bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supply elasticities and developers' expectations: a study of European office markets
Authors: Fuerst Franz , McAllister Patrick
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between supply and demand in 19 European office markets in the period 1991‐2006. It estimates the variations in the price elasticity of supply across the different markets. The paper tests whether developers display evidence of myopic or rational expectations in their behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws upon a time series of rental, take‐up and new completions for 20 European office markets. A static measurement of price elasticity is calculated for each office market. To measure this expected supply response in the empirical analysis, the paper applies an impulse response analysis.

Findings

There is an evidence of positive and negative price elasticity. In a significant proportion of cities, supply increases following falls in rental levels. As a result, there is some evidence of myopic behaviour in a proportion of the markets examined, there is little evidence to support the hypothesis that real estate developers systematically display myopic expectations. The diversity in developer responses to price signals is surprising. It is concluded that idiosyncratic rather than systematic factors may dominate supply‐side responses to market signals.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is essentially exploratory and raises a number of questions for further investigation. There is scope to address the research questions using better data series, in particular, net absorption rates, construction starts, real rental growth rates and different geographical definitions. There is also scope to extend the research to examine the causal factors underlying differences in supply elasticity, for instance, the relative contribution of constraining variables such regulatory restrictions and limitations in physical capacity. It is also possible to model the supply adjustment process more dynamically in an error‐correction framework.

Practical implications

The findings would suggest that the complexity and diversity of economic, institutional and capital market influences affecting European commercial real estate markets seem to be far too numerous for any single model of market or developer behaviour to explain.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to examine supply elasticity across a broad range of European office markets.
The role of assessment in managing student diversity
Authors: Azasu Samuel , Hungria‐Gunnelin Rosane , Edström Kristina
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of assessment to manage some of the challenges diversity brings into the teaching and learning in international real estate degree programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a multi‐year case study of a course in real estate valuation in a Swedish University. The impact of assessment on student experience and performance was analyzed.

Findings

Changes in the timing and rules of assessment have an appreciable impact on differences in student performance. However, some diversity problems must be addressed also at the program level.

Practical implications

Real estate departments must exercise pedagogical leadership if they are to continue to effectively provide globally relevant education.

Originality/value

This paper analyses one of the consequences of the expansion of international real estate education into a non‐traditional destination for foreign students.
Performance effects of corporate divestiture programs
Authors: Brauer Matthias , Schimmer Markus
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The paper aims at extending extant research on sources of divestiture gains by suggesting a novel program‐based perspective on divestitures and analyzing the performance of program divestitures in comparison to single “stand‐alone” divestitures.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on event study methodology, the authors analyze the abnormal returns of 160 divestiture announcements within the global insurance industry between 1998 and 2007. In contrast to prior research which relied on ex post statistical clustering to identify transaction programs, ad hoc corporate press releases issued with the divestiture announcements are used to categorize program divestitures.

Findings

Empirical results suggest that program divestitures generate higher abnormal returns than stand‐alone divestitures. Further analyses into the sources for these higher gains, however, do not provide support for experience effects as significant explanatory factors. Instead, results suggest that the scheduling of divestitures significantly impacts announcement returns.

Research limitations/implications

The scope and single industry setting of the study suggest future cross‐industry research on the influence of divestiture program characteristics on divestiture performance and the conditions under which these programs improve divestiture performance.

Practical implications

Managers are advised to refrain from piecemeal divestiture behavior lacking clear strategic focus. Instead, they are encouraged to bundle their divestitures as part of a divestiture program with a clear strategic intent and shared business logic.

Originality/value

While prior research on divestitures has treated divestitures as isolated events, the paper directs attention towards the analysis of divestiture programs. Further, experience and timing effects, which have been widely absent from prior divestiture studies, are considered.
Business‐relatedness and strategy moderations: impacts on foreign subsidiary performance
Authors: Pehrsson Anders
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to improve the existing knowledge of international strategy antecedents of foreign subsidiary performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses are developed regarding the impact of perceived relatedness between the foreign subsidiary and the parent firm's core business unit, and the moderating effect of the subsidiary's business strategy. In order to test the hypotheses, the study uses survey data from Europe (Germany and the UK), and the USA, and the subsidiaries belong to Swedish manufacturing firms.

Findings

Perceived relatedness regarding intangible resources affects foreign subsidiary performance positively. Competitive differentiation and market knowledge of a foreign subsidiary reinforce the performance impact of the perceived relatedness.

Research limitations/implications

A foreign subsidiary's relatedness to the core business unit of its parent firm determines the subsidiary's ability to assimilate the parent firm's core competencies. The relatedness represents a synergy potential that is realized by the subsidiary's core competence exploitation and economies of learning.

Originality/value

The paper extends current knowledge of international strategy antecedents of foreign subsidiary performance as it applies the perceptual approach to relatedness and acknowledges the impact of foreign subsidiary strategy.
Capital investments, capabilities, and uncertainty
Authors: Ahsan Mujtaba
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of capital investments on new capabilities development during competence‐destroying change. The moderating role of uncertainty is also explored.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilizes two distinct but related research streams; the literature on organizational capabilities and real options, to build the theory and hypotheses.

Findings

Data from a sample of 767 alliances between incumbent pharmaceutical firms and new biotechnology firms reveal that incumbent firms who increase capital investments in emerging technological domains despite the uncertainty present in them, are more likely to develop new products based on emerging technology.

Research limitations/implications

The results encourage future research on the nexus of managerial cognition, capital investments, uncertainty and the adaptation process.

Originality/value

Extant literature implicitly suggests that capital investments are critical for developing new capabilities; yet no prior study has addressed the relationship between capital investments and new capabilities development during competence‐destroying change. This paper addresses this gap in the literature.
CEO pay as a reflection of power or performance: an empirical test for The Netherlands, 2002‐2006
Authors: Van der Laan Gerwin
Published: May 2010

Purpose

Previous empirical research interprets results from pay‐performance studies in the light of either agency theory or managerial power theory. This paper aims to directly estimate the relationship between CEO power, and compensation structure, level, and performance‐sensitivity. In doing so, it seeks to test the crucial assumption in managerial power theory according to which more powerful CEOs are able to enjoy higher and less performance‐sensitive compensation.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses are tested on a detailed dataset, covering compensation for CEOs in virtually all Dutch stock‐listed companies, for the period 2002‐2006. The paper tests whether the findings are robust against different lag structures and firm size classes.

Findings

In general, most of the multi‐dimensional measures of power do not appear to have a strong effect on compensation, with one exception: non‐Dutch CEOs receive more variable compensation, and receive higher and less performance‐sensitive pay than their Dutch colleagues.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the extant CEO compensation literature, which to date relies on interpretations of findings in pay‐for‐performance studies to argue for either agency or managerial power theory. The direct test of the relationship between power and compensation emphasises the importance of one dimension of a multidimensional power construct. As strong effects of performance of compensation are not found either, the paper suggests that the bipolar debate be extended to include other explanations of compensation arrangements.
Revitalising an oil giant
Authors: O'Regan Nicholas , Ghobadian Abby
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how key strategic decisions are made in practice at a successful FTSE 100 company.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on semi‐structured interview with the Chief Executive of BP, Dr Tony Hayward. Dr Hayward has introduced his “Forward Agenda” with the aim of turning BP into a more efficient and simpler organisation to achieve operational efficiency.

Findings

The paper sheds light on ingredients of successful transformation, key elements of growth, strategy implementation, and the link between corporate responsibility and strategy.

Practical implications

The paper presents views of a successful chief executive of a FTSE 100 company. It provides an insight on how strategy is made and executed.

Originality/value

The paper bridges the gap between theory and practice. It provides a practical view and demonstrates how a leading chief executive thinks about key strategic issues.
Borrowing amongst friends: the economics of informal credit in rural China
Authors: Turvey Calum G. , Kong Rong , Huo Xuexi
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the economic significance of informal borrowing between friends and relatives in rural China. Guided by an economic model of household‐production interactions, the paper provides results from a survey of over 1,500 households including general linear model and logistic regression results. The paper finds evidence of a “small farm bias” in the use of informal credit, but the paper cannot generalize this to credit rationing as a matter of course. In part, it is believed that a preference for informal borrowing is related to some forms of credit rationing, spillover effects and collateral as some literature suggests, but the results suggest that by no means are these mutually exclusive or exhaustive.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses regression techniques based on 1,557 farm household surveys gathered by the authors in Shaanxi, Gansu and Henan Provinces in 2007 and 2008.

Findings

The paper argues that informal lending amongst friends and relatives cannot be dismissed as a significant economic factor in the financing of China's agricultural sector. A small farm bias in formal lending is indicated by the results, but there are many factors other than credit rationing which affect a households' decision to borrow informally.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to the survey data used. China's agricultural economy is too large to assert that the informal‐formal relationships described herein are general, even though the results are supported by other research.

Practical implications

The paper makes the case that the study of agricultural finance in China should include informal lending as part of any credit study. In addition, the paper argues that the use of the term “informal lending” should not generally group familial lending with other forms of interest‐bearing loans such as pawn shops or money lenders.

Social implications

China's rural credit needs are huge and many farmers do not have access to formal credit. This paper argues that the strength of trust relationships between friends and family is sufficiently high that nearly 60 percent of all credit outstanding is between friends and relatives at zero interest rates.

Originality/value

This, it is believed, is one of the first comprehensive studies on informal lending in China.
Evaluating production risks for wheat producers in Beijing
Authors: Zhang Qiao , Wang Ke
Published: May 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the production risk for winter wheat producers in Beijing, China, particularly in its 13 districts.

Design/methodology/approach

A parametric approach is used to model wheat‐yield distribution for samples and the Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test is used to choose the most appropriate yield distribution. Parameters of the special yield distribution are estimated through the maximum likelihood estimation approach.

Findings

The Burr distribution is found to be the most appropriate parametric distribution to model winter wheat‐production risks for the districts of Beijing, except in the districts of Fengtai and Shunyi. Findings also show that the Johnson family distribution is the most appropriate model for these two districts (SB for the Fengtai District and SU for the Shunyi District). The wheat‐production loss ratios of the Beijing districts are between 6 and 15 percent, which is considered medium range in most regions. The highest production risks are located in the Western regions of Beijing (Mentougou and Fengtai) while the lowest production risk is located in the Southeastern region of Beijing (Daxing District).

Originality/value

To generate an objective yield trend and an accurate production risk assessment, linear moving average, instead of linear (or quadratic) regression, is used in this paper.
Do anxiety and depression have a common pathophysiological mechanism?
Authors: Boyer P.
Published: May 2010

Objective: To review, examine and propose a common mechanism for anxiety and depression based on modifications observed in neurotransmitter systems (mainly noradrenergic and serotonergic) and dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis.

Method: The relevant papers were identified by searches in Medline, Excerpta Medica, PsychLIT and other databases. The primary reports were reviewed and classified into animal and human data concerning: modifications of the monoamine receptors in anxiety and depression, pathophysiology of endocrine factors in anxiety and depression, patho‐physiology of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the pathophysiology of the HPA dysregulation in anxiety and in depression. In addition, a proposed model of a neuroendocrine continuum for anxiety and depression, in which anxiety occurs first during the life course and major depressive episodes occur later, was examined.

Results: Based on the available literature, increased concentrations of corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) in the cerebrospinal fluid has been reported in both anxiety and depression. However, release of other peptides or hormones of the HPA axis is regulated differently in the two disorders. Anxiety is characterized by hypocortisolemia, supersuppression after dexamethasone and increased numbers of glucocorticoid receptors, whereas depression is characterized by hypercortisolemia, non‐suppression after dexamethasone and decreased numbers of gluco‐corticoid receptors. A ‘neuroendocrine continuum’ model is proposed to explain these differences. A general desensitization of CRF receptors at pituitary, limbic (amygdala) and cortical as well as hippocampal levels could be secondary to the loss of hippocampal inhibition resulting from hippocampal damage linked to repeated stressing events.

Conclusion: The proposed hypothesis remains to be tested by examination of either the changes in receptors and neurotransmission or the mech‐anisms underlying the dysregulation of endocrine factors.
Venlafaxine XR in the treatment of anxiety
Authors: Hackett D.
Published: May 2010

Objective: To present the results of numerous studies that assessed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of venlafaxine extended release (XR) in treating anxiety disorders, particularly generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Method: Efficacy was assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, Clinical Global Impressions scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and other instruments. Standard safety and tolerability assessments were used.

Results: In four placebo‐controlled trials, venlafaxine XR was effective and well tolerated in patients with GAD. Several additional smaller studies found venlafaxine XR effective in treating anxiety associated with social phobia, obsessive‐compulsive disorder and panic disorder.

Conclusion: Venlafaxine XR has both short‐ and long‐term efficacy and tolerability in treating symptoms of long‐term anxiety and comorbid anxiety and depression, and in achieving remission in GAD patients. These characteristics, combined with early onset of anxiolytic action and dose–response effect, make it a logical choice for treating anxiety occurring alone or comorbidly with depression.
The European Service Mapping Schedule (ESMS): development of an instrumentfor the description and classificationof mental health services
Authors: Johnson S. , Kuhlmann R. ,   EPCAT group
Published: May 2010

Objective: This paper describes the development of an instrument for description and classification of mental health services and for measurement of service use. Purposes to be served by the instrument include: (i) identification of gaps in the spectrum of services in a catchment area; (ii) obtaining background information which may be important to understanding why apparently similar interventions lead to different outcomes in different areas; (iii) investigating how introduction of a particular type of service influences use of other local services; and (iv) understanding the relationship between sociodemographic factors and service use.

Method: The instrument was developed through meetings of an international expert panel and pilot stages in several European countries.

Results: Use of the European Mapping Service Mapping Schedule (ESMS) appears feasible in several countries and allowed description and classification of the full range of services identified within each of the study catchment areas.

Conclusion: The ESMS promises to fill a gap in the technology available for mental health services research. Further practical experiences of its use for a variety of purposes in a variety of settings are now needed to indicate how far the ESMS does successfully generate data which are useful to researchers and planners.
A major fish stranding caused by a natural hypoxic event in a shallow bay of the eastern South Pacific Ocean
Authors: Hernández‐Miranda E. , Quiñones R. A. , Aedo G. , Valenzuela A. , Mermoud N. , Román C. , Yañez F.
Published: May 2010

A massive beaching and mortality of fishes occurred in Coliumo Bay, a shallow bay located along the coast of the eastern South Pacific Ocean on 3 January 2008. This stranding was a consequence of an abrupt decrease in the dissolved oxygen concentration throughout the whole water column, due to the effect of intense upwelling along the coast off central‐southern Chile. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to characterize taxonomically and biologically the fish species assemblage present in this beaching; (2) to evaluate several physiological indicators for the condition of the beached species at the time of their death; and (3) to assess the possible cause–effect mechanisms involved in the fishes death and the changes that took place in the fish community throughout the time. In this beaching, 26 fish species were identified: 23 teleosts, one myxiniform and two elasmobranchs. Most beached specimens were juveniles. Haematological and histological evidence indicate that severe hypoxia that lasted for at least 48 h was the most plausible cause of death. The main conclusion of this study is that the presence of oxygen‐poor equatorial sub‐surface water in the shallow coastal zone due to intense regional‐scale upwelling caused the fish stranding. Although the effect of the hypoxic event was severe for the fish assemblage of Coliumo Bay, the rapid recuperation observed suggests that hypoxic events at the local spatial scale can be buffered by migration processes from the fish community inhabiting close by areas non‐affected by low oxygen conditions. The effect that severe hypoxic events may have on larger spatial scales remains unknown.
Evidence of changing migratory patterns of wild Atlantic salmonSalmo salarsmolts in the River Bush, Northern Ireland, and possible associations with climate change
Authors: Kennedy R. J. , Crozier W. W.
Published: May 2010

The migration patterns, timing and biological characteristics of wild Atlantic salmonSalmo salarsmolts in the River Bush, Northern Ireland, were examined over the period 1978–2008. A distinct change in the timing of the smolt run was detected with progressively earlier emigration periods evident across the time series. The shift in run timing ranged from 3·6 to 4·8 days 10 years−1for a range of standard migratory audit points. The timing of smolt emigration has been linked to ambient river temperature patterns. Distinct seasonal patterns were evident for biological characteristics of River Bush smolts with mean age and fork length decreasing throughout the emigration period. Marine survival patterns in 1 sea winter River BushS. salarwere strongly influenced by the run timing of the preceding smolt year such that later emigrating cohorts demonstrated increased survival. Possible mechanisms for this relationship based on local climatic variation have been explored, including the effect of potential thermal mismatch between freshwater and marine environments.
Adjuvant engineering for cancer immunotherapy: Development of a synthetic TLR2 ligand with increased cell adhesion
Authors: Akazawa Takashi , Inoue Norimitsu , Shime Hiroaki , Kodama Ken , Matsumoto Misako , Seya Tsukasa
Published: May 2010

The development of effective immunoadjuvants for tumor immunotherapy is of fundamental importance. The use of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette‐Guérin cell wall skeleton (BCG‐CWS) in tumor immunotherapy has been examined in various clinical applications. Because BCG‐CWS is a macromolecule that cannot be chemically synthesized, the development of an alternative synthetic molecule is necessary to ensure a constant supply of adjuvant. In the present study, a new adjuvant was designed based on the structure of macrophage‐activating lipopeptide (MALP)‐2, which is a Toll‐like receptor (TLR)‐2 ligand similar to BCG‐CWS. Macrophage‐activating lipopeptide‐2, [S‐(2,3‐bispalmitoyloxypropyl)Cys (P2C) – GNNDESNISFKEK], originally identified in a Mycoplasma species, is a lipopeptide that can be chemically synthesized. A MALP‐2 peptide was substituted with a functional motif, RGDS, creating a novel molecule named P2C‐RGDS. RGDS was selected because its sequence constitutes an integrin‐binding motif and various integrins are expressed in immune cells including dendritic cells (DCs). Thus, this motif adds functionality to the ligand. P2C‐RGDS activated DCs and splenocytes more efficiently than MALP‐2 over short incubation times in vitro, and the RGDS motif contributed to their activation. Furthermore, P2C‐RGDS showed higher activity than MALP‐2 in inducing migration of DCs to draining lymph node, and in inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. This process of designing and developing synthetic adjuvants has been named “adjuvant engineering,” and the evaluation and improvement of P2C‐RGDS constitutes a first step in the development of stronger synthetic adjuvants in the future. (Cancer Sci 2010)
Alternative lengthening of telomeres in hTERT‐inhibited laryngeal cancer cells
Authors: Chen Wei , Xiao Bo‐Kui , Liu Jun‐Ping , Chen Shi‐Ming , Tao Ze‐Zhang
Published: May 2010

In most human malignancies, telomere homeostasis is maintained by the reactivation of telomerase. While inhibiting telomerase provides a novel approach to the treatment of many cancers, telomere maintenance can occur in the absence of telomerase activity by the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. Therefore, it must be determined if inhibiting telomerase selects for cancer cells that activate ALT. Here, we report that Hep‐2 cells that survived anti‐telomerase treatments showed sustained proliferation in culture with down‐regulated human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression and significantly enhanced levels of ALT‐specific promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies. Analysis of the telomere lengthening kinetics also demonstrated elevated telomeric sister‐chromatid exchange (T‐SCE) in surviving Hep‐2 cells, consistent with their long and heterogeneous telomeres. Similar to ALT cells, the surviving cells showed evidence of ALT telomere homeostasis. Furthermore, proteomic analysis identified several proteins differentially expressed between the untreated Hep‐2 cells and surviving cells that may provide new insight for understanding these two telomere maintenance mechanisms. Thus, the findings in this study may help to improve telomerase‐based therapy for cancer. (Cancer Sci 2010)
The influence of citalopram on interdigestive gastrointestinal motility in man
Authors: Janssen P. , Vos R. , Tack J.
Published: May 2010

Aliment Pharmacol Ther2010;32:289–295

Background Administration of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5HT) and selective 5HT receptor ligands modifies interdigestive motility in animals and in man.

Aim To study the effect of citalopram, a selective 5‐HT reuptake inhibitor, on interdigestive motility in man.

Methods In 20 healthy subjects, antroduodenojejunal motor activity was studied manometrically. Basal interdigestive motor activity was recorded until the passage of two activity fronts. Ten minutes after the second activity front, placebo or 20 mg of citalopram was administered intravenously in a double‐blind randomized fashion. Recording continued until the passage of two more activity fronts had occurred.

Results Administration of citalopram induced a premature small intestinal phase 3 after 35 ± 6.4 min, compared to 120 ± 17 min after placeboP < 0.01. Citalopram shortened MMC cycle length at the expense of phase 1 and phase 2 and significantly increased the motility index during phase 2 in the antrum and the small intestine.

Conclusions In the interdigestive state in man, intravenous administration of the selective 5‐HT reuptake inhibitor citalopram induces a premature intestinal phase 3 and suppresses gastric activity fronts. Phase 2 motility is stimulated both in the stomach and in the small bowel after citalopram. These data suggest that 5HT is involved in the control of interdigestive motility.
Various effects of different probiotic strains in allergic disorders: an update from laboratory and clinical data
Authors: Özdemir Ö
Published: May 2010

Epidemiological data show that allergic children have a different intestinal flora from healthy children with higher levels of Clostridia and lower levels of Bifidobacteria. Nonetheless, Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are found more commonly in the composition of the intestinal flora of non-allergic children. Probiotics are ingested live microbes that can modify intestinal microbial populations in a way that benefits the host and they are represented mainly by Lactobacilli. Enhanced presence of probiotic bacteria in the intestinal microbiota is found to correlate with protection against atopy. There is also very promising evidence to recommend the addition of probiotics to foods for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases. Clinical improvement, especially in allergic rhinitis and immunoglobulin (Ig)E-sensitized (atopic) eczema, has been reported in most of the published studies. However, clinical benefit of probiotic therapy depends upon numerous factors, such as type of bacterium, dosing regimen, delivery method and other underlying host factors, e.g. the age and diet of the host. Selection of the most beneficial probiotic strain, the dose and the timing of supplementation still need to be determined. This review helps understanding of the role of probiotics in various allergic diseases, explaining laboratory and clinical data in light of recent literature.
A role for human endogenous retrovirus-K (HML-2) in rheumatoid arthritis: investigating mechanisms of pathogenesis
Authors: Freimanis G , Hooley P , Ejtehadi H Davari , Ali H A , Veitch A , Rylance P B , Alawi A , Axford J , Nevill A , Murray P G , Nelson P N
Published: May 2010

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are remnants of ancient retroviral infections within the human genome. These molecular fossils draw parallels with present-day exogenous retroviruses and have been linked previously with immunopathology within rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Mechanisms of pathogenesis for HERV-K in RA such as molecular mimicry were investigated. To clarify a role for HERVs in RA, potential autoantigens implicated in autoimmunity were scanned for sequence identity with retroviral epitopes. Short retroviral peptides modelling shared epitopes were synthesized, to survey anti-serum of RA patients and disease controls. A novel real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was also developed to quantify accurately levels of HERV-K (HML-2) gag expression, relative to normalized housekeeping gene expression. Both serological and molecular assays showed significant increases in HERV-K (HML-2) gag activity in RA patients, compared to disease controls. The real-time PCR assay identified significant up-regulation in HERV-K mRNA levels in RA patients compared to inflammatory and healthy controls. Exogenous viral protein expression and proinflammatory cytokines were also shown to exert modulatory effects over HERV-K (HML-2) transcription. From our data, it can be concluded that RA patients exhibited significantly elevated levels of HERV-K (HML-2) gag activity compared to controls. Additional factors influencing HERV activity within the synovium were also identified. The significant variation in RA patients, both serologically and transcriptionally, may be an indication that RA is an umbrella term for a number of separate disease entities, of which particular HERV polymorphisms may play a role in development.
Ketamine reduces inducible superoxide generation in human neutrophilsin vitroby modulating the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-mediated pathway
Authors: Lu Huang-Wei , He Guan-Nan , Ma Hong , Wang Jun-Ke
Published: May 2010

Many cellular stresses and inflammatory stimuli can activate p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), a serine/threonine kinase in the MAPK family. The different stimuli act via different receptors or signalling pathways to induce phosphorylation of the cytosolic protein p47phox, one subunit of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Formyl–methionyl–leucyl–phenylalanine (fMLP) has been shown to induce the p38 MAPK phosphorylation during the respiratory burst in human neutrophils. Here, we show that treatment with S(+)-ketamine or R(-)-ketamine at different concentrations (50, 100, 200, 400 µM) reduced fMLP-induced superoxide anion generation and p47phox phosphorylation in neutrophils in a concentration-dependent manner (y = −0·093x + 93·35 for S(+)-ketamine and y = −0·0982x + 95·603 for R(-)-ketamine, respectively). While treatment with 50 µM ketamine inhibited fMLP-induced superoxide generation by 10%, treatment with 400 µM S(+)-ketamine and R(-)-ketamine reduced fMLP-induced superoxide generation to 60·5 ± 8·3% and 60·0 ± 8·5%, respectively, compared with that in neutrophils treated with fMLP alone. Furthermore, treatment with ketamine down-regulated both fMLP-induced p47phox and isoproterenol-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation and superoxide production. Interestingly, treatment with SB203580, the p38 MAPK inhibitor, also mitigated fMLP-induced superoxide anion generation and p38 MAPK and p47phox phosphorylation as well as apoptosis in a concentration-dependent fashion in neutrophils. Therefore, ketamine racemes inhibited fMLP-induced superoxide anion generation and p47phox phosphorylation by modulating fMLP-mediated p38 MAPK activation in neutrophils.
Altered expression of signalling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) family receptors CS1 (CD319) and 2B4 (CD244) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Kim J R , Mathew S O , Patel R K , Pertusi R M , Mathew P A
Published: May 2010

CS1 (CRACC, CD319) and 2B4 (CD244), members of the signalling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) family receptors, regulate various immune functions. Genes encoding SLAM family receptors are located at 1q23, implicated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we have investigated the expression and alternative splicing of CS1 and 2B4 in immune cells from SLE patients. The surface expression of CS1 and 2B4 on total peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), T, B, natural killer (NK) cells and monocytes in 45 patients with SLE and 30 healthy individuals was analysed by flow cytometry. CS1-positive B cell population was increased significantly in SLE patients. Because CS1 is a self-ligand and homophilic interaction of CS1 induces B cell proliferation and autocrine cytokine secretion, this could account for autoreactive B cell proliferation in SLE. The proportion of NK cells and monocytes expressing 2B4 on their surface was significantly lower in patients with SLE compared to healthy controls. Our study demonstrated altered expression of splice variants of CS1 and 2B4 that mediate differential signalling in PBMC from patients with SLE.
Dietetic students’ performance of activities in an objective structured clinical examination
Authors: Lambert L. , Pattison D. J. , De Looy A. E.
Published: May 2010

Background: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) have been used to assess the key clinical skills of many health professions; however, this form of assessment is not reported to have been used extensively for dietetic students. The present study explored which key dietetic skills could be assessed by an OSCE and which activity students performed best.

Methods: An OSCE of six activities, two involving simulated patients, was developed to assess key dietetic clinical skills. Thirty‐five level two dietetic students undertook the OSCE, which was marked using structured marking tools. A self‐administered questionnaire was also used to obtain data concerning student’s opinion on the OSCE process and the time allowed for each activity.

Results: Six activities were incorporated into the OSCE, involving communication, discriminatory and interpretation and food knowledge skills. The OSCE activity students performed least well involved knowledge of portion sizes and the carbohydrate content of specific foods. The activities that students performed best were the two activities in which mainly communication skills were assessed in simulated dietetic consultations using actors as standardised patients.

Conclusions: A dietetic OSCE was generally positively accepted by the students and offers a very effect form of assessment of key dietetic skills. Students performed better at activities requiring communication skills than those requiring greater discriminatory and interpretation and food knowledge skills. Students’ food knowledge skills require reinforcing to ensure that they acquire the knowledge and skills that are unique to dietitians.
Kisspeptin and the Preovulatory Gonadotrophin‐Releasing Hormone/Luteinising Hormone Surge in the Ewe: Basic Aspects and Potential Applications in the Control of Ovulation
Authors: Caraty A. , Franceschini I. , Hoffman G. E.
Published: May 2010

The identification of the neural mechanisms controlling ovulation in mammals has long been a ‘holy grail’ over recent decades, although the recent discovery of the kisspeptin systems has totally changed our views on this subject. Kisspeptin cells are the major link between gonadal steroids and gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones. In the female rodent, kisspeptin cells of the preoptic area are involved in the positive‐feedback action of oestrogen on GnRH secretion, although the picture appears more complicated in the ewe. As in rodents, activation of preoptic kisspeptin neurones accompanies the GnRH surge in the ewe but an active role for arcuate kisspeptin neurones has also been proposed. Experimentally, kisspeptin is able to restore reproductive function when the hypothalamic‐hypophyseal ovarian axis is quiescent. For example, i.v. infusion of a low dose of peptide in anoestrous ewes induces an immediate and sustained release of gonadotrophin, which subsides and then provokes a luteinising hormone (LH) surge a few hours later. This pharmacological intervention induces the same hormonal changes normally observed during the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle, including the secretion of oestrogen and its negative‐ and positive‐feedback actions on the secretion of LH and follicle‐stimulating hormone. Accordingly, a high percentage of kisspeptin‐infused animals ovulated. Although the multiple facets of how the kisspeptin systems modulate GnRH secretion are not totally understood, the demonstration that exogenous kisspeptin administration can induce ovulation in anovulatory animals paves the way for future therapeutic applications aiming to control reproduction.
Rapid Behavioural Effects of Oestrogens and Fast Regulation of Their Local Synthesis by Brain Aromatase
Authors: Cornil C. A. , Charlier T. D.
Published: May 2010

Besides their genomic effects, oestrogens, 17β‐oestradiol in particular, also activate cellular effects that may be too rapid (seconds to minutes) to result fromde novoprotein synthesis. Although the existence of such nongenomic actions has been extensively demonstratedin vitro, the understanding of their behavioural significance is only emerging. Recent findings provide evidence that acute oestrogen treatments significantly affect a variety of behavioural processes, including sexual behaviour, social communication and cognition. One question arising from these results concerns the source of the oestrogens mediating nongenomic effectsin vivo.In this review, data collectedin vitroandin vivoare presented supporting the notion that fast modulations of local testosterone aromatisation can rapidly control the local oestrogen concentration in a time frame compatible with their rapid actions. Taken together, these data provide compelling evidence of how rapid changes in the local production and action of oestrogens can shape complex behaviours.
Association between IL‐17F Gene Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to and Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Authors: Paradowska‐Gorycka A. , Wojtecka‐Lukasik E. , Trefler J. , Wojciechowska B. , Lacki J. K. , Maslinski S.
Published: May 2010

Interleukin‐17F (IL‐17F) is a novel proinflammatory cytokine. IL‐17F gene is an excellent candidate for chronic inflammatory disease. We investigated the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and His161Arg (7488A/G; rs763780) and Glu126Gly (7383A/G; rs2397084) polymorphism of IL‐17F gene. The gene polymorphisms in 220 Polish patients with RA and 106 healthy subjects were amplified by polymerase chain reaction with restriction endonuclease mapping. Overall, the polymorphisms of the IL‐17F gene were not correlated with susceptibility to RA in Polish population. However, the IL‐17F His161Arg variant was associated with parameters of disease activity, such as number of tender joints, HAQ score or DAS‐28‐CRP. Moreover, our findings have shown that Glu126Gly IL‐17F gene polymorphism may be correlated with longer disease duration in patients with RA. Our results for the first time showed the relationship between IL‐17F gene polymorphisms and severity of RA.
Inhibition of Alloantigen‐Primed Memory CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells by Hematopoietic Chimerism in Mice
Authors: Lan T. , Chen J. , Xia J. , Wang Y. , Xie B. , Wang F. , Qi Z.
Published: May 2010

Donor‐reactive memory T cells present a special hurdle in transplantation. Although hematopoietic chimerism is effective for inducing donor‐specific tolerance, the effects on memory T cells are unclear. Here, we induced stable chimerism and tolerance in mice (Tolerance group, n = 6) by donor‐specific transfusion (DST) plus anti‐CD154 monoclonal antibody (mAb), avoiding the toxic myeloablative conditioning treatment to assist bone marrow transplantation (DST/aCD154&BMTx). We then transferred memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells from donor antigen primed mice to the tolerance‐induced recipients 4 days after heart transplantation (Tol/CD4+ Tm group and Tol/CD8+ Tm group, n = 6, respectively), but neither of these memory T‐cell subsets had an effect on the permanent graft survival (median survival time > 100 days). The unaltered rate of memory T cells in spleen and anergy to donor antigen in vitro demonstrated that these memory T cells were well controlled. The chimerism‐promoting protocol DST/aCD154&BMTx produced an immune environment that included high levels of regulatory T cells (Tregs), microchimerism and TGF‐β, all of which may act in suppressing the donor‐reactive memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells. These findings have potentially important implications for designing approaches to suppressing memory T cells for success of transplantation.
Persistent Ex Vivo Low Number and Functional In Vitro Recovery of Circulating γδ T Cells after Removal of a Cutaneous Primary Melanoma
Authors: Provinciali M. , Re F. , Tucci M. G. , Ricotti F. , Lattanzio F.
Published: May 2010

We recently described γδ T cells alterations in patients with a cutaneous primary melanoma. To evaluate whether γδ T cells alterations persisted after melanoma removal, we performed a follow‐up study comparing the number and function of γδ T lymphocytes from 19 subjects, 4 years after the removal of a cutaneous primary melanoma, with the data obtained in the same subjects before the surgical intervention and with control donors. The number of circulating γδ+ T cells after melanoma removal was not recovered to the levels found in controls. γδ+ T cells producing TNF‐α or IFN‐γ were increased after melanoma removal in comparison with the same subjects before surgical intervention or with control donors. After in vitro culture, both the percentage and the expansion of γδ T cells were recovered to the values found in controls. In conclusion, the functional capacity of γδ T cells was in vitro recovered after melanoma removal, whereas their ex vivo number remained at lower levels than control donors.
An Optimized CFSE‐based T‐cell Suppression Assay to Evaluate the Suppressive Capacity of Regulatory T‐Cells Induced by Human Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells
Authors: Boks M. A. , Zwaginga J. J. , Van Ham S. M. , Ten Brinke A.
Published: May 2010

In autoimmune diseases or transplant graft rejection, a therapy that will prevent or reduce the present immune activation is highly desired. Ex vivo generated tolerogenic dendritic cells (DC) are considered to have a strong potential as cellular therapy for these diseases. One of the mechanisms of immune suppression mediated by tolerogenic DC is the induction of regulatory T‐cells (Treg). Consequently, the efficacy of such DC to induce Treg will reflect their tolerogenic capacity. Because no specific markers have been described for human induced (i)Treg yet, the Treg can only be appreciated by functionality. Therefore, we have optimized an in vitro suppression assay to screen for human DC‐induced‐Treg activity. IL‐10‐generated tolerogenic DC were used to induce Treg that were previously shown to effectively suppress the proliferation of responder T‐cells stimulated with allogeneic mature DC (mDC). Our results show that the suppressive capacity of IL‐10 DC‐induced Treg measured in the suppression assay increases with the iTreg dose and decreases with higher numbers of antigen‐presenting cells (APC) as T‐cell stimulation. Lowering the ratio between responder T‐cells and stimulator mDC present in the coculture clearly improved the read‐out of the suppression assay. Furthermore, mDC‐primed T‐cells in the suppression assay were shown to be an essential control condition. In conclusion, we recommend titrations of both APC and iTreg in the suppression assay and to include a negative control condition with T‐cells primed by mDC, to distinguish specific and functional suppression by iTreg from possible generalized suppressive activity.
Honeybees facilitate the invasion of Phyla canescens (Verbenaceae) in Australia – no bees, no seed!
Authors: GROSS C L , GORRELL L , MACDONALD M J , FATEMI M
Published: May 2010

Gross CL, Gorrell L, MacDonald MJ & Fatemi M (2010). Honeybees facilitate the invasion of Phyla canescens (Verbenaceae) in Australia – no bees, no seed!Weed Research50, 364–372.

Several environmental weeds rely on the pollination services of introduced bees. The transfer of this knowledge to weed control management has not been fully explored. In part, this may be because it is difficult to quantify the economic impact of environmental weeds. This diminishes the prospects for expensive research and development required for integrated weed management. In this study, we examine the reproductive ecology of Phyla canescens, a species native to South America that is an aggressive agricultural and environmental weed in many parts of the world. We found that P. canescens is self‐compatible, but not capable of automatic self‐pollination. A vector is required to effect seed set. Field studies showed that 45% of seeds produced through open pollination are viable. Using exclosure cages, we showed that non‐native Apis mellifera L. (honeybee) was the primary floral visitor and pollinator. Honeybee abundance was positively correlated with P. canescens abundance. Within the study site of 0.51 ha, almost 500 000 seeds ha−1 would be produced annually, as a result of honeybee pollination. This study shows that a shared evolutionary history is not required for honeybees to be successful pollinators. Facilitation is demonstrated through the obligate need for pollinators and the successful recruitment of the species through seed. Models for the control of feral honeybees in agricultural systems require development.