bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of temperature differences between porometer head and leaf surface on stomatal conductance measurements
Authors: VERHOEF A.
Published: November 2003

It is generally known that instantaneous values of leaf conductance as measured with a dynamic porometer need to be corrected for the temperature difference, ΔT, between the porometer cup and the sampled leaf. Leaf conductances, obtained with a Delta‐T AP4 dynamic porometer, with and without correction for ΔT are compared for a bush species (Guiera senegalensis) and two forb species (Jacquemontia tamnifolia and Mitracarpus scaber). With temperature differences predominantly varying within the ±2.5 °C recommended by the manufacturer, it appears that the differences between uncorrected and corrected conductances are very large, up to 100% on average, especially for the two forbs. Furthermore, it is shown that, using the Mitracarpus data, a relatively small error of ±0.5 °C in ΔT can cause a difference of 25–50% in the final conductance value, in particular for the high conductance range. An error of ±0.5 °C may easily occur: the accuracy of ΔT as measured by the thermistors in the porometer is 0.2 °C and the temperature variation within a leaf can be much larger. This result will have implications for upscaling of leaf conductances to canopy values or may explain why upscaled values appear not to correspond with down‐scaled values, obtained from eddy correlation measurements and an inverted canopy transpiration model.
Salinity and drought tolerance of mannitol‐accumulating transgenic tobacco
Authors: KARAKAS B. , OZIAS‐AKINS P. , STUSHNOFF C. , SUEFFERHELD M. , RIEGER M.
Published: November 2003

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacumL.) were transformed with a mannitol‐1‐phosphate dehydrogenase gene resulting in mannitol accumulation. Experiments were conducted to determine whether mannitol provides salt and/or drought stress protection through osmotic adjustment. Non‐stressed transgenic plants were 20–25% smaller than non‐stressed, non‐transformed (wild‐type) plants in both salinity and drought experiments. However, salt stress reduced dry weight in wild‐type plants by 44%, but did not reduce the dry weight of transgenic plants. Transgenic plants adjusted osmotically by 0.57 MPa, whereas wild‐type plants did not adjust osmotically in response to salt stress. Calculations of solute contribution to osmotic adjustment showed that mannitol contributed only 0‐003‐0‐004 MPa to the 0.2 MPa difference in full turgor osmotic potential (πo) between salt‐stressed transgenic and wild‐type plants. Assuming a cytoplasmic location for mannitol and that the cytoplasm constituted 5% of the total water volume, mannitol accounted for only 30–40% of the change in πoof the cytoplasm. Inositol, a naturally occurring polyol in tobacco, accumulated in response to salt stress in both transgenic and wild‐type plants, and was 3‐fold more abundant than mannitol in transgenic plants.

Drought stress reduced the leaf relative water content, leaf expansion, and dry weight of transgenic and wild‐type plants. However, πowas not significantly reduced by drought stress in transgenic or wild‐type plants, despite an increase in non‐structural carbohydrates and mannitol in droughted plants. We conclude that (1) mannitol was a relatively minor osmolyte in transgenic tobacco, but may have indirectly enhanced osmotic adjustment and salt tolerance; (2) inositol cannot substitute for mannitol in this role; (3) slower growth of the transgenic plants, and not the presence of mannitolper se, may have been the cause of greater salt tolerance, and (4) mannitol accumulation was enhanced by drought stress but did not affect πoor drought tolerance.
Prolegomenon for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
Authors: Vitale B. , Martinis M. , Antica M. , Kušić B. , Rabatić S. , Gagro A. , Kušec R. , Jakšić B.
Published: November 2003

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a unique lymphoproliferative disorder that scarcely occurs under the age of 40; thereafter the incidence of CLL increases exponentially with age. CLL is characterized by progressive expansion of malignant CD5+ME+ B‐cell clone accompanied by a myriad of cellular and humoral immune defects. Each of them might be linked to different clinically manifested complications such as increasing rate of infections, autoimmune disorders and disturbed immune surveillance against tumour cells. We assume that CLL occurs as a consequence of age‐dependent, genetically related functional restrictions of the thymic microenvironment in supporting common lymphoid progenitor cells (CD5+ME+CD4–CD8–) to differentiate into mature T‐cell and B‐cell descendants. In conjunction with genetic abnormalities developing in B‐cell progenitors, presumably expressing P glycoprotein (Pgp+), we postulate that developmentally altered T‐cell descendants, along with quantitative imbalance among CD4+, their subsets and CD8+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, play an important additional role in facilitating the malignant B‐cell clone emergence and in modulating the CLL clinical evolution. Namely, imbalance of any of T‐cell‐mediated cell interactive homeostatic mechanisms accompanied by imbalance in the production of various cytokines might in CLL influence leukaemic B‐cell growth by deregulating inducer (c‐myc and p53) and/or suppressor (bcl‐2 and mutant p53) oncogenes responsible for the promotion or suppression of B‐cell mitogenesis that may in turn further contribute to their impaired differentiation and/or differentiation arrest. In conclusion, CLL might be interpreted as a primary immunodeficiency syndrome developing in elderly population due to gradually evolving restriction of genetically controlled programs in the thymic microenvironment responsible for irregular maturation of common lymphoid progenitor cells that constitutively express CD5 antigen and ME receptor into T‐cell and B‐cell descendants.
Development of Immunoglobulin A in Infancy and Childhood
Authors: Weemaes C. , Klasen I. , Göertz J. , Beldhuis‐Valkis M. , Olafsson O. , Haraldsson A.
Published: November 2003

Serum and salivary concentrations of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) and IgA2 were studied in 105 Icelandic children aged 0–12 years. Serum concentrations of both IgA1 and IgA2 increased slightly (P < 0.001) during childhood. The salivary IgA1/IgA2 ratio tended to decrease during the same period; this trend is less apparent when omitting the youngest children. The salivary IgA1 and IgA2 output could be high, even in children with low levels of serum IgA. Only polymeric IgA was found in whole saliva. Interestingly, in serum, most IgA1 and IgA2 were polymeric during infancy. The proportion of polymeric IgA decreased, when the concentration of IgA increased. The polymeric form of IgA might provide the infant with better protection against invading microorganisms by activation of the innate immune mechanisms.
Kinetics of Cytokine Gene Expression in Human CD4+ and CD8+ T‐Lymphocyte Subsets Using Quantitative Real‐Time PCR
Authors: Abdalla A. O. , Kiaii S. , Hansson L. , Rossmann E. D. , Jeddi‐Tehrani M. , Shokri F. , Österborg A. , Mellstedt H. , Rabbani H.
Published: November 2003

The time kinetics of five cytokines [interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), IL‐5, interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α)] and one cytotoxic effector protein (granzyme B) was analysed by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) following in vitro stimulation of human CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes. Two stimuli were used, a mitogen [phytohemagglutinin (PHA)] and a recall antigen [purified protein derivative (PPD)]. The pattern of cytokine mRNA expression was found to be dependent on the T‐cell subset and stimulus used. A wide interindividual variability in the cytokine gene expression pattern was demonstrated. Two expression patterns were observed. A bell‐shaped expression profile was seen for most cytokines upon PHA activation in both subsets and PPD‐activated CD4 T cells, whereas a biphasic/multiphasic expression pattern was noted in CD8 T cells upon PPD stimulation. For most cytokines, the time to induction was within 30 min of activation, and maximum accumulation seemed to be obtained after 4–8 h of activation. A sustained high level could, however, be noticed for up to 24 h. Granzyme B gene expression was also induced within 30 min of activation but showed a continuous gradual increase and late maximal accumulation (48–72 h). The findings of the present study are of importance when designing studies using the cytokine gene expression profile as a marker for antigen‐specific T lymphocytes. It might be recommended that cytokine gene expression (IL‐2, IL‐5 and IFN‐γ) should be measured after 4–8 h of specific activation but also up to 24 h of stimulation is acceptable. Granzyme B should preferentially be measured after 48–72 h of activation.
Extensive xanthelasma associated with anaplastic large cell lymphoma and hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome
Authors: Lee Mi‐Woo , Choi Jee‐Ho , Sung Kyung‐Jeh , Moon Kee‐Chan , Koh Jai‐Kyoung
Published: November 2003

A 57‐year‐old woman presented with a 6‐month history of an extensively spreading, yellowish patch on the periorbital areas and cheeks. A diagnosis of hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome had been made at the age of 22 years on the basis of an eczematous eruption, recurrent furunculosis, and a persistently elevated immunoglobulin E (IgE) level. Her past medical history revealed that she had suffered from numerous recurrent bouts of chronic sinusitis, otitis media, oral candidiasis, orbital cellulitis, acne rosacea, and pneumonia caused by cytomegalovirus since her twenties. In addition, 1 year ago, anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the cervical lymph node (stage IIIb) developed, and she received six cycles of cyclophosphamide–doxorubicin–vincristine–prednisolone (CHOP) chemotherapy with partial remission. None of her family had any of these problems. Cutaneous examination showed extensive, symmetric, noninfiltrated macular areas of distinct yellow discoloration around the eyes and on both cheeks (Fig. 1). There were also erythematous papulonodular eruptions on the nose and both cheeks, which were thought to be acne rosacea. Laboratory findings were normal, except for an elevated IgE level (8157 IU/mL). Serum concentrations of IgG, IgA, and IgM were normal. Serum complement levels were normal, as evidenced by normal C3, C4, and CH50. Although she had a previous history of a decreased level (12%) of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test (control, 53%), NBT test at our institute was normal. Neutrophil function tests, including neutrophil chemotaxis, neutrophil phagocytosis, neutrophil respiratory burst, and neutrophil microbial killing test, by flow cytometry, showed normal results. The serum lipid levels, including total cholesterol, triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, and high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, were normal. Serum lipoprotein electrophoresis was normal. A biopsy specimen revealed scattered foamy cells throughout the dermis. The larger clusters of foamy cells tended to group around the blood vessels of the dermis (Fig. 2).

Extensively distributed, yellowish, flat xanthelasma on the face

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Clusters of foamy cells around the blood vessels of the dermis (hematoxylin and eosin, ×400)

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Treatment of pediculosis capitis with thiabendazole: a pilot study
Authors: Namazi Mohammad Reza
Published: November 2003

Background  Despite the improvement of health standards, head lice infestation remains a problem worldwide. In addition, there is increasing evidence that head lice are becoming resistant to common pediculocides.

Aim  To test the potential effectiveness of thiabendazole, a potent and broad‐spectrum antiparasitic and scabicidal agent, for the treatment of pediculosis capitis.

Methods  Twenty‐three female patients, aged 7–12 years, who had active head lice infestation, were treated with oral thiabendazole, 20 mg/kg twice daily for 1 day, with repeat treatment after 10 days.

Results  On the 11th day, meticulous hair examination showed that 21 patients had responded to treatment [91%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 71–98%], with 14 showing complete responsiveness (61%; 95% CI, 40–78%). The only adverse reactions observed were nausea and mild dizziness, which occurred in four patients, three of whom took the drug on an empty stomach.

Conclusions  Thiabendazole may be a promising treatment for head lice infestation. The primary action of this drug seems to be the inhibition of parasite microtubule polymerization by binding to β‐tubulin. In addition, thiabendazole may interfere with the synaptic transmission of lice through its probable cholinergic effect. As pediculosis capitis is a very communicable disease, the unresponsiveness to thiabendazole could largely be attributed to new infestations during the drug‐free interval. Therefore, massive and simultaneous rather than individual and isolated treatments should be used to achieve the epidemiologic control of this ectoparasitosis. As this is a preliminary study, the performance of double‐blind, randomized controlled trials on this subject is warranted. Thiabendazole, either alone or in combination with other agents, may prove to be of particular use in areas in which head lice show resistance to common pediculocides.
Safety and efficacy of 4% hydroquinone combined with 10% glycolic acid, antioxidants, and sunscreen in the treatment of melasma
Authors: Guevara Ian L. , Pandya Amit G.
Published: November 2003

Background   Melasma, also known as mask of pregnancy, is a common, acquired hypermelanosis seen in women with Fitzpatrick skin types II–V, and is often recalcitrant to treatment with depigmentation agents. Glycolic acid has been added to hydroquinone formulations in the past to enhance their depigmentation effects, but may cause irritation, leading to postinflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Aim   To assess the safety and efficacy of a cream containing 4% hydroquinone, 10% buffered glycolic acid, vitamins C and E, and sunscreen (Glyquin, ICN Pharmaceuticals, Costa Mesa, USA) vs. a cream containing sunscreen alone in the depigmentation of epidermal melasma of the face.

Methods   Thirty‐nine Hispanic women, Fitzpatrick skin types III–V, with bilateral epidermal melasma were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial lasting 12 weeks. Patients underwent twice‐daily full‐face application with the study cream or with the cream containing sunscreen only. Changes in pigmentation were measured using a mexameter, the melasma area and severity index (MASI), and a global evaluation by the patient and blind investigator. Safety evaluations were performed at each follow‐up visit.

Results   Thirty‐five patients completed the trial. Irritation was more common with the study cream, but resolved with temporary cessation of cream application and the addition of moisturizers. Mexameter results demonstrated a significant decrease in the degree of pigmentation using the study cream compared with the cream containing sunscreen alone (P < 0.0001). Fifteen of 20 patients (75%) using the study cream improved, whereas only two of 15 patients (13%) improved using sunscreen alone.

Conclusions   A cream containing 4% hydroquinone, 10% buffered glycolic acid, vitamins C and E, and sunscreen is safe and effective in the treatment of melasma.
Maternal care influences neuronal survival in the hippocampus of the rat
Authors: Bredy Timothy W. , Grant Rebecca J. , Champagne Danielle L. , Meaney Michael J.
Published: November 2003

Maternal care during the first week of postnatal life influences hippocampal development and function (Liu et al., 2000; Nature Neurosci., 3, 799–806). Offspring reared by mothers who exhibit increased levels of pup licking/grooming (LG) show increased hippocampal synaptic density and enhanced spatial learning and memory. Using 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analogue incorporated into cells during DNA synthesis, we examined the effects of early maternal care on hippocampal cell proliferation and neuronal survival in the rat. Twenty‐four hours following injection on day 7 of life (P7) there were no differences in BrdU labelling in the offspring of high‐ compared with low‐LG mothers, suggesting no maternal effect on the rate of proliferation at this age. However, 14 and 83 days following injection (P21 and P90), the offspring of high‐LG mothers had significantly more surviving BrdU‐labelled cells and BrdU–NeuN+‐colabelled neurons in the dentate gyrus subgranular zone and granule cell layer. At P21, the offspring of high‐LG mothers showed increased protein expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and significantly decreased levels of pyknosis. These findings suggest an influence of maternal care on neuronal survival in the hippocampus. Conversely, at the same time point there was a significantly higher level of hippocampal glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in the offspring of low‐LG mothers. These findings emphasize the importance of early maternal care for hippocampal development.
Adult‐born hippocampal neurons mature into activity‐dependent responsiveness
Authors: Jessberger Sebastian , Kempermann Gerd
Published: November 2003

The mammalian hippocampus is a highly plastic brain structure in which new neurons are generated throughout adulthood. Do these new neurons qualitatively and quantitatively participate in the activity‐dependent gene expression after challenging the hippocampus in a learning task? Adult mice were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to label dividing cells and indeed, individual BrdU‐labelled new neurons expressed the immediate early gene protein (IEGp) c‐fos during the acquisition phase of the Morris water maze task to the same extend as older granule cells. To assess the responsiveness of all new neurons we also analysed the expression patterns of three IEGps (c‐fos, zif268 and Homer1A) after kainic acid (KA)‐ or pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)‐induced seizures. We found that after a maturation period of between 2 and 5 weeks a comparable ratio of adult‐generated granule cells participated in IEGp‐expression as in the population of older granule cells. Thus, new neurons appear quantitatively integrated into hippocampal circuits, suggestive of a relevant contribution to hippocampal function.
Depression of mGluR‐mediated IPSCs by 5‐HT in dopamine neurons of the rat substantia nigra pars compacta
Authors: Paolucci E. , Berretta N. , Tozzi A. , Bernardi G. , Mercuri N. B.
Published: November 2003

Dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta receive a prominent serotonin (5‐HT) projection from the dorsal raphe nucleus and important functional interactions between the serotonergic and the dopaminergic system have been postulated. In the present report we examined the role of 5‐HT in the modulation of the metabotropic glutamate receptor‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic current (mGluR‐IPSC) in midbrain dopamine neurons, and we found a reversible depression of this synaptic response at concentrations of 5‐HT ranging from 100 nm to 30 µm (EC50 1.06 µm). This resulted in a shift towards excitation of the overall dopamine neuron response to glutamatergic synaptic input. This effect was not because of a direct modulation of the Ca2+‐sensitive K+ conductances underlying the mGluR‐IPSC, but was associated with a decrease in the intracellular calcium signal triggered by mGluR stimulation. Similar results were obtained with α‐methyl‐5‐hydroxytryptamine and 5‐methoxytryptamine, but not with 5‐carboxamidotryptamine or 1‐(3‐chlorophenyl) piperazine. No significant depression of the mGluR‐IPSC by 5‐HT was observed in the presence of the 5‐HT2 antagonist cinanserin or the 5‐HT4 receptor antagonist RS 23597–190, whereas the 5‐HT2C antagonist RS 102221 was ineffective. Our results demonstrate a powerful inhibition of the mGluR‐IPSC by 5‐HT in midbrain dopamine neurons, most probably through stimulation of 5‐HT2A and 5‐HT4 receptors.
Non‐calyceal excitatory inputs mediate low fidelity synaptic transmission in rat auditory brainstem slices
Authors: Hamann Martine , Billups Brian , Forsythe Ian D.
Published: November 2003

Principal neurons of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) receive a synaptic input from a single giant calyx terminal that generates a fast‐rising, large excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC), each of which are supra‐threshold for postsynaptic action potential generation. Here, we present evidence that MNTB principal neurons receive multiple excitatory synaptic inputs generating slow‐rising, small EPSCs that are also capable of triggering postsynaptic action potentials but are of non‐calyceal origin. Both calyceal and non‐calyceal EPSCs are mediated by α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionate (AMPA) and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation; however, the NMDA receptor‐mediated response is proportionally larger at the non‐calyceal synapses. Non‐calyceal synapses generate action potentials in MNTB principal neurons with a longer latency and a lower reliability than the large calyceal input. They constitute an alternative low fidelity synaptic input to the fast and secure relay transmission via the calyx of Held synapse.
Context‐specific acquisition of location discrimination by hippocampal place cells
Authors: Hayman Robin M. A. , Chakraborty Subhojit , Anderson Michael I. , Jeffery Kathryn J.
Published: November 2003

The spatially localized firing of rodent hippocampal place cells is strongly determined by the local geometry of the environment. Over time, however, the cells can acquire additional inputs, including inputs from more distal cues. This is manifest as a change in firing pattern (‘remapping’) when the new inputs are manipulated. Place cells also reorganize their firing in response to non‐geometric changes in ‘context’, such as a change in the colour or odour of the environment. The present study investigated whether the new inputs acquired by place cells in one context were still available to the cells when they expressed their altered firing patterns in a new context. We found that the acquired information did not transfer to the new context, suggesting that the context inputs and the acquired inputs must interact somewhere upstream of the place cells themselves. We present a model of one possible such interaction, and of how such an interaction could be modified by experience in a Hebbian manner, thus explaining the context specificity of the new learning.
Interest Rate Volatility Prior to Monetary Union under Alternative Pre-Switch Regimes
Authors: Wilfling Bernd
Published: December 2003

The volatility of interest rates is relevant for many financial applications. Under realistic assumptions the term structure of interest rate differentials provides an important predictor of the term structure of interest rates. This paper derives the term structure of differentials in a situation in which two open economies plan to enter a monetary union in the future. Two systems of floating exchange rates prior to the union are considered, namely a free-float and a managed-float regime. The volatility processes of arbitrary-term differentials under the respective pre-switch arrangements are compared. The paper elaborates the singularity of extremely short-term (i.e. instantaneous) interest rates under extensive leaning-against-the-wind interventions and discusses policy issues.
Racial Metaphors: Interpreting Sex and AIDS in Africa
Authors: Stillwaggon Eileen
Published: November 2003

Western preconceptions regarding African sexuality distorted early research on the social context of AIDS in Africa and limited the scope of preventive policies. Key works cited repeatedly in the social science and policy literature constructed a hypersexualized pan–African culture as the main reason for the high prevalence of HIV in sub–Saharan Africa. Africans were portrayed as the social ‘Other’ in works marked by sweeping generalizations and innuendo, rather than useful comparative data on sexual behaviour. Although biomedical studies demonstrate the role of numerous factors that influence HIV transmission among poor people, a narrowly behavioural explanation dominated the AIDS–in–Africa discourse for over a decade and still circumscribes preventive strategies in Africa and elsewhere.
Scaling up Civil Society: Donor Money, NGOs and the Pastoralist Land Rights Movement in Tanzania
Authors: Igoe Jim
Published: November 2003

Tanzania's pastoralist land rights movement began with local resistance to the alienation of traditional grazing lands in Maasai and Barabaig communities. While these community–based social movements were conducted through institutions and relationships that local people knew and understood, they were not co–ordinated in a comprehensive fashion and their initial effectiveness was limited. With the advent of liberalization in the mid–1980s, they began to gain institutional legitimacy through the registration of pastoralist Non–Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Registered NGOs provided community leaders with a formal mechanism for co–ordinating local land movements and for advocating for land rights at the international level. The connections of pastoralist NGOs to disenfranchised communities, and their incorporation of traditional cultural institutions into modern institutional structures, resonated with the desires of international donors to support civil society and to create an effective public sphere in Tanzania, making these NGOs an attractive focus for donor funding. In spite of their good intentions, however, donors frequently overlooked the institutional impacts of their assistance on the pastoralist land rights movement and the formation of civil society in pastoralist communities. NGO leaders have become less accountable to their constituent communities, and the movement itself has lost momentum as its energies have been diverted into activities that can be justified in donor funding reports. A political movement geared towards specific outcomes has been transformed into group of apolitical institutions geared toward the process of donor funding cycles.
Agricultural Transformation and the Politics of Hydrology in Northern Thailand
Authors: Walker Andrew
Published: November 2003

Tensions over water resources in upland areas of northern Thailand are often attributed to reductions in water supply caused by forest clearing. This article argues that the hydrological evidence for such reductions in supply is very weak and that, rather, the key hydrological issue in upland catchments is a significant increase in water demand, especially during the dry season. The arguments are illustrated with a detailed examination of the Mae Uam catchment, located in Chiang Mai province, where the development of dry–season soybean cultivation appears to have tested the hydrological limit of the catchment, and even exceeded this limit in drier years. The author argues that a shift in focus from water supply to water demand has fundamentally important political implications. As long as the focus of public debate is on water supply, the regulatory focus will be on those resident in the forested upland areas that are seen as being crucial in securing downstream flows. But if the water management focus is shifted to water demand, then regulatory attention must shift to the diverse sources of demand that exist throughout the hydrological system.
Mid‐Level Officials as Policy Makers: Anti‐Corporatist Policy Change in the Swedish Employers’ Confederation, 1982–1985
Authors: Johansson Joakim
Published: November 2003

The aim of the article is to provide an account of the process of policy change in the Swedish Employers’ Confederation (SAF), 1982–1985, implying a shift from a pro‐corporatist to an anti‐corporatist view on interest representation within decision‐making bodies of public authorities in the sphere of labour market and working life issues. In this respect, the study throws new light on the fall of the ‘Swedish model’ of industrial relations, by stressing the central policy‐making role of a few individuals occupying their positions in the mid level, rather than in the leadership level, of the huge SAF hierarchy.

Given the formal structure of SAF and its statutes, SAF seems to be the least likely organisation to show signs of policy making in the mid level. Therefore, the case study also contributes to the general discourse about policy making in organisations, foremost by challenging mainstream rational choice theory assumptions of the role of the formal leadership in processes of policy change.

Being based on studies in the archives of SAF, the article reveals the mechanisms explaining why a few mid‐level officials were successful in anchoring a minority standpoint into the basically ‘model‐friendly’ leadership of SAF. The argument put forward is that the key to an understanding of this case of minority influence is to consider the mid‐level officials’ strategic use of different kinds of information‐based persuasion and propaganda techniques. In fact, the policy‐making mid‐level officials belonged to a specific activist subgroup within SAF with its main base in SAF's department of information.
The Stochastic Burger's Equation in Ito's Sense
Authors: Villarroel Javier
Published: November 2003

We consider the solution to Burger's equation coupled to a stochastic noise in Ito's sense. The main random properties of the wave are determined. The solution is related to a deterministic problem with a rescaled diffusion coefficient. Depending on the value of a parameter, the initial value problem may be ill posed, well posed up to an explosion time, or well posed for all time. Traveling waves are destroyed asymptotically by white noise. However, the only effect of colored noise is to render the wave position random.
Never the Right Age? Gender and Age‐Based Discrimination in Employment
Authors: Duncan Colin , Loretto Wendy
Published: November 2003

Although UK legislation against age discrimination is required by December 2006, little is yet known about how ageism affects different age categories of employees, and the gender dimensions of ageism have also been neglected. Both issues were investigated by questionnaire survey, producing responses from over 1000 employees of a major UK financial services enterprise. The extent and manifestations of ageism were found to vary across age categories and by sex, and evidence of gendered ageism emerged. Reported examples of ageism were highest among younger and older age categories, but all age groups were affected to some degree. Across all ages, women were more likely than men to experience ageist attitudes concerning appearance or sexuality. To be effective, legislation will need to cater for the complex nature and patterns of age discrimination revealed, though the comparator problem and other complexities are such that important aspects of age prejudice, including gender dimensions, risk being overlooked.
Working together: supporting projects through action learning*
Authors: Booth Andrew , Sutton Anthea , Falzon Louise
Published: November 2003

Recent years have seen tremendous growth in knowledge management projects within the NHS. Project staff must acquire rapidly a wide range of task‐related skills. Conventional training courses may be inappropriately timed or unavailable to project staff. Action learning provides a group‐based means of meeting skills deficits associated with project management and delivery. This paper describes an action learning set for project staff on five knowledge management projects within Trent Region. A brief evaluation aimed to identify most and least useful and most and least enjoyable features of the action learning set. Comments on the facilitation and the content of the action learning sessions are analysed.

 Action learning is feasible in meeting the training needs of project staff. It may also provide a means of meeting the shared learning needs of communities of practice within a virtual environment. Knowledge management does not merely involve management and delivery within innovative projects but also requires exploiting shared learning across projects.
Vitiligo koebnerized by eyebrow plucking by threading
Authors: Verma S B
Published: November 2003

Summary  Koebnerization is a well‐known phenomenon in diseases like vitiligo and psoriasis. Eyebrow plucking is a common procedure, which induces some trauma. This is a report of a woman with vitiligo whose vitiligo spread to the eyebrow area after eyebrow plucking by threading in a beauty parlour. This is an example of an unusual koebnerization of vitiligo by a very common cosmetic procedure.
Kalokagathia – beauty is more than just external appearance
Authors: Dürrigl M‐A
Published: November 2003

Summary  Notions of beauty have evolved through history and are culture‐specific. In the Western world one concept which has been linked to beauty is that of kalokagathía, an ideal that unites physical beauty and moral value in a human being. This notion was inherited from Antiquity and was modified during the Middle Ages, when much more attention was paid to the fate of the soul, and further modified during the Renaissance, when concepts of beauty and of moral responses, utility and good gradually became separated. A glance at an ancient notion, such as kalokagathía, has its value in trying to understand modern perceptions of beauty.
Effects of Public Infrastructure on Cost Structure and Productivity in the Private Sector
Authors: Paul Satya
Published: November 2003

This paper examines the effects of public infrastructure on the cost structure and productivity in the private sector in Australia. Translog cost functions incorporating public capital infrastructure are estimated for the aggregate private sector as well as for seven broad industry groups using annual time series data for 1968/69–1995/96. The effects of public infrastructure on productivity are measured in terms of both cost‐saving and output‐augmenting measures. The empirical results suggest that public infrastructure has a positive and significant impact on productivity in private sector industries. Public capital serves as a substitute for both private capital and labour. The rates of return to public capital are significant and vary over the sample period.
Trevor Swan on Equilibrium Growth with Technical Progress
Authors: Dixon Robert
Published: November 2003

There is an important difference between Swan's 1956 exposition of neoclassical growth and that of Solow. In particular, Swan's focus is on the output–capital ratio and its behaviour over time while Solow's focus is on the capital–labour ratio and its behaviour over time. Related to this, is the clear (and correct) statement to be found in Swan's article of the behaviour of the output–capital ratio in equilibrium and the determination of the equilibrium rate of growth of output in the presence of technological progress.
In vitro effects of 2‐methoxyestradiol on canine tumour cells
Authors: Marr A. K. , Thamm D. H. , Kurzman I. D. , Vail D. M. , MacEwen E. G.
Published: November 2003

The in vitro antiproliferative, apoptotic and cell‐cycle effects of 2‐methoxyestradiol (2ME2), an endogenous oestrogen metabolite, were investigated using a variety of canine tumour cell lines. The cells were cultured under standard conditions and incubated with varying concentrations of 2ME2. Inhibition of tumour cell proliferation was evaluated using a tetrazolium‐based colorimetric assay. DNA content analysis was performed using propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry. Cytologic analysis with Leukostat staining solution and Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) fluorescence were used to quantify cell‐cycle distribution and apoptosis induction. Tumour cell proliferation was inhibited by 50% at concentrations of 2ME2 ranging from 0.88 to 7.67 µM, depending on the cell line tested. Profound G2/M phase arrest, an increase in binucleate cells and induction of apoptosis were observed in all cell lines tested, in a dose‐dependent manner. Based on these results, this compound has potential as an agent for the treatment of canine cancer and warrants further investigation. The canine lymphoma cell line, 1771, was inhibited at concentrations that may be achievable in vivo.
The comparative biology of skeletal metastasis
Authors: Lester P. A. , Keller E. T.
Published: November 2003

Bone metastasis, a very common sequelae of cancer, is often associated with great morbidity. Understanding the biology of bone metastases may lead to therapeutic interventions to target the metastases. In addition to replacing bone marrow elements, the presence of tumour cells in bone modulates the normal bone remodelling process. Some tumours result in primarily osteolytic bone lesions, whereas others are associated with osteoblastic bone lesions. In either case, the resulting changes in the bone structure result in weakened bone that induces pain and is predisposed to fracture. The mechanisms through which cancer cells modulate bone remodelling are not clearly defined, but ongoing research using a variety of animal models will hopefully provide clues to prevent or slow the progress of bone metastases.
The impact of splice isoforms on voltage‐gated calcium channel α1 subunits
Authors: Jurkat‐Rott Karin , Lehmann‐Horn Frank
Published: December 2003

Semi‐conserved exon boundaries in members of the CACNA1 gene family result in recurring pre‐mRNA splicing patterns. The resulting variations in the encoded pore‐forming subunit of the voltage‐gated calcium channel affect functionally significant regions, such as the vicinity of the voltage‐sensing S4 segments or the intracellular loops that are important for protein interaction. In addition to generating functional diversity, RNA splicing regulates the quantitative expression of other splice isoforms of the same gene by producing transcripts with premature stop codons which encode two‐domain or three‐domain channels. An overview of some of the known splice isoforms of the α1 calcium channel subunits and their significance is given.
Sensitivity limits for voltage control of P2Y receptor‐evoked Ca2+ mobilization in the rat megakaryocyte
Authors: Martinez‐Pinna Juan , Tolhurst Gwen , Gurung Iman S. , Vandenberg Jamie I. , Mahaut‐Smith Martyn P.
Published: December 2003

G‐protein‐coupled receptor signalling has been suggested to be voltage dependent in a number of cell types; however, the limits of sensitivity of this potentially important phenomenon are unknown. Using the non‐excitable rat megakaryocyte as a model system, we now show that P2Y receptor‐evoked Ca2+ mobilization is controlled by membrane voltage in a graded and bipolar manner without evidence for a discrete threshold potential. Throughout the range of potentials studied, the peak increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in response to depolarization was always larger than the maximal reduction in [Ca2+]i following an equivalent amplitude hyperpolarization. Significant [Ca2+]i increases were observed in response to small amplitude (<5 mV, 5 s duration) or short duration (25 ms, 135 mV) depolarizations. Individual cardiac action potential waveforms were also able to repeatedly potentiate P2Y receptor‐evoked Ca2+ release and the response to trains of normally paced stimuli fused to generate prolonged [Ca2+]i increases. Furthermore, elevation of the temperature to physiological levels (36°C) resulted in a more sustained depolarization‐evoked Ca2+ increase compared with more transient or oscillatory responses at 20–24°C. The ability of signalling via a G‐protein‐coupled receptor to be potentiated by action potential waveforms and small amplitude depolarizations has broad implications in excitable and non‐excitable tissues.
BAR Domains as Sensors of Membrane Curvature: The Amphiphysin BAR Structure
Authors: Peter Brian J. , Kent Helen M. , Mills Ian G. , Vallis Yvonne , Butler P. Jonathan G. , Evans Philip R. , McMahon Harvey T.
Published: December 2003

The BAR (Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs) domain is the most conserved feature in amphiphysins from yeast to human and is also found in endophilins and nadrins. We solved the structure of the
Drosophila
amphiphysin BAR domain. It is a crescent-shaped dimer that binds preferentially to highly curved negatively charged membranes. With its N-terminal amphipathic helix and BAR domain (N-BAR), amphiphysin can drive membrane curvature in vitro and in vivo. The structure is similar to that of arfaptin2, which we find also binds and tubulates membranes. From this, we predict that BAR domains are in many protein families, including sorting nexins, centaurins, and oligophrenins. The universal and minimal BAR domain is a dimerization, membrane-binding, and curvature-sensing module.
Pathways Leading from BarA/SirA to Motility andVirulence Gene Expression inSalmonella
Authors: Teplitski Max , Goodier Robert I. , Ahmer Brian M. M.
Published: December 2003

ThebarAandsirAgenes ofSalmonellaentericaserovar Typhimurium encode a two-component sensor kinase and a response regulator, respectively. This system increases the expression of virulence genes and decreases the expression of motility genes. In this study, we examined the pathways by which SirA affects these genes. We found that the master regulator of flagellar genes,flhDC, had a positive regulatory effect on the primary regulator of intestinal virulence determinants,hilA, but thathilAhad no effect onflhDC. SirA was able to repressflhDCin ahilAmutant and activatehilAin anflhDCmutant. Therefore, although theflhDCandhilAregulatory cascades interact,sirAaffects each of them independently. A form of BarA lacking the two N-terminal membrane-spanning domains, BarA198, autophosphorylates in the presence of ATP and transfers the phosphate to purified SirA. Phosphorylated SirA was found to directly bind thehilAandhilCpromoters in gel mobility shift assays but not theflhD,fliA,hilD, andinvFpromoters. Given that the CsrA/csrBsystem is known to directly affect flagellar gene expression, we tested the hypothesis that SirA affects flagellar gene expression indirectly by regulatingcsrAorcsrB. ThesirAgene did not regulatecsrAbut did activatecsrBexpression. Consistent with these results, phosphorylated SirA was found to directly bind thecsrBpromoter but not thecsrApromoter. We propose a model in which SirA directly activates virulence expression viahilAandhilCwhile repressing the flagellar regulon indirectly viacsrB.
AFFINE QUANTUM GRAVITY
Authors: KLAUDER JOHN R.
Published: December 2003

A sketch of the affine quantum gravity program illustrates a different perspective on several difficult issues of principle: metric positivity; quantum anomalies; and nonrenormalizability.
DARK ENERGY AS EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL GRAVITY
Authors: BURGESS C. P.
Published: December 2003

The nature of dark energy, which presently dominates the universal energy budget, remains a complete mystery. Models in which it is currently evolving tend to be overly sensitive to initial conditions, and necessarily involve a very light degree of freedom which is very difficult to obtain from realistic microscopic physics. This essay describes recent progress in understanding how the dark energy can arise as a residue of extra-dimensional gravitation, leading to new insights into how dark-energy cosmology might work. This picture produces dark energy dynamics within which couplings slowly run (or: 'walk') over cosmological times. It also has several unusual experimental predictions, including measurable modifications to Newton's Law on sub-millimeter scales and dramatic implications at next-generation collider experiments.
HOW DOES THE UNIVERSE EXPAND?
Authors: MATHUR SAMIR D.
Published: December 2003

Quantization of gravity suggests that a finite region of space has a finite number of degrees of freedom or 'bits'. What happens to these bits when spacetime expands, as in cosmological evolution? Using gravity/field theory duality we argue that bits 'fuse together' when space expands.
SOME PROPERTIES OF INTERFACES BETWEEN METALS AND POLYMERS
Authors: TIAN W. J. , ZHANG H. Y. , SHEN J. C.
Published: November 2003

We focus on the published results of the interfaces between depositing metals and insulating and semiconducting polymers, and the interfaces between polymer films and metals. They indicated that when metal was deposited on polymer films, diffusion action occurred at the polymer surface and new interfacial states were formed during the process of deposition. Chemical reactions led to good adhesion and good performance of charge transfer between metal and polymer. When polymers were deposited on metal substrates, adsorption to the substrate occurred at the interface.
HOLOGRAPHY WITH KIKUCHI ELECTRONS: DIRECT IMAGING OF ORDERED TRIMERS ON ${\rm A{\lc u}/S{\lc i}(111)}(\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3})$ R30° AND ${\rm S{\lc b}/S{\lc i}(111)}(\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3})$ R30° INTERFACES
Authors: HONG I. H. , JIH M. C. , CHOU Y. C. , WEI C. M.
Published: November 2003

The structural bases on the metal/semiconductor interfaces, such as gold trimers on the [Formula: see text] R30° surface and antimony trimers on the [Formula: see text] R30° surface, can be imaged directly with a simple inversion of low-energy (>600 eV) Kikuchi-electron patterns (Kikuchi-electron holography—KEH). The relative positions of the building blocks (trimers) on the adsorbates to the substrate atoms are also determined. This short-range-order KEH tool, which provides the 3D Patterson function, can be viewed as a twin of grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction. Using direct structural information obtained by KEH, one can greatly reduce the tested models in a complete trial-and-error structural-determination process.
COMPLEXITY: METRICS AND MODULES
Authors: BOSSOMAIER TERRY
Published: December 2003

Complex systems are of vast importance in the practical world as well as presenting many theoretical challenges. The measurement of system complexity is still imprecise. For many systems, their modular construction brings challenges in understanding how modules form and the emergent behavior which may result. In other systems, it is the development of encodings and communication protocols which allow complexity to increase dramatically. We take a broad view of these issues and then consider the nature of the system space which generates complexity. We show examples from cellular automata and applications of neural networks to data mining which suggest that complex systems often occupy simple structured sub-spaces. Finally, we look at the way modularity relates to networks and the implications for understanding human cognitive processing.