bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of Caffey disease
Authors: Suphapeetiporn K , Tongkobpetch S , Mahayosnond A , Shotelersuk V
Published: February 2007

Infantile cortical hyperostosis (ICH) is an inherited disorder characterized by hyperirritability, acute inflammation of soft tissues, and massive subperiosteal new bone formation. It typically appears in early infancy and is considered a benign self‐limiting disease. We report a three‐generation Thai family with ICH, the oldest being a 75‐year‐old man. A heterozygous mutation for a 3040C→T in exon 41 of COL1A1 was found in affected individuals, further confirming the autosomal dominance of Caffey disease that is caused by this particular mutation. The novel findings in our studies include short stature and persistent bony deformities in the elderly. The height mean Z‐score of the five affected individuals was −1.75, compared to 0.53 of the other seven unaffected individuals giving a p‐value of 0.008. Short stature may be partly due to progressive height loss from scoliosis, compression fractures of the spine and genu varus. These features, which have not previously been described, expand the phenotypic spectrum of the Caffey disease.
Managing genetic discrimination: Strategies used by individuals found to have the Huntington disease mutation
Authors: Bombard Y , Penziner E , Decolongon J , Klimek MLN , Creighton S , Suchowersky O , Guttman M , Paulsen JS , Bottorff JL , Hayden MR
Published: February 2007

The introduction of predictive testing for Huntington disease (HD) over 20 years ago has led to the advent of a new group of individuals found to have the HD mutation that are currently asymptomatic, yet destined in all likelihood to become affected at some point in the future. Genetic discrimination, a social risk associated with predictive testing, is the differential treatment of individuals based on genotypic difference rather than physical characteristics. While evidence for genetic discrimination exists, little is known about how individuals found to have the HD mutation cope with the potential for or experiences of genetic discrimination. The purpose of this study was to explore how individuals found to have the HD mutation manage the risk and experience of genetic discrimination. Semi‐structured individual interviews were conducted with 37 individuals who were found to have the HD mutation and analysed using grounded theory methods. The findings suggest four main strategies: “keeping low”, minimizing, pre‐empting and confronting genetic discrimination. Strategies varied depending on individuals’ level of engagement with genetic discrimination and the nature of the experience (actual experience of genetic discrimination or concern for its potential). This exploratory framework may explain the variation in approaches and reactions to genetic discrimination among individuals living with an increased risk for HD and may offer insight for persons at risk for other late‐onset genetic diseases to cope with genetic discrimination.
Comparative analysis of virulence determinants and mass spectral profiles of Finnish and Lithuanian endodontic Enterococcus faecalis isolates
Authors: Reynaud af Geijersstam A. , Culak R. , Molenaar L. , Chattaway M. , Røslie E. , Peciuliene V. , Haapasalo M. , Shah H. N.
Published: February 2007

Introduction:  Putative virulence factors of Enterococcus faecalis have been proposed by several workers and, by analogy, these have been linked to strains of endodontic origin. However, their distribution within the cell population is unknown. In the present study, isolates were taken from the dental root canals of two defined human populations, Lithuanian and Finnish, and examined for a range of virulence properties. In addition, surface‐associated molecules and intracellular proteins were compared using matrix‐assisted laser desorption‐ionization/mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) and ProteinChipTM capture/MS (SELDI‐TOF‐MS), respectively.

Methods:  Twenty‐three Lithuanian and 35 Finnish dental root canal isolates were included. The esp, gelE, ace and efaA genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction, and cytolysin and gelatinase phenotypes were determined by hydrolysis of horse blood agar and gelatine agar, respectively. Protein extracts and surface‐associated molecules of whole cells were analysed by SELDI‐TOF‐MS and MALDI‐TOF‐MS, respectively.

Results:  Presence of esp (n = 15), cytolysin (n = 9), ace (n = 55) and efaA (n = 58) was not statistically different in the two samples, whereas gelE and gelatinase production was detected more frequently in the Finnish material (chi‐squared, P < 0.01). Analysis of protein profiles by SELDI‐TOF‐MS showed clustering of cytolysin‐producing strains, whereas MALDI‐TOF‐MS generated profiles that clustered according to the samples’ origin and, furthermore, to atypical quinupristin–dalfopristin susceptibility.

Conclusion:  A high prevalence of virulence factors was demonstrated in both population types. SELDI‐TOF‐MS and MALDI‐TOF‐MS proved useful in distinguishing between different E. faecalis phenotypes and they may be useful technologies for elucidating the eco‐distribution of E. faecalis in humans.
Comparative genome hybridization of Streptococcus mutans strains
Authors: Waterhouse J. C. , Swan D. C. , Russell R. R. B.
Published: February 2007

The basis for genotypic and phenotypic variation within Streptococcus mutans is poorly understood but the availability of the genome sequence of strain UA159 provides an opportunity for comparative studies. Genomic DNA prepared from nine strains of S. mutans was used to probe a microarray consisting of oligonucleotides representing 1948 open reading frames of S. mutans UA159. A total of 385 (20%) of the UA159 open reading frames were found to be absent from one or more of the test strains. Absent open reading frames frequently occurred in blocks of adjacent open reading frames and represented regions previously experimentally detected by polymerase chain reaction, predicted genomic islands and insertion sequence elements as well as novel open reading frames. Approximately half appear to involve foreign DNA acquired by horizontal transmission. The results indicate the existence of distinct core and dispensable genomes and may help explain the phenotypic and genotypic variation within S. mutans.
Distribution and persistence of probiotic Streptococcus salivarius K12 in the human oral cavity as determined by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Horz H.‐P. , Meinelt A. , Houben B. , Conrads G.
Published: February 2007

The bacteriocin producer Streptococcus salivarius K12 is used as a probiotic targeting the oral cavity, so our study aimed to assess whether its dispersal and persistence could be monitored using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To this end, we designed polymerase chain reaction primers and a hybridization probe specifically targeting salA, which encodes for the prepropeptide of salivaricin A. Using a single individual as our subject, we administered four lozenges of K12 Throat Guard per day over 3 days, then measured salA gene levels for 16 different oral sites at six different intervals over 35 days. Four samples each from gingival sulci and from teeth all remained negative. In contrast, in saliva and at all mucosal membranes K12 was detected, but with varying amounts and time profiles. Relatively high salA gene copy numbers, calibrated on the basis of colony‐forming units, were seen on the tongue (maximum 4.6 × 104/swab at day 4), in stimulated saliva (2.4 × 104/ml, day 4) and on buccal membranes (1.3 × 104/swab, day 8). K12 was present on both sides of the pharynx but asymmetrically in both quantity and duration. In conclusion, we have developed a real‐time quantitative‐polymerase chain reaction for counting S. salivarius K12 at various sites in the oral cavity. In the individual studied, K12 could be detected at the mucosal membranes for as long as 3 weeks, but with steadily decreasing numbers after day 8. Thus, K12 may have the potential to control oral bacterial infections only when the uptake is repeated frequently.
Lactobacillus plantarum for oral peptide delivery
Authors: Oh Y. , Varmanen P. , Han X. Y. , Bennett G. , Xu Z. , Lu T. , Palva A.
Published: February 2007

Aims:  To evaluate strains of lactobacilli for their ability to persist and secrete heterologous protein in the oral cavity.

Methods and results:  Four different strains of common oral lactobacilli, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus murinus and Lactobacillus plantarum, were transformed with the plasmid pKTH2121, which contains a secretion cassette for beta‐lactamase. Lactobacilli isolated from the mouth of host mice were also transformed with pKTH2121 for later feeding. Lactococcus lactis, transformed with pKTH2121, was also fed to mice as a negative control. All transformed isolates were fed to C57Black mice in varying schedules. The number of transformed bacteria persisting in the mouth was reported as a percentage of total oral bacteria recovered by swabbing.

Conclusions:  The transformed L. lactis, L. brevis, L. johnsonii, L. murinus, and the endogenous murine lactobacillus strain failed to persist in the mouth. Transformed L. plantarum, however, persisted in the mouth and comprised up to 25% of the total lactobacilli at 18 h and 10% at 24 h after feeding. L. plantarum recovered after feeding retained its ability to secrete beta‐lactamase into culture medium efficiently. Beta‐lactamase activity could be detected in oral secretions at 8 h after feedings. After repeated feedings, however, the L. plantarum containing pKTH2121 gradually lost its ability to persist after feedings. This experiment demonstrates that L. plantarum can transiently colonize the oral mucosa in large numbers, while continuously secreting foreign proteins, raising the possibility of using lactobacilli as a vector for delivery of oral mucosal peptides.
Early referral of patients with pre‐end‐stage kidney disease
Authors: Thomas Merlin C
Published: February 2007

Date written: September 2005

Final submission: September 2006
Weight reduction in obese patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Thomas Merlin C
Published: February 2007

Date written: September 2005

Final submission: September 2006
Autosomal‐dominant polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Thomas Merlin C
Published: February 2007

Date written: October 2005

Final Submission: September 2006
Clinical diagnosis of kidney stones
Authors: Thomas Mark
Published: February 2007

Date written: January 2005

Final submission: March 2006
The addition of anti‐CD25 antibody induction to standard immunosuppressive therapy for kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Webster Angela C
Published: February 2007

Date written: November 2005

Final submission: October 2006
Calcineurin inhibitors in paediatric renal transplantation
Authors: McTaggart Steven
Published: February 2007

Date written: May 2005

Final submission: October 2006
Therapeutic drug monitoring
Authors: Trevillian Paul
Published: February 2007

Date written: December 2004

Final submission: October 2006
Radiological diagnosis of kidney stones
Authors: Richmond John
Published: February 2007

Date written: January 2005

Final submission: December 2006
Extremely acidic, pendulous cave wall biofilms from the Frasassi cave system, Italy
Authors: Macalady Jennifer L. , Jones Daniel S. , Lyon Ezra H.
Published: February 2007

The sulfide‐rich Frasassi cave system hosts an aphotic, subsurface microbial ecosystem including extremely acidic (pH 0–1), viscous biofilms (snottites) hanging from the cave walls. We investigated the diversity and population structure of snottites from three locations in the cave system using full cycle rRNA methods and culturing. The snottites were composed primarily of bacteria related to Acidithiobacillus species. Other populations present in the snottites included Thermoplasmata group archaea, bacteria related to Sulfobacillus, Acidimicrobium, and the proposed bacterial lineage TM6, protists, and filamentous fungi. Based on fluorescence in situ hybridization population counts, Acidithiobacillus are key members of the snottite communities, accompanied in some cases by smaller numbers of archaea related to Ferroplasma and other Thermoplasmata. Diversity estimates show that the Frasassi snottites are among the lowest‐diversity natural microbial communities known, with one to six prokaryotic phylotypes observed depending on the sample. This study represents the first in‐depth molecular survey of cave snottite microbial diversity and population structure, and contributes to understanding of rapid limestone dissolution and cave formation by microbially mediated sulfuric acid speleogenesis.
The evidence‐based pathway for peri‐operative management of open and robotically assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Kaufman Melissa R. , Baumgartner Roxelyn G. , Anderson Laura W. , Smith Joseph A. , Chang Sam S. , Herrell S. Duke , Cookson Michael S.
Published: February 2007

Associate Editor

Ash Tewari

Editorial Board

Ralph Clayman, USA

Inderbir Gill, USA

Roger Kirby, UK

Mani Menon, USA

OBJECTIVE

To assess reports supporting the novel and comprehensive evidence‐based pathway for radical prostatectomy (RP), as collaborative‐care pathways have helped to optimize management of patients treated with RP and such clinical pathways provide an ideal framework for constructing an original evidence‐based pathway for the complete peri‐operative care of these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We searched for articles on Medline via PubMed to identify reports describing consensus opinions on appropriate aspects of the peri‐operative management of patients treated with RP, specifically seeking to discern information on preoperative antibiotic regimen, peri‐operative laboratory testing, use of β‐blockers for those at cardiac risk, pulmonary treatment, deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis, diet advancement, pain management, anti‐emetic use, bowel regimen, and catheter removal after RP.

RESULTS

Available reports were used to substantiate each variable of our collaborative‐care pathway for RP. When available, meta‐analyses were used to provide a broad review of the recognized clinical research. Otherwise, many controlled studies and retrospective reviews were relied upon to provide evidence to construct a framework for clinical decision‐making.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first pathway for the peri‐operative management of major urological procedure that is well integrated into current literature. The critical aspects of clinical decision‐making in the patient treated with RP were validated by the available research.
What Do Educational Mismatches Tell Us About Skill Mismatches? A Cross‐country Analysis
Authors: ALLEN JIM , DE WEERT EGBERT
Published: February 2007

The relationship between higher education and employment is commonly interpreted in terms of the extent to which the higher education sector is providing graduates with the knowledge and skills to match employment needs. It is assumed that a mismatch between working in a job and level or field of education limits the use of skills, with adverse effects on both productivity and earnings. This article examines this assumption on the basis of five countries from the European graduate survey (CHEERS data). Although the analysis shows that educational and skill mismatches are indeed related, mismatches by no means imply mismatches between available and required knowledge and skills. The results indicate that traditional approaches of mismatches have to be adapted to more flexible forms of relationships between higher education and work.
Equal Opportunities in Educational Systems: the case of Sweden
Authors: WESTLING ALLODI MARA
Published: February 2007

Education is stated as a basic right, but school attendance can become a burden for pupils experiencing school failure or difficulties. The aim of this article is to reflect about general and specific factors of the Swedish educational system and to identify facilitators and obstacles to the possibility to offer equal opportunities to all pupils. Findings from research and trends in the official statistics are related to social and educational theories in order to identify their meanings and implications.
Does Higher Education Matter? Lessons from a Comparative Graduate Survey
Authors: TEICHLER ULRICH
Published: February 2007

Renewed public interest in the relationships between higher education and the world of work and a deficient data base contributed to the decision to undertake a major comparative study on graduate employment and work. In the framework of the CHEERS study, supported by the European Commission’s TSER programme, some 40,000 graduates of the academic year 1994/95 from 11 European countries and Japan were surveyed about four years later. The study paid attention to the transition to employment, the employment situation during the first four years after graduation, the links between competences acquired and work tasks, as well as the professional impact of values and orientations. Altogether, the findings indicate major North‐South differences of graduate employment in Europe, but less clear findings as far as work assignments and retrospective views of higher education are concerned. They show on average a more favourable employment and work situation than the public debates suggest, few signs of European convergence, for example with respect to preference for generalists or professionals, and a high weight of intrinsic values.
Pedagogy and Andragogy in Higher Education — A Comparison between Germany, the UK and Japan
Authors: YOSHIMOTO KEIICHI , INENAGA YUKI , YAMADA HIROSHI
Published: February 2007

This article analyses the kinds of pedagogical approaches in universities that are provided for young and mature students and produce relevant outcomes for them in Germany, the UK and Japan. Andragogy is a concept of pedagogical approaches for adult learners in lifelong learning, but it should be empirically examined now in higher education in relation to assessment of the outcomes of education. In this article, with the help of the CHEERS graduate survey data, different learning experiences, institutional pedagogical orientation and provisions of universities are classified and examined in the pedagogy mode for young students and the andragogy mode for mature students. Freedom of choice, independent learning, practical emphasis and libraries are elements of the andragogy mode for the mature students and class attendance, contacts with fellow students and teachers and teaching quality are elements of the pedagogy mode for the young students. In Germany, both the pedagogical mode for the young and the andragogy mode for mature students are more developed than in the UK and Japan. Then, policy and theoretical implications are discussed.
Seasonal patterns in biomass smoke pollution and the mid 20th‐century transition from Aboriginal to European fire management in northern Australia
Authors: Bowman David M. J. S. , Dingle Joanne K. , Johnston Fay H. , Parry David , Foley Michael
Published: February 2007

Aim  Globally, most landscape burning occurs in the tropical savanna biome, where fire is a characteristic of the annual dry season. In northern Australia there is uncertainty about how the frequency and timing of dry season fires have changed in the transition from Aboriginal to European fire management.

Location  In the tropical eucalypt savannas that surround the city of Darwin in the northwest of the Northern Territory of Australia.

Methods  Our study had three parts: (1) we developed a predictive statistical model of mean mass (µg) of particulates 10 µm or less per cubic metre of air (PM10) using visibility and other meteorological data in Darwin during the dry seasons of 2000 and 2004; (2) we tested the model and its application to the broader air shed by (a) matching the prediction of this model to PM10 measurements made in Darwin in 2005, (b) matching the predictions to independent measurements at two locations 20 km to the north and south of Darwin and (c) matching peaks in PM10 to known major fire events in the region (2000–01 dry seasons); and (3) we used the model to explore changes in air quality over the last 50 years, a period that spans the transition from Aboriginal to European land management.

Results  We demonstrated that visibility data can be used reliably as a proxy for biomass burning across the largely uncleared tropical savannas inland of Darwin. Validations using independent measurements demonstrated that our predictive model was robust, and geographically and temporally representative of the regional airshed. We used the model to hindcast and found that seasonal air quality has changed since 1955, with a trend to increasing PM10 concentrations in the early dry season.

Main conclusions  The results suggest that the transition from Aboriginal to European land management has been associated with an increase in fire activity in the early months of the dry season.
Modelling the effects of climate change on the potential feeding activity of Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Den. & Schiff.) (Lep., Notodontidae) in France
Authors: Robinet Christelle , Baier Peter , Pennerstorfer Josef , Schopf Axel , Roques Alain
Published: February 2007

Aim  We investigated whether climate change has affected the potential feeding activity of a winter active larva, the pine processionary moth (PPM), Thaumetopoea pityocampa L., and whether it may explain its range expansion.

Location  The study area is France and, at a smaller scale, the Paris Basin.

Methods  We used a statistical model derived from Huchon and Démolin [1970 Revue Forestière Française (special issue: La lutte biologique en forêt), 220–234] to test whether their model, updated with climate change, could explain the observed range expansion. Since Battisti and colleagues have recently shown that climate could affect survival of the PPM through its effect on feeding activity, we also developed a mechanistic model based on larval feeding requirements (night air temperature above 0 °C and temperature inside the nest above 9 °C on the preceding day). We reconstructed the geographical distribution of feeding activity and we compared the resulting change with the PPM range expansion.

Results  The statistical model did not successfully predict the observed expansion but the mechanistic model showed considerable change in the feeding activity of the PPM. In the Paris Basin, the PPM border coincided with a zone unfavourable for feeding activity in the period 1992–96. Feeding conditions became more favourable in the period 2001–04, and the PPM succeeded in crossing this zone. Over larger temporal and spatial scales improved feeding conditions in the north‐western part of France were forecast by the mechanistic model.

Main conclusions  (1) The range distribution of the PPM in the Paris Basin is no longer limited by unfavourable feeding conditions. (2) The pattern of range expansion of the PPM is now governed mainly by its dispersal capabilities and host tree distribution. (3) At the country scale, this approach gives an approximate prediction of the potential distribution of the PPM, though the model may not be reliable in mountainous regions.
Effects of seasonality on the species–area relationship: a case study with birds in urban parks
Authors: Murgui Enrique
Published: February 2007

Aim  To examine how parameters of the species–area curve and factors determining bird species richness are affected by seasonality.

Location  One hundred and thirty urban parks of the city of Valencia (Spain) ranging between 0.03 and 18.6 ha.

Methods  Bird censuses were conducted monthly during 1998 and 2004. For each park, 27 variables were recorded as measures of size, structure and isolation. Linear regression was used to test for patterns in species richness relative to independent variables. The results of each season were compared.

Results  Curves corresponding to the breeding period (spring–summer) had significantly higher intercepts, but slopes did not change across seasons. Turnover rates of resident species were dependent on patch size and isolation considering spring, but not autumn, from different years. Additionally, turnover rates in spring were lower in parks in close proximity to others than in isolated ones. In all seasons, the number of bird species showed a strong relationship with park area, which explained c. 60% of the variation in species numbers. Habitat variables and park isolation explained a small amount of the variation in species numbers. The data did not give support to the random placement hypothesis.

Main conclusions  The overall conclusions of this study give little support to the possible influence of seasonality on species–area relationship or on the three main hypotheses explaining it. This lack of influence of seasonality could be explained by the seasonal stability of the bird populations of the parks within the study area as a consequence of different factors, mainly the characteristics of the species pool, similarity in the features of the parks irrespective of their size, and stability of resources and conditions across seasons. The question of whether this lack of influence of seasonality on the species–area relationship occurs in those ecological systems that have a larger seasonal variation than the urban parks of the study area remains unresolved. Closer examination of the seasonal patterns reported in this study is likely to be useful in increasing our understanding of the species–area relationship.
The Influence of Decision, Environmental and Firm Characteristics on the Rationality of Strategic Decision‐Making*
Authors: Elbanna Said , Child John
Published: February 2007

abstract  This paper develops an integrated model of strategic decision‐making rationality. The model is informed by three perspectives that respectively identify decision, environmental and firm characteristics as influences on the rationality of decision processes. The results of a study in Egypt indicate that the rationality of strategic decision‐making processes is shaped by variables identified by all three perspectives, and that such decision processes cannot adequately be modelled in terms of a single perspective only. However, the study also suggests that the three perspectives do not contribute in equal measure to explaining strategic decision making, and that the national setting is relevant for the extent to which strategic decision‐makers take account of environmental characteristics. The location of the investigation in Egypt highlights some deviations from previous research that could be attributed to nation‐specific factors, both cultural and institutional.
A Prescriptive Analysis of Search and Discovery*
Authors: Fiet James O.
Published: February 2007

abstract  I develop a prescriptive model of entrepreneurial search and discovery, which operationalizes constrained, systematic search. This approach appears to be superior to the alertness perspective in both the number and the wealth‐creating potential of the opportunities that it can assist entrepreneurs to discover. Essentially, this research shows how entrepreneurs can improve their search effectiveness by systematically restricting their searching to known domains, which I elaborate prescriptively. Finally, I discuss the implications of the approach for researchers, educators and entrepreneurs.
Don't Take It Personally: Exploring Cognitive Conflict as a Mediator of Affective Conflict
Authors: Mooney Ann C. , Holahan Patricia J. , Amason Allen C.
Published: February 2007

abstract  Research has sought to explain the multi‐dimensionality of conflict and its paradoxical effects on decision making (Amason, 1996; DeDreu and Weingart, 2003; Jehn, 1995). The primary prescription to emerge from this work has been for teams to seek the benefits of cognitive (task) conflict while simultaneously avoiding the costs of affective (emotional) conflict. The problem is that these two types of conflict often occur together and researchers have offered few explanations as to why this happens or guidance as to how it can be avoided. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence that cognitive conflict can contribute to affective conflict. As a result, by encouraging cognitive conflict, teams may inadvertently provoke affective conflict. We provide evidence that behavioural integration can mitigate this tendency.
Heterologous signals allow efficient targeting of a nuclear‐encoded fusion protein to plastids and endoplasmic reticulum in diverse plant species
Authors: Gnanasambandam Annathurai , Polkinghorne Ian G. , Birch Robert G.
Published: February 2007

Approximately 30% of plant nuclear genes appear to encode proteins targeted to the plastids or endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The signals that direct proteins into these compartments are diverse in sequence, but, on the basis of a limited number of tests in heterologous systems, they appear to be functionally conserved across species. To further test the generality of this conclusion, we tested the ability of two plastid transit peptides and an ER signal peptide to target green fluorescent protein (GFP) in 12 crops, including three monocots (barley, sugarcane, wheat) and nine dicots (Arabidopsis, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, lettuce, radish, tobacco, turnip). In all species, transient assays following microprojectile bombardment or vacuum infiltration using Agrobacterium showed that the plastid transit peptides from tomato DCL (defective chloroplast and leaves) and tobacco RbcS [ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) small subunit] genes were effective in targeting GFP to the leaf plastids. GFP engineered as a fusion to the N‐terminal ER signal peptide from Arabidopsis basic chitinase and a C‐terminal HDEL signal for protein retention in the ER was accumulated in the ER of all species. The results in tobacco were confirmed in stably transformed cells. These signal sequences should be useful to direct proteins to the plastid stroma or ER lumen in diverse plant species of biotechnological interest for the accumulation of particular recombinant proteins or for the modification of particular metabolic streams.
Suppression and restoration of male fertility using a transcription factor
Authors: Li Song Feng , Iacuone Sylvana , Parish Roger W.
Published: February 2007

The Arabidopsis AtMYB103 gene codes for an R2R3 MYB domain protein whose expression is restricted to the tapetum of developing anthers and to trichomes. Down‐regulation of expression using anti‐sense leads to abnormal tapetum and pollen development, although seed setting still occurs (Higginson, T., Li, S.F. and Parish, R.W. (2003) AtMYB103 regulates tapetum and trichome development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 35, 177–192). In this study, we show that blocking the function of the AtMYB103 gene, employing either an insertion mutant or an AtMYB103EAR chimeric repressor construct under the control of the AtMYB103 promoter, results in complete male sterility and failure to set seed. These plants exhibit similar abnormalities in tapetum and pollen development, with the tapetum becoming highly vacuolated at early stages and degenerating prematurely. No exine is deposited on to the pollen wall. The degeneration of pollen grains commences prior to pollen mitosis, the pollen collapsing and largely lacking cytoplasmic content. A restorer containing the AtMYB103 gene under the control of a stronger anther‐specific promoter was introduced into pollen donor plants and crossed into the male sterile plants transgenic for the repressor. The male fertility of F1 plants was restored. The chimeric repressor and the restorer constitute a reversible male sterility system which could be adapted for hybrid seed production. This is the first reversible male sterility system targeting a transcription factor essential for pollen development. Strategies for generating inducible male sterility and maintainable male sterility for the production of hybrid crops are discussed.
The complete nucleotide sequence of the coffee (Coffea arabicaL.) chloroplast genome: organization and implications for biotechnology and phylogenetic relationships amongst angiosperms
Authors: Samson Nalapalli , Bausher Michael G. , Lee Seung‐Bum , Jansen Robert K. , Daniell Henry
Published: February 2007

The chloroplast genome sequence ofCoffea arabicaL., the first sequenced member of the fourth largest family of angiosperms, Rubiaceae, is reported. The genome is 155 189 bp in length, including a pair of inverted repeats of 25 943 bp. Of the 130 genes present, 112 are distinct and 18 are duplicated in the inverted repeat. The coding region comprises 79 protein genes, 29 transfer RNA genes, four ribosomal RNA genes and 18 genes containing introns (three with three exons). Repeat analysis revealed five direct and three inverted repeats of 30 bp or longer with a sequence identity of 90% or more. Comparisons of the coffee chloroplast genome with sequenced genomes of the closely related family Solanaceae indicated that coffee has a portion ofrps19duplicated in the inverted repeat and an intact copy ofinfA. Furthermore, whole‐genome comparisons identified large indels (> 500 bp) in several intergenic spacer regions and introns in the Solanaceae, includingtrnE(UUC)–trnT(GGU) spacer,ycf4–cemAspacer,trnI(GAU) intron andrrn5–trnR(ACG) spacer. Phylogenetic analyses based on the DNA sequences of 61 protein‐coding genes for 35 taxa, performed using both maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods, strongly supported the monophyly of several major clades of angiosperms, including monocots, eudicots, rosids, asterids, eurosids II, and euasterids I and II.Coffea(Rubiaceae, Gentianales) is only the second order sampled from the euasterid I clade. The availability of the complete chloroplast genome of coffee provides regulatory and intergenic spacer sequences for utilization in chloroplast genetic engineering to improve this important crop.
The Macroeconomics of Doubling Aid to Africa and the Centrality of the Supply Side
Authors: Killick Tony , Foster Mick
Published: February 2007

The proposed doubling of aid to Africa by 2010 is a less simple proposition, from a recipient point of view, than is commonly supposed. This article argues that it is difficult to manage large and rapidly increasing aid inflows in ways which do not disadvantage producers of tradeable goods, and the private sector generally. This difficulty can be averted if conscious efforts are made to offset it and to stimulate positive responses from the supply side. Whether such responses prevail over the shorter‐term management difficulties depends on the efficacy of state actions — and of aid — to bolster the supply side. The outcome is likely to be mixed, depending on country circumstances.
Collective Bargaining as Industrial Democracy: Hugh Clegg and the Political Foundations of British Industrial Relations Pluralism
Authors: Ackers Peter
Published: February 2007

Hugh Clegg and Allan Flanders are generally recognized as the founding fathers of postwar British academic Industrial Relations (IR). While Flanders is regarded as the chief ‘theorist’ of pluralism, Clegg’s own contribution is seen mainly in terms of his empirical research and public policy work: as the author of numerous detailed studies and the field’s major textbook, the first Director of the Industrial Relations Research Unit at the University of Warwick, a member of the Donovan Commission and many other enquiries. Indeed,Trade Unionism under Collective Bargaining(1976) is often regarded as Clegg’s one and only foray into IR theory. This paper explores Clegg’s largely forgotten early writing on industrial democracy to argue that he made a critical, independent theoretical contribution to the British IR paradigm.
Trade Unions and Political Participation in the European Union: Still Providing a Democratic Dividend?
Authors: D’Art Daryl , Turner Thomas
Published: February 2007

Decline in electoral participation is a feature of many Western democracies. In this paper, we focus on the relationship between trade union membership and political participation. Workplace authority structures, trade union membership and union presence have been identified as important influences on electoral participation. Based on a survey of employees in 15 member states of the European Union, we test for a relationship between political participation, union membership and union workplace presence. The independent effect of trade union membership on political participation was found to be both significant and positive and is associated with higher levels of political activism and electoral participation. Furthermore, an institutional context that facilitates high levels of union density seems likely to have an overall positive effect on citizen participation.
We Provoked Business Students to Unionize: Using Deception to Prove an IR Point
Authors: Taras Daphne , Steel Piers
Published: February 2007

Many industrial relations (IR) scholars experience some angst at their (mis)placement in business schools. While our expertise broadens the curriculum, the topics central to IR and union–management matters often are met with student resistance, particularly in North America. At our wits’ end, we decided to employ a deception simulation. We devised an award winning exercise that broke business students’ psychological contract with their professor and gave them an opportunity to organize collectively to redress this injustice. Students observed first‐hand the triggers of union organizing as well as their responses to inequity. Anonymous student feedback showed an overwhelmingly positive reception to the exercise. Ethical standards developed to scrutinize deception are used to review our own exercise according to our profession’s standards. Deception is rarely used in teaching and is often associated with malevolent, callous or selfish ends. We challenge this viewpoint. Its power is in generating relevant controversies and evoking emotions that help memory consolidation.
The Climate for Transformation: Lessons for Leaders
Authors: Isaksen Scott G.
Published: February 2007

This article reports insights for organizational leaders based on a series of case studies describing the use of the Situational Outlook Questionnaire as a tool to assist them with their transformation efforts. Leaders often assert the need to change their organizational cultures. This article seeks to clarify and differentiate culture from climate, and then focus on what leaders can do to transform their climate by applying a deliberate assessment tool. As the case studies illustrate, making organizational transformation happen is best approached through a systemic or ecological approach. This approach includes considering the people involved, the methods deployed, the desired outcome of the change as well as the context within which the transformation occurs. The broadest concept within this framework is context, which includes both culture and climate, among other things. Since context is key to initiating and sustaining transformation, emphasis on the leader's role in climate creation will be provided.
Creativity and Innovation through Multidisciplinary and Multisectoral Cooperation
Authors: Alves Jorge , Marques Maria José , Saur Irina , Marques Pedro
Published: February 2007

This paper explores the relation between creativity, innovation and new product development in multidisciplinary and multisectoral settings. We claim that the development of innovative products benefits from the generation of a high number of creative ideas. Moreover, we argue that the idea generation process can be particularly fruitful within collaborative multidisciplinary environments, where firms and Science and Technology institutions coexist and cooperate. Our approach draws on existing literature to investigate the creativity and idea generation process within the frame of multisectoral and multidisciplinary cooperation initiatives, involving firms and Science and Technology related institutions. We then call upon our own empirical work to identify conditions favourable to those processes and some issues that affect the fulfilment of the creative potential that exists in multidisciplinary groups.
Innovators and Imitators in Novelty‐intensive Markets: A Research Agenda
Authors: Dewett Todd , Williams Scott David
Published: February 2007

The phenomenon of demand for novelty is defined and explored as a unique and under‐examined aspect of certain markets. Demand for novelty is the portion of demand not explained by practical utility or marketing effects – it is the demand for the new and unique. We explore markets characterized by high demand for novelty and how they differ from typical markets. Primarily, this involves the central role of novelty in the product or service value proposition as well as rapid growth rates and product or service obsolescence. Within this context, we consider the dynamics of innovating and imitating and suggest several ways that first mover competition is unique in markets with high demand for novelty. From the perspective of the knowledge‐based theory of the firm, we consider the implications of organizational learning and knowledge and decision making as they relate to new product development routines, improvisation, and top management team decision making. We conclude by considering several avenues for future empirical research.
Diversity of the Mind as the Key to Successful Creativity at Unilever
Authors: Mostert Nel M.
Published: February 2007

In contrast to the general belief that we need a diversity of people attending the creativity session in order to generate ideas, this article states that it is more important that the participants of the creativity session have a ‘diversity of the mind’ meaning they have the ability to think creatively. In the R&D environment of Unilever we have encountered many ways in which the diversity of participants and the environment of a creativity session have an impact on the results. Based on four years of experience, this article describes how diversity impacts creativity from a practitioner point of view.
The Influence of Gender Differences on Story Retellings
Authors: Olson Arthur , Davies Anne
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences between third and sixth grade female and male students when retelling orally a story read silently. The students' retelling of the story was analyzed by comparing how closely, both structurally and linguistically, they paralleled the T‐units or communication units of the author. In general, female students performed significantly differently than did male students. The researchers examine these differences in light of recent research in the area of gender differences.
Generations and Socialization into Electoral Participation in Finland
Authors: Wass Hanna
Published: February 2007

This article examines the extent to which political socialization accounts for generational differences in electoral participation found in recent studies. Political socialization is defined as the learning process in which an individual adopts various political attitudes, values and patterns of actions from his or her environment. The analysis is based on the Finnish National Elections Study 2003. The results show that even though politics has had the smallest role during the formative years of the youngest generation and they most often do not know their parents’ partisanship, this generation has received the most encouragement for voting and the attitudinal change towards voting within an individual's life span has been the most positive. Consequently, the study shows that if there were no differences in the socialization between the youngest and the older generations, the difference in turnout would be larger if only sex and socioeconomic factors were taken into account. Based on these results, the author draws the conclusion that, rather than political socialization, the factors behind the low turnout among the young generation have to be searched for elsewhere.
Miracles of love: The use of metaphor in egg donor ads1
Authors: Hobbs Pamela
Published: February 2007

In recent years, the appearance of egg donor advertisements in American college newspapers, sometimes offering five‐ and six‐figure fees to ‘genetically gifted’ donors, has given rise to critical comment on both sides of the Atlantic, and has caused some to fear that the use of these procedures will eventually result in the creation of ‘designer babies’ with preselected genetic qualities. Whether such fears will be realized depends, to a great extent, upon how both the participants themselves and society as a whole come to view and understand these procedures. This article explores emerging images of assisted reproduction through an analysis of the use of metaphor in egg donor ads that appeared in the student newspaper of the University of California, Los Angeles. I argue that the attitudes displayed in these ads result from a mapping of existing cultural stereotypes associated with biological parenthood, including the role of childbearing in marriage and ‘coupledom’, onto the assisted‐reproduction process, and that these metaphors are used precisely because they construct this cultural model and adapt it to the new reality of the assisted‐conception experience.
Code‐switching and social identities in the Eastern Maroon community of Suriname and French Guiana1
Authors: Migge Bettina
Published: February 2007

Sociolinguistic research on Creole communities has so far focused mainly on the social and linguistic distinctiveness of Creoles and on their synchronic interaction with their European lexifier. To date, little work has been done on the stylistic make‐up of Creoles and on how these styles are employed in interactions to negotiate social identities and relationships. This paper investigates patterns of code‐switching between different Creole varieties in the Eastern Maroon community using Myers‐Scotton's markedness model. It demonstrates that such patterns are structurally similar to those found in other bilingual communities and function as an important resource for creating interactional meanings. Moreover, it shows that overall similar patterns of code‐switching convey partially different meanings due to their interaction with situational factors.
PARTIES, ELECTIONS AND STOCK MARKET VOLATILITY: EVIDENCE FROM A SMALL OPEN ECONOMY
Authors: SIOKIS FOTIOS , KAPOPOULOS PANAYOTIS
Published: February 2007

This paper examines whether movements in the stock prices on the Athens stock exchange can be partly explained by the dynamics of the political environment. On the basis of a partisan structure, with two main political parties and a high density of elections, we find that the conditional mean and variance of the stock market index are affected by political developments in Greece. In particular, we find that different political regimes affect the conditional variance of the stock market index, and also that the stock market index is asymmetrically affected by past innovations.
Comparing modes of privatisation: a study of the telecommunications sectors in Argentina and Mexico, 1990–2000
Authors: Tuman John P.
Published: February 2007

This article examines the variation in the post‐privatisation pattern of labour and employment relations in the telecommunications sectors of Argentina and Mexico. The findings suggest that the initial mode of privatisation—negotiated vs. imposed reform—shaped changes in employment, subcontracting and work rules in the period following privatisation. The research also suggests, however, that negotiated reform is more likely to emerge only when certain political incentives are present.