bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hormone Therapy: Physiological Complexity Belies Therapeutic Simplicity
Authors: Turgeon Judith L. , McDonnell Donald P. , Martin Kathryn A. , Wise Phyllis M.
Published: May 2004

The results of the Women's Health Initiative, a study anticipated to provide definitive answers about health benefits and risks of postmenopausal hormone therapy, have generated debate and confusion among clinicians, researchers, and the lay public. The ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone, which decline at menopause, normally elicit complex tissue-specific responses throughout the body. Major advances are providing a detailed molecular definition of how that differential action is achieved. Here we review estrogen and progestin actions, discuss how effectively knowledge of steroid hormone endocrinology has been incorporated into clinical studies, and consider the impact on modern hormone therapy protocols and pharmaceutical development.
The
Arabidopsis Cucumovirus Multiplication 1
and
2
Loci Encode Translation Initiation Factors 4E and 4G
Authors: Yoshii Motoyasu , Nishikiori Masaki , Tomita Kayo , Yoshioka Norimichi , Kozuka Reiko , Naito Satoshi , Ishikawa Masayuki
Published: May 2004

The
cum1
and
cum2
mutations of
Arabidopsis thaliana
inhibit cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) multiplication. In
cum1
and
cum2
protoplasts, CMV RNA and the coat protein accumulated to wild-type levels, but the accumulation of the 3a protein of CMV, which is necessary for cell-to-cell movement of the virus, was strongly reduced compared with that in wild-type protoplasts. In
cum2
protoplasts, the accumulation of turnip crinkle virus (TCV)-related RNA and proteins was also reduced. Positional cloning demonstrated that
CUM1
and
CUM2
encode eukaryotic translation initiation factors 4E and 4G, respectively. Unlike most cellular mRNA, the CMV RNA lacks a poly(A) tail, whereas the TCV RNA lacks both a 5′-terminal cap and a poly(A) tail. In vivo translation analyses, using chimeric luciferase mRNA carrying the terminal structures and untranslated sequences of the CMV or TCV RNA, demonstrated that these viral untranslated sequences contain elements that regulate the expression of encoded proteins positively or negatively. The
cum1
and
cum2
mutations had different effects on the action of these elements, suggesting that the
cum1
and
cum2
mutations cause inefficient production of CMV 3a protein and that the
cum2
mutation affects the production of TCV-encoded proteins.
Characterization of the Polymerase and RNase H Activities of Human Foamy Virus Reverse Transcriptase
Authors: Boyer Paul L. , Stenbak Carolyn R. , Clark Patrick K. , Linial Maxine L. , Hughes Stephen H.
Published: May 2004

Foamy virus (FV) replication, while related to that of orthoretroviruses, differs at a number of steps. Several of these differences involve the reverse transcriptase (RT). There appear to be fewer RTs present in FV than in orthoretroviruses; we previously proposed that the polymerase of FV RT was more active than orthoretroviral RTs to compensate for the numerical difference. Here we present further characterization of the RT of FV. The polymerase activity of FV RT was greater than that of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RT in a variety of assays. We also examined the RNase H activity of FV RT, and we propose that FV RT has a basic loop in the RNase H domain. Although the sequence of the basic loop of FV RT is different from the basic loop of either Moloney leukemia virus RNase H or
Escherichia coli
RNase H, the FV RT basic loop appears to have a similar function.
Differential Antiviral Response of Endothelial Cells after Infection with Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic Hantaviruses
Authors: Kraus Annette A. , Raftery Martin J. , Giese Thomas , Ulrich Rainer , Zawatzky Rainer , Hippenstiel Stefan , Suttorp Norbert , Krüger Detlev H. , Schönrich Günther
Published: May 2004

Hantaviruses represent important human pathogens and can induce hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which is characterized by endothelial dysfunction. Both pathogenic and nonpathogenic hantaviruses replicate without causing any apparent cytopathic effect, suggesting that immunopathological mechanisms play an important role in pathogenesis. We compared the antiviral responses triggered by Hantaan virus (HTNV), a pathogenic hantavirus associated with HFRS, and Tula virus (TULV), a rather nonpathogenic hantavirus, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Both HTNV- and TULV-infected cells showed increased levels of molecules involved in antigen presentation. However, TULV-infected HUVECs upregulated HLA class I molecules more rapidly. Interestingly, HTNV clearly induced the production of beta interferon (IFN-β), whereas expression of this cytokine was barely detectable in the supernatant or in extracts from TULV-infected HUVECs. Nevertheless, the upregulation of HLA class I on both TULV- and HTNV-infected cells could be blocked by neutralizing anti-IFN-β antibodies. Most strikingly, the antiviral MxA protein, which interferes with hantavirus replication, was already induced 16 h after infection with TULV. In contrast, HTNV-infected HUVECs showed no expression of MxA until 48 h postinfection. In accordance with the kinetics of MxA expression, TULV replicated only inefficiently in HUVECs, whereas HTNV-infected cells produced high titers of virus particles that decreased after 48 h postinfection. Both hantavirus species, however, could replicate equally well in Vero E6 cells, which lack an IFN-induced MxA response. Thus, delayed induction of antiviral MxA in endothelial cells after infection with HTNV could allow viral dissemination and contribute to the pathogenesis leading to HFRS.
Identification of Synthetic Endothelial Cell-Specific Promoters by Use of a High-Throughput Screen
Authors: Dai Christine , McAninch Robin E. , Sutton Richard E.
Published: May 2004

Transcriptional targeting is a desirable property for many gene transfer applications. Because endothelial cells line most blood vessels, they are attractive candidates for the introduction of therapeutic gene products. As a proof-of-concept study, we attempted to identify a synthetic, endothelial cell-specific promoter by use of a high-throughput screen involving self-inactivating (SIN) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based vectors. Select duplex oligodeoxynucleotides recognized by transcription factors and located 5′ of endothelial cell-specific mRNA transcripts were randomly ligated and cloned upstream of a minimal ICAM-2 promoter driving enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in a SIN HIV-1-based vector. Vesicular stomatitis virus G protein-pseudotyped particles were prepared from a library of >10
6
vector recombinants and used to transduce an endothelial cell line. The highest eGFP expressers were repeatedly sorted, and the synthetic promoters were recovered and retested by a luciferase reporter. Several promoters were active and specific to endothelial cells of varied species, with high selectivity indexes and inducibility under hypoxia-mimetic conditions. One in particular was then introduced back into a SIN HIV-1-based vector to confirm its endothelial cell activity and specificity. This study suggests that SIN vectors may be used in a high-throughput manner to identify tissue-specific promoters of high activity, with potential applications for both transcriptional targeting and gene transfer.
Induction of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-3 by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Contributes to Inhibition of the Interferon Signaling Pathway
Authors: Yokota Shin-ichi , Yokosawa Noriko , Okabayashi Tamaki , Suzutani Tatsuo , Miura Shunsuke , Jimbow Kowichi , Fujii Nobuhiro
Published: May 2004

We showed previously that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) suppresses the interferon (IFN) signaling pathway during the early infection stage in the human amnion cell line FL. HSV-1 inhibits the IFN-induced phosphorylation of Janus kinases (JAK) in infected FL cells. In the present study, we showed that the suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3), a host negative regulator of the JAK/STAT pathway, is rapidly induced in FL cells after HSV-1 infection. Maximal levels of SOCS3 protein were detected at around 1 to 2 h after infection. This is consistent with the occurrence of HSV-1-mediated inhibition of IFN-induced JAK phosphorylation. The HSV-1 wild-type strain VR3 induced SOCS3 more efficiently than did mutants that are defective in UL41 or UL13 and that are hyperresponsive to IFN. Induction of the IRF-7 protein and transcriptional activation of IFN-α4, which occur in a JAK/STAT pathway-dependent manner, were poorly induced by VR3 but efficiently induced by the mutant viruses. In contrast, phosphorylation of IRF-3 and transcriptional activation of IFN-β, which are JAK/STAT pathway-independent process, were equally well induced by the wild-type strain and the mutants. In conclusion, the SOCS3 protein appears to be mainly responsible for the suppression of IFN signaling and IFN production that occurs during HSV-1 infection.
Intramembrane Proteolysis and Endoplasmic Reticulum Retention of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein
Authors: Okamoto Kiyoko , Moriishi Kohji , Miyamura Tatsuo , Matsuura Yoshiharu
Published: May 2004

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is suggested to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through a C-terminal hydrophobic region that acts as a membrane anchor for core protein and as a signal sequence for E1 protein. The signal sequence of core protein is further processed by signal peptide peptidase (SPP). We examined the regions of core protein responsible for ER retention and processing by SPP. Analysis of the intracellular localization of deletion mutants of HCV core protein revealed that not only the C-terminal signal-anchor sequence but also an upstream hydrophobic region from amino acid 128 to 151 is required for ER retention of core protein. Precise mutation analyses indicated that replacement of Leu
139
, Val
140
, and Leu
144
of core protein by Ala inhibited processing by SPP, but cleavage at the core-E1 junction by signal peptidase was maintained. Additionally, the processed E1 protein was translocated into the ER and glycosylated with high-mannose oligosaccharides. Core protein derived from the mutants was translocated into the nucleus in spite of the presence of the unprocessed C-terminal signal-anchor sequence. Although the direct association of core protein with a wild-type SPP was not observed, expression of a loss-of-function SPP mutant inhibited cleavage of the signal sequence by SPP and coimmunoprecipitation with unprocessed core protein. These results indicate that Leu
139
, Val
140
, and Leu
144
in core protein play crucial roles in the ER retention and SPP cleavage of HCV core protein.
A Bidirectional SF2/ASF- and SRp40-Dependent Splicing Enhancer Regulates Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1
rev
,
env
,
vpu
, and
nef
Gene Expression
Authors: Caputi Massimo , Freund Marcel , Kammler Susanne , Asang Corinna , Schaal Heiner
Published: May 2004

The integrated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genome is transcribed in a single pre-mRNA that is alternatively spliced into more than 40 mRNAs. We characterized a novel bidirectional exonic splicing enhancer (ESE) that regulates the expression of the HIV-1
env
,
vpu
,
rev
, and
nef
mRNAs. The ESE is localized downstream of the
vpu
-,
env
-, and
nef
-specific 3′ splice site no. 5. SF2/ASF and SRp40 activate the ESE and are required for efficient 3′ splice site usage and binding of the U1 snRNP to the downstream 5′ splice site no. 4. U1 snRNP binding to the 5′ splice site no. 4 is required for splicing of the
rev
and
nef
mRNAs and to increase expression of the partially spliced
env
mRNA. Finally, our results indicate that this ESE is necessary for the recruitment of the U1 snRNP to the 5′ splice site no. 4, even when the 5′ splice site and the U1 snRNA have been mutated to obtain a perfect complementary match. The ESE characterized here is highly conserved in most viral subtypes.
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Encoded Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen Inhibits Lytic Replication by Targeting Rta: a Potential Mechanism for Virus-Mediated Control of Latency
Authors: Lan Ke , Kuppers Daniel A. , Verma Subhash C. , Robertson Erle S.
Published: May 2004

Like other herpesviruses, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, also designated human herpesvirus 8) can establish a latent infection in the infected host. During latency a small number of genes are expressed. One of those genes encodes latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA), which is constitutively expressed in cells during latent as well as lytic infection. LANA has previously been shown to be important for the establishment of latent episome maintenance through tethering of the viral genome to the host chromosomes. Under specific conditions, KSHV can undergo lytic replication, with the production of viral progeny. The immediate-early Rta, encoded by open reading frame 50 of KSHV, has been shown to play a critical role in switching from viral latent replication to lytic replication. Overexpression of Rta from a heterologous promoter is sufficient for driving KSHV lytic replication and the production of viral progeny. In the present study, we show that LANA down-modulates Rta's promoter activity in transient reporter assays, thus repressing Rta-mediated transactivation. This results in a decrease in the production of KSHV progeny virions. We also found that LANA interacts physically with Rta both in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, our results demonstrate that LANA can inhibit viral lytic replication by inhibiting expression as well as antagonizing the function of Rta. This suggests that LANA may play a critical role in maintaining latency by controlling the switch between viral latency and lytic replication.
Short Duration of Elevated vIRF-1 Expression during Lytic Replication of Human Herpesvirus 8 Limits Its Ability To Block Antiviral Responses Induced by Alpha Interferon in BCBL-1 Cells
Authors: Pozharskaya Veronika P. , Weakland Laura L. , Zimring James C. , Krug Laurie T. , Unger Elizabeth R. , Neisch Andrew , Joshi Harish , Inoue Naoki , Offermann Margaret K.
Published: May 2004

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) encodes multiple proteins that disrupt the host antiviral response, including viral interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 1 (vIRF-1). The product of the vIRF-1 gene blocks responses to IFN when overexpressed by transfection, but the functional consequence of vIRF-1 that is expressed during infection with HHV-8 is not known. These studies demonstrate that BCBL-1 cells that were latently infected with HHV-8 expressed low levels of vIRF-1 that were associated with PML bodies, whereas much higher levels of vIRF-1 were transiently expressed during the lytic phase of HHV-8 replication. The low levels of vIRF-1 that were associated with PML bodies were insufficient to block alpha IFN (IFN-α)-induced alterations in gene expression, whereas cells that expressed high levels of vIRF-1 were resistant to some changes induced by IFN-α, including the expression of the double-stranded-RNA-activated protein kinase. High levels of vIRF-1 were expressed for only a short period during the lytic cascade, so many cells with HHV-8 in the lytic phase responded to IFN-α with increased expression of antiviral genes and enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, the production of infectious virus was severely compromised when IFN-α was present early during the lytic cascade. These studies indicate that the transient expression of high levels of vIRF-1 is inadequate to subvert many of the antiviral effects of IFN-α so that IFN-α can effectively induce apoptosis and block production of infectious virus when present early in the lytic cascade of HHV-8.
Survival strategies of Silene tatarica (Caryophyllaceae) in riparian and ruderal habitats
Authors: Jäkäläniemi Anne , Kauppi Anneli , Pramila Antti , Vähätaini Kalle
Published: May 2004

Certain morphological and anatomical structures of riparian plants might be important for their survival during the season when they are exposed to severe stress caused by flooding, burial, fluctuating temperatures, and drought. These rare characteristics were studied as related to their ecological consequences in a threatened plant, Silene tatarica (L.) Pers., in riparian and ruderal habitats. The main differences between the habitats were morphological and closely related to the habitat properties, whereas the basic anatomy of structures was similar. After sand burial, most riparian plants formed vertical rhizomes and new meristems by bud ramification in the stem base near the ground surface. Special anatomical structures of fleshy underground stems and roots seem to allow plants to be resilient. Moreover, some primitive structures, such as vascular elements with helical and scalariform thickenings, collenchyma, and abundant xylem parenchyma, may increase the resilience of organs. High amounts of saccharose in fleshy rhizomes and roots can increase the cold resistance of plants. The flat shape and structures of tiny seeds may enhance the long-distance dispersal by water. We suggest that the synergism of these structures enables the survival of S. tatarica in highly disturbed habitats with fluctuating water levels.Key words: bud clusters, burial, flooding, growth habit, tensile strength, vertical rhizome.
Competition and coexistence in grassland codominants: responses to neighbour removal and resource availability
Authors: Silletti Andrea M , Knapp Alan K , Blair John M
Published: May 2004

We examined the role of interspecific competition in the regulation of abundance and coexistence of the dominant grasses in tallgrass prairie using a removal experiment with Andropogon gerardii Vitman and Sorghastrum nutans L. Nash, two of the most abundant grasses in tallgrass prairie. Plant removal treatments (using foliar herbicide), applied to 0.3-m2plots at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (northeast Kansas, USA), included removal of all A. gerardii, removal of all S. nutans, and no removal. To determine whether soil fertility altered the outcome, we included a fertilizer addition treatment (10 g N·m2) fully crossed with the removal treatments. Andropogon gerardii removal resulted in significantly increased net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and tiller mass in S. nutans. Sorghastrum nutans removal had little effect on A. gerardii, suggesting asymmetric competition. Fertilizer significantly increased tiller mass and flowering stalk production in S. nutans, but had little effect on A. gerardii. The ability of A. gerardii to suppress the performance of S. nutans is consistent with the greater abundance of A. gerardii over much of the tallgrass prairie, while the ability of S. nutans to take advantage of increased resources may be one mechanism by which it avoids competitive exclusion. Because of the greater variability in the performance of S. nutans than in that of A. gerardii, any natural or anthropogenic alterations to this grassland that lead to shifts in dominance between these species may affect ecosystem productivity and stability.Key words: Andropogon gerardii, competition, grassland, neighbour removal, photosynthesis, Sorghastrum nutans, tallgrass prairie.
LINEARIZING N=1 NONLINEAR SUPERSYMMETRY WITH HIGHER DERIVATIVE TERMS OF A NAMBU–GOLDSTONE FERMION
Authors: SHIMA KAZUNARI , TSUDA MOTOMU
Published: May 2004

We investigate for N=1 supersymmetry (SUSY) the relation between a scalar supermultiplet of linear SUSY and a nonlinear (NL) SUSY model including apparently pathological higher derivative terms of a Nambu–Goldstone (N-G) fermion besides the Volkov–Akulov (V-A) action. SUSY invariant relations with higher derivative terms of the N-G fermion, which connect the linear and NL–SUSY models, are constructed at leading orders by heuristic arguments. We discuss a higher derivative action of the N-G fermion in the NL–SUSY model, which apparently includes a (Weyl) ghost field. By using this relation, we also explicitly prove an equivalence between the standard NL–SUSY V-A model and our NL–SUSY model with the pathological higher derivatives as an example with respect to the universality of NL–SUSY actions with the N-G fermion.
DECISION MAKING BY VARIABLE CONTRIBUTION IN DISCRIMINANT, LOGIT, AND REGRESSION ANALYSES
Authors: LIPOVETSKY STAN , CONKLIN MICHAEL
Published: May 2004

Comparative contribution of predictors in multivariate statistical models is widely used for decision making on the importance of the variables for the aims of analysis and prediction. However, the analysis can be made difficult because of the predictors' multicollinearity that distorts estimates for coefficients in the linear aggregate. To solve the problem of the robust evaluation of the predictors' contribution, we apply the Shapley Value regression analysis that provides consistent results in the presence of multicollinearity both for regression and discriminant functions. We also show how the linear discriminant function can be constructed as a multiple regression, and how the logistic regression can be approximated by linear regression that helps to obtain the variables contribution in the linear aggregate.
PROKARYOTE PHYLOGENY WITHOUT SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT: FROM AVOIDANCE SIGNATURE TO COMPOSITION DISTANCE
Authors: HAO BAILIN , QI JI
Published: May 2004

This is a review of a new and essentially simple method of inferring phylogenetic relationships from complete genome data without using sequence alignment. The method is based on counting the appearance frequency of oligopeptides of a fixed length (up to K=6) in the collection of protein sequences of a species. It is a method without fine adjustment and choice of genes. Applied to prokaryotic genomes it has led to results comparable with the bacteriologists' systematics as reflected in the latest 2002 outline of the Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. The method has also been used to compare chloroplast genomes and to the phylogeny of Coronaviruses including human SARS-CoV. A key point in our approach is subtraction of a random background from the original counts by using a Markov model of order K-2 in order to highlight the shaping role of natural selection. The implications of the subtraction procedure is specially analyzed and further development of the new approach is indicated.
STATISTICAL AND VISUAL MORPH MOVIE ANALYSIS OF CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC MUTANT SELECTION BIAS IN PROTEIN MUTATION RESOURCE DATA
Authors: KREBS WERNER G. , BOURNE PHILIP E.
Published: May 2004

Structural studies of the effects of non-silent mutations on protein conformational change are an important key in deciphering the language that relates protein amino acid primary structure to tertiary structure. Elsewhere, we presented the Protein Mutant Resource (PMR) database, a set of online tools that systematically identified groups of related mutant structures in the Protein DataBank (PDB), accurately inferred mutant classifications in the Gene Ontology using an innovative, statistically rigorous data-mining algorithm with more general applicability, and illustrated the relationship of these mutant structures via an intuitive user interface. Here, we perform a comprehensive statistical analysis of the effect of PMR mutations on protein tertiary structure. We find that, although the PMR does contain spectacular examples of conformational change, in general there is a counter-intuitive inverse relationship between conformational change (measured as C-alpha displacement or RMS of the core structure) and the number of mutations in a structure. That is, point mutations by structural biologists present in the PDB contrast naturally evolved mutations. We compare the frequency of mutations in the PMR/PDB datasets against the accepted PAM250 natural amino acid mutation frequency to confirm these observations. We generated morph movies from PMR structure pairs using technology previously developed for the Macromolecular Motions Database (), allowing bioinformaticians, geneticists, protein engineers, and rational drug designers to analyze visually the mechanisms of protein conformational change and distinguish between conformational change due to motions (e.g., ligand binding) and mutations. The PMR morph movies and statistics can be freely viewed from the PMR website, .
OPTIMAL, EFFICIENT RECONSTRUCTION OF PHYLOGENETIC NETWORKS WITH CONSTRAINED RECOMBINATION
Authors: GUSFIELD DAN , EDDHU SATISH , LANGLEY CHARLES
Published: May 2004

A phylogenetic network is a generalization of a phylogenetic tree, allowing structural properties that are not tree-like. In a seminal paper, Wang et al.1studied the problem of constructing a phylogenetic network, allowing recombination between sequences, with the constraint that the resulting cycles must be disjoint. We call such a phylogenetic network a "galled-tree". They gave a polynomial-time algorithm that was intended to determine whether or not a set of sequences could be generated on galled-tree. Unfortunately, the algorithm by Wang et al.1is incomplete and does not constitute a necessary test for the existence of a galled-tree for the data. In this paper, we completely solve the problem. Moreover, we prove that if there is a galled-tree, then the one produced by our algorithm minimizes the number of recombinations over all phylogenetic networks for the data, even allowing multiple-crossover recombinations. We also prove that when there is a galled-tree for the data, the galled-tree minimizing the number of recombinations is "essentially unique". We also note two additional results: first, any set of sequences that can be derived on a galled tree can be derived on a true tree (without recombination cycles), where at most one back mutation per site is allowed; second, the site compatibility problem (which is NP-hard in general) can be solved in polynomial time for any set of sequences that can be derived on a galled tree.

Perhaps more important than the specific results about galled-trees, we introduce an approach that can be used to study recombination in general phylogenetic networks.

This paper greatly extends the conference version that appears in an earlier work.8PowerPoint slides of the conference talk can be found at our website.7
The Angular Distribution of UV-B Sky Radiance under Cloudy Conditions: A Comparison of Measurements and Radiative Transfer Calculations Using a Fractal Cloud Model
Authors: Kuchinke Christopher , Fienberg Kurt , Nunez Manuel
Published: May 2004

In recent years, global warming concerns have focused attention on cloud radiative forcing and its accurate encapsulation in radiative transfer measurement and modeling programs. At present, this process is constrained by the dynamic movement and inhomogeneity of cloud structure. This study attempts to quantify the UV sky radiance distribution induced by a partial and overcast stratiform cloud field while addressing some of the inherent spatial and temporal errors resulting from cloud. For this purpose, high-quality azimuthally averaged 2-min measurements of erythemal UV-B sky radiance distribution were undertaken by a variable sky-view platform at Hobart, Australia (42.90°S, 147.33°E). Measurements were subsequently compared with Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations using both a multifractal and plane-parallel homogenous (PPH) cloud field. Data were also compared with several empirical parameterizations. Results at solar zenith angles of 30° and 50° show that for overcast conditions, the multifractal model is superior to the PPH model. For broken cloud conditions, the radiance measurements are biased toward higher instances of direct-beam interruption by cloud. This tends to smooth the near-sun sky radiance field whereas the multifractal model under the same conditions continues to exhibit the circumsolar effect, indicating that its performance may be still valid for radiation modeling. An empirical parameterization of the same multifractal model produced similar sky radiance profiles, warranting its use in radiative transfer models.
Implicit Virtues, Divergent Goods, Multiple Communities
Authors: Tjeltveit Alan C.
Published: May 2004

Developing good theory about virtues and character requires facing a major obstacle: Many behavioral scientists, including scientific, humanistic, and postmodern, oppose the very idea of virtue. Careful examination of their narratives, ideologies, practices, and communities suggests, however, that each clearly has notions about praiseworthy human characteristics, that is, about virtues. Concepts of virtues and character within a variety of behavioral science approaches are discussed and identified. Virtues are closely related to concepts of goodness and community, with different virtues linked to divergent concepts of the good and competing communities. The problems of implicit conceptions of virtue and the good are discussed. Explicit discussions of virtue, goodness, and multiple communities, it is argued, can help us develop the best possible accounts of character.
Reason and Human Finitude
Authors: Fowers Blaine J.
Published: May 2004

Phronesis, or practical wisdom, is central to virtue ethics because choosing the best course of action cannot be reduced to an algorithm. Phronesis is the capacity to make wise decisions regarding which virtues are called for in particular circumstances and the best way to enact those virtues. This article highlights three components of practical wisdom: moral perception, deliberation, and choice. Admirable actions are characterized by perceiving what is important, deliberating about how to address the central aspects of our circumstances, and choosing the most appropriate response. The article is concluded by discussing the centrality of phronesis in ethical, clinical, and scientific practice.
Scandals, Media, and Citizenship in Contemporary Argentina
Authors: Waisbord Silvio R.
Published: May 2004

This article examines several scandals in 1990s Argentina to discuss the linkages between scandals, media, and citizenship. Suggesting that media publicity is central for scandals to unfold, the article examines a particular arms scandal. An institutional approach that considers the role of different political actors in different scandals shows how and why the media and other institutions contributed to the making and unmaking of scandals. Although scandals offer opportunities for “doing politics by other means,” not all actors are similarly involved. Scandals that dealt with official corruption mainly featured political elites, whereas scandals that followed revelations about human rights violations showed a different pattern: public outrage and citizens’mobilization. In a political context of “scandal fatigue,” scandals do not necessarily trigger public action or moral crusades. Only those scandals that directly affected groups of citizens and were not simply causes d’état were followed by public demonstrations and intense audience attention.
Veto Players and the Rule of Law in Emerging Democracies
Authors: Andrews Josephine T. , Montinola Gabriella R.
Published: May 2004

The authors investigate the relationship between constitutional design and the rule of law in emerging democracies. The authors provide a formal logic to the Madisonian assertion that increasing the number of veto players strengthens the rule of law. The model shows that as the number of veto players in government increases, their ability to collude on accepting bribes decreases; therefore, their incentive to vote on legislation strengthening the rule of law increases. The authors classify governments according to the number of veto players, following the logic proposed by Tsebelis. The authors test hypotheses derived from their model on 35 emerging democracies using veto-player data that they gathered for the analyses. The authors find that systems with multiple veto players have higher levels of the rule of law. Furthermore, independent of the number of veto players, presidential systems have lower levels of the rule of law than do parliamentary systems.
Markets, Institutions, and Politics Under Globalization
Authors: Kwon Hyeong-Ki
Published: May 2004

By investigating U.S. and German industrial adjustments, in particular, the dynamic process of transformation in the U.S. and German automotive industries, this article seeks to reconceptualize the market and politics. Although the U.S. and German automotive industries showed a strikingly similar pattern of industrial adjustments, such as deintegration of in-house production, lean production, and closely interactive market relations, these seemingly converging markets differ from the neoliberal paradigm. Although the U.S. and German markets diverge in solving conflicts emerging in the newly established markets, their differences are not predetermined by particular cultures or institutions found in each country. This article claims that market rationality and market governance are not predetermined by an abstract, universally relevant market rationality or by cultural and institutional heritages, rather that the market rationality and its governance are continuously constituted by agents’ discursive politics.
Designing Subnational Institutions
Authors: Eaton Kent
Published: May 2004

This article conceptualizes decentralization as a change in the institutional rules that divide political authority and governing capacity between levels of government. By emphasizing the institutional dimension, the author argues that different approaches to the study of institutions, namely, rational and historical institutionalism, can generate analytical leverage on the contemporary trend of decentralization. In the Chilean case, rationalist perspectives illuminate the country’s continued status as one of Latin America’s most centralized polities. Comparatively weak subnational institutions directly reflect the strategic design considerations of national politicians. However, concepts central to historical institutionalism, including critical junctures and unanticipated consequences, explain how and why decentralization gained steam in the postauthoritarian period. Specifically, Chile’s shift to more decentralized institutions is the legacy of Pinochet-era reforms of subnational government, sequencing patterns that devolved governing capacity before political authority, and the emergence of new organizational actors who have struggled to decentralize Chile against the opposition of powerful national politicians.
Planning-Interval Duration in Labor-Shift Scheduling
Authors: Thompson Gary M.
Published: May 2004

This article proposes guidelines for managers and researchers regarding appropriate planning intervals in labor scheduling. This study distinguishes between planning intervals used for data collection and intervals used for scheduling employees. This distinction is relevant because it is not necessary for the two interval types to be of the same duration. The results of a simulation experiment show that both increased variability in the customer-arrival rate and high mean customer-arrival rates work to reduce the ideal length of both data-collection and schedule-development intervals. In fact, with a mean arrival rate of five customers per minute, the most profitable labor schedules originated with a five-minute data-collection interval combined with a five-minute schedule-development interval. At present, because of the paucity of procedures that can accommodate such brief intervals, managers will find fifteen-minute data-collection and schedule development intervals generally to be the most effective.
Montezuma’s Revenge
Authors: Torres Rebecca , Skillicorn Paul
Published: May 2004

Nearly one-third of the 615 travelers responding to a 1997 survey reported being indisposed by gastrointestinal illness during their trips to Cancun. Those reporting illness were disproportionately residents of the United States. One accepted way to avoid traveler’s diarrhea is to eat only cooked food. In addition, many of the sixty hotel chefs surveyed attempted to interdict disease by avoiding local suppliers and instead ordered frozen foods from distant markets. Neither of those strategies will work, however, if kitchen workers themselves cause disease, which appears to occur. Rather than risk being shunned by international travelers, Cancun’s hoteliers would do well to create alliances with local producers to provide appropriately handled foodstuffs and to work together to ensure a sanitary environment for employees. By improving workers’ health, hotel chefs can close another door to disease. Similarly, by partnering with local growers, hotel chefs can ensure a supply of the freshest produce possible.
Can Community Policing Help the Truly Disadvantaged?
Authors: Reisig Michael D. , Parks Roger B.
Published: May 2004

Community policing advocates argue that reforms designed to break down barriers between police and citizens can produce favorable outcomes. The authors test a series of related hypotheses in a multivariate context by using four independent data sources— community surveys, patrol officer interviews, Census Bureau, and police crime records— to estimate hierarchical linear models. The results show that citizens who perceive police partnerships favorably report fewer problems related to incivilities and also express higher levels of safety. Findings from models including cross-level interaction terms indicate that the positive outcomes associated with police partnerships are not restricted to citizens residing in affluent neighborhoods. In our ecological analysis, we find that police-community collaboration is associated with higher aggregate quality of life assessments and that community policing as a form of public social control mediates the adverse effects of concentrated disadvantage. The findings support social-psychological and ecological theories on which community policing practices are partially based.
The Effects of Organizational Context on Teacher Expectancy
Authors: Kelley Carolyn J. , Finnigan Kara
Published: May 2004

This study examines factors affecting teacher expectancy through hierarchical linear modeling of data from two large-scale surveys of teachers working in schools with highstakes accountability programs. Teacher perceptions of program fairness, student performance feedback, lack of goal conflict, and principal support, as well as school level and reward history, were found to be significant predictors of teacher expectancy.
The Decline of the Local: A Challenge to Educational Leadership
Authors: Foster William P.
Published: May 2004

Foster anchors his analysis of educational leadership by situating the function of schooling as bureaucratic control over individuals. Within the context of schools as a systemic, rule-bearing institution, Foster challenges the work of educational leaders. Are educational leaders virtuous and free or are they mere agents of the state? Foster pits national/state narratives for disseminating rules and standards against local communities’ethos. Can educational leaders create communal narratives against the domination of the states? [JCL]
William Foster’s Legacy: Learning From the Past and Reconstructing the Future
Authors: Anderson Gary L.
Published: May 2004

William Foster’s recent death not only robbed us of a good friend and a gentle soul but it also robbed the field of his ongoing wisdom about educational leadership. This article will attempt to pick up some threads of the thought that he left in his last manuscript, The Decline of the Local. Foster’s discussion of new technologies of thought focusing on language, information, and numeracy are discussed with an emphasis on the need for new research methods and theoretical perspectives capable of illuminating these processes. A review is provided of the evolution of Foster’s theorizing of transformative leadership, and an attempt is made to provide a direction for further theorizing based on his work.
The Dialogue of Scholarship
Authors: Starratt Robert J.
Published: May 2004

Reflecting on Bill Foster’s influence on the author’s work leads to reflections about the lifelong dialogue among scholars whose thinking and writing is continually refreshed and deepened by a scholarly field of dialogue. Over time, a dialogue between two scholars illuminates earlier scholarly influences on each of them, leading to the enrichment and extension of each other’s thinking, and thus to their future dialogue with other scholars. From this perspective, Bill Foster’s influence continues in tacit and explicit nuances in the work of scholars around the world.
An Examination of the Equivalence of Web-Based Versus Paper-and-Pencil Upward Feedback Ratings: Rater- and Ratee-Level Analyses
Authors: Smither James W. , Walker Alan G. , Yap Michael K. T.
Published: May 2004

In this study, 5,257employees provided upward feedback ratings for 759 target managers who had the option of having their subordinates rate them using a traditional paper-and-pencil (opscan) response mode or using the company’s intranet. Preliminary analyses showed mean online ratings were more favorable than were mean paper-and-pencil ratings ( d = .38). The authors then conducted rater- and ratee-level hierarchical regression analyses in which they controlled for rater and ratee characteristics. Results showed that (a) the association between response mode and upward feedback ratings was largely artifactual, with response mode accounting for 1% or less of the variance in upward feedback ratings after controlling for rater and ratee characteristics; (b) ratee characteristics accounted for much more of the variance in upward feedback ratings than did rater characteristics; and (c) response mode was unrelated to the number of missing responses.
The Relation between the Ratio of Children Per Activity Area and Off-Task Behavior and Type of Play in Day Care Centers
Authors: Kantrowitz Elyse J. , Evans Gary W.
Published: May 2004

Given the explosion in growth of out-of-the-home child care, increasing attention is being focused on the developmental consequences of early childhood environments. The authors show that the ratio of children to the number of activity areas in the classroom is positively correlated with off-task time. There is also a marginal, negative correlation to engagement in constructive play. Use of hierarchical linear modeling allowed the authors to examine these processes in a repeated measures design, with controls for center and for family income.
Physical and Psychological Factors in Sense of Community
Authors: Kim Joongsub , Kaplan Rachel
Published: May 2004

Sense of community is often mentioned as an asset of new urbanism. The purpose of the study was to explore this claim by comparing Kentlands, a prototypic new urbanist community, with a traditional suburban development near it. Four domains of sense of community were examined, each in terms of 17 distinct aspects of the physical environment, through surveys as well as interviews with residents. The findings suggest thatKentlands residents perceive substantially greater sense of community; they express stronger attachment to their community and sense of identity with it. Natural features and open spaces play a particularly important role in sense of community and Kentlands provides a rich variety of these, fostering pedestrianism and increasing the likelihood of social interactions. The overall layout of the community and traditional architectural style, as well as many other physical features, play vital functions in achieving sense of community
‘Our Culture’ vs ‘Foreign Culture’
Authors: Tomaselli Keyan G.
Published: May 2004

This article discusses debates on the freedom of the press in Africa with regard to professionalism, essentialism and citizenship. The article engages Francis Kasoma’s arguments for an ethics which calls on the ancestors for guidance. It critiques the insistence by many African media academics that the media must exhibit ‘African values’, and it examines the role of authority in determining the way that the media are understood by communication students in some African countries. The deification of Afrocentricism, moralistic prescriptions and the notion that authority is beyond critique are questioned. The article argues for a greater integration of cultural and media studies with ways of teaching journalism in order to caution these kinds of essentialisms which assume that Africa has just one ‘culture’. Some suggestions are offered on how to address these issues in course curricula.
Economic Communication in the ‘Lost Decade’
Authors: Wu H. Denis , McCracken Michael W. , Saito Shinichi
Published: May 2004

This study investigates the relationship among three critical variables in economic communication – recession coverage, the state of the economy and consumer confidence – in Japan. These time-series variables are intricately linked with one another during the period of 1988–99, roughly the ‘Lost Decade’. However, the study discovered that the linkage between these variables in Japan differs from that found for the US during the recession in the early 1990s. Japanese newspaper coverage followed the economy and public sentiment at different time-lags. Additionally, the Japanese’s confidence level, regardless of the economic condition, can be predicted by the economy indicator but not by the recession coverage. Contrary to the literature, the study finds little direct media impact on either the economy or consumer confidence – a phenomenon that could be accounted for by the Japanese’s deep pessimism about recovery and the longer duration of the recession.
Reconciling ‘Cognitive Priming’ vs ‘Obtrusive Contingency’ Hypotheses
Authors: Lee GangHeong
Published: May 2004

This study tries to negotiate two competing hypotheses involving the obtrusiveness of issues in media agenda-setting study: the ‘obtrusive contingency’ and the ‘cognitive priming’ hypotheses. The former holds that an individual’s direct experience overwhelms the influence of media coverage, so agenda-setting effects decrease as the obtrusiveness of personal experience with an issue increases. On the other hand, the latter contends that personal experience with an issue enhances, rather than lessens agenda-setting effects. Based on a theory of associative network, the study argues that obtrusive issues show agenda-setting effects within a shorter time period as compared to unobtrusive ones. The degree to which the US is involved in foreign policy issues was considered a criterion to determine the obtrusiveness of the issues.
Blowing the Whistle on Sexual Harassment: Test of a Model of Predictors and Outcomes
Authors: Lee Jeong-Yeon , Heilmann Sharon Gibson , Near Janet P.
Published: May 2004

Earlier research on whistle-blowing in organizations has usually investigated whistle-blowing about wrongdoing of various types, with the possibility that results are influenced by the great variety of types of wrongdoing reported by whistle-blowers. Earlier research on sexual harassment has focused primarily on antecedents of the event and outcomes for the individual only, rather than organizational consequences. In this study we attempted to examine both questions: is sexual harassment different from other forms of organizational wrongdoing in its consequences for whistle-blowers and their organizations, and does examination of the sequential process of whistle-blowing about sexual harassment provide a fuller understanding of consequences as well as antecedents for whistle-blowing generally? Results of LISREL modeling of questionnaire data collected in 1994 from some 13,000 US government employees were similar to findings from earlier studies of organizational wrongdoing and whistle-blowing, where the nature of the wrongdoing included issues in addition to sexual harassment.