bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The disturbance of small RNA pathways enhanced abscisic acid response and multiple stress responses in Arabidopsis
Authors: ZHANG JIAN‐FENG , YUAN LI‐JIE , SHAO YI , DU WEI , YAN DA‐WEI , LU YING‐TANG
Published: February 2008

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates plant growth and development as well as stress tolerance. To gain more insights into ABA signalling, a population of chemical‐inducible activation‐tagged Arabidopsis mutants was screened on the basis of the ABA effect on the inhibition of seed germination. Two novel ABA supersensitive mutants ABA supersensitive during germination1 (absg1) and absg2 were characterized as alleles of Dicer‐like1 (DCL1) and HEN1, respectively, as microRNA biogenesis genes, and accordingly, these two mutants were renamed dcl1‐11 and hen1‐16. The dcl1‐11 mutant was an ABA hypersensitive mutant for seed germination and root growth. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays revealed that the expression of ABA‐ and stress‐responsive genes was increased in dcl1‐11, as compared with the wild type (WT). Furthermore, the germination assay showed that dcl1‐11 was also more sensitive to salt and osmotic stress. The hen1‐16 mutant also showed supersensitive to ABA during seed germination. Further analysis showed that, among the microRNA biogenesis genes, all the other mutants were not only enhanced in sensitivity to ABA, salt and osmotic stress, but also enhanced the expression of ABA‐responsive genes. In addition to the mutants in the microRNA biogenesis, the interruption of the production of crucial components of other small RNA pathways such as dcl2, dcl3 and dcl4 also caused ABA supersensitive during germination.
Lutein epoxide cycle, light harvesting and photoprotection in species of the tropical tree genusInga
Authors: MATSUBARA SHIZUE , KRAUSE G. HEINRICH , SELTMANN MARTIN , VIRGO AURELIO , KURSAR THOMAS A. , JAHNS PETER , WINTER KLAUS
Published: February 2008

Dynamics and possible function of the lutein epoxide (Lx) cycle, that is, the reversible conversion of Lx to lutein (L) in the light‐harvesting antennae, were investigated in leaves of tropical tree species. Photosynthetic pigments were quantified in nineIngaspecies and species from three other genera. InInga, Lx levels were high in shade leaves (mostly above 20 mmol mol−1chlorophyll) and low in sun leaves. InVirola surinamensis, both sun and shade leaves exhibited very high Lx contents (about 60 mmol mol−1chlorophyll). InInga marginatagrown under high irradiance, Lx slowly accumulated within several days upon transfer to deep shade. When shade leaves ofI. marginatawere briefly exposed to the sunlight, both violaxanthin and Lx were quickly de‐epoxidized. Subsequently, overnight recovery occurred only for violaxanthin, not for Lx. In such leaves, containing reduced levels of Lx and increased levels of L, chlorophyll fluorescence induction showed significantly slower reduction of the photosystem II electron acceptor,QA, and faster formation as well as a higher level of non‐photochemical quenching. The results indicate that slow Lx accumulation inIngaleaves may improve light harvesting under limiting light, while quick de‐epoxidation of Lx to L in response to excess light may enhance photoprotection.
Immune‐challenged house wren broods differ in the relative strengths of their responses among different axes of the immune system
Authors: FORSMAN A. M. , VOGEL L. A. , SAKALUK S. K. , GRINDSTAFF J. L. , THOMPSON C. F.
Published: February 2008

Single components of the immune system are widely used to assess immune function in free‐living vertebrates. However, as different immunological components are triggered by different types of threats and may be regulated independently, there is little reason to assume that they should respond similarly if challenged. We investigated whether three commonly assayed immune responses, cutaneous immune activity (phytohaemagglutinin assay), antibody response (tetanus toxoid immunization), and plasma bactericidal activity (Escherichia colikilling) are positively related in nestling house wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Multivariate analysis revealed significant differences in overall immune responsiveness among broods (i.e. nests), primarily attributable to differences in plasma bactericidal activity. Among broods, humoral immune response was negatively related to cutaneous immune activity and positively related to plasma bactericidal activity. We found no significant relationships among these measures of immunity among individual nestlings within broods. Our results suggest that different broods (i.e. families) invest differentially in the various branches of the immune system. Further study is needed to characterize the roles of maternal, genetic and environmental effects on the expression of this physiological bias.
Suppression of Root Rotting Fungi and Root Knot Nematode of Chili by Seaweed and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Sultana V. , Ara J. , Ehteshamul‐Haque S.
Published: February 2008

Solvent fractions (i.e. n‐hexane, chloroform and methanol) of the ethanol extracts of the seaweeds Codium iyengarii, Jania capillacea, Stokeyia indica and Solieria robusta caused more than 50% mortality of Meloidogyne javanica juveniles within 24 h at 10 mg/ml. Nematode mortality increased with an increase in fraction concentration or exposure time. The n‐hexane fractions from S. indica, J. capillacea and C. iyengarii and the chloroform fraction from S. robusta also resulted in more than 50% mortality within 48 h at 1.0 mg/ml. In a screen‐house experiment application of S. indica and S. robusta as soil amendments alone or with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), significantly suppressed infection of chili roots by root‐infecting fungi Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani and the root knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. Seaweed alone or with PGPR also increased plant growth. Suppressive effect on root pathogens and growth enhancement potential of seaweeds and P. aeruginosa were also effective in field plots.
Complete Genome Sequences of Two Chinese Beet soil‐borne virus Isolates Provide Evidence that the Genome is Highly Conserved
Authors: Wang B. , Li M. , Han C. , Li D. , Yu J.
Published: February 2008

The complete nucleotide sequences of two Chinese isolates of Beet soil‐borne virus (BSBV) from the Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang provinces (designated BSBV‐IM and BSBV‐XJ, respectively) were found to share around 99% sequence identity with that of a previously reported German isolate (BSBV‐G). The genome organization of the three isolates was identical. A diversity index (Pi) analysis indicated that the overall nucleotide variability of all RNAs among the three isolates was <7%, only for the 5′ part of the first triple gene block gene on RNA3 was it >6%. Although the 3′ end of BSBV RNA 3 was previously reported to be highly variable, the results of this study show that the total BSBV genomes are considerably conserved, especially RNAs 1 and 2.
Molecular and Biological Diversities ofCucumber green mottle mosaic virusfrom Cucurbitaceous Crops in Korea
Authors: Yoon J. Y. , Choi G. S. , Choi S. K. , Hong J. S. , Choi J. K. , Kim W. , Lee G. P. , Ryu K. H.
Published: February 2008

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus(CGMMV) is the first‐known cucurbit‐infecting tobamovirus. To analyse its biological and molecular diversities, 36 isolates of CGMMV were collected from watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants in Korea. The cDNAs of coat protein (CP) and partial movement protein genes of the isolates were synthesized by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and subjected to single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis with 530 bp‐synthesized RT‐PCR products. CGMMV isolates were categorized into three subgroups by SSCP analysis, designated types I, II and III. All watermelon isolates of CGMMV belonged to types I and II, whereas cucumber isolates were subgrouped into types II and III. These three type isolates of CGMMV were divided by RT‐PCR‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using full‐length cDNAs of three types of CGMMV. Biological properties of each subgroup‐type of CGMMV isolates were determined by mechanical inoculation of common host plants of CGMMV. Among the virus isolates, isolate NW‐1, belonging to type I, did not infect cucumber (cv. Baegbong), whereas all CGMMV isolates (types II and III) infected the same host species. In addition, all isolates of CGMMV types could infectNicotiana debneyii, except that isolate KC1‐2, subgrouped into type III, failed to infect. Nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences ofCPgene of CGMMV isolates were compared to those of reported CGMMVs and other cucurbit‐infecting tobamoviruses. In phylogenetic tree analyses between CGMMV isolates and other cucurbit‐infecting tobamoviruses, CGMMV was subgrouped as a cluster and no remarkable molecular diversity was found among the CGMMV isolates.
Whole Genome Sequence and Characterization of a Novel Isolate of PVY Inducing Tuber Necrotic Ringspot in Potato and Leaf Mosaic in Tobacco
Authors: Chikh Ali M. , Maoka T. , Natsuaki K. T.
Published: February 2008

In a previous study on a Syrian isolate of Potato virus Y (PVY), namely PVY‐12, a point mutation in the coat protein (CP) was detected. This mutation caused the double reactivity of this isolate to monoclonal antibodies specific to O and N serotypes. We report here the biological and molecular characteristics of PVY‐12. In potato, PVY‐12 behaved like a PVYNTN isolate inducing potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease although it induced mosaic in tobacco like PVYO. The genomic analysis grouped PVY‐12 with the recombinant PVYNTN isolates, which is consistent with the phenotype in potato. PVY‐12 HC‐Pro had the two amino acids K400 and E419 that were previously reported as determinant keys of the tobacco necrotic response. This indicates the involvement of other determinants in this phenotype yet to be determined. This is the first report on a PVYNTN isolate that induces mosaic in tobacco, implying that the induction of potato tuber necrosis does not require the ability to induce the tobacco necrosis. PVY‐12 genome had four recombinant points in the P1, HC‐Pro/P3, 6K2/NIa and C terminal region of the CP gene identical to those of PVYNTN isolates 12–94 and 34/01. The PVY‐12 central genomic part flanked by nucleotide positions 2414 and 8604 had highest similarity with that of the Syrian isolate SYR‐NB‐16 suggesting a common origin of these isolates. This common origin was supported using the phylogenetic analysis of this region. In addition, the phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome of the reported North American PVYN:O and the European PVYNW along with other PVY isolates suggests that PVYN:O might have descended from PVYNW with the isolate SASA‐207 as a nearest‐known relative.
Effects of Membrane Filtering of Tomato Root Exudates on Conidial Germination of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici
Authors: Steinkellner S. , Mammerler R. , Vierheilig H.
Published: February 2008

The effect of different membrane filters on the bioactivity of tomato root exudates was tested in an in vitro assay addressing the germination of microconidia of the soil‐borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Membrane filtration of unsterile root exudates with filters of different membrane materials and filter brands resulted in an increased microconidia germination. This effect varied depending on the used membrane filter but was lacking when sterile root exudates were used. The alteration of the bioactivity of unsterile root exudates therefore seems to be due to the presence of microbial contaminants. The varying effects of different filter brands may be due to their differential potential of retaining inhibitory compounds. When working with root exudates, such effects of membrane filtration have to be taken into account.
Allelic relationship between spontaneous and induced mutant genes for stem fasciation in chickpea
Authors: Srinivasan S. , Gaur P. M. , Rao B. V.
Published: February 2008

Stem fasciation is a morphological abnormality observed in plants where the stem is widened and leaves and flowers or pods are clustered at the apex. Several spontaneous mutants and one induced mutant for stem fasciation are found in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). This study was aimed at determining allelic relationship between spontaneous and induced mutant genes controlling stem fasciation and effects of stem fasciation on grain yield. Two spontaneous (ICC 2042 and ICC 5645) and one induced (JGM 2) stem fasciation mutants were crossed in all combinations, excluding reciprocals. The F1 and F2 plants from a cross between the two spontaneous mutants had fasciated stem. This indicated the presence of a common gene (designated fas1) for stem fasciation in the two spontaneous mutants. The F1s of the crosses of the induced mutant JGM 2 with both spontaneous mutants had normal plants and segregated in a ratio of 9 normal : 7 fasciated plants in F2. Thus, the gene for stem fasciation in the induced mutant JGM 2 (designated fas2) is not allelic to the common gene for stem fasciation in spontaneous mutants. The two genes in dominant condition produced normal non‐fasciated stem. The fasciated and the non‐fasciated F2 plants did not differ significantly for number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, grain yield per plant and seed size, suggesting that it is possible to exploit the fasciated trait in chickpea breeding without compromising on yield.
Significant increase in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 7 in primary CNS lymphoma
Authors: Matsumoto Takashi , Kumagai Jiro , Hasegawa Maki , Tamaki Masashi , Aoyagi Masaru , Ohno Kikuo , Mizusawa Hidehiro , Kitagawa Masanobu , Eishi Yoshinobu , Koike Morio
Published: February 2008

The aim of this study is to compare the expression pattern of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) with that of nodal lymphoma (NL). PCNSL possesses a characteristic pattern of brain infiltration, specifically, perivascular aggregation and destruction of the surrounding connective tissue. Hypotheses have been proposed that this infiltration pattern indicates the infiltration of lympoma cells from outside the CNS. However, the mechanism of this infiltration pattern has not been clearly explained. Here we performed quantitative analysis of mRNA expression of MMP1, 2, 3, 7 and 9 in lymphoma cells from 10 cases of PCNSL, all of which were diagnosed as diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and 14 cases of nodal DLBCL. Immunohistochemistry was also performed for phenotyping of lymphoma cells and for examining the localization of MMPs. The expression level of MMP7 in PCNSL (median ratio to normal lymophocytes, 45.6) was significantly higher than the level in NL (median, 7.55). By contrast, the expression levels of MMP2 (median, 31.7) and MMP9 (median, 1.30) in PCNSL were significantly lower than those in NL (median, 120 and 16.5, respectively). The expression levels of MMP1 and MMP3 were very low and not different between PCNSL and NL (almost comparable to those in normal lymphocytes). Immunohistochemical phenotyping revealed that the frequency of non‐germinal center type DLBCL was significantly higher in PCNSL than in NL. These results, notably the significantly increased expression of MMP7 in PCNSL, suggest the involvement of this MMP in the characteristic infiltration pattern of PCNSL. They also support the existing hypothesis that PCNSL and NL are of different origins.
Fascin expresion in glial tumors and its prognostic significance in glioblastomas
Authors: Gunal Armagan , Onguru Onder , Safali Mukerrem , Beyzadeoglu Murat
Published: February 2008

Fascin is a ‐55 kDa‐actin binding protein. Actin bundles rearranged by fascin proteins are concentrated in cell membrane protrusions and these protrusions provide motility of the cell. In this study, we evaluated fascin expression in glial tumors and its relation with histologic grade. Its prognostic value in glioblastomas (GBs) was also investigated. Seventy‐six glial tumors including 44 glioblastomas with known survival time, 18 anaplastic astocytomas (AAs), six diffuse astrocytomas (DAs), and eight pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) were examined immunohistochemically for fascin expression. Fascin was observed in the neurons of normal brain tissue and endothelium of vascular spaces in the glial tumors. Fascin expression was correlated with histologic grade in DAs. PAs expressed low levels of fascin. Half of the GBs showed high levels of fascin expression. In the GB group, overall survival was poor for cases with percentage of stained cells >50% having moderate or strong staining intensity. In GBs, overall survival was also poor for >50‐year‐old cases and cases that refused radiotherapy. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age (>50 years, P = 0.021) and higher level of fascin expression (immunohistochemical score >8, P = 0.040) were independent poor prognostic factors. In conclusion, fascin expression levels are correlated with histologic grade and fascin overexpression may play an important role in the biologic behavior of glial astrocytic tumors and in the prognosis of GBs.
Integrated regulation involving quorum sensing, a two‐component system, a GGDEF/EAL domain protein and a post‐transcriptional regulator controls swarming and RhlA‐dependent surfactant biosynthesis in Serratia
Authors: Williamson Neil R. , Fineran Peter C. , Ogawa Wakano , Woodley Louise R. , Salmond George P. C.
Published: February 2008

Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 (Serratia 39006) is a Gram‐negative bacterium which produces the secondary metabolite antibiotics, prodigiosin and 1‐carbapen‐2‐em‐3‐carboxylic acid and secretes plant cell wall degrading enzymes. In this study we have identified mutations in the genes, pigX, rap and rsmA, which caused increased production of a previously unidentified surfactant and flagella‐dependent swarming phenotype in Serratia 39006. Analysis of both the biosynthesis and regulation of surfactant production and swarming, revealed FlhC, quorum sensing, a GGDEF/EAL domain protein (PigX), a GacAS two‐component system, an Rsm system and Rap as key regulators. In addition, surfactant biosynthesis required a protein similar to RhlA, involved in rhamnolipid synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Homologues of RhlA have not previously been identified in members of the Enterobacteriaceae. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the surfactant may be responsible for dispersal of the antimicrobial pigment, prodigiosin. This study demonstrates the complex regulatory inputs into the coordinated multicellular swarming phenotype in Serratia.
Recent evolutionary diversification of a protist lineage
Authors: Logares Ramiro , Daugbjerg Niels , Boltovskoy Andrés , Kremp Anke , Laybourn‐Parry Johanna , Rengefors Karin
Published: February 2008

Here, we have identified a protist (dinoflagellate) lineage that has diversified recently in evolutionary terms. The species members of this lineage inhabit cold‐water marine and lacustrine habitats, which are distributed along a broad range of salinities (0–32) and geographic distances (0–18 000 km). Moreover, the species present different degrees of morphological and sometimes physiological variability. Altogether, we analysed 30 strains, generating 55 new DNA sequences. The nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences (including rapidly evolving introns) were very similar or identical among all the analysed isolates. This very low nrDNA differentiation was contrasted by a relatively high cytochrome b (COB) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism, even though the COB evolves very slowly in dinoflagellates. The 16 Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies constructed using nr/mtDNA indicated that the studied cold‐water dinoflagellates constitute a monophyletic group (supported also by the morphological analyses), which appears to be evolutionary related to marine‐brackish and sometimes toxic Pfiesteria species. We conclude that the studied dinoflagellates belong to a lineage which has diversified recently and spread, sometimes over long distances, across low‐temperature environments which differ markedly in ecology (marine versus lacustrine communities) and salinity. Probably, this evolutionary diversification was promoted by the variety of natural selection regimes encountered in the different environments.
Bacterial diversity in the oxygen minimum zone of the eastern tropical South Pacific
Authors: Stevens Heike , Ulloa Osvaldo
Published: February 2008

The structure and diversity of bacterial communities associated with the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) of the eastern tropical South Pacific was studied through phylogenetic analysis. Clone libraries of 16S rRNA gene fragments were constructed using environmental DNA collected from the OMZ (60 m and 200 m), the sea surface (10 m), and the deep oxycline (450 m). At the class level, the majority of sequences affiliated to the γ‐ (53.7%) and α‐Proteobacteria (19.7%), and to the Bacteroidetes (11.2%). A vertical partitioning of the bacterial communities was observed, with main differences between the suboxic OMZ and the more oxygenated surface and deep oxycline waters. At the surface, the microbial community was predominantly characterized by SAR86, Loktanella and unclassified Flavobacteriaceae, whereas the deeper layer was dominated by Sulfitobacter and unclassified Alteromonadaceae. In the OMZ, major constituents affiliated to the marine SAR11 clade and to thiotrophic γ‐symbionts (25% of all sequences), a group not commonly found in pelagic waters. Sequences affiliating to the phylum Chloroflexi, to the AGG47 and SAR202 clades, to the δ‐Proteobacteria, to the Acidobacteria, and to the ‘anammox group’ of the Planctomycetes were found exclusively in the OMZ. The bacterial richness in the OMZ was higher than in the oxic surface and deeper oxycline, as revealed by rarefaction analysis and the Chao1 richness estimator (surface: 45 ± 8, deeper oxycline: 76 ± 26; OMZ60m: 97 ± 33, OMZ200m: 109 ± 31). OMZ bacterial diversity indices (Fisher's: ∼30 ± 5, Shannon's: ∼3.31, inverse Simpson's: ∼20) were similar to those found in other pelagic marine environments. Thus, our results indicate a distinct and diverse bacterial community within the OMZ, with presumably novel and yet uncultivated bacterial lineages.
Clinical features, diagnosis and management of maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD) associated with the 3243A>G mitochondrial point mutation
Authors: Murphy R. , Turnbull D. M. , Walker M. , Hattersley A. T.
Published: February 2008

Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD) affects up to 1% of patients with diabetes but is often unrecognized by physicians. It is important to make an accurate genetic diagnosis, as there are implications for clinical investigation, diagnosis, management and genetic counselling. This review summarizes the range of clinical phenotypes associated with MIDD; outlines the advances in genetic diagnosis and pathogenesis of MIDD; summarizes the published prevalence data and provides guidance on the clinical management of these patients and their families.
The North West Diabetic Pregnancy Audit: a practical system for multi‐centre diabetic pregnancy audit
Authors: Young R. J. , Holmes E. M. , Casson I. F. , Maresh M.
Published: February 2008

Aims  Improving care for women with pre‐gestational diabetic pregnancy is a core objective of the St Vincent Declaration and the Diabetes National Service Framework. The aim was to develop a practicable collaborative audit methodology for pre‐gestational diabetic pregnancy.

Methods  In 1999, care professionals in the north‐west of England agreed standards and a simple monthly data collection system. Annual reports are compiled to summarize compliance with the standards. Each hospital receives an individualized report comprising tables and funnel plots that allow between‐hospital comparisons.

Results  Data on pre‐gestational diabetic pregnancies are collated from 30 maternity units. Funnel plots and tables presented in the annual reports highlight any large differences between hospitals in booking and outcome measures for diabetic pregnancies.

Conclusions  The annual audit reports allow the assessment of current management and outcomes for diabetic pregnancies at a regional and local level. These reports help to identify areas where diabetic pregnancy care requires further attention.
Development of alternative methods of data collection in South Asians with Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Lloyd C. E. , Sturt J. , Johnson M. , Mughal S. , Collins G. , Barnett A. H.
Published: February 2008

Aims  Previous research in the UK has established the difficulty of recruiting and collecting information from individuals whose main language is spoken and does not have an agreed written form. The aims of this study were (i) to develop culturally competent translations of two questionnaires measuring diabetes self‐care in languages with no written form and to establish their face validity and (ii) to develop acceptable methods of delivery with the potential for providing valid and reliable data for use in research studies.

Methods  Adults with Type 2 diabetes from two minority ethnic groups whose main language is spoken (Sylheti and Mirpuri) were recruited via the Birmingham Heartlands hospital diabetes centre. Participants were invited to attend five focus groups to consider the content and method of delivery of two questionnaires measuring knowledge of diabetes and confidence in diabetes self‐care. Delivery methods were (i) pen and paper self‐completion in Bengali/Urdu, (ii) pen and paper assisted completion in spoken language, (iii) partially‐assisted completion in spoken language, (iv) independent audio delivery in spoken language.

Results  Culturally competent content was achieved for both questionnaires in both languages. The Mirpuri men and women's groups preferred assisted or partially assisted completion in spoken language. The Sylheti groups’ preference was for independent audio delivery in spoken language.

Conclusions  The face validity of two questionnaires measuring diabetes self‐care is established for Sylheti and Mirpuri, in four alternative delivery formats. The questionnaires are now ready for psychometric testing in minority ethnic populations and the methods available for use by researchers to establish within‐study feasibility.
ENHANCING AUTONOMY IN PAID SURROGACY
Authors: DAMELIO JENNIFER , SORENSEN KELLY
Published: February 2008

The gestational surrogate – and her economic and educational vulnerability in particular – is the focus of many of the most persistent worries about paid surrogacy. Those who employ her, and those who broker and organize her services, usually have an advantage over her in resources and information. That asymmetry exposes her to the possibility of exploitation and abuse. Accordingly, some argue for banning paid surrogacy. Others defend legal permission on grounds of surrogate autonomy, but often retain concerns about the surrogate. In response to the dilemma of a ban versus bald permission, we propose a ‘soft law’ approach: states should require several hours of education of surrogates – education aimed at informing and enhancing surrogate autonomy.
WHAT SHOULD RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS UNDERSTAND TO UNDERSTAND THEY ARE PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH?
Authors: WENDLER DAVID , GRADY CHRISTINE
Published: February 2008

To give valid informed consent to participate in clinical research, potential participants should understand the risks, potential benefits, procedures, and alternatives. Potential participants also should understand that they are being invited to participate in research. Yet it is unclear what potential participants need to understand to satisfy this particular requirement. As a result, it is unclear what additional information investigators should disclose about the research; and it is also unclear when failures of understanding in this respect undermine the validity of potential participants' informed consent. An analysis of individuals' interests suggests that potential participants need to understand three additional facts to understand that they are being invited to participate in research: 1) research contribution: those who enroll in the study will be contributing to a project designed to gather generalizable knowledge to benefit others in the future; 2) research relationship: the investigators will rely on participants' efforts to gather the generalizable knowledge to benefit others; and 3) research impact: the extent to which participating in the study will alter what participants do and what happens to them.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH ON HAZARDS IN THE HOME AND THE DUTY TO WARN
Authors: RESNIK DAVID B. , ZELDIN DARRYL C.
Published: February 2008

When environmental health researchers study hazards in the home, they often discover information that may be relevant to protecting the health and safety of the research subjects and occupants. This article describes the ethical and legal basis for a duty to warn research subjects and occupants about hazards in the home and explores the extent of this duty. Investigators should inform research subjects and occupants about the results of tests conducted as part of the research protocol only if the information is likely to be accurate, reliable, and medically useful. Investigators should warn subjects and occupants about hazards they happen to discover while they are in the home, if a reasonable person would warn the subjects and occupants about those hazards. Investigators should not report illegal hazards discovered in the home to the authorities, unless those hazards constitute abuse or neglect of children or mentally disabled people living in the home. When investigators decide to warn research subjects and occupants about hazards in the home, they should take some steps to help them make effective use of this information, such as providing additional counselling or making a referral for remediation or medical treatment. Investigators should discuss these issues with research subjects during the informed consent process.
Gender Subtexts – Reproduction of Exclusion in Organizational Discourse*
Authors: Bendl Regine
Published: February 2008

Many scholars have set out to re‐read, deconstruct and reconstruct organizational texts in terms of gender. Their work examines the gender subtexts in the extant literature. First, this text uses the term ‘gender subtext’ and discusses the methodological basis of gender subtext discourse. Then, eight forms of gender subtext are presented, which reflect the current reproduction of gender in organizational discourse. These variations of gender subtext are based on a re‐reading of 24 texts. This paper forms part of a wider intellectual objective of creating discursive space, which transgresses mainstream malestream disciplinary borders, aiming to create ‘gendered organization theory’.
Women on Work, Women at Work: Visual Artists on Labour Exploitation
Authors: Kosmala Katarzyna
Published: February 2008

The aim of this paper is to explore an organizational issue of gender inequality in labour, represented in visual arts, and illustrated by critical artistic practice of Lucy McKenzie, Julita Wójcik and Mary Kelly. The paper seeks alternatives to patriarchal constructions of the gendered identity at work and the associated notions of the idealized managerial masculinities. I attend to working strategies and art making processes that reflect managerial otherness. The artists discussed engage in relational activities that have replaced dominant masculine values of managing and producing by a focus on collectivism, play and relational transmission. Work here is envisaged as a political and cultural category that alters a meaning of value and is considered crucial in formation of identity and a lifestyle choice. The paper reflects on invisibility of alternative ways of working, contributing to on‐going multidisciplinary debate, challenging disadvantage and discrimination at work context and a disproportionate participation and representation of women in arts, management and in society as a whole.

In a dim corner of my room for longer than my fancy thinks A beautiful and silent Sphinx has watched me through the shifting gloom.

Inviolate and immobile she does not rise she does not stir For silver moons are naught to her and naught to her the suns that reel

(From The Sphinx by Oscar Wilde)
Gender in Management: Theorizing Gender as Heterogender
Authors: Pringle Judith K.
Published: February 2008

Research on gendered identities in management has exploded over the past three decades. The focus on gender obscures the place of sexuality in gendered theory. In this article theories of gender as ‘object’, ‘subject’ and as social processes are used as interpretative frames to explore the ways in which gender and sexuality are enacted by lesbian managers. Their narratives demonstrate that managing gender was experienced primarily as managing heterosexuality. Disjunctions in identity positions revealed that heterosexual assumptions provide the foundation of gender. Reframing gender as ‘heterogender’ foregrounds heterosexuality and gender as intertwined and provides another layer to understanding how gender is ‘done’ in management.
Emotion Work and Emotion Space: Using a Spatial Perspective to Explore the Challenging of Masculine Emotion Management Practices
Authors: Lewis Patricia
Published: February 2008

This paper sets out to investigate the possibility that employees may challenge management through their colonization of work space, facilitated by the transportation of ‘private’ behaviours and activities into the ‘public’ world of organization. It does this within the context of a broader project on the management of emotions within a special care baby unit characterized as a high risk, emergency working environment. Focusing on the experience of night nurses and drawing on the concept of differential space the article seeks to demonstrate how the dominant form of emotion work (characterized as masculine) on the unit may be contested. This is done through the creation of the unit at night as a space of empowerment, achieved through the visible enactment of a feminized form of emotion work. In this sense the analysis explores how the performance of feminine emotion work can be understood as acts of spatial resistance to the authority of the masculine emotion regime. In other words night nurses make the special care baby unit into a space which challenges the masculinist emotion management which dominates the unit. It will be suggested that our understanding of the performance of emotion management practices in particular and management practices in general may be limited if space is ignored.
Transnational Communities and the Concept of Law
Authors: COTTERRELL ROGER
Published: February 2008

Abstract.  The proliferation of forms of transnational regulation, often unclear in their relation to the law of nation states but also, in some cases, claiming authority as “law,” suggests that the concept of law should be reconsidered in the light of processes associated with globalisation. This article identifies matters to be taken into account in any such reconsideration: in particular, ideas of legal pluralism, of degrees of legalisation, and of relative legal authority. Regulatory authority should be seen as ultimately based in the diverse moral conditions of the networks of community which regulation serves.
A Suggested Basis for Legal Ontology
Authors: AMATRUDO ANTHONY
Published: February 2008

Abstract.  It is often argued that associations are intelligent organisms with minds and intentional states of their own. It is also argued that groups are merely a plurality of individuals who are related or associated only in a specific and limited sense. This paper draws on both classical and contemporary scholarship to develop an ontological account of persons which has real‐world legal and ethical implications.
Legitimacy, Political Equality, and Majority Rule
Authors: SADURSKI WOJCIECH
Published: February 2008

Abstract.  This paper claims that the intuitive and widespread legitimating power of majority rule (MR) arises from the link between majority rule and the principle of equality of political opportunity. The egalitarian character of MR is established by exploring “puzzles” in democratic theory, such as the insensitivity of democratic voting procedures to unequal intensity of citizens' preferences, and the relationship between the principle of unanimity (sometimes thought better to respect citizens' equality) and MR. Special attention is directed to the relationship between political equality and equality in the outcomes of political decisions: The claim is made that the language of equal political opportunity captures well the idea of equal political influence, in the circumstance of disagreement about what is required to achieve equal treatment through the outcomes of political decisions.
Non‐Individualism, Rights, and Practical Reason
Authors: PAVLAKOS GEORGE
Published: February 2008

Abstract.  The paper looks at an impasse with respect to the role of rights as reasons for action which afflicts contemporary legal and political debates. Adopting a meta‐ethical approach, it moves on to argue that the impasse arises from a philosophical confusion surrounding the role of rights as normative reasons. In dispelling the confusion, an account of reasons is put forward that attempts to capture their normativity by relating them to a reflexive public practice. Two key outcomes are identified as a result of this explication: first, that normative practices are instances of rule‐following; and second, that agents partaking of normative practices possess absolute value (i.e., acquire the status of persons). In light of this explication, rights acquire the status of the most general reasons that purport to guarantee the content of personhood by specifying and safeguarding conditions which enable agents to participate in public practices of universalisation.
Law‐Linked Justice and Existence‐Linked Justice
Authors: VAN SCHILFGAARDE PETER
Published: February 2008

Abstract.  Justice as a manifestation of “the just” is an evasive concept. On the one hand there is the law, an operation run by professionals. On the other hand there are the citizens the law is meant for. Generally speaking the law strives for justice. But the law has to protect many different interests and must work through legal devices. Therefore the justice that emerges from it is necessarily a legal compromise. For the citizens the legal rules are a given reality. Generally they will agree that the law is there to achieve justice but legal arguments that justify a rule or decision cannot have the same value for them. In cases that affect them personally, justice will be a personal, existential experience, which may be incompatible with legal justice. It is hard to keep these two forms of justice under one roof. In order to make this easier this paper proposes a conceptual split between “law‐linked justice” and “existence‐linked justice.” It is argued that the law cannot in truth to its rational origin ignore the citizens’ experience of justice, out of the ordinary as they may be.
Of Mice and Men: God and the Canadian Supreme Court
Authors: GLOUBERMAN MARK
Published: February 2008

Abstract.  In a recent 5‐to‐4 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada denied to Harvard University a patent on a genetically modified mouse. In their reasoning, the majority Justices, concerned obviously about the implications of granting the patent for the human case, argue that higher organisms (mammals) are not “compositions of matter” in the sense intended by the Canadian Patent Act. But if a mouse is not a composition of matter, what—indeed, what on earth—is it? As the minority Justices complain, the majority decision smacks of dubious metaphysics and theology. Appealing to a quite unlikely source, the Bible, I show that the distinction between mice and men can be defended without introducing problematic metaphysical and question‐begging theological materials. I also show, en route, that the biblical position on the special status of men and women is not inconsistent with evolutionary theory. Granting a patent on the mouse (as was done in the U.S.A.) is compatible with denying it to human organisms.
Relational and Individual Resources as Predictors of Empathy in Early Childhood
Authors: Moreno Amanda J. , Klute Mary M. , Robinson JoAnn L.
Published: February 2008

The goal of this study was to examine children's cognitive and language development and social engagement of mother as mediators of the relationship between maternal emotional availability at 15 months and children's empathy at the ages of two and four. Participants were 661 low‐income, ethnically diverse mother‐child dyads participating in a trial of home visitation in the Denver area. Using home‐ and lab‐based free‐play episodes, mothers' emotional availability (15 months) and children's social engagement of mother (21 and 24 months) were assessed. Standardized measures were used to assess children's language development (21 months) and cognitive development (24 months). Empathy was assessed using a simulated injury paradigm at ages two (both 21 and 24 months) and four. The predictive models supported the hypothesis that the child's cognitive and social resources mediate the relationship between maternal emotional availability and children's empathy with respect to empathy at the age of two toward both mothers and an unfamiliar examiner. These results indicate that parental sensitive behavior is not the only important condition for predicting children's empathy, and that children's own internalized resources are a likely mechanism of transmission from parents caring for their children to children learning to care for others.
The First‐ and Second‐Hand Effect of Analysts' Stock Recommendations: Evidence from the Swiss Stock Market
Authors: Schlumpf Philipp M. , Schmid Markus M. , Zimmermann Heinz
Published: February 2008

This paper empirically investigates the impact of both the first release of analysts' stock recommendations to a limited clientele and the subsequent dissemination of the same information in a major newspaper to a broader audience. For a sample of 1460 stock recommendations published in FuW, Switzerland's major financial newspaper, significant positive abnormal returns on the day of the original release of buy recommendations and on the day of publication in FuW are documented. Tests of the price pressure and information hypotheses reveal that analysts' recommendations contain new information, which is quickly incorporated in the stock prices on the first release of this information. In contrast, the statistically significant announcement effects associated with the subsequent publication can be primarily ascribed to price pressure in the underlying securities.
What Drives Private Equity Returns?– Fund Inflows, Skilled GPs, and/or Risk?*
Authors: Diller Christian , Kaserer Christoph
Published: February 2008

This paper analyzes the determinants of returns generated by mature European private equity funds. It starts from the presumption that this asset class is characterized by illiquidity, stickiness, and segmentation. Given this presumption, Gompers and Lerner (2000) have shown that venture deal valuations are driven by overall fund inflows into the industry that yield the putative ‘money chasing deals’ phenomenon. It is the aim of this paper to show that this phenomenon explains a significant part of the variation in private equity funds' returns. This is especially true for venture funds, as they are affected more by illiquidity and segmentation than buy‐out funds. In the context of a WLS‐regression approach the paper reports a highly significant impact of total fund inflows on fund returns. It can also be shown that private equity funds' returns are driven by GP's skills as well as stand‐alone investment risk. In a bootstrapping context we can show that most of these results are quite stable.
TDP‐43, the signature protein of FTLD‐U, is a neuronal activity‐responsive factor
Authors: Wang I.‐Fan , Wu Lien‐Szn , Chang Hsiang‐Yu , Shen C.‐K. James
Published: February 2008

TDP‐43, recently identified as a signature protein of the pathogenic inclusions in the brains cells of frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients, is a 43 kDa RNA‐binding protein. It has been known mainly as a nuclear factor capable of repressing transcription and promoting exon exclusion. TDP‐43 also forms distinct nuclear substructures linking different types of nuclear bodies. In this study, we provide the first evidence supporting TDP‐43 as a neuronal activity‐responsive factor in the dendrites of hippocampal neurons. In particular, TDP‐43 resides in the somatodendrites mainly in the form of RNA granules colocalized with the post‐synaptic protein PSD‐95. These granules also contain RNAs including at least the β‐actin mRNA and CaMKIIα mRNA. Furthermore, TDP‐43 is localized in the dendritic processing (P) body and it behaves as a translational repressor in an in vitro assay. Related to this, repetitive stimuli by KCl greatly enhance the colocalization of TDP‐43 granules with FMRP and Staufen 1, two RNA‐binding proteins known to regulate mRNA transport and local translation in neurons. These data together suggest that TDP‐43 is a neuronal activity‐responsive factor functioning in the regulation of neuronal plasticity, the impairment of which would lead to the development of certain forms of neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
Endogenous cannabinoid anandamide inhibits nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function in mouse thalamic synaptosomes
Authors: Butt Christopher , Alptekin Alp , Shippenberg Toni , Oz Murat
Published: February 2008

The effects of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide [arachidonylethanolamide (AEA)] on the function of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) were investigated using the86Rb+efflux assay in thalamic synaptosomes. AEA reversibly inhibited86Rb+efflux induced by 300 μM ACh with an IC50value of 0.9 ± 2 μM. Pre‐treatment with the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor antagonist SR141716A (1 μM), the CB2receptor antagonist SR144528 (1 μM), or pertussis toxin (0.2 mg/mL) did not alter the inhibitory effects of AEA, suggesting that known CB receptors are not involved in AEA inhibition of nAChRs. AEA inhibition of86Rb+efflux was not reversed by increasing acetylcholine (ACh) concentrations. In radioligand binding studies, the specific binding of [3H]‐nicotine was not altered in the presence of AEA, indicating that AEA inhibits the function of nAChR in a non‐competitive manner. Neither the amidohydrolase inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (0.2 mM) nor the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, (5 μM) affected AEA inhibition of nAChRs, suggesting that the effect of AEA is not mediated by its metabolic products. Importantly, the extent of AEA inhibition of86Rb+efflux was significantly attenuated by the absence of 1% fatty acid free bovine serum albumin pre‐treatment, supporting previous findings that fatty acid‐like compounds modulate the activity of nAChRs. Collectively, the results indicate that AEA inhibits the function of nAChRs in thalamic synaptosomes via a CB‐independent mechanism and that the background activity of these receptors is affected by fatty acids and AEA.