bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The yield performance of lupin genotypes under terminal drought in a Mediterranean-type environment
Authors: Palta J. A. , Turner N. C. , French R. J.
Published: April 2004

With a view to identifying and understanding the genotypic differences in yield under terminal drought, a range of lupin genotypes representing narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) and yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.) was studied in field experiments in the low rainfall Mediterranean environment of Western Australia over 3 seasons. In each year Merrit, the most common commercial cultivar in Western Australia, was used as the reference to which the yield of other genotypes was compared. In the first and third year, 5 or 6 genotypes were grown with and without irrigation from the start of pod set. In the second year, 9 genotypes were grown with irrigation and under a rainout shelter from the start of pod set. Detailed measurements were made of plant water status, leaf area and biomass production, flowering and podding date, and seed yield and its components.The timing and intensity of the terminal drought varied from average in 1998 and 1999 to extreme in 2000. Post-podding leaf water potential (Ψleaf) under rainfed conditions decreased to –2 MPa in 1998 and 1999 and below –2.5 MPa in 2000, whereas under supplementary irrigation it was maintained at –1.2 MPa in 1998 and 1999 and at –1.5 MPa in 2002.The seed yield of all genotypes under terminal drought varied from 24 to 66% of that with supplementary irrigation. In each year, the seed yield under rainfed conditions showed genotypic differences consistent with the timing and intensity of the development of terminal drought. Under conditions of terminal drought the seed yields of the narrow-leafed lupin cultivars Belara and Tallerack, and of the breeding line WALAN 2049, were higher than of Merrit by 29% in 1998. Tanjil, Belara, and Quilinock out-yielded Merrit by 33–53% in 1999 and Belara and Quilinock out-yielded Merrit by 80% in 2000. Harvest index was higher in Belara and Quilinock than in Merrit. Under both terminal drought conditions and supplemental irrigation, Belara and Quilinock had high seed yields that were associated with a greater number of seeds per pod and larger seed size. It is argued that early flowering and podding in Belara and Quilinock allowed more seeds to develop and fill before the terminal drought became more severe.
Glyphosate resistance in Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. from different origins and polymerase chain reaction amplification of specific alleles
Authors: Ng C. H. , Wickneswary R. , Salmijah S. , Teng Y. T. , Ismail B. S.
Published: April 2004

Glyphosate-resistant populations of Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. were found in 4 areas in Malaysia that had received repeated applications of glyphosate for a period ranging from 5 to 15 years. The resistance ratios calculated from dose-response experiments were 2.9 (Chaah), 2.1 (Lenggeng), 3.3 (Bidor), and 2.8 (Temerloh). Two-point mutations were detected in position 875 within the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene resistant population, causing a C to T transition leading to Pro106 to Ser106 substitution in Bidor and Temerloh or C to A transversion leading to Pro106 to Thr106 substitution in Chaah. Sequence comparisons of the 3115 bp of the EPSPS gene revealed identical sequences in both the susceptible (S) and resistant (R) populations of Lenggeng. The identical sequences in both the Lenggeng populations, S and R, suggest that the resistance mechanism found in Lenggeng R may be different from Chaah R, Bidor R, and Temerloh R. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of specific alleles (PASA) was developed to detect 2 distinct single-point mutations, probably conferring herbicide resistance in Chaah R, Bidor R, and Temerloh R. PASA profiles showed only one DNA fragment for the entire S population and 2 different additional fragments, each specific for one resistance allele, for the R population.
Assessment of gene flow using tetraploid genotypes of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)
Authors: Cunliffe K. V. , Vecchies A. C. , Jones E. S. , Kearney G. A. , Forster J. W. , Spangenberg G. C. , Smith K. F.
Published: April 2004

Ryegrass species are among the most important species in sown pastures, turf settings, and weed populations worldwide. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is an outcrossing, wind-pollinated grass. Recent research has demonstrated the feasibility of developing transgenic perennial ryegrass varieties. In order to model the consequences of gene flow from transgenic grass genotypes in a field situation, the model non-transgenic trait of fertility among autotetraploid genotypes was chosen. Gene flow over distance and direction from a donor plot to surrounding sexually compatible recipient plants was studied. Reproductive isolation was achieved through the fertility barrier that arises between tetraploid and diploid ryegrass genotypes, despite the presence of diploid plants in a meadow situation. Fertility was used as an indication of effective gene flow over distance and direction. Measures of the fertility of recipient plants included total seed production (TSP), floret site utilisation (FSU), and relative fertility of recipient plants as a percentage of those within the donor plot (RF%). A leptokurtic distribution for gene flow was identified, with differences in the rate of decline over distance depending on direction. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) polymorphism was used to identify the paternity of progeny plants. The proportional representation of parents among the progeny was not significantly different from that expected due to the numerical representation of the different donor parent genotypes. The results of this research will have important implications for risk analysis prior to the field release of transgenic ryegrasses, fescues, and other pasture grass species, and for seed production in terms of cultivar purity and optimum isolation distance.
A comparison of the performance and growth of a range of turfgrass species under shade
Authors: Tegg R. S. , Lane P. A.
Published: April 2004

The increased use of semi and fully enclosed sports stadiums necessitates the ongoing selection, development and assessment of shade-tolerance in turfgrass species. Vertical shoot growth rate is a simple biological measure that may supplement visual turfgrass assessment and provide a useful measure of shade adaptation. Cool-season temperate turfgrasses; Kentucky bluegrass–perennial ryegrass (Poa pratensis L.–Lolium perenne L.), creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.), supina bluegrass (Poa supina Schrad.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and a warm season species, Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.), were established in pot and field experiments and subjected to 4 shade treatments (0, 26, 56 or 65% shade) under ambient conditions. Average light readings taken near the winter and summer solstice in full sunlight at midday, were 790 and 1980�μmol/m2.s, respectively. Field and pot trials confirmed supina bluegrass and tall fescue to have the greatest shade tolerance, producing high turf quality under 56 and 65% shade. However, all turfgrass species declined in quality under high shade levels as indicated by an increase in thin, succulent vertical growth, and a less-dense turf sward. Vertical shoot growth rates of all species increased linearly with increasing shade levels. Kentucky bluegrass–perennial ryegrass had the highest rate of increase in vertical shoot elongation under shade, approximately 3.5 times greater than supina bluegrass, which had the lowest. Low rates of increase in vertical shoot elongation under shade indicated shade tolerance whereas high rates inferred shade intolerance.
Lupin takes up less potassium but uses the potassium more effectively toproduce shoots than canola and wheat
Authors: Brennan R. F. , Bolland M. D. A.
Published: April 2004

We compared the potassium (K) response of canola (Brassica napus L. cv. Karoo), spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Camm), narrow-leaf lupin (8 cultivars of Lupinus angustifolius L.), and yellow lupin (2 cultivars of L. luteus L.) in a glasshouse experiment. The following measures were used: yield without added K; K required for 75% of the maximum yield; K required to achieve a K concentration in shoots of 20 g/kg; K required to achieve a K content of 50 mg K/pot in dried shoots (K concentration multiplied by yield); and, for the L. angustifolius cultivars, the K efficiency ratio (yield for the nil-K treatment divided by yield for the largest amount of K applied).Both L. angustifolius and L. luteus used soil K and applied K more effectively than canola and wheat to produce shoots (measured from dried shoots of 42-day old seedlings). For all amounts of K applied, including the nil treatment, the K concentrations were higher in canola and wheat shoots than in shoots of the 2 lupin species. Consequently, the 2 lupin species were less effective than canola and wheat at taking up soil and applied K, but were more effective at using the K taken up to produce shoots. The most recent cultivar of L. angustifolius, cv. Kalya, was less effective than the older Merrit cultivar at using soil and applied K to produce shoots, therefore future cultivars need to be screened for their ability to use soil and applied K. The K efficiency ratio for L. angustifolius indicated cultivars Kalya and 2141 were inefficient and the following cultivars had similar medium efficiency values: Myallie, Tanjil, Tallerack, Quilinock, Belara and Merrit. As measured in 42 day old seedlings, the diagnostic critical concentration of K in shoots required for 90% maximum yield of dried shoots was about (g K/kg) 40 for wheat, 37�for canola, 16 for L. angustifolius and 14 for L. luteus.
Improved subsoil macroporosity following perennial pastures
Authors: McCallum M. H. , Kirkegaard J. A. , Green T. W. , Cresswell H. P. , Davies S. L. , Angus J. F. , Peoples M. B.
Published: April 2004

Biopores left in the soil by perennial and annual pastures and their effects on macroporosity, water infiltration and the water use and productivity of subsequent wheat and canola crops were investigated in a field experiment on a Sodosol in southern New South Wales. Phases of both lucerne (4 years) and phalaris (10 years) improved the macroporosity and water infiltration into the dense B horizon compared with continuous annual crops and pastures. After removal of lucerne and phalaris, the subsoil (> 12 cm depth) contained similar numbers of pores > 2 mm diameter (228 and 190/m2, respectively) compared with a mean of 68/m2 after annual crops. However water infiltration rate after lucerne was greater than after phalaris, apparently because of more numerous pores > 4 mm, rather than a change in total porosity. The subsoil after phalaris on the other hand contained more pores 0.3 mm in diameter and a higher total porosity, possibly because of more roots around this diameter, and a longer period without traffic or cultivation. The number of lucerne biopores in the subsoil remained unchanged (170–180/m2) for at least 2 crops after the lucerne was removed although the average size decreased. The volume of water extracted from the subsoil by crops following lucerne was similar to that following annual crop/pasture for 10 of the 12 crop comparisons made. For 2 of the crops, more subsoil water (22 and 24 mm) was used after lucerne than after annuals, and in 1 season this was associated with higher yield of canola. During the 3-year study there was no winter waterlogging or post-anthesis water stress, so there was little opportunity for yield responses to improved subsoil structure. The results confirm speculation that the unfavourable structure of dense subsoils can be improved by the biological action of perennial pasture roots, although reduced wheel traffic and cultivation during the pasture phases may also play a role. Further studies will be necessary to demonstrate associated yield improvements.
Genome-wide somatic hypermutation
Authors: Wang Clifford L. , Harper Ryan A. , Wabl Matthias
Published: April 2004

DNA mutagenesis is generally considered harmful. Yet activated B cells normally mutate the Ig loci. Because this somatic hypermutation is potentially dangerous, it has been hypothesized that mutations do not occur throughout the genome but instead are actively targeted to the Ig loci. Here we challenge this longstanding and widely accepted hypothesis. We demonstrate that hypermutation requires no Ig gene sequences. Instead, activation-induced cytidine deaminase and other trans-acting hypermutation factors may function as general mutators.
Parallel somatic and synaptic processing in the induction of intermediate-term and long-term synaptic facilitation inAplysia
Authors: Sherff Carolyn M. , Carew Thomas J.
Published: April 2004

The induction of different phases of memory depends on the amount and patterning of training, raising the question of whether specific training patterns engage different cellular mechanisms and whether these mechanisms operate in series or in parallel. We examined these questions by using a cellular model of memory formation: facilitation of the tail sensory neuron-motor neuron synapses by serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in the CNS ofAplysia. We studied facilitation in two temporal domains: intermediate-term facilitation (1.5-3 h) and long-term facilitation (LTF, >24 h). Both forms can be induced by using several different temporal and spatial patterns of 5-HT, including (i) repeated, temporally spaced pulses of 5-HT to both the sensory neuron soma and the sensory neuron-motor neuron synapse, and (ii) temporally asymmetric exposure of 5-HT to the soma and synapse under conditions in which neither exposure alone induces LTF. We first examined the protein and RNA synthesis requirements for LTF induced by these two patterns and found that asymmetric (but not repeated) 5-HT application induced LTF that required postsynaptic protein and RNA synthesis. We next focused on the patterning and protein synthesis requirements for intermediate-term facilitation. We found that intermediate-term facilitation (i) is induced locally at the synapse, (ii) requires multiple pulses of 5-HT, and (iii) requires synaptic protein synthesis. Our findings show that different temporal and spatial patterns of 5-HT induce specific temporal phases of long-lasting facilitation in parallel by engaging different cellular and molecular mechanisms.
How the Other Half Lives: An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Poverty and Home-ownership in Britain
Authors: Burrows Roger
Published: April 2004

This paper examines the extent and nature of poverty amongst home-owners in Britain using data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) Survey. It concludes that the proportion of the poor who are home-owners is very much higher than one might have surmised from an acquaintance with the great bulk of previous research on poverty and housing policy. It can be asserted with confidence that home-owners constitute about half the poor in Britain. The paper describes the socioeconomic characteristics of poor home-owners and compares and contrasts them with the poor living in the other housing tenures. It also examines how the outcomes of poverty differ between the tenures. Some of the policy implications of the analysis are also discussed.
Moving into the City and Moving Out Again: Swedish Evidence from the Cohort Born in 1968
Authors: Nilsson Karina
Published: April 2004

This article empirically investigates city-bound migration among Swedish youths, born in 1965, by using a database containing the entire Swedish population (1985-95). The findings suggest that city-bound migration is fairly common among youths in Sweden; 15 per cent of the cohort performed such a migration. Women migrated to a larger extent than did men and were more influenced by educational and class variables. Having a family significantly decreased the likelihood of women's city-bound migration, but had no significant effect on men's. To migrate into a city-region was for many a temporary move; one-third of the migrants subsequently moved out and the majority returned to their home regions.
Determinants of Commuting Time and Distance for Seoul Residents: The Impact of Family Status on the Commuting of Women
Authors: Lee Bun Song , McDonald John F.
Published: April 2004

This paper performs multiple regression analysis to identify a large number of determinants of commuting time and distance for Seoul residents using the 2 per cent public-use sample data tape of the 1995 Korean Population Census. Among the numerous findings, it is noted that commuting times and distances are longer for male workers, full-time salaried workers, workers with more education, home-owners and male workers in the prime earning years (over age 35). It is found that the household responsibility of childcare is an important factor for the shorter commuting of Korean married women.
Cubic Spline Population Density Functions and Satellite City Delimitation: The Case of Barcelona
Authors: Muniz Ivan , Galindo Anna , Garcia Miguel Angel
Published: April 2004

The presence of satellite cities within large metropolitan areas cannot be captured by an exponential function. Cubic spline functions seem more appropriate to depict the polycentric pattern of modern urban systems. Using data from the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, two possible population satellite city delimitation procedures using cubic spline density functions are discussed: one, taking an estimated derivative equal to zero; the other, a density gradient equal to zero. It is argued that a delimitation strategy based on derivatives is more appropriate than one based on gradients because the estimated density can be negative in sections with very low densities and few observations, leading to sudden changes in estimated gradients. It is also argued that delimiting satellite cities using a second derivative with a zero value permits the capture of a more restricted area than using a first derivative zero. This methodology can also be used for intermediate ring delimitation.
Local Innovation Assemblages and Institutional Capacity in Local High-tech Economic Development: The Case of Oxfordshire
Authors: Lawton Smith Helen
Published: April 2004

The paper discusses the processes by which local innovation systems develop. Its theme is agenda-setting discourses and the representation of high-tech firms' interests at local and national scales. Using the case study of Oxfordshire, it discusses the relationship between innovation and the development of institutional ensembles. Adopting an historical perspective, it shows how what was a local system has attained greater significance as the political importance of innovation grows in national and regional agendas. To do so, it investigates the plurality of arrangements or coalitions of interests which operate through networks based on The Oxford Trust, a local charitable trust. These networks provide means of co-ordinating resources available to start-up and growing small high-tech firms in Oxfordshire.
Institutional Barriers to Associative City-region Governance: The Politics of Institution-building and Economic Governance in 'Canada's Technology Triangle'
Authors: Leibovitz Joseph
Published: April 2004

It has been argued that collaborative and associative forms of governance can enhance the economic competitiveness of cities and regions. Institutionalist approaches to urban and regional economic development have been particularly influential in emphasising the potential role that collaboration between firms, governance agencies, labour and supporting institutions can play in enabling communities to promote progressive competitiveness. At the same time, there has been relatively little discussion and empirical analysis of the actual process of institutional change and institution-building that characterise city-regions situated in liberal political economies that are not historically endowed with 'pre-existing' stocks of social capital and associative governance. In addition, institutionalist perspectives on urban and regional economic change have produced economistic explanations, while underplaying the importance of political factors. This paper offers an analysis of the various institutional barriers to associative governance by examining the case of 'Canada's Technology Triangle', a city-region which has experienced several attempts to develop associative governance institutions since the early 1990s. The evidence from this case study suggests that the experience of institution-building in this city-region has been intertwined with a struggle to create a regional scale of engagement for a range of governance actors. The analysis in this paper demonstrates the importance of paying careful attention to the factors that shape the political mobilisation of actors into associative institutional structures.
Role of 'Vision' in Neighbourhood Racial Segregation: A Variant of the Schelling Segregation Model
Authors: Laurie Alexander J. , Jaggi Narendra K.
Published: April 2004

The Schelling model of neighbourhood racial segregation is extended to include agents who can authentically 'see' their neighbours up to a distance R, called 'vision'. By exploring the consequences of systematically varying R, an understanding has been developed of how vision interacts with racial preferences and minority concentrations and leads to novel, complex segregation behaviour. Three regimes have been discovered: an unstable regime, where societies invariably segregate; a stable regime, where integrated societies remain stable; and an intermediate regime where a complex behaviour is observed. Detailed results are presented for the symmetrical case (which maximises conflict), where equal numbers of agents of two races occupy the same cityscape. The policy implications of these simulations are briefly indicated.
Progressive Reform, Gender and Institutional Structure: A Critical Analysis of Citizen Participation in Detroit's Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
Authors: Silverman Robert Mark
Published: April 2004

This article examines the institutional context in which community-based organisations are embedded. Two emergent themes in the literature on community development are examined critically: the woman-centred model for community organising; and the thesis concerning the community development industry system. The analysis is based upon data from field research with community development corporations (CDC) in Detroit, Michigan. The findings from this research indicate that the prospects for developing progressive community development strategies in grassroots organisations are constrained by barriers to financial resources and limited access to the policy-making process. As a result, recommendations are forwarded for the creation of autonomous funding sources, expanded democratic decision-making in community-based organisations and the linking of progressive reform to broad-based coalition building and multiple oppression politics.
Regional Tourism Satellite Accounts: A Useful Policy Tool?
Authors: Jones Calvin , Munday Max , Roberts Annette
Published: April 2004

Tourism increasingly features in strategic regional policy documents, being considered important to regional economic prospects. Consequently many regions, notably those less prosperous, have expended significant resources in developing tourism attractions, promoting tourism events and supporting tourism-based operations. In this resource context, the difficulties in assessing the economic contribution of this diverse (and often atomised) set of activities are of concern. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and others have suggested Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSAs) as a suitable method of providing consistent economic evaluation of tourism-based activity. Yet the provision of an accurate and reliable set of accounts, which informs policy decisions and resource directions, is far from easy. This paper examines some of the methodological difficulties in constructing a TSA at the regional level and implications for deriving an effective tourism policy.
Special educational needs across two decades: survey evidence from english primary schools
Authors: Croll Paul , Moses Diana
Published: April 2004

Abstract The article considers the perceived prevalence of special educational needs in English primary schools and changes in this prevalence over two decades and relates these to issues in education policy, teacher practice and the concept of special educational needs. The studies considered are two major surveys of schools and teachers, the first conducted in 1981 and the second conducted in the same schools in 1998. Important features of both studies were their scale and the exceptionally high response rates achieved. Two central findings were the perception of teachers that special educational needs were widespread and of an increase in special educational needs over time: perceived levels of special educational needs were one in five children in 1981, which had risen to one in four children in 1998. Learning difficulties were by far the most common aspects of special educational needs but many children had multiple difficulties, and behavioural difficulties were seen by teachers as the main barriers to inclusion. The very high figures for prevalence raise questions about the continued usefulness of the concept of special educational need distinct from broader issues of achievement.
The changing prepositions of assessment practice: assessment of, for and as learning
Authors: Winter Jan
Published: April 2004

Book Reviewed in this article:

Feedback for Learning S. ASKEW (Ed.)

Promoting Assessment as Learning R. Dann

Developing Portfolios for Learning and Assessment V. Klenowski
‘Touch’ in educational and child care settings: dilemmas and responses
Authors: Piper Heather , Smith Hannah
Published: April 2004

AbstractThis article considers the touching, or rather, not touching, of children and young people in professional settings. Some have argued that many schools and other childcare environments are becoming ‘no touch’ zones. Formal guidelines in the UK are centrally concerned with ‘child protection’ issues, and ‘force and control’, and as such appear more reactive than proactive. From the authors' exploratory studies it has emerged that this is an area where fear and confusion (resulting from a moral panic) have tended to replace a response that is primarily concerned with the caring needs of children. The authors regard this as an area that can no longer be left to chance and suggest that future policy should be informed by research that takes account of the complexities as discussed throughout.
Human development in times of social change: Theoretical considerations and research needs
Authors: Pinquart Martin , Silbereisen Rainer K.
Published: April 2004

Although social change is diverse and ubiquitous, there is to date little research on the impact of social change on individual development, nor on the variables that may mediate and moderate this impact. This lack is, in part, based on insufficient consideration of psychological theories that may be applied to social change, but particularly on the lack of specific theories on psychological consequences of social change. In addition, methodological problems in measuring the complexity of social change have limited research on the consequences of social change on human development. With a focus on the effects of the breakdown of the communist system in Eastern Germany and Eastern Europe on individual development, the present paper analyses how prominent psychological theories can be applied to research on human development in times of social change, namely, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological paradigm, the transactional stress theory, and recent developments of lifespan theories of control and coping. A behavioural model is introduced that analyses developmental consequences of individual’s coping with social change. Finally, we discuss methodological implications for studying social change and set out future research needs.
Effects of Unilateral Distractors: A Comparison of Eye Movement and Key Press Responses
Authors: Machado Liana , Franz Elizabeth A.
Published: April 2004

We compared the effects of a unilateral distractor on the latencies of voluntary eye movements and key press responses in order to elucidate some of the differences between these two types of response with respect to processing distractors. On each trial, participants indicated the colour of a central patch by making a left or a right response. The colour of the distractor either matched the target colour or matched the colour associated with the incorrect response. Similarly, the side of the distractor corresponded to the side of either the correct or the incorrect response. The results showed that side congruency exerted a main effect only on eye movement responses, but colour congruency affected eye movement and key press responses similarly. Moreover, when we made the target more distinct from the distractor, only distractors that appeared on the same side as the response elicited a colour congruency effect, for both response modalities. Wepropose that (1) the appearance of the distractor activates oculomotor cells, which facilitate a subsequent eye movement with the same direction vector, (2) the distinctiveness of the target determines whether colour and side congruency interact, and (3) spatial codes mediate the interaction between colour and side congruency that occurs when the target is sufficiently distinct from the distractor.
Feedforward and Feedback Consistency Effects for High- and Low-Frequency Words in Lexical Decision and Naming
Authors: Lacruz Isabel , Folk Jocelyn R.
Published: April 2004

In three experiments, we examined feedforward and feedback consistency effects in word recognition. Feedforward consistency is the degree to which a word's pronunciation is consistent with that of similarly spelled words, and feedback consistency refers to whether there is more than one way to spell a pronunciation. Previously, Stone, Vanhoy, and Van Orden (1997) reported feedforward and feedback consistency effects for low-frequency words in a lexical decision task. We investigated the effect of feedforward and feedback consistency for both high- and low-frequency words in lexical decision and naming. In both tasks, we found that feedforward and feedback inconsistent words were processed more slowly than consistent words, regardless of word frequency. These findings indicate that both types of consistency are involved in visual word recognition.
Top–Down Contingencies of Nonconscious Priming Revealed by Dual–Task Interference
Authors: Ansorge Ulrich
Published: April 2004

According to the direct parameter specification (DPS) account, reaction time effects of invisible primes depend on top–down control settings directed to targets (Neumann & Klotz, 1994). If this hypothesis holds, effects of invisible primes should decrease in dual–task as compared with single–task conditions: Prior to the primes control settings for the alternative task should be activated, which renders a match between target–directed control settings and primes less likely. In Experiments 1–2 and 4–5, a second task interfered with the validity effect of invisible primes. Control conditions ruled out several alternative explanations. Interference was not due to higher spatial memory loads (Experiments 1 vs. 2), increased numbers of stimuli or responses (Experiments 3–5), or increased response latencies (Experiment 3). If predictable, alternative tasks did not interfere (Experiment 3). The results are in line with the DPS account and less so with some classical definitions of automatic processing (e.g., Posner & Snyder, 1975).
The spatial distribution of attention in perceptual latency priming
Authors: Scharlau Ingrid
Published: April 2004

The spatial distribution of visual attention is a yet unresolved question. One of the main topics is whether attention is distributed in a graded fashion around an attended location (e.g., Downing, 1988; Zimba & Hughes, 1987). The present experiments explore whether, and on which conditions, gradients of attention arise and contribute to perceptual facilitation. A masked or unmasked prime precedes one of two targets whose temporal order has to be judged. The prime captures attention, which shortens the perceptual latency of the primed target (perceptual latency priming; Scharlau & Neumann, 2003a; Shore, Spence, & Klein, 2001). No strong evidence for an attentional gradient was found. (1) Accuracy of temporal order judgements was independent of the distance between the two targets that were judged. That is, facilitation of the second target by the first target was spatially invariant. (2) With targets of short duration, facilitation was independent of prime-target distance. (3) With targets of long duration, gradients were found: Facilitation declined continuously with distance. Thus, long duration of stimuli may be a sufficient precondition for an attentional gradient. A control experiment showed that object-based attention contributes only marginally to perceptual latency priming.
Multi‐slice computed tomography urography after diuretic injection in children with urinary tract dilatation
Authors: Koşucu P. , Ahmetoğlu A. , İmamoğlu M. , Çay A. , Özdemir O. , DinÇ H. , Koşucu M. , Sari A. , Saruhan H. , Gümele H. R.
Published: April 2004

Purpose: To evaluate the potential use of multi‐slice computed tomography urography (MSCTU) after diuretic injection in children with urinary tract dilatation.

Material and Methods: MSCTU was performed in 19 patients (11 boys, 8 girls, mean age 5.4 years) with suspicion of urinary tract obstruction and dilatation. Furosemide, 1 mg/kg, was injected 3 min before contrast material administration and followed by a bolus of 30 ml of physiologic saline solution immediately after application of contrast material. Excretory‐phase images were obtained through the abdomen and pelvis beginning 10 min after initiation of the injection of contrast material. Maximum intensity projection (MIP) and volume rendering (VR) images were post‐processed to obtain urographic views.

Results: MSCTU revealed pathology in 16 of 19 patients, while 3 patients had normal findings. Ureteropelvic obstruction was found in 4 patients, obstructive megaureter in 8. Both ureteropelvic obstruction and obstructive megaureter were disclosed in 1 patient, partial ureteral duplication in 1 patient, and both complete ureteral duplication and ureterocele in 2 patients. In all patients, MIP and VR images could satisfactorily show the pathologies of the urinary tract. The estimated effective average doses of MSCTU were higher than IVU.

Conclusion: Preliminary results of furosemide‐enhanced MSCTU demonstrated consistently dilated urinary tracts, obstruction levels, and underlying pathologies better than US and IVU.
Wallenberg's lateral medullary syndrome: diffusion‐weighted imaging findings
Authors: Kitis O. , Calli C. , Yunten N. , Kocaman A. , Sirin H.
Published: April 2004

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of diffusion‐weighted imaging in patients with Wallenberg's lateral medullary syndrome.

Material and Methods: Thirteen patients with Wallenberg's lateral medullary syndrome were examined with conventional and echoplanar diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in a 1.5 T magnetic resonance unit. MR examinations were obtained in the acute or subacute stage of clinical syndrome, and diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) was considered to be positive for infarction when an increase in signal was seen on b=1000 s/mm2 images in the posterolateral medullary localization.

Results: DWIs were positive in 12 patients in the acute or subacute stages of this clinical syndrome. A false‐negative result was obtained in only one patient examined within the first day, 10 h after onset of the symptoms. In the visual evaluation of the DWI, the contrast between normal and infarcted brainstem area was better in the high b‐value images than in the apparent diffusion coefficient map images.

Conclusion: DWI is a valuable technique for examining patients presenting with the signs and symptoms of Wallenberg's syndrome and high b‐value images can provide complementary data to T2‐weighted images. However, because most of our case group were in either the acute or subacute stage, true sensitivity of the method in the hyperacute stage of the syndrome remains unclear.
Multidetector computed tomography diagnosis of adult elbow fractures
Authors: Haapamaki V. V. , Kiuru M. J. , Koskinen S. K.
Published: April 2004

Purpose: To assess acute phase multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings in elbow traumas.

Material and Methods: Fifty‐six patients (32 M, 24 F, age 16 to 88 years, mean 44 years) underwent MDCT of the elbow due to an acute trauma during a time period of 34 months.

Results: A total of 65 fractures and 3 main fracture types were established: 16 (25%) ulnar coronoid process fractures, 13 (20%) radial head fractures, and 12 (18%) humeral supracondylar fractures. Three main injury mechanisms were falling (38 (68%) patients), falling from high places (6 (11%) patients), and traffic accidents (5 (9%) patients). In 6 (11%) patients, MDCT revealed 13 occult fractures in the elbow joint compared to primary radiography. In four (7%) patients a displaced fracture fragment was detected in primary radiography, but the origin of the fragment was unclear. In all four cases, MDCT revealed the origin of the fragment.

Conclusion: Radiography remains the primary imaging modality in elbow trauma, but in complex fracture patterns, where the extent of the fractures and the position or origin of dislocated fragments is not clear by radiography, the MDCT is a recommended complementary examination.
Radiological spectrum of late sequelae of corrosive injury to upper gastrointestinal tract. a pictorial review
Authors: Nagi B. , Kochhar R. , Thapa B. R. , Singh K.
Published: April 2004

Purpose: To evaluate the radiological spectrum of sequelae of corrosive acid and alkali injury to the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract using barium contrast examination.

Material and Methods: Barium contrast radiographic films of 155 patients with a history of corrosive ingestion, acid in 120 and alkali in 35 patients with grade 2b and 3 injury on initial endoscopy, were retrospectively evaluated. Barium contrast examination of the upper GI tract was performed in the course of follow‐up, beyond 3 weeks of corrosive ingestion.

Results: The esophagus was involved in 131 patients and the stomach in 74. Fifty patients had simultaneous involvement of esophagus and stomach. Radiological findings in the esophagus were solitary or multiple strictures of varying length, intramural pseudodiverticula, and carcinoma in long‐standing corrosive injury. The stomach showed cicatrization, predominantly involving the antrum, linitis plastica type deformity with multiple pseudodiverticula. There was no difference in the radiological findings as to the type of corrosive ingested.

Conclusion: Barium examination of the upper GI tract is useful in the evaluation of late sequelae of corrosive injury (acid/alkali). There was no difference in the radiological findings as to the type of corrosive ingested. Thus, contrary to general belief, we found that acid and alkali damage both the esophagus and the stomach with equal degree of severity.
Regulation of nuclear factor‐κB in intestinal epithelial cells in a cell model of inflammation
Authors: Homaidan Fadia R. , Chakroun Iman , El-sabban Marwan E.
Published: April 2004

Background: Interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), an inflammatory cytokine whose levels are elevated in inflamed mucosa, causes part of its effect on intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) through inducing ceramide production.

Aim: To study the role of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), a pro‐inflammatory and anti‐apoptotic factor, in IL‐1‐ treated IEC.

Methods: NF‐κB activity and levels of apoptotic proteins were assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and RNA‐protection assay, respectively.

Results: IL‐1 and ceramide, which have been shown to partially mediate IL‐l effects on IEC, activated NF‐κB levels significantly. This activation was due to a decrease in IκB‐α and IκB‐β protein levels. Moreover, the ratio of mRNA levels of anti‐apoptotic to pro‐apoptotic proteins was significantly increased in IL‐1‐treated IEC.

Conclusion: NF‐κB may play a key role in the regulation of the expression of pro‐inflammatory and/or apoptotic genes in inflammatory bowel disease, making this protein an attractive target for therapeutic intervention.
Influence of ionic and non‐ionic radiographic contrast media on leukocyte adhesion molecules
Authors: Vermeiren Guy L. J. , Willems Roel , Claeys Marc J. , Vrints Chris , Slegers Herman , Jorens Philippe G.
Published: April 2004

Background: Many papers have focused on the importance of granulocytes in the process of reperfusion and ischemia. Most of the clinical studies measured several parameters of this process during and after coronary angiography, without taking into account the effect of the radiographic contrast media (RCM) used during this procedure.

Materials and methods: We performed a randomized patient study (n = 37) to evaluate the effect of ionic and non‐ionic RCM on granulocyte adhesion during coronary angiography. We also evaluated the influence of the ionicity and osmolarity of the different substances on granulocyte adhesion molecules in in vitro experiments.

Results: The osmolarity of patient serum samples increased from 302±1 to 309±1 mOsm/kg (P < 0.05) after infusion of RCM. The CD11b expression in the samples of the non‐ionic RCM treated group increased from 221±21 MFI to 377±30 MFI (P < 0.05) measured as the absolute mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), yet did not alter significantly in the ionic RCM group. In contrast, the in vitro experiments showed a reduction of the CD11b expression from 360±70 MFI to 149±30 MFI (P < 0.05) in the ionic RCM group.

Conclusions: The upregulation of adhesion molecules was significantly reduced in vivo with ionic RCM, while ionic substances caused opposite effects in vitro. This effect should be taken into account when performing leukocyte functional analysis of samples taken during angiography.
Vascular endothelial growth factor and its soluble receptors VEGFR‐1 and VEGFR‐2 in the serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Robak Ewa , Sysa-jędrzejewska Anna , Robak Tadeusz
Published: April 2004

We investigated the serum concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its two soluble receptors, sVEGFR‐1 and sVEGFR‐2, in a group of 60 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 20 healthy controls, using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. We examined a possible association between serum levels of these proteins and certain clinical and laboratory parameters as well as SLE activity. VEGF, sVEGFR‐1 and sVEGFR‐2 were detectable in all patients with SLE and in all normal individuals. The VEGF level was higher in active SLE (mean, 300.8 pg/ml) than in inactive SLE (mean, 165.9 pg/ml) (P < 0.05) or in the control group (mean, 124.7 pg/ml) (P < 0.04). The highest sVEGFR‐1 concentrations were also detected in active SLE patients (mean, 42.2 pg/ml) and the lowest in inactive disease (mean, 32.0 pg/ml) (P < 0.01). In contrast, the levels of sVEGFR‐2 were lower in SLE (mean, 12557.6 pg/ml) than in the control group (mean, 15025.3 pg/ml) (P < 0.05). We found a positive correlation between sVEGFR‐1 concentration and the SLE activity score ρ = 0.375(P < 0.004) and a negative, but statistically insignificant correlation between sVEGFR‐2 and SLE activity (ρ = −0.190, P > 0.05). Treatment with steroids and cytotoxic agents did not influence VEGF or its soluble receptors levels. In conclusion, in SLE patients the levels of VEGF and sVEGFR‐1 are higher in patients with active SLE than in inactive disease or healthy persons. In contrast, the level of sVEGFR‐2 is lower in active SLE than in inactive disease. The imbalance between VEGF and its soluble receptors may be important in SLE pathogenesis.
Histamine mediates the pro‐inflammatory effect of latex of Calotropis procera in rats
Authors: Shivkar Yatin M. , Kumar Vijay L.
Published: April 2004

Introduction: Calotropis procera is known to produce contact dermatitis and the latex of this plant produces intense inflammation when injected locally. However, the precise mode of its pro‐inflammatory effect is not known. In present study we have pharmacologically characterized the inflammation induced by latex of C. procera in a rat paw edema model and determined the role of histamine in latex‐induced inflammation.

Methods: Inflammation was induced in the hind paw of rats by injecting different doses of dried latex (DL) of C. procera. The inhibitory effect of phenylbutazone, dexamethasone, celecoxib, cyproheptadine, chlorpheniramine and compound 48/80 on edema volume was evaluated and compared with that against carrageenan. The histamine content of DL was measured fluorometrically.

Results: DL produced dose‐dependent inflammation of the rat paw. Cyproheptadine and chlorpheniramine effectively inhibited DL‐induced inflammation (90%; P < 0.01), while anti‐inflammatory drugs phenylbutazone, dexamethasone and celecoxib were more effective against carrageenan‐induced inflammation. Depletion of mast cell histamine by compound 48/80 produced a significant decrease in DL‐induced inflammation as compared with carrageenan (50% versus 25%). DL was also found to contain about 6 μg/g of histamine.

Conclusions: Thus, our study shows that the biogenic amines play a significant role in C. procera latex‐induced inflammation and antihistaminic drugs could be effectively used to inhibit inflammatory response elicited by exposure to latex.
Changes in Corporate Governance of German Corporations: Convergence to the Anglo-American Model?
Authors: Lane Christel
Published: April 2004

This paper examines the many changes which have transformed the German system of corporate governance during the last seven odd years. It concludes that it is in the process of converging towards the Anglo-American model and that this has fundamentally affected the way strategic decisions are made in firms. Convergence is not seen as a functional necessity, nor is it viewed as inevitable. The paper offers both a theoretical exploration of institutional and system transformation and an empirical study which substantiates the theoretical position taken with evidence about recent trends in capital markets, banks, government and firms. Empirical evidence from the pharmaceutical/chemical industry is supplemented by data on firms in other sectors, including the financial sector. The theoretical examination of institutional change focuses on the notions of system logic, institutional complementarity, functional conversion and hybridisation. It examines both external sources of change and internal powerful actors who promote the process of transformation. The notions of hybridisation of the German business system, as well as claims about functional conversion and the evolution of a new complementarity between institutions, are rejected in favour of a trend towards convergence. The transformation in capital markets and the rise to dominance of the notion of shareholder value is particularly affecting large international and quoted firms, but is gradually spreading also to other parts of the economy. This transformation is affecting labour and industrial relations in negative ways, as well as posing a threat to the German production model of diversified quality production.