The Experts below are selected from a list of 14394 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Neil Portman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • identification of paralogous Life Cycle Stage specific cytoskeletal proteins in the parasite trypanosoma brucei
    PLOS ONE, 2014
    Co-Authors: Neil Portman, Keith Gull
    Abstract:

    The Life Cycle of the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei, is characterised by a transition between insect and mammalian hosts representing very different environments that present the parasite with very different challenges. These challenges are met by the expression of Life-Cycle Stage-specific cohorts of proteins, which function in systems such as metabolism and immune evasion. These Life-Cycle transitions are also accompanied by morphological rearrangements orchestrated by microtubule dynamics and associated proteins of the subpellicular microtubule array. Here we employed a gel-based comparative proteomic technique, Difference Gel Electrophoresis, to identify cytoskeletal proteins that are expressed differentially in mammalian infective and insect form trypanosomes. From this analysis we identified a pair of novel, paralogous proteins, one of which is expressed in the procyclic form and the other in the bloodstream form. We show that these proteins, CAP51 and CAP51V, localise to the subpellicular corset of microtubules and are essential for correct organisation of the cytoskeleton and successful cytokinesis in their respective Life Cycle Stages. We demonstrate for the first time redundancy of function between Life-Cycle Stage specific paralogous sets in the cytoskeleton and reveal modification of cytoskeletal components in situ prior to their removal during differentiation from the bloodstream form to the insect form. These specific results emphasise a more generic concept that the trypanosome genome encodes a cohort of cytoskeletal components that are present in at least two forms with Life-Cycle Stage-specific expression.

Kun-mo Lee - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Life Cycle-Based Generic Business Strategies for Sustainable Business Models
    Journal of Sustainable Development (Aug 2013), 2013
    Co-Authors: Yoon-Young Chun, Ke-Ting Lee, Kun-mo Lee
    Abstract:

    The need to transition to a more sustainable economy is one of the most significant challenges society has ever faced. Despite the evidence that adopting a more sustainable business model is linked to more stable profits, many conventional manufacturers do not know where to begin. This study aims to identify generic business strategies that conventional manufacturers can use to improve their business models and thus be more sustainable and/or develop new sustainable business models. In order to identify such strategies, data were gathered from 105 Korean business cases involving a wide range of products and services via online searches and interviews. Business cases were chosen based on whether they relied on a new business paradigm and directly or indirectly generated economic, social, and environmental benefits. Through analyses of the data, generic business strategies were extracted for each Life Cycle Stage. The results showed that the success of a sustainable business model depends on a mixture of pertinent generic business strategies from the Life Cycle perspective. A conventional business model that focused on a particular Life Cycle Stage and strategy was not very successful. However, a new business model using generic business strategies (such as eco-design as well as product-service system (PSS)-oriented strategies geared at the relevant Life Cycle Stage) produced significant environmental, economic, and social performance improvements. Not only an appropriate mixture of generic business strategies but also systematic support such as infrastructural support is required if manufacturers are to achieve the potential sustainability of a new company-specific business model. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

  • Development of an Environmental Assessment Method for Consumer Electronics by combining Top-down and Bottom-up Approaches (11 pp)
    The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2006
    Co-Authors: Pil-ju Park, Kun-mo Lee, Wolfgang Wimmer
    Abstract:

    Goal, Scope and Background Ecodesign requires environmental assessment methods, which are often time consuming and cost intensive. In this paper we proposed a method that combines top-down (e.g. LCA) and bottom-up (e.g. UNEP) approaches that allows one within short period of time to generate ecodesign ideas by identifying what to improve, how much to improve, and how to improve within a short period of time. The proposed method incorporates an environmental assessment method for use in the ecodesign of consumer electronics that employs the top-down and bottom-up approaches simultaneously. Method The proposed method consists of five modules: A. a Life Cycle thinking for a product, B. environmental benchmarking, C. checklist method, D. ecodesign strategies, and E. environmental design information. A key Life Cycle Stage with significant environmental impact is identified in module A. When the identified key Life Cycle Stage is not product manufacturing, environmental benchmarking is used; however, a checklist method is applied if product manufacturing is identified as the key Life Cycle Stage. Ecodesign strategies for consumer electronics are obtained in module D. Environmental design information is produced by linking both the top-down and bottom-up information in module E. Results and Discussion The applicability of the proposed method was evaluated using mobile phones. First, the key Life Cycle Stage of the mobile phone was identified as the raw material acquisition Stage. Next, environmental benchmarking was carried out for 10 parameters belonging to the raw material acquisition Stage. Environmental target specifications for the 10 parameters were set, ranging from 14% to 60%. Finally, environmental design information for the mobile phone was determined by linking the target specifications of the environmental benchmarking parameters and the corresponding ecodesign strategies. The proposed method was also compared with the LCA and the UNEP/promising approaches, which are representative examples of the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach, respectively. Based on the results of this comparison, the proposed method was judged to be an advanced method in facilitating the generation of ecodesign ideas. Environmentally significant benchmarking parameters correspond to what to improve, target specifications to on how much to improve, and ecodesign strategies ton how to improve. It was found that the use of the proposed method minimizes the time and money expenditure by confining the identification of environmental weak points within the key Life Cycle Stage. Conclusion and Outlook An environmental assessment method for consumer electronics in ecodesign was proposed and applied to mobile phones. The advantages of the proposed method are as follows: it is efficient and cost-effective, and it allows designers to generate ecodesign ideas more easily and effectively by simultaneously identifying the specific environmental weak points of a product and corresponding ecodesign strategies. The proposed method can be envisaged as a useful ecodesign approach when electronic companies identify the environmental aspects of their products and integrate them into product design and development process.

Michael P Johnson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • the utility of family Life Cycle as a theoretical and empirical tool commitment and family Life Cycle Stage
    Journal of Family Issues, 2003
    Co-Authors: Carolyn A Kapinus, Michael P Johnson
    Abstract:

    Using data from a 1980 national sample of married men and women, the analysis examines the utility of the family Life Cycle concept, employing as dependent variables constructs from Johnson’s conceptualization of commitment. They argue, in disagreement with two classic critiques of the family Life Cycle concept, that the predictive power of family Life Cycle is, for many dependent variables, quite independent of age or length of marriage. Their analyses demonstrate that, when using dependent variables one would expect to be related to the presence and ages of children, family Life Cycle remains a useful predictive tool.

Jaime S Cardoso - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • mobile based analysis of malaria infected thin blood smears automated species and Life Cycle Stage determination
    Sensors, 2017
    Co-Authors: Luis Rosado, Jose Correia M Da Costa, Dirk Elias, Jaime S Cardoso
    Abstract:

    Microscopy examination has been the pillar of malaria diagnosis, being the recommended procedure when its quality can be maintained. However, the need for trained personnel and adequate equipment limits its availability and accessibility in malaria-endemic areas. Rapid, accurate, accessible diagnostic tools are increasingly required, as malaria control programs extend parasite-based diagnosis and the prevalence decreases. This paper presents an image processing and analysis methodology using supervised classification to assess the presence of malaria parasites and determine the species and Life Cycle Stage in Giemsa-stained thin blood smears. The main differentiation factor is the usage of microscopic images exclusively acquired with low cost and accessible tools such as smartphones, a dataset of 566 images manually annotated by an experienced parasilogist being used. Eight different species-Stage combinations were considered in this work, with an automatic detection performance ranging from 73.9% to 96.2% in terms of sensitivity and from 92.6% to 99.3% in terms of specificity. These promising results attest to the potential of using this approach as a valid alternative to conventional microscopy examination, with comparable detection performances and acceptable computational times.

Linda Duxbury - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • impact of Life Cycle Stage and gender on the ability to balance work and family responsibilities
    Family Relations, 1994
    Co-Authors: Christopher A Higgins, Linda Duxbury
    Abstract:

    One of the most significant changes in the labor market over the last decade has been the dramatic increase in the participation of women with children in the labor force. The 1991 Canadian Census indicated that 68% of all women with children at home were in the labor force. This was an increase from 61% in 1986 and 52% in 1981. Eighty percent of the women currently in the workforce are in their childbearing years, and 80% of these employees are expected to have children during their work Life (Galinsky, Friedman, & Hernandez, 1991; Statistics Canada, 1993). Changing workforce demographics have made it difficult for many individuals to balance the conflicting demands of work and family. These difficulties have forced a reexamination of the old models of coordinating work and family Life (Lee & Kanungo, 1984). A gendered division of labor, with the wife caring for the family and the husband assuming the breadwinner role, is no longer a viable option for many couples. One of the consequences of the inability to balance work and family demands is the increasing level of work-family conflict experienced by employed parents. Work-family conflict occurs when an individual has to perform multiple roles that require time, energy, and commitment (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). The cumulative demands of these multiple roles can result in two types of strain: overload and interference. Overload exists when the total demands on time and energy are too great to perform the roles adequately or comfortably. Interference occurs because many work and family activities must be performed during the same time periods in different physical locations (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). Recently Gutek, Searle, and Kelpa (1991) suggested that role interference could be conceptualized as having two components: family interference with work and work interference with family. Family interference with work occurs when family-role responsibilities hinder performance at work (e.g., a child's illness prevents attendance at work). Work interference with family arises when work activities impede performance of family responsibilities (e.g., long hours at work prevent a parent from being home for meals with the family). O'Driscoll, Ilgen, and Hildreth (1992) support Gutek and her associates' claim that family interference with work and work interference with family are separate, albeit interrelated, components of work-family conflict. The purpose of this study is to further our understanding of work-family conflict by examining Life-Cycle Stage and gender differences in three components of work-family conflict: (a) role overload, (b) interference from work to family, and (c) interference from family to work. The Life-Cycle focus "recognizes the dynamic nature of family roles and circumstances as families and individuals move through their lives" and that "these changes in roles, relationships and responsibilities over time produce corresponding changes in family needs, resources and vulnerabilities" (Moen & Firebaugh, in press). The focus on gender acknowledges that "Despite the many changes in gender roles in the past 20 years, tradition prescribes a different emphasis between work and family for men and women" (Gutek et al., 1991, p. 561). Gutek and her colleagues (1991) also suggest that gender differences exist with respect to the perception of two of the components of work-family conflict, namely, work-to-family and family-to-work interference. Many studies have found that Life-Cycle Stage is associated with work and family-role demands and work-family conflict (Keith & Schafer, 1991; Mattessich & Hill, 1987; Rexroat & Shehan, 1987; Schnittger & Bird, 1990; Voydanoff & Kelly, 1984). Similarly, there is a significant body of research linking gender and work-family conflict (Barnett & Baruch, 1987; Duxbury & Higgins, 1991; Gutek et al., 1991; Jick & Mitz, 1985; Keith & Schaefer, 1980, 1991; LaCroix & Haynes, 1987; Pleck, 1984, 1985; Skinner, 1980; Voydanoff, 1988). …