate entries and presidential entry errors)
Ethnic identity, political identity and ethnic conflict: simulating the effect of congruence between the two identities on ethnic violence and conflict
No full textThis thesis outlines and presents an alternative hypothetical process to the emergence of ethnic conflict. Ethnic conflicts, rather than being dependent upon pre-existing 'ancient hatreds', are instead the result of a congruence between ethnic and political identity which grants individuals the ability to use ethnicity to identify and eliminate political threats. This hypothesis is formed by the examination of three case studies of ethnic conflict: Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Croatia. This hypothesis is then formalised and tested using an agent based simulation in which agent interactions are dependent upon ethnic and political identity and the congruence between the two. As predicted there was a strong positive correlation between how accurately ethnic identity reflected political identity and the level of ethnically motivated violence in the simulation, although the relationship was not linear. Furthermore the effect of a shift in congruence was found to be roughly comparable to the effect of initialising agents with a moderate level of pre-existing ethnic antagonism
An examination of the role of atrial stretch in the genesis of atrial fibrillation and the antiarrhythmic effects of dietary fish oil.
No full textThis thesis is submitted as a PhD by portfolio of publications. It explores the role of atrial stretch in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation and the modulating effect of dietary fish oil.
Atrial fibrillation is more common in conditions associated with atrial stretch. This relationship is thought to be due to changes in activity of stretch-sensitive ion channels and
alterations in calcium handling. Increasing atrial pressure in isolated rabbit hearts shortens atrial refractoriness and enhances the inducibility and sustainability of atrial fibrillation.
The first of the publications in this thesis¹ describes the effect of pericardial constraint on the isolated rabbit heart model which uses increasing atrial pressure as a surrogate for increasing stretch. Reproducing the original description of this model but with an intact pericardium, increasing atrial pressure did not result in the electrical changes seen with marked atrial
dilatation. When the pericardium was removed, the relationship between increasing atrial pressure and susceptibility to atrial fibrillation was restored.
The second publication² reports the effect of streptomycin and intracellular acidosis on the rabbit heart atrial fibrillation model. Stretch-activated channel blockers gadolinium and
Grammostola toxin have been shown to limit atrial fibrillation with stretch in the rabbit model. We further explored the role of the non-specific cation stretch-activated channel using
streptomycin. Streptomycin reduced the stretch-related vulnerability to atrial fibrillation without altering the drop in refractory period associated with stretch. We proposed that the drop in refractoriness might be related to activation of stretch-activated potassium channels. These channels have also been shown to be sensitive to intracellular pH. We therefore
investigated the interaction between intracellular pH and stretch in the induction of atrial fibrillation. Intracellular acidosis, induced with propionate, amplified changes in
refractoriness and inducibility of atrial fibrillation with stretch.
The third publication³ examines the effect of dietary fish oil on the rabbit model of atrial fibrillation. Changes in membrane fluidity and fatty acid composition could alter the stretch
response. We proposed that changing the phospholipid membrane composition could alter the mechano-electric feedback in this model. Comparing rabbits fed for 12 weeks with fish oil or
sunflower oil supplemented diets, we reported protection from the stretch induced vulnerability to atrial fibrillation in the fish oil fed rabbits. This was associated with an increase in n-3 omega fatty acids in the atrial tissue which was reflected in changes in erythrocyte membrane composition.
The last publication⁴ measured the effect of a 12 week dietary fish oil supplement on the heart rate variability of 46 overweight adults. This was a substudy of a larger randomised doubleblinded placebo controlled study of fish oil and exercise on cardiovascular health. Frequency domain analysis was performed before and after the 12-week intervention. Fish oil increased the high frequency component of heart rate variability in keeping with increased parasympathetic activity and improved autonomic function.
The outcome of this research has been to further the understanding of the complex interplay between stretch and atrial arrhythmias and to raise the possibility of using dietary fish oil to treat atrial fibrillation.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, 200
Following the money: how external forces influence government contracting
No full textSince the 1980’s there has been a steady push to increase the use of private sector actors in providing public services. At the federal level of government, the previous four administrations have each taken steps to reach this goal. One of the primary tools the government utilizes to increase the reliance on private sector actors is a contract. The use of contracts has proliferated in the last 10 years at the U.S. federal level. In the time period from 1996 to 2006 the total number of contract actions has increased more than six times. The total number has increased from 600,000 actions in 1996 to over 3,600,000 actions in 2006. The increase in contracts over this time period requires greater emphasis on studying government contracting. Although there is a rich literature in public administration that examines government contracting, there is little research that looks specifically at external influences on government contracting. This dissertation examines if various influences, including private sector actors, influence the contracting process. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this dissertation answers the primary research question Do private companies affect contracting decisions through various avenues of influence? The findings from both the interviews and the regression analysis suggest that a number of factors influence contracting, including both internal and external forces. The primary contribution of this dissertation is the finding that private sector actors, through campaign contributions, influence government contracting.Ph.D.Includes abstractVitaIncludes bibliographical referencesby Daniel E. Bromber
Managing patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) records in a multiple model environment
No full textAcademic libraries have widely embraced patron-driven acquisition (PDA) models for electronic and print books. Vendors supply title level MARC records to facilitate discovery through library catalogs, and managing these records can be challenging. Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) implemented four PDA models over the past two years. Since these records constitute a growing portion of the collection, CSUL recognizes the importance of developing careful record management policies and workflows to handle various acquisitions models. In this article the author describes the four PDA models, the cataloging policies and processes, and staffing levels needed for managing the records
The discovery of SycO reveals a new function for type three secretion effector chaperones
No full textThe Type Three Secretion (T3S) system is a device used by many Gram-negative pathogens that allows bacteria to deliver effector proteins straight into the eukaryotic cell cytosol. These effectors interfere with various signaling pathways to subvert the host cell functions. The secretion machinery of the T3S system consist of a basal body spanning the bacterial inner and outer membrane followed by a stiff hollow needle outside the bacterium. The fully assembled secretion apparatus constitute a continuous hollow conduit that connects the bacteria to the eukaryotic target cell. After cell contact, virulence proteins -called effectors- are injected directly into the cytosol of the host cell via the T3S apparatus. Several effectors of the T3S system require the assistance of specific cytosolic chaperones to be efficiently exported. There are three classes of T3S chaperones. Effector proteins are assisted by Class I chaperones. Although Class I chaperones are well characterized, their main function is still a matter of controversy. In this thesis, we demonstrate that orf155 encodes a specific chaperone for the effector YopO that we called SycO. We showed that SycO enhances YopO secretion in vitro and is required for translocation of YopO into infected cells. By pulldown assay we demonstrated that residues 20 to 77 of YopO are required and sufficient for SycO binding. Using crosslinking experiments and size exclusion chromatography analysis, we determined the stoichiometry of purified SycO and YopO-SycO complexes. SycO alone forms dimers in solution and the YopO-SycO complex has a 1:2 stoichiometry. These results suggested that SycO is a typical chaperone of the Class I. YopO is a serine/theronine kinase that interacts with Rho and Rac and disrupts the cytoskeleton of the target cells. YopO has been shown to localize at the cell plasma-membrane. By transfection of YopO-EGFP hybrid proteins into HEK293T cells, we demonstrated that the chaperone-binding domain (CBD) coincides with the membrane localization domain of YopO. Nevertheless, the CBD was not needed for the kinase activity of YopO. By ultracentrifugation, we also showed that the CBD causes YopO aggregation in the bacteria, when SycO does not cover it. Further, we show that the CBD of YopE and YopT also caused aggregation in the bacteria in the absence of SycE and SycT respectively. YopE, YopT and T3S effectors in other systems also act at the membrane of the eukaryotic host cell. We propose a new hypothesis concerning the role of T3S chaperones. The sub-cellular localization domain of effectors is aggregation-prone and creates the need for a chaperone inside bacteria. We propose that masking such aggregation-prone localization domains may be a general function for type III effector chaperones
Cataloguing the internet: CATRIONA feasibility study : report to the British Library Research & Development Department
No full textThe idea of a distributed catalogue of Internet resources integrated with standard Z39.50 library system OPAC interfaces (and hence with retrieval of information on hard copy resources) is already practical at a basic level. Geac's Z39.50 GUI OPAC client. GeoPac, can search remote Z39.50 OPACs, retrieve USMARC records with URLs in 856$u, respond by loading a viewer like Mosaic or Netscape, and utilise it to retrieve and display the remotely held electronic resources on the local workstation. A range of Z39.50 OPACs can be searched server by server, making a basic-level distributed catalogue of Internet resources feasible. At least one other Z39.50 client, Dynix Horizon is close to having similar capabilities.
Significant further development and investigation is nevertheless required. A proposed demonstrator project - based around Scottish University Libraries and the BUBL Subject Tree initiative, but sufficiently 'open' to encompass other sites and approaches - is both feasible and essential, and would provide a focus for Z39.50 developments in the UK.
Z39.50 clients and associated Z39.50 OPACs describing resources could become preferred network navigation tools with other specific NIDR client types (WWW, gopher, WAIS, others) loaded as required. Library involvement is essential to sustainable Internet cataloguing initiatives
acdh-oeaw/mmp: fix for author-keyword endpoint
No full textWhat's Changed
fix: filter author-kw graph by stellen-qs #169 by @csae8092 in https://github.com/acdh-oeaw/mmp/pull/197
Full Changelog: https://github.com/acdh-oeaw/mmp/compare/v3.7...v3.
J.C. Bach's London keyboard sonatas : style and context
No full textJ. C. Bach's keyboard works include several sets of accompanied sonatas, a genre that enjoyed a wide popularity during the Classical era, but never
found its way into the concert repertoire. The accompanied sonata was a genre meant for domestic performance; the solo keyboard sonata, on
the other hand, was adopted in due course by concert audiences. J. C. Bach composed works within both genres during most of his productive years, and his output constitutes a corpus of remarkable consistency. J. C. Bach's removal to London in 1762 coincided with his clear adoption of a galant style, marked by the Italianate influence, and the abandonment of most Baroque traits. The British milieu provided additional factors: the rise of the pianoforte, a thriving music-publishing market, and a great interest in domestic music making among the affluent classes. These factors marked J. C. Bach's output at various levels. Keyboard works had to conform to the proficiency of the amateur performer, a
fact reflected in the accompanied output mostly. The number of movements, their length, and the inclusion of particular technical devices are readily observable differences between the two genres. The most remarkable
distinction lies perhaps in the preference for binary sonata format in the accompanied. sonatas from the mid 1760s to the 1770s, in spite of a later tendency for tripartite designs in both genres. J. C. Bach's lifelong preference for motivic phrase structure conditioned his keyboard production and partly explains the gap in quality between some of his works and sonatas composed around the same time by Haydn and Mozart, who developed more effective means to connect the melodic material
to higher structural units. J. C. Bach's influence, however, endured in Mozart's handling of melody, and his keyboard production constitutes, in spite of some flaws, a noteworthy example of elegance and craftsmanship
Poiesis and Obstruction in Art Practice
No full textThis PhD thesis examines the concept of poiesis, that is ‘calling into existence that which was not there before’, in the context of obstruction in studio practice. It poses the question ‘Is there a methodology that engages with obstruction which in turn calls new work’? In this thesis, the concept of poiesis emerging from the late Dr. Murray Cox’s ‘Aeolian Mode’, is analyzed alongside a concept of praxis, (a philosophical companion to poiesis), familiar to artistic practice. This thesis describes the orientation of the original idea, The Aeolian Mode, clinically developed by Dr. Murray Cox in Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital. This PhD seeks to identify if there are similar ‘tenets of approach’ held within the methodology of ‘The Aeolian Mode’, that would be useful or are identifiable in artistic studio practice. This thesis draws on the work of the philosopher, Professor Richard Kearney, specifically Kearney’s ideas on the necessity of ‘the other’ for ‘radical possibility’ to occur. It maps a context of both Freudian and Jungian interpretations of art practice, identifying how these ideas have shaped the way art is seen today. Furthermore, it challenges the Freudian idea of ‘pathography’ and favours a Jungian approach of ‘individuation’ in the understanding of creative processes. It develops a ‘methodology of the conversation’, interviewing students, established artists, tutors about their approaches to obstruction/poiesis in art practice. Additionally, it examines my own obstruction to painting and identifies the methodology that released me from this obstruction. Conducting these interviews on art practice has enabled me to confirm my initial concerns about Freudian ‘pathography’ whilst validating the possibility of the Jungian concept of ‘individuation’ being of use to art practice. Finally, this PhD discusses the implications for further study and research, which have emerged during the ‘methodology of the conversation’ and the task of dissolving my obstruction to painting
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