bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paying lip‐service to research? The adoption of a constructivist perspective to inform science teaching in the English curriculum context
Authors: Taber Keith S.
Published: March 2010

Constructivism is a widely influential perspective in science education research. However, there have been strong criticisms of attempts to adopt constructivism as a principle underpinning official science curriculum policy (for example in New Zealand). Over the past decade recommendations for classroom pedagogy in extensive official guidance (particularly through the ‘National Strategy’) issued to science teachers working in England have explicitly drawn upon constructivist principles. Yet there has been little public debate about this aspect of the guidance, or its reception by teachers, and there are reasons to expect that the potential impact of the recommendations has been severely compromised by the nature of the guidance, and the wider curriculum context. As recent substantive curriculum revisions rely upon science teachers adopting new pedagogy, research is indicated to explore how teachers construe and respond to pedagogic recommendations disseminated through official guidance.
Towards a framework for critical citizenship education
Authors: Johnson Laura , Morris Paul
Published: March 2010

Increasingly, countries around the world are promoting forms of ‘critical’ citizenship in the planned curricula of schools. However, the intended meaning behind this term varies markedly and can range from a set of abstract and technical skills under the label ‘critical thinking’ to a desire to encourage engagement, action and political emancipation, often labelled ‘critical pedagogy’. This article distinguishes these manifestations of the ‘critical’ and, based on an analysis of the prevailing models of critical pedagogy and citizenship education, develops a conceptual framework for analysing and comparing the nature of critical citizenship.
Are we ready to go outdoors now? The prospects for outdoor education during a period of curriculum renewal in Scotland
Authors: Thorburn Malcolm , Allison Peter
Published: March 2010

New devolutionary powers for education have been enthusiastically seized on by politicians and policy‐makers alike to promote a more integrated and holistic form of education in Scotland. This period of curriculum renewal offers the prospect of increased levels of outdoor education; however, to date there is a lack of a clearly agreed rationale for learning and clarity about how curriculum will be experienced by students. Consequently, we analyse pertinent conceptual questions about these matters through reviewing articles and policy announcements prior to advancing, in a preliminary fashion, a rationale for outdoor education which conceives of outdoor learning primarily as a moral endeavour. In developing the proposed rationale as the organising framework for learning, the article critically considers the multifarious challenges of connecting policy intentions with the authentic learning experiences of students. In so doing it discusses many of the most apparent curriculum and pedagogical barriers to learning, which have led in recent years to fragmented provision and the under‐realisation of increased levels of deeply embedded and connected outdoor learning experiences.
Some possible factors leading to decline in fish species in Lake Victoria
Authors: Njiru M. , Mkumbo O.C. , van der Knaap M.
Published: March 2010

The decline in fish species in Lake Victoria is one of the largest documented losses of biodiversity in an ecosystem. The reduction in species in the lake was attributed to overexploitation through increased fishing capacity, use of illegal fishing gears and poor enforcement of regulations. Introduction of the predatory Nile perch is blamed for the decline of the native species, especially the haplochromine cichlids. The native tilapiines, Oreochromis esculentus and Oreochromis variabilis, declined due to hybridisation and competition with the introduced Oreochromis niloticus. Diversity loss in haplochromine cichlids has also been attributed to hybridisation caused by increased water turbidity, which reduces visibility in recognising conspecifics during breeding. Degradation of the environment through poor farming patterns and waste disposal has led to increased nutrients into the lake, in turn leading to changes in water quality, increased algal blooms and subsequent anoxia which led to frequent fish kills in the 1990s. However, recent resurgence of haplochromines thought to be extinct, disputes the fact that extinction of several species occurred. Though not denying that a drastic reduction in the number of native species occurred, the much hyped extinction could be a result of a lack of adequate information on taxonomy and ecology of the haplochromines as well.
Fish faunas of the Chamo-Abaya and Chew Bahir basins in southern portion of the Ethiopian Rift Valley: origin and prospects for survival
Authors: Golubtsov Alexander S. , Habteselassie Redeat
Published: March 2010

Fish faunas of the Chamo-Abaya (21 species) and Chew Bahir (12–14 species) basins are more diverse than in other basins of the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Their increased diversity is determined by past connections to the Omo-Turkana basin, while the latter was connected to the White Nile system seven thousand years BP. The vast majority of fish species inhabiting the Chamo-Abaya and Chew Bahir basins are of Nilo-Sudan origin; however, some elements of the East-African ichthyofauna (Barbus kerstenii and Labeo cylindricus) are present. In contrast to other basins in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, the number of endemic fish species in the Chamo-Abaya and Chew Bahir basins is low. As in other Rift Valley basins, the fish diversity depends on the balance between extinction, driven mostly by episodic desiccation, and dispersal from adjacent water systems. The higher diversity of the Chamo-Abaya ichthyofauna, compared to that of the Chew Bahir basin, is apparently caused by the larger volume of water in the former basin and, consequently, by more stable hydrological conditions. However, the dispersal routes of most fish species now inhabiting the Chamo-Abaya basin were via the Chew Bahir basin. During the last twenty years intensive development of fisheries in Chamo and Abaya lakes has driven local populations of commercial fishes (e.g. Mormyrus caschive, Labeo horie and L. niloticus) to the verge of extinction. Currently, the main threat to the Chew Bahir ichthyofauna is the damming of tributaries for irrigation.
Increase in lake trout reproduction in Lake Huron following the collapse of alewife: Relief from thiamine deficiency or larval predation?
Authors: Fitzsimons John D. , Brown Scott , Brown Lisa , Honeyfield Dale , He Ji , Johnson James E.
Published: March 2010

In the Great Lakes there is still uncertainty as to the population level effects of a thiamine deficiency on salmonines caused by high consumption of alewives Alosa pseudoharengus. A resurgence of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush reproduction in Lake Huron following the crash of alewife stocks between 2002 and 2004 provided an opportunity to evaluate the relative effects of this crash on reproduction through relief from either alewife mediated thiamine deficiency or alewife predation on larval lake trout relative to possible changes in the size of the lake trout spawning stock. Changes in mean lake trout egg thiamine concentration post crash at one spawning reef in Parry Sound, where mean thiamine concentration increased by almost two-fold, were consistent with diet switching from alewives to rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax, the next most abundant prey fish in Lake Huron. Although thiamine levels for lake trout collected at a second reef in Parry Sound did not change post-crash, levels both pre- and post-crash were consistent with a rainbow smelt diet. A reef specific fry emergence index was found to be positively related to reef specific egg thiamine concentration but negatively related to reef specific occurrence of EMS, a thiamine deficiency related mortality syndrome. We found little evidence for overlap between the timing of spring shoreward migration of alewives and lake trout emergence, suggesting that relief from alewife predation effects had relatively little effect on the observed increase in lake trout recruitment. Numbers of spawners in the north, north-central, and southern zones of the lake increased from 2000 onwards. Overall the abundance post-2003 was higher than from pre-2004, suggesting that spawner abundance may also have contributed to increased lake trout reproduction. However, predicted numbers of spawners and measured abundance of wild recruits in assessment gear were poorly correlated suggesting that the increase in reproduction was not totally spawner dependent and hence relief from thiamine deficiency was also likely involved. We conclude from this that eliminating the effects of an alewife diet mediated thiamine deficiency can have positive effects on lake trout reproduction but more research is required to understand the effect of spawner number and the role of spawning habitat availability.
Revisiting Jung's dialogue with yoga: observations from transpersonal psychology
Authors: Schlamm Leon
Published: March 2010

In spite of the considerable body of scholarly literature on Jung's ambivalent relationship to Indian mystical traditions and his misreading of their canonical materials during the last three decades, Jung's persistent warnings against the practice of yoga by Europeans deserve more systematic examination by Jung scholars than they have so far received. At a time of increasing globalization inconsistent with Jung's East/West psychological relativism, Jung scholarship needs to engage with the considerable body of literature of transpersonal psychology addressing issues central to Jung's dialogue with yoga in the 1930s and 1940s. In this article, drawing upon the materials of transpersonal psychology, I examine two such issues: (1) Jung's claim that the European practice of yoga leads either to repression of unconscious contents by consciousness or to psychotic states in which consciousness is overwhelmed by the unconscious; (2) Jung's objection to the claim of Indian non-dualist traditions that the ego can be completely dissolved in, or absorbed by, the transcendental self. The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to catalogue challenges by transpersonal psychologists to Jung's model of psychological and spiritual development; second, to consider whether, because of Jung's defensive distancing from Indian spirituality, he exaggerated differences between the individuation process and the Indian mystical traditions he engaged with.
The passion of the country: bearing the burdens of traumatic histories, personal and collective
Authors: Dowd Amanda
Published: March 2010

Jonathan Lear, inRadical hope: Ethics in the face of cultural devastation,movingly writes: ‘We seem to be aware of a shared vulnerability that we cannot quite name … It is as though, without our insistence that our outlook is correct, the outlook itself might collapse’. It is this ‘vulnerability’ and ‘anxiety of collapse’ that has led to what has been called in Australia the ‘cult of forgetfulness’ and the ‘terror of history’ which refers to the silence that surrounded the Stolen Generations and still surrounds the psychic distress of our indigenous first peoples. This article explores Lear's statement in terms of the psychic pain of a culture founded upon waves of migration and traumatic dispossession to think about the question ‘What does it mean to live here?’ And what can that teach us about the formation of identity and cultural identity?
Fourier Spectrometer based on Wide-range and Phase-locked Michelson Interferometer with Femtosecond Laser Excitation
Authors: Wang Zi-xin , Xie Xiang-sheng , Deng Jun-qi , Zhou Jian-ying
Published: March 2010

A wide-range and phase-locked Michelson interferometer technique is described. This technique combined with femtosecond laser is used to measure the spectrum of the rare-earth ion Nd:YVO4, which presents very high signal to noise ratio of interferometric intensity output and higher spectral resolution than traditional grating spectrophotometer.
Structure of Reconstructed Cu(100) Surface Induced by Dissociative Adsorption of Gaseous Oxygen
Authors: Dou Wei-dong , Zhang Han-jie
Published: March 2010

The reconstructed structures of Cu(100) surface induced by O2 dissociative adsorption were investigated by low energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. At lower oxygen coverage, it was found that two reconstructed structures, i.e. c(2×2)-O and (√2×2√2)R45°-O are coexistent. The domain size of the c(2×2)-O structure decreased with the increasing of O2 exposure. The reconstructed structure at very small coverage was also investigated and a “zigzag" structure was observed at this stage. The “zigzag" structure was identified as boundaries of local c(2×2) domains. It was found that the strip region shows much stronger molecule-substrate interaction than that of oxygen covered regions, making it a proper template for patterned organic films. The sequence of the thermal stability was found as zigzag structure>c(2×2)>(√2×2√2)R45°-O.
Correlation of Cooperatively Localized Rearrangement on the “Fluidized Domain" of Polymers to Their Nonexponentially Viscoelastic Behaviors at Double Aging Processes (I): A Set of Reduced Universal Equations on the Stress Relaxation Modulus and Creep Compliance with K-W-W Stretched Exponential Function
Authors: Liu Ying , Song Ming-shi , Jin Yan , Hu Gui-xian , Wu Da-ming
Published: March 2010

Based on the structure of glass (or liquid) polymers consisting of α-domain, β-co-domain, and entanglement constituent chain networks, and the nonexponentially viscoelastic behavior, a “heterophase fluctuation" model was proposed. It was found that the dynamics of cooperative rearrangement on the “fluidized domain" has a great shear rate, domain size, and temperature dependences. When the shear rate, domain size, and temperature dependences were taken account into the cooperatively localized rearrangement on the fluidized domain by the degradation of primary α-domain and the reformation of secondary β-co-domain constituent chains. A new dynamic theory of cooperatively localized rearrangement on the fluidized domain constituent chains with different size and different network chain length during physical and mechanical aging was established. The total viscoelastic free energy of deformation resulting from the change in conformations of α-domain, β-co-domain, crytallite, crosslinked, and trapped entanglement constituent chains during aging processes was calculated by the combining method of kinetics and statistical mechanics. The constitutive equations and reduced stress relaxation modulus and creep compliances for three types of polymers were also derived. Finally, two reduced universal equations on creep compliance and stress relaxation modulus with a non-linear and two nonexponential parameters α and β were theoretically derived from the dynamic theory and a statistically extended mode coupling theory for double aging effects of polymers was developed. Results show that the two reduced universal equations have the same form as Kohlraush–Williams–Watts (K-W-W) stretched exponential function. The nonlinearity and the nonexponentiality are, respectively, originated from the memory effects of nonthermal and thermal history. The correlation of nonlinearity, α and β to the aging time, aging temperature, and the mesomorphic structure of fluidized domains was also established.
Structural and Electronic Properties of Li2Mg(NH)2 for Hydrogen Storage: First-principles Study
Authors: Liu Hua , Zhang Yong-hong , Huang Shi-ping
Published: March 2010

The structural and electronic properties of Li2Mg(NH)2 for hydrogen storage have been studied by first-principles calculation. The optimal unit cell parameters and the distance of N–H are determined, which are in good agreement with the experimental data. The bulk modules and the energies of zero pressure are obtained by using Murnaghan equation of states. The results show that the α-Li2Mg(NH)2 is a ground state configuration. The overlap population analysis shows that the N–Li/Mg ionic characteristics and N–H interaction of α phase are weaker than those of β phase. The valence band is dominated by the presence of N s and p states, hybridized with the H s state.
Visible-Light Activities of Erbium Doped BiVO4 Photocatalysts
Authors: Zhang Ai-ping , Zhang Jin-zhi
Published: March 2010

Er-doped BiVO4 composite photocatalyst was hydrothermal synthesized and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra techniques. The activity of the catalyst was determined by oxidative decomposition of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy analysis revealed that the doped Er existed in the form of Er2O3. It also showed that the Er doping can enhance the visible-light absorption abilities of catalysts and their visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities in comparison with those of pure BiVO4.
Organic Photovoltaic Cells with Improved Performance Using Bathophenanthroline as a Buffer Layer
Authors: Wang Na-na , Yu Jun-sheng , Lin Hui , Jiang Ya-dong
Published: March 2010

The role of bathophenanthroline (Bphen) as a buffer layer inserted between fullerene (C60) and Ag cathode in organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell was discussed. By introducing Bphen as a buffer layer with thicknes from 0 to 2.5 nm, the power conversion efficiency of the OPV cell based on copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and C60 was increased from 0.87% to 2.25% under AM 1.5 solar illumination at an intensity of 100 mW/cm2, which was higher than that of bathocuproine used as a buffer layer. The photocurrent-voltage characteristics showed that Bphen effectively improves electron transport through C60 layer into Ag electrode and leads to balance charge carrier transport capability. The influence of Bphen thickness on OPV cells was also investigated. Furthermore, the absorption spectrum shows that an additional Bphen layer enhances the light harvest capability of CuPc/C60.
DensiTree: making sense of sets of phylogenetic trees
Authors: Bouckaert Remco R.
Published: March 2010

Motivation: Bayesian analysis through programs like BEAST (Drummond and Rumbaut, 2007) and MrBayes (Huelsenbeck et al., 2001) provides a powerful method for reconstruction of evolutionary relationships. One of the benefits of Bayesian methods is that well-founded estimates of uncertainty in models can be made available. So, for example, not only the mean time of a most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) is estimated, but also the spread. This distribution over model space is represented by a set of trees, which can be rather large and difficult to interpret. DensiTree is a tool that helps navigating these sets of trees.

Results: The main idea behind DensiTree is to draw all trees in the set transparently. As a result, areas where a lot of the trees agree in topology and branch lengths show up as highly colored areas, while areas with little agreement show up as webs. This makes it possible to quickly get an impression of properties of the tree set such as well-supported clades, distribution of tMRCA and areas of topological uncertainty. Thus, DensiTree provides a quick method for qualitative analysis of tree sets.

Availability: DensiTree is freely available from http://compevol.auckland.ac.nz/software/DensiTree/. The program is licensed under GPL and source code is available.

Contact:  remco@cs.auckland.ac.nz
Phylogenetic relationships and diversity of β-rhizobia associated with Mimosa species grown in Sishuangbanna, China
Authors: Liu Xiao Yun , Wu Wei , Wang En Tao , Zhang Bin , Macdermott Jomo , Chen Wen Xin
Published: March 2010

In order to investigate the genetic diversity of rhizobia associated with various exotic and invasive species in tropical mainland China, 116 bacterial isolates were obtained from Mimosa root nodules collected from Sishuangbanna and Yuanjiang districts of Yunnan province. Isolated rhizobia were characterized by RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA genes, SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins and BOX-PCR. Most of the isolated strains were identified as β-rhizobia belonging to diverse populations of Burkholderia and Cupriavidus, and the phylogenetic relationships of their 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that they were closely related to one of four β-rhizobia species: Burkholderia phymatum, B. mimosarum, B. caribensis or Cupriavidus taiwanensis. Additionally, among the 116 isolates, 53 different whole-cell SDS-PAGE profiles and 30 distinct BOX-PCR genotypic patterns were detected, which demonstrated the genetic and phenotypic diversity found within these Burkholderia and Cupriavidus strains. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that β-rhizobia are extant and possibly widespread on the Chinese mainland and nodulate easily with Mimosa plants. We also find it especially interesting that this appears to be the first report from mainland China of Cupriavidus symbionts of Mimosa. These records enrich our knowledge and understanding of the geographical distribution and diversity of these bacteria.
Virgibacillus soli sp. nov., isolated from mountain soil
Authors: Kämpfer P. , Arun A. B. , Busse H.-J. , Langer S. , Young C.-C. , Chen W.-M. , Syed A. A. , Rekha P. D.
Published: March 2010

A Gram-positive bacterium (strain CC-YMP-6T) was isolated from soil samples collected from Yang-Ming Mountain, Taiwan. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain CC-YMP-6T clearly belonged to the genus Virgibacillus and was most closely related to the type strains of Virgibacillus halophilus (96.2 % similarity) and Virgibacillus kekensis (96.3 %). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone MK-7 and the polar lipid profile was composed of the major components diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and one unidentified phospholipid plus moderate amounts of two unidentified aminophospholipids and a phospholipid. The polyamine pattern comprised spermidine as the single major component with spermine and putrescine present in minor amounts. The major fatty acids of strain CC-YMP-6T were iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the clear phenotypic differentiation of strain CC-YMP-6T from all recognized species of the genus Virgibacillus. Strain CC-YMP-6T is therefore considered to represent a novel species of the genus Virgibacillus, for which the name Virgibacillus soli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CC-YMP-6T (=DSM 22952T=CCM 7714T).
Ruegeria marina sp. nov., isolated from Marine Sediment
Authors: Huo Ying-Yi , Xu Xue-Wei , Li Xue , Liu Chen , Cui Heng-Lin , Wang Chun-Sheng , Wu Min
Published: March 2010

A Gram-negative, neutrophilic and rod-shaped bacterium, strain ZH17T, was isolated from a marine sediment of the East China Sea and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic characterization. The isolate grew in the presence of 0–7.5 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.5–9.0; optimum growth was observed with 0.5–3.0 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7.5. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed ubiquinone-10 as predominant respiratory quinone and C18 : 1ω7c, 11-methyl C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0, C12 : 03-OH and C16 : 02-OH as major fatty acids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 63.5 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate belongs to the genusRuegeria. Strain ZH17Texhibited the closest phylogenetic affinity to the type strain ofRuegeria pomeroyi, with 97.2 % sequence similarity, and less than 97 % sequence similarity with respect to other described species of the genusRuegeria. The DNA–DNA reassociation value between strain ZH17TandR. pomeroyiDSM 15171Twas 50.7 %. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic data, strain ZH17Trepresents a novel species of the genusRuegeria, for which the nameRuegeria marinasp. nov. (type strain ZH17T=CGMCC 1.9108T=JCM 16262T) is proposed.
Pseudoalteromonas donghaensis sp. nov., isolated from seawater
Authors: Oh Yong-Sik , Park A-Rum , Lee Je-Kwan , Lim Chae-Sung , Yoo Jae-Soo , Roh Dong-Hyun
Published: March 2010

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile and aerobic bacterium, designated strain HJ51T, was isolated from a seawater sample from the East Sea, near South Korea. The isolate grew slowly at 4 °C, was able to grow at 40 °C, required NaCl and grew optimally at pH 6.5–7.0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 41.8 mol%. The major fatty acids were summed feature 4 (C16 : 1
ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH), C16 : 0 and summed feature 7 (C18 : 1
ω7c, C18 : 1
ω9t and/or C18 : 1
ω12t). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain HJ51T belonged to the genus Pseudoalteromonas and had 91.7–98.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with type strains of species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas. Strain HJ51T had 7.2 % DNA–DNA relatedness with Pseudoalteromonas
mariniglutinosa DSM 15203T and 12.9 % with Pseudoalteromonas
prydzensis DSM 14232T. On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic data, strain HJ51T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas, for which the name Pseudoalteromonas donghaensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HJ51T (=KCTC 22219T=LMG 24469T).
Formosa spongicola sp. nov., isolated from the marine sponge Hymeniacidon flavia
Authors: Yoon Byoung-Jun , Oh Duck-Chul
Published: March 2010

A Gram-negative, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated, oxidase- and catalase-positive, marine bacterium, designated A2T, was isolated from a marine sponge, Hymeniacidon flavia, collected from the coast of Jeju Island, South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain A2T was a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae. Its closest relatives were Formosa agariphila KMM 3901T and Formosa algae KMM 3553T (96.99 and 96.98 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively). DNA–DNA relatedness between strain A2T and F. agariphila KMM 3901T and F. algae KMM 3553T was 14.1 and 26.8 %, respectively. The dominant fatty acids (>5 %) of strain A2T were iso-C15 : 0 (33.9 %), iso-C17 : 0 3-OH (20.8 %), iso-C15 : 1 G (10.5 %) and iso-C15 : 0 3-OH (6.1 %). The DNA G+C content of strain A2T was 36.0 mol% and the major respiratory quinone was MK-6. On the basis of phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis, strain A2T represents a novel species of the genus Formosa, for which the name Formosa spongicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is A2T (=KCTC 22662T =DSM 22637T).
Hydrogenophilus islandicus sp. nov., a thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium isolated from an Icelandic hot spring
Authors: Vésteinsdóttir Hildur , Reynisdóttir Dagný B. , Örlygsson Jóhann
Published: March 2010

A novel chemolithotrophic bacterium, strain 16CT, was isolated from a hot spring in Graendalur, south-west Iceland. Cells of this organism were Gram-negative, rod-shaped and motile. The isolate was aerobic and capable of chemolithotrophic growth on hydrogen and carbon dioxide, heterotrophic growth on butyrate and several other organic compounds, and mixotrophic growth on butyrate, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Heterotrophic growth was generally enhanced in the presence of yeast extract. Autotrophic growth on hydrogen was observed at pH values between 6.0 and 10.0 and temperatures between 35 and 60 °C; optimum growth conditions were pH 7.0 and 55 °C. The DNA G+C content was 63.9 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain 16CT was a member of a distinct species belonging to the class Betaproteobacteria and was most closely related to Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus NBRC 14978T and Hydrogenophilus hirschii DSM 11420T. The major cellular fatty acids were straight-chain C16 : 0 (44.98 %) and C18 : 1
ω7c (17.93 %), as well as cyclic C17 : 0 (13.90 %) and C19 : 0
ω8c (4.67 %) fatty acids. Based on its physiological and molecular properties, it is concluded that strain 16CT represents a novel species within the genus Hydrogenophilus, for which the name Hydrogenophilus islandicus is proposed; the type strain is 16CT (=DSM 21442T=JCM 16106T).
Spatial Configuration of Transposable ElementAcTermini Affects Their Ability to Induce Chromosomal Breakage in Maize
Authors: Yu Chuanhe , Zhang Jianbo , Pulletikurti Vinay , Weber David F. , Peterson Thomas
Published: March 2010

Composite or closely linked maize (Zea mays) Ac/Ds transposable elements can induce chromosome breakage, but the precise configurations of Ac/Ds elements that can lead to chromosome breakage are not completely defined. Here, we determined the structures and chromosome breakage properties of 15 maize p1 alleles: each allele contains a fixed fractured Ac (fAc) element and a closely linked full-length Ac at various flanking sites. Our results show that pairs of Ac/fAc elements in which the termini of different elements are in direct or reverse orientation can induce chromosome breakage. By contrast, no chromosome breakage is observed with alleles containing pairs of Ac/fAc elements in which the external termini of the paired elements can function as a macrotransposon. Among the structures that can lead to chromosome breaks, breakage frequency is inversely correlated with the distance between the interacting Ac/Ds termini. These results provide new insight into the mechanism of transposition-induced chromosome breakage, which is one outcome of the chromosome-restructuring ability of alternative transposition events.
Enabling informed and responsible purchasing: helping customers to understand implications and impacts
Authors: Coulson‐Thomas Colin
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Many concerned people are unaware of the full impacts of their buying decisions on the environment. This paper aims to show how people can be helped to behave more responsibly when they buy.

Design/methodology/approach

Sales and purchasing support tools can show buyers the implications of different courses of action, and enable them to select the least harmful option. The paper shows how an approach used to improve salesforce effectiveness can be employed in the purchasing arena. Key lessons from early adopters are summarised, and questions posed for training and development professionals.

Findings

The tools examined increase the performance of key workgroups such as front line sales, account management and support staff, and make it easier for people to take difficult buying decisions. The paper gives a weed control example, and mentions applications that have yielded a first‐year return on investment of over 20, 30 and 70 times.

Practical implications

Support tool users experience a range of benefits from extra business and quicker responses to closer relationships with more satisfied customers. Pioneering companies are also reducing cost, risk and stress; and improving quality and compliance.

Originality/value

Many people and boards would like to address challenges such as climate change, but they lack a practical and cost‐effective way of doing so. The approach outlined represents a cost‐effective way of demonstrating corporate social responsibility. In doing what they feel is the right thing people can benefit themselves, their supplier and the planet.
How to 10×your influence: use four or more sources to exponentially increase your influence
Authors: Grenny Joseph , Pound Richard
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The researchers at VitalSmarts have combined more than thirty years of their original research with the best social science research from the past five decades to develop a model for creating sustainable behavior change in individuals, teams, organizations, and nations. This article presents their findings which show that people who engage in a multi‐faceted change management strategy are up to ten times more successful at solving persistent and profound problems by creating rapid and sustainable behavior change.

Design/methodology/approach

The research presented in this article is composed of three studies. In the first study, VitalSmarts researchers interviewed 25 C‐level leaders regarding their most persistent challenges including bureaucratic infighting, silo thinking, and lack of accountability. The second study focused on the most common problems that occurred during 100 mission‐critical initiatives ‐ efforts such as internal restructurings, quality and productivity improvement initiatives, and new product launches. In the third study, researchers surveyed more than 1,000 individuals about personal habits they struggled to change ‐ habits such as unhealthy eating, insufficient exercise, smoking, and drinking.

Findings

Researchers found that influencers succeed where others fail because they know persistent problems and people's resistance to change are rarely fed by a single cause; rather, they are fed by a conspiracy of causes. Instead of looking for the minimum it will take to accomplish change, influencers combine a critical mass of different kinds of influence strategies ‐ as a result they are ten times more successful at securing sustainable behavior change.

Originality/value

Those who use four or more sources of influence in combination are ten times more likely to succeed in creating change than those who rely on a single source of influence.
Comparative evaluation of critical factors in delivering service quality of banks
Authors: Kumar Mukesh , Tat Kee Fong , Charles Vincent
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This study aims to find the differences in the service quality (if any) between two types of banks, namely conventional and Islamic, in terms of common critical factors after re‐examining the SERVQUAL model, originally pioneered by Parasuraman. Further, the technique of dominance analysis is used to examine the relative importance of the critical factors in closing up the overall service quality gap in these two types of banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample is made up of 308 bank customers, consisting of the customers from both Islamic and conventional banks from different parts of Malaysia. The data have been collected by using the structured questionnaire, which consists of three parts. Part 1 deals with consumers' usage of banking channels and their banking behaviour. Part 2 contains 26 statements related to service quality dimensions based on past literature. Finally, Part 3 contains the questions related to the socio‐demographic profiles of respondents.

Findings

The modified SERVQUAL model consists of four critical factors (dimensions) as detected by factor analysis: tangibility, reliability, competence, and convenience. The results reveal that the expectations on competence and convenience are significantly different between conventional banks and Islamic banks, whereas the perceptions on tangibility and convenience are found to be significantly different between these two types of banks. The application of dominance analysis in the SERVQUAL model indicates that the difference between the two types of banks is in terms of degree and not pattern. Competence and convenience are found to be the relatively more dominating factors in both the types of banks. These two dimensions together can help to reduce the overall service quality gap to an extent of 72 per cent in the case of conventional banks and 85 per cent in the case of Islamic banks.

Originality/value

The application of dominance analysis in the SERVQUAL model could be more meaningful in determining the relative importance of the factors when dimensions are interdependent. It permits direct comparison of measures and allows one to predict the level of influence of one factor in comparison with other factors. The study could be quite useful from the policy perspective in providing the guidelines to develop proper strategies and acknowledge the changes in customers' banking behaviour more quickly.
Total factor productivity change of Greek cooperative banks
Authors: Pasiouras Fotios , Sifodaskalakis Emmanouil
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the total factor productivity (TFP) change in the Greek cooperative banking industry over the period 2000‐2005.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs the Malmquist index and estimate two models, one based on the intermediation approach, and one based on the production approach. TFP change is disaggregated into technical efficiency change and technological change, whereas technical efficiency change is decomposed further into pure technical efficiency change and scale efficiency change.

Findings

The results are mixed. The first model indicates a small decrease (3 per cent) in TFP whereas the second model indicates an increase by 6.6 per cent. Comparing the results on the basis of banks' size finds that TFP growth is higher for smaller banks on average over the entire period of our analysis. However, this relationship between size and productivity is not robust across the years. Furthermore, the differences between the groups are not statistically significant.

Practical implications

The results can be of special interest to several stakeholders such as customers‐members, bank managers, local community, and of course bank regulators.

Originality/value

This paper is believed to be the first that examines the productivity growth of Greek cooperative banks.
The impact of time on perceptions of educational value
Authors: Ledden Lesley , Kalafatis Stavros P.
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Despite current advances in the domain, little is known about the dynamic nature of the value construct, specifically the manner in which value perceptions change over time during the higher education consumption experience. This paper aims to examine the impact that emotions (affective states) and knowledge (cognitive influences) have on changes to the give and get dimensions of value, the respective impact of these on satisfaction, and the latter's influence on intention to recommend.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted in the UK education domain. Data were collected through a matched sample of 66 students at two points in time (at the start of the course and half way through) during a one‐year postgraduate course. The PLS approach to structural equation modelling was employed to examine the relationships between the focal constructs.

Findings

The results indicate differential impact of knowledge and emotions on the value dimensions at the two time points. Emotions are more dominant at time 1, while at time 2 the impact of emotions and knowledge on the value dimensions is comparable. There is significant increase from time 1 to 2 in six of the examined relationships while the reverse is found for only one relationship. The influence of satisfaction on intention to recommend increases significantly from time 1 to 2.

Originality/value

To the knowledge of the authors, this research represents the first examination of value's temporal nature, in which the results provide empirical support for value as a dynamic phenomenon that is differentially influenced by cognitive and affective variables.
Personal values in relation to graduate career choices
Authors: Da Silva Añaña Edar , Meucci Nique Walter
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the personal values predominating in different academic areas to identify relations that may be of interest to university managers. Exploratory in nature, it seeks to understand how human values can be used to enhance the academic courses according to the profile of each group.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 1,609 students attending a large Brazilian university, whose values are measured using the Rokeach values survey. The data are firstly submitted to exploratory factor analysis to identify a set of factors later used to construct perceptual maps. Finally, the careers are grouped and typified according to the predominant values in each one.

Findings

Results suggest that students of some careers are more prone to be classified through their values than others, but in general terms each professional group shows some particularity. Most careers can be typified by the values students consider more important for them or by the values they depreciate, or by both. In some cases the combination of high evaluation in some dimensions with poor evaluation in others offered greater insight.

Research limitations/implications

The necessity to find a common structure of values applicable to a wide set of careers determined the exclusion of some values from the original scale that, while important for some professions, did not fit others. The lack of uniformity across careers determined the low variance explained by the common structure.

Originality/value

The paper offers interesting insights for university managers, especially those involved in the conception, positioning or repositioning of academic courses.
Can ethics be learned?
Authors: Langlois Lyse , Lapointe Claire
Published: March 2010

Purpose

In response to the growing need for educational leaders who possess ethical, critical and reflective qualities, a training program was developed based on ethics as a reflective critical capacity and on Starratt's three‐dimensional model. This paper aims to describe the impact of the program on ethical decision making and on educational leaders’ ethical competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

A three‐year action‐research study was conducted with three groups of educational administrators, totalling 30 participants. Mixed methods were used for data collection: a pre‐ and post‐training questionnaire, individual semi‐structured interviews and group interviews. The questionnaire data were analyzed using SPSS software and interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Results from the pre‐test indicate that, prior to the training program, participants rarely possessed all three ethical dimensions. Post‐test results show how participants experience a significant readjustment process characterized by three different stages which have been called the transformative cycle. Qualitative results show the impact of the training program on improved ethical awareness, judgement structuring, a sense of responsibility, and overall professional conduct. No significant difference is observed between male and female participants but statistically significant differences are found according to number of years of experience and to work situation.

Practical implications

Developing sound ethical expertise appears to be promising in training future educational administrators and in improving their leadership skills.

Originality/value

This study is original in many aspects. Theoretically, it is based on a self‐regulated rather than hetero‐regulated approach to ethics and calls for descriptive rather then normative foundations to ethical leadership. With regard to its methodology, it used mixed methods adapted to action research as well as original data collection instruments.
School ethical climate and teachers' voluntary absence
Authors: Shapira‐Lishchinsky Orly , Rosenblatt Zehava
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a theoretical framework for linking school ethical climate with teachers' voluntary absence. The paper attempts to explain this relationship using the concept of affective organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 1,016 school teachers from 35 high schools in Israel. Data were collected by self‐report questionnaires and tested against archival data. The GENMOD procedure of SAS was applied. This procedure enables regression models for variables which are not necessarily normally distributed – such as absence – to be fit and also to account for the intraclass‐correlations within schools. Absence was measured by frequency of absence events, and ethical climate was measured by two dimensions: caring and formal.

Findings

Results show that caring and formal ethical climates are both related to teacher absence. Affective commitment was found to mediate the relationship between formal ethical climate and absence frequency. This is not true for the ethical climate of caring.

Practical implications

School principals may reduce voluntary absence by creating an ethical climate focused on caring and clear and just rules and procedures.

Originality/value

Whereas past research on work absence focused primarily on personal antecedents, the present study addresses factors embedded in school ethics. The results contribute to knowledge of the influence of organizational context on absence behavior.
Politics and school education in Australia: a case of shifting purposes
Authors: Cranston Neil , Kimber Megan , Mulford Bill , Reid Alan , Keating Jack
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The paper aims to argue that there has been a privileging of the private (social mobility) and economic (social efficiency) purposes of schooling at the expense of the public (democratic equality) purposes of schooling.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a literature review, policy and document analysis.

Findings

Since the late 1980s, the schooling agenda in Australia has been narrowed to one that gives primacy to purposes of schooling that highlight economic orientations (social efficiency) and private purposes (social mobility).

Practical implications

The findings have wider relevance beyond Australia, as similar policy agendas are evident in many other countries raising the question as to how the shift in purposes of education in those countries might mirror those in Australia.

Originality/value

While earlier writers have examined schooling policies in Australia and noted the implications of managerialism in relation to these policies, no study has analysed these policies from the perspective of the purposes of schooling. Conceptualising schooling, and its purposes in particular, in this way refocuses attention on how societies use their educational systems to promote (or otherwise) the public good.
Brilliant mistake! Essays on incidents of management mistakes and mea culpa
Authors: Palmer Mark , Simmons Geoff , de Kervenoael Ronan
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine students' perceptions of managerial mistakes and why (and why not) managers admit mistakes.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a reflective account of how students' perceive management mistakes and deal with admitting “mea culpa” – “I am to blame”.

Findings

The findings show a range of attitudes: they highlight the intermingling pressures associated with the cultural environment and mistakes; they identify media characteristics and its influences on mistakes and mea culpa; they highlight ceremonial processes and tasks that shape and influence the declaration of mea culpa; and they identify how the psychology and sociology of mistakes confronts and affects students. Taken together, the study highlights the varying degrees of wariness that is carried forward by the students from vicariously learning about management mistakes.

Originality/value

This paper links up with recent discussions on retail failure and retail pedagogy. It is hoped that this paper will encourage more academics to address, and engage with, management mistakes creatively in their teaching.