Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) is a powerful technique that can be used for global analysis of gene expression. Its chief advantage over other methods is that it does not require prior knowledge of the genes of interest and provides qualitative and quantitative data of potentially every transcribed sequence in a particular cell or tissue type. This is a technique of expression profiling, which permits simultaneous, comparative and quantitative analysis of gene‐specific, 9‐ to 13‐basepair sequences. These short sequences, called (...) SAGE tags, are linked together for efficient sequencing. The sequencing data are then analyzed to identify each gene expressed in the cell and the levels at which each gene is expressed. The main benefit of SAGE includes the digital output and the identification of novel genes. In this review, we present an outline of the method, various bioinformatics methods for data analysis and general applications of this important technology. BioEssays 26:916–922, 2004. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

This article explores the influence of modernity in India, within the larger framework of state-led modernity and its impact on identity and locality. The discourse on modernity has retained the common thread of transience and reflexivity as two constitutive features, both of which are taken up to explain the uncertain and provisional influence of modernity on the Indian society and identity, and the radical engagement of social movements with modernity. The article studies the complex functioning of modernity in India by (...) presenting a theoretical outline on the contested nature of the concept, with an emphasis on the discussion around reflexivity, which forms one of the core attributes for the creation of multiple and alternative modernities, by reviewing state-led modernity in India and its impact on identity formation as a consequence of the numerous and variable cultural and value systems that confront individuals and by looking at the local appropriation of contested spaces to enter into a radical, value-based engagement with global modernity. (shrink)

“Ethical dilemmas…are rarely simple and stark but are, instead, multifaceted, complex, and gut wrenching for parents and care givers alike.” This is never more the case than when one must treat vulnerable babies who are not, nor ever can be competent to offer us some guidance about that treatment. The ethical problems are heightened when the parents, or the single mother, are incompetent to make decisions themselves, for example, because of drug addiction. In such cases, when the baby is premature (...) and suffering the effects of the drugs the mother has taken, and the mother herself is either no longer available for consultation or so damaged by her own addiction that she is not a reliable decisionmaker, the usual trend In the United States is to initiate treatment and continue until it is virtually certain that the infant will die. (shrink)

We appreciated the important commentary provided by Michelle Oberman on our paper, (CQ Vol. 6, No. 1). For the most part we agree with Oberman's analysis of the issues, but there are seven points of variance, either of conception, emphasis, or accuracy. We wish to clarify these and welcome the chance her commentary provided to offer aspects of the social situation surrounding the case we presented.

Nationwide, almost 11% of women abuse drugs during their pregnancy. In some communities, these numbers are as high as 25–30%. Drug abuse is not limited to the poor or to African Americans, but is seen among affluent and white Americans as well. It is widespread, irrespective of race or social class. Annually, nearly 375,000 infants are exposed to drugs in America. Because of the terrible suffering caused by these births, and the conflicts caregivers experience in the treatment of these infants, (...) Trollope's quote is very apropos. Although caregivers have good motives in trying to rescue these babies and helping place them in a nurturing environment, despair about this objective is always close to the surface. (shrink)

We appreciated the important commentary provided by Michelle Oberman on our paper, “Discontinuing Life Support in an Infant of a Drug-Addicted Mother: Whose Decision Is It?” . For the most part we agree with Oberman's analysis of the issues, but there are seven points of variance, either of conception, emphasis, or accuracy. We wish to clarify these and welcome the chance her commentary provided to offer aspects of the social situation surrounding the case we presented.

In this article, we examine the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) efforts to conceal the offshoring of tax return preparation services by U.S. Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) through recommending an inadequate disclosure format for this type of work. We draw on Giddens’ theory of trust and expert systems, the professionalism literature, and Flyvbjerg’s concept of power to analyze the underlying agenda behind the revised ethics rulings (AICPA Ethics Ruling No. 112 under Rule 102, No. 12 under Rule 201, (...) and No. 1 under Rule 301). Specifically, we examine (1) the AICPA leadership’s stated professional justifications for outsourcing and its recommended client disclosures, (2) risks associated with outsourcing tax return preparation work overseas and the trust issues that result, and (3) the resistance to the AICPA leadership’s recommended outsourcing disclosure rules within the rank and file of the CPA profession. We argue that our analysis reveals the AICPA’s on-going promotion of their private interests, thus continuing to raise systemic concerns regarding the public’s trust in the U.S. public accounting profession. (shrink)

To study the development trend of embedded platforms in home appliances Internet of Things, an application of embedded Linux in the design of IoT gateway is designed. ARM microprocessor S3C2410, EM310 radio frequency module, and Ethernet DM9000A module are used to realize the home network information-processing platform. The platform utilizes existing network facilities, RF modules, and network interface modules to realize the interconnection of the home perception network through wireless or wired links. For experimental analysis, Ping the central server from (...) the IoT node B is set to twice: The first time ttl = 255 time = 1.9 ms, the second time: ttl = 255 time = 2.4 ms. After application verification, the system has the characteristics of low cost, small size, low power consumption, and vital ease of use. It can not only integrate the home Internet and the IoT gateway but also directly run application-layer communication protocols such as HTTP/mqtt between IoT nodes and Internet terminals. The design supports multi-hop communication and significantly increases the deployment range of IoT nodes without signal relay equipment, hence reducing the cost of IoT networking and the complexity of the network architecture. (shrink)

Plants growing in temperate regions are able to survive freezing temperatures from −5° to −30°C, depending on the species, through a process known as cold acclimation. In the last decade much work has been done on the molecular mechanisms of low temperature (LT) signal transduction and cold acclimation. Mutant studies and microarray analyses have revealed C-Repeat binding factor (CBF) -dependent and -independent signaling pathways in plants. Experimental evidence suggests the existence of ‘potential LT sensors’ but as yet there is no (...) direct proof. A number of signal transducers such as various kinases/phosphatases have been demonstrated but the signal transduction pathways have not been elucidated. An understanding of the molecular basis of the signaling process, however, is of potential practical application. Designing new strategies to improve cold tolerance in crop varieties could increase the plant productivity and also expand the area under cultivation. BioEssays 27:1048–1059, 2005. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)