bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
That is not how we brought you up: how is the strategy of a project formed?
Authors: Vuori Elisa , Mutka Sanna , Aaltonen Pertti , Artto Karlos
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The requirements of various participants of a project may conflict with the strategy of the project's parent organization and, consequently, the project may form its individual strategy independently, to better align with the factors in its environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the formation of the strategy of a project as a response to the project's environment, providing insight into a project's strategy formation, where the project does not merely reflect the strategy of the parent but where the parent is only one influential actor (of many) in the project's environment.

Design/methodology/approach

To increase understanding of the relationship between the project's environment, the strategy of the project‐based firm and the strategy formation of a project, the authors analyze a project of a metallurgy firm in an empirical case study. The authors use project literature and corporate venturing literature, look for the dimensions of project strategy and the factors in the project's environment and study how the factors in the environment shape the project's strategy.

Findings

The analysis suggests that factors in the internal and external environments affect the strategy formation with varying strength. The strategy of the case project was formed in micro‐level iterative processes, in interaction between dimensions of strategy of the project and factors in environment. The empirical case study suggests that a project initiated with strong influence of external factors has to face contradiction between the strategy and related influential factors in the parent organization of the project.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to our understanding of how the strategy of an individual project is formed through micro‐level processes that are related to external and internal factors that affect the strategy formation.
Decoupling and standardization in the projectification of a company
Authors: Bergman Inger , Gunnarson Sven , Räisänen Christine
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the change trajectory in a large, global, project‐oriented company, with focus on standardization of project work, and on how the company's structure, processes and employment‐base changed in line with the company's increasing volume of projects.

Design/methodology/approach

The stance taken is to define firm‐based projects as temporary organisations embedded in, and coupled to their parent company. Narratives of employees' working history were combined with historical company data. The outcome is a trajectory of the company's history from four different perspectives, shown in parallel with the development of the company's project operations.

Findings

The projectification history was found to be connected with two parallel movements: a push towards project decoupling countered by a pull towards standardization of project management practices to tighten the coupling. The direction of the movements was influenced from current project management trends.

Research limitations/implications

The model of a projectified company as a loosely‐coupled system provides a novel way of analysing an organisation and its interfaces to its projects. Even though the work focuses on a unique company's projectification history, the intention is to provide a means to better understand the forces impacting the transformation of organisations increasingly using projects as a work‐form.

Originality/value

Adding the notion of coupling gives a new dimension to the transformation of project‐oriented companies. The model for analysing projects by means of their patterns of loose and tight coupling provides arguments for the shift in focus from the individual project to the interplay between structure, people and processes in the project‐oriented company.
Managing project portfolios: balancing flexibility and structure by improvising
Authors: Jerbrant Anna , Karrbom Gustavsson Tina
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to situate project portfolio management practice and explore its improvisational nature. The overall aim is to deepen the knowledge of what project portfolio managers do when they manage portfolios based on an organizational theory perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This research explores the situated actions of project portfolio managers managing project portfolios and is based on two different case studies. The approach is qualitative and interpretative, with the aim of gradually developing an understanding.

Findings

The primary contributions in this paper are insights that enhance the understanding of project portfolio management practice, and the differences in practice between portfolio managers and project managers when creating “action space” and improvising. This knowledge is important for both project theory and project practice, for example when developing managerial competences and sense making structures as well as organizational design in order to increase competitiveness. The findings also contribute to project theory in relation to research on the “Practice Turn” and the literature on re‐situating projects.

Research limitations/implications

The research implications emphasize the need for a better understanding of project portfolio management in practice, and an awareness of the need of uncertainty management executed by the portfolio managers situated actions (i.e. fulfilled by walk‐tour and circle communication).

Practical implications

The practical implications are an awareness of the fact that project‐based organizational settings have to emphasize a holistic approach and acknowledge the need for situated leadership (in particular for their project portfolio managers).

Originality/value

This paper fulfills an identified need to study situated project portfolio management practice.
Improvement of Sigma level of a foundry: a case study
Authors: Kumar Sushil , Satsangi P.S. , Prajapati D.R.
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore Six Sigma practices in a casting industry, that could improve the green sand casting process in a foundry by reducing the casting defects. The goal was to determine which variables influenced this evolution and the relative weight of critical success factors as the methodology developed.

Design/methodology/approach

The DMAIC (Define, Measurement, Analyze, Improve, and Control)‐based Six Sigma approach is implemented to improve the green sand casting process and has made the process more robust to quality variations. Analysis of various critical process parameters of the melt shop is also carried out with the help of Taguchi's method of experimental design.

Findings

The proposed techniques optimized control factors, resulting in superior quality and stability of the green sand castings process, which contributes to minimizing the casting defects and improving the Sigma level of the industry.

Research limitations/implications

This study was carried out with some boundaries such as the number of castings of differential housings, available resources, time constraints, etc.

Practical implications

This paper is most valuable for the foundry industry, which can avail the direct benefit of Six Sigma results from the reduction in the number of defects due to improved casting processes and dispels the myths concerning the hardly ever use of Six Sigma in the casting industry.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper lies in conducting a comparative study on the performance of a Six Sigma project. The paper will be valuable for quality professionals and management personnel in the casting industry.
Sustainable value creation in SMEs: a case study
Authors: Vincenza Ciasullo Maria , Troisi Orlando
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study how a small to medium‐size enterprise (SME) in Campania (Italy) integrated sustainability into its corporate strategy, and how its sustainable corporate strategies reflect on intangible assets.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper, an exploratory study based on grounded theory, analyzes are interviews with the entrepreneurial team and top and middle management. Findings are integrated with documentary analysis, internal process data and archival material.

Findings

Ethics and value systems play a significant role in devising sustainable corporate strategy. Competitive strategies, innovation, quality and responsibility are reflected in management procedures and the supply network system involving partners in sustainable innovation processes.

Research limitations/implications

A single case study obviously limits the generalizing of the findings.

Practical implications

Entrepreneurs and managers can benefit from the study to build a relational network for sustainable development.

Originality/value

The process of sustainable value creation, sharing and the co‐creation of knowledge emerges fully in the case study analyzed. The study pivots on issues of innovation and eco‐sustainability as drivers for corporate sustainability and business ethics.
Selected proposals and possibilities of trust development within the TQM concept
Authors: Bugdol Marek
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define the meaning of trust in the total quality management (TQM) concept and to present the practical possibilities of its development.

Design/methodology/approach

The basic research method was a study of the literature on the subject. First, the author carried out a detailed analysis of the literature on the subject and distinguished several thematic aspects comprising, among other things, the role and meaning of organizational values in management, the role of trust and its relation to other organizational values, and recommendations concerning trust development. The following stage was classification and categorization. Most of the issues were arranged in order and particular contents were ascribed to predetermined research aspects. The system approach and, indirectly, the hermeneutic interpretation were used in the article.

Findings

The research confirmed the possibility of trust development, taking into consideration a specific character of TQM. On the basis of previously developed concepts, the author proposes three methods of trust development in the TQM environment: taking into consideration an organizational values system; applying various trust types; and applying the key elements of TQM.

Practical implications

On the basis of the presented methods of TQM development, trust development programmes can be created. This is what some organizations have already been doing (e.g. Boeing‐Seattle).

Originality/value

The article is the first attempt to present the methods of trust development within the context of the specific character of TQM.
Support workers' knowledge about dementia: a vignette study
Authors: Herron Daniel L. , Priest Helena M.
Published: January 2013

Purpose

It is widely acknowledged that people with intellectual disabilities are highly likely to experience mental health problems, but that support workers' knowledge and skill in this area is sometimes lacking. There is little research explicitly exploring knowledge about the mental health of older people with intellectual disabilities and the purpose of this paper is to attempt to fill this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 14 support workers completed a questionnaire in which three vignettes presented progressively worsening indicators of dementia in an older person with intellectual disabilities. Participants explained what they thought was happening and what action they would take. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's framework.

Findings

Few participants had undertaken any mental health training, and only one in relation to older people. They were generally poor at judging early and intermediate indicators of dementia, but were able to identify more overt later signs. However, they believed these advanced indicators to be the onset of dementia. Nonetheless, they would generally take appropriate action, such as observation and referral. Abuse was often considered as a causal factor.

Practical implications

The most significant implication is the need for training in the mental health needs of older people and in particular, the general and specific indicators and expected trajectory of dementia in this population.

Originality/value

The study adds to the limited research on staff knowledge about older people with intellectual disabilities and dementia, using a novel methodology.
How Japanese schools build a professional learning community by lesson study
Authors: Chichibu Toshiya , Kihara Toshiyuki
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the lesson study (LS) processes and evaluate their effectiveness in Japanese elementary and secondary (middle and high) schools, through a school survey by the National Institute for Educational Policy Research of Japan (NIER).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors randomly selected 1,000 elementary schools and 1,000 middle schools and 500 high schools in Japan. Survey items are methods of LS, and indicators of building professional learning communities (PLC) through LSs, close communication between teachers, high quality instruction by teachers, and test scores of students of the school.

Findings

Based on the school survey in elementary and middle schools, almost all schools set up a school‐wide committee, a research theme, and a schedule for LS, and LSs were implemented as part of a school‐wide lesson study from which an action research report is produced. On the other hand, in high schools, almost all the schools implemented LSs, but each LS is independent and implemented specifically for the professional development of the individual teacher who undertakes the research lesson. The authors consider LS as a way to facilitate a PLC in the school. There are correlations between the methods of LS and the indicators of a PLC in elementary and middle schools. However, the effectiveness of LS differs between elementary and middle schools. With respect to the research theme and the organization and discussion of lesson plans, LS methods in middle schools are developed into LS methods in elementary schools. The LS methods may be developed gradually both in elementary and middle schools.

Originality/value

Statistical data of LS in Japanese elementary and secondary schools are presented for the first time, demonstrating the effectiveness of LS.
Infusing inquiry‐based learning skills in curriculum implementation
Authors: Laxman Kumar
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pedagogical implications of implementing inquiry‐based learning within the context of a problem‐solving oriented curriculum in a polytechnic institution in Singapore. An interventionist study examines the impact of developing questioning skills on students’ problem‐solving abilities.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach was adopted as the key research methodology for this course. The students who participated in this study came from a class of 25 first‐year students and they were assigned to five groups consisting of five members in each group. These students ranged in ages from 17 to 19 and were an even mix in terms of gender distribution.

Findings

It was found in the study that inquiry‐based learning as an educational process of active learning encouraged students to discover new knowledge on their own and enhanced their problem‐solving abilities. By generating their own questions and evidence‐supported explanations, students were also able to engage in higher levels of cognitive reasoning in the classroom.

Originality/value

The findings of this study will inform curriculum designers and educators who wish to implement alternative pedagogies on how they can develop inquiry‐based lessons for their classes.
Effects of phosphorus starvation versus limitation on the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus MED4 I: uptake physiology
Authors: Krumhardt Kristen M. , Callnan Kate , Roache‐Johnson Kathryn , Swett Tammy , Robinson Daniela , Reistetter Emily Nahas , Saunders Jaclyn K. , Rocap Gabrielle , Moore Lisa R.
Published: January 2013

Recent measurements of natural populations of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus indicate this numerically dominant phototroph assimilates phosphorus (P) at significant rates in P‐limited oceanic regions. To better understand uptake capabilities of Prochlorococcus under different P stress conditions, uptake kinetic experiments were performed on Prochlorococcus MED4 grown in P‐limited chemostats and batch cultures. Our results indicate that MED4 has a small cell‐specific Vmax but a high specific affinity (αP) for P, making it competitive with other marine cyanobacteria at low P concentrations. Additionally, MED4 regulates its uptake kinetics in response to P stress by significantly increasing Vmax and αP for both inorganic and organic P (PO4 and ATP). The Michaelis–Menten constant, KM, for PO4 remained constant under different P stress conditions, whereas the KM for ATP was higher when cells were stressed for PO4, pointing to additional processes involved in uptake of ATP. MED4 cleaves the PO4 moieties from ATP, likely with a 5′‐nucleotidase‐like enzyme rather than alkaline phosphatase. MED4 exhibited distinct physiological differences between cells under steady‐state P limitation versus those transitioning from P‐replete to P‐starved conditions. Thus, MED4 employs a variety of strategies to deal with changing P sources in the oceans and displays complexity in P stress acclimation and regulatory mechanisms.
Laser microdissection and microarray analysis of Tuber melanosporum ectomycorrhizas reveal functional heterogeneity between mantle and Hartig net compartments
Authors: Hacquard Stéphane , Tisserant Emilie , Brun Annick , Legué Valérie , Martin Francis , Kohler Annegret
Published: January 2013

The ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis, a mutualistic plant–fungus association, plays a fundamental role in forest ecosystems by enhancing plant growth and by providing host protection from root diseases. The cellular complexity of the symbiotic organ, characterized by the differentiation of structurally specialized tissues (i.e. the fungal mantle and the Hartig net), is the major limitation to study fungal gene expression in such specific compartments. We investigated the transcriptional landscape of the ECM fungus Tuber melanosporum during the major stages of its life cycle and we particularly focused on the complex symbiotic stage by combining the use of laser capture microdissection and microarray gene expression analysis. We isolated the fungal/soil (i.e. the mantle) and the fungal/plant (i.e. the Hartig net) interfaces from transverse sections of T. melanosporum/Corylus avellana ectomycorrhizas and identified the distinct genetic programmes associated with each compartment. Particularly, nitrogen and water acquisition from soil, synthesis of secondary metabolites and detoxification mechanisms appear to be important processes in the fungal mantle. In contrast, transport activity is enhanced in the Hartig net and we identified carbohydrate and nitrogen‐derived transporters that might play a key role in the reciprocal resources' transfer between the host and the symbiont.
An arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus significantly modifies the soil bacterial community and nitrogen cycling during litter decomposition
Authors: Nuccio Erin E. , Hodge Angela , Pett‐Ridge Jennifer , Herman Donald J. , Weber Peter K. , Firestone Mary K.
Published: January 2013

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) perform an important ecosystem service by improving plant nutrient capture from soil, yet little is known about how AMF influence soil microbial communities during nutrient uptake. We tested whether an AMF modifies the soil microbial community and nitrogen cycling during litter decomposition. A two‐chamber microcosm system was employed to create a root‐free soil environment to control AMF access to 13C‐ and 15N‐labelled root litter. Using a 16S rRNA gene microarray, we documented that approximately 10% of the bacterial community responded to the AMF, Glomus hoi. Taxa from the Firmicutes responded positively to AMF, while taxa from the Actinobacteria and Comamonadaceae responded negatively to AMF. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that AMF may influence bacterial community assembly processes. Using nanometre‐scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) we visualized the location of AMF‐transported 13C and 15N in plant roots. Bulk isotope ratio mass spectrometry revealed that the AMF exported 4.9% of the litter 15N to the host plant (Plantago lanceolata L.), and litter‐derived 15N was preferentially exported relative to litter‐derived 13C. Our results suggest that the AMF primarily took up N in the inorganic form, and N export is one mechanism by which AMF could modify the soil microbial community and decomposition processes.
Influence of ripening on proteolysis and lipolysis of Murcia al Vino cheese
Authors: Boutoial Khalid , Alcántara Yanilka , Rovira Silvia , García Víctor , Ferrandini Eduardo , López María Belén
Published: January 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of five different manufacturers and two ripening periods on the proteolysis and lipolysis patterns of Murcia al Vino goat cheese. The manufacturers significantly affected the water activity (aw), pH, dry matter and fat content, several nitrogen fractions: water soluble nitrogen (WSN), trichloroacetic acid (12% w/v) soluble nitrogen (TCASN) and phosphotungstic acid (5% w/v) soluble nitrogen (PTASN); also the free amino acid (FAA) and free fatty acid (FFA) contents, with the exception of C4:0, C16:0 and C18:0. Different ripening periods significantly affected the dry matter content, WSN and PTASN and all FAA, except serine.
Sport Politics and the Olympics
Authors: Grix Jonathan
Published: January 2013

Sport and politics have long been linked, but the Olympic Games represent the most political sports event of all. The following article focuses on two of the most important aspects of the Olympics (and sports ‘mega-events’ in general) that students of politics and international relations could make a major contribution towards: the use of the Olympics by states to showcase the host nation and the hoped-for ‘legacies’ that arise from them. Both aspects are, of course, interlinked: the ‘legacies’ are often put forward as the key rationale for the bidding for, and hosting of, the Olympics.
VitaminDand Type 2 diabetes mellitus (维生素D与2型糖尿病)
Authors: Xuan Yan , Zhao Hong‐yan , Liu Jian‐Min
Published: January 2013

Based on increasing evidence from animal and human studies, vitaminDdeficiency is now regarded as a potential risk factor for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). VitaminDis involved in the pathogenesis of pancreaticβ‐cell dysfunction, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation, conditions that contribute to the development ofT2DM. VitaminDcan affect the progress of this disease directly through the activation of its own receptor, and indirectly via the regulation of calcium homeostasis. Observational studies have revealed the association between vitaminDdeficiency and incidentT2DM. More double‐blind randomized control studies that investigate the effects of vitaminDsupplementation on insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, and the occurrence ofT2DMare needed.
Commemorating Conflict and the Ancient British Past in Augustan Britain
Authors: ATHERTON IAN
Published: January 2013

This article locates the roots of much current memorialising practice in the early eighteenth century, when medieval traditions of commemorating conflict through erecting memorials on battlefields were revived. Through an examination of two cases, a memorial to the fifth‐century Alleluia Victory erected in 1736 by Nehemiah Griffith (which can be compared with his poems) and Sanderson Miller's mid‐eighteenth‐century designed landscape to commemorate the battle of Edgehill (1642), the article also examines the use in such memorials of figures and languages from the ancient British and Saxon pasts to celebrate ideas of British and Protestant liberty and identity.
Field evidence of selenium bioreduction in a uranium‐contaminated aquifer
Authors: Williams Kenneth H. , Wilkins Michael J. , N'Guessan A. Lucie , Arey Bruce , Dodova Elena , Dohnalkova Alice , Holmes Dawn , Lovley Derek R. , Long Philip E.
Published: January 2013

Removal of selenium from groundwater was documented during injection of acetate into a uranium‐contaminated aquifer near Rifle, Colorado (USA). Bioreduction of aqueous selenium to its elemental form (Se0) concentrated it within mineralized biofilms affixed to tubing used to circulate acetate‐amended groundwater. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed close association between Se0 precipitates and cell surfaces, with Se0 aggregates having a diameter of 50–60 nm. Accumulation of Se0 within biofilms occurred over a three‐week interval at a rate of c. 9 mg Se0 m−2 tubing day−1. Removal was inferred to result from the activity of a mixed microbial community within the biofilms capable of coupling acetate oxidation to the reduction of oxygen, nitrate and selenate. Phylogenetic analysis of the biofilm revealed a community dominated by strains of Dechloromonas sp. and Thauera sp., with isolates exhibiting genetic similarity to the latter known to reduce selenate to Se0. Enrichment cultures of selenate‐respiring microorganisms were readily established using Rifle site groundwater and acetate, with cultures dominated by strains closely related to D. aromatica (96–99% similarity). Predominance of Dechloromonas sp. in recovered biofilms and enrichments suggests this microorganism may play a role in the removal of selenium oxyanions present in Se‐impacted groundwaters and sediments.
Association between theA107Vsubstitution in the δ‐opioid receptors and ethanol drinking in mice selected for high and low analgesia
Authors: Sacharczuk Mariusz , Lesniak Anna , Lipkowski Andrzej W. , Korostynski Michal , Przewlocki Ryszard , Sadowski Bogdan
Published: January 2013

Experimental evidence suggests that endogenous opioids play an important role in the development of ethanol addiction. In this study, we employed two mouse lines divergently bred for opioid‐mediated stress‐induced analgesia. In comparison withHA(high analgesia line) mice,LA(low analgesia line) mice, having lower opioid receptor system activity, manifest enhanced basal as well as stress‐induced ethanol drinking. Here, we found that recently discoveredC320Ttransition in exon 2 of the δ‐opioid receptor gene (EU446125.1), which results in anA107Vsubstitution (ACA23171.1), leads to higher ethanol preference inCTmice compared withCChomozygotes. This genetic association is particularly evident under chronic mild stress (CMS) conditions. The interaction between stress and ethanol intake was significantly stronger inHAthan inLAmice. Ethanol almost completely attenuated the pro‐depressive effect ofCMS(assessed with the tail suspension test) in both theCCandCTgenotypes in theHAline. In theLAmice, a lack of response to ethanol was observed in theCCgenotype, whereas ethanol consumption strengthened depressive‐like behaviours inCTindividuals. Our results suggest that constitutively activeA107Vsubstitution in δ‐opioid receptors may be involved in stress‐enhanced vulnerability to ethanol abuse and in the risk of ethanol dependence.
Allometry of thermal variables in mammals: consequences of body size and phylogeny
Authors: Riek Alexander , Geiser Fritz
Published: January 2013

A large number of analyses have examined how basal metabolic rate (BMR) is affected by body mass in mammals. By contrast, the critical ambient temperatures that define the thermo‐neutral zone (TNZ), in whichBMRis measured, have received much less attention. We provide the first phylogenetic analyses on scaling of lower and upper critical temperatures and the breadth of theTNZin 204 mammal species from diverse orders. The phylogenetic signal of thermal variables was strong for all variables analysed. Most allometric relationships between thermal variables and body mass were significant and regressions using phylogenetic analyses fitted the data better than conventional regressions. Allometric exponents for all mammals were 0.19 for the lower critical temperature (expressed as body temperature ‐ lower critical temperature), −0.027 for the upper critical temperature, and 0.17 for the breadth ofTNZ. The small exponents for the breadth of theTNZcompared to the large exponents forBMRsuggest thatBMRper seaffects the influence of body mass onTNZonly marginally. However, the breadth of theTNZis also related to the apparent thermal conductance and it is therefore possible thatBMRat different body masses is a function of both the heat exchange in theTNZand that encountered below and above theTNZto permit effective homeothermic thermoregulation.
Forkhead box P3 regulatory T cells coexisting with cancer associated fibroblasts are correlated with a poor outcome in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Kinoshita Tomonari , Ishii Genichiro , Hiraoka Nobuyoshi , Hirayama Shunki , Yamauchi Chisako , Aokage Keiju , Hishida Tomoyuki , Yoshida Junji , Nagai Kanji , Ochiai Atsushi
Published: January 2013

Recently, an association between tumor infiltrating Forkhead box P3 regulatory T cells (Treg) and an unfavorable prognosis has been clinically shown in some cancers, but the mechanism of Treg induction in the tumor microenvironment remains uncertain. The aims of the present study were to examine the relationship between Treg and patient outcome and to investigate whether Treg induction is influenced by the characteristics of cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAF) in lung adenocarcinoma. The numbers of Treg in both the tumor stroma and the tumor nest were counted in 200 consecutive pathological stage I lung invasive adenocarcinoma specimens. To examine whether the characteristics of CAF influence Treg induction, we selected and cultured CAF from low Treg and high Treg adenocarcinoma. The number of Treg was much higher in the stroma than in the nest (P < 0.01). Patients with high Treg had a significantly poorer prognosis than those with low Treg (overall survival: P = 0.03; recurrence‐free survival: P = 0.02; 5‐year overall survival: 85.4% vs 93.0%). Compared with the CAF from low Treg adenocarcinoma, culture supernatant of the CAF from high Treg adenocarcinoma induced more Treg (P = 0.01). Also, CAF from high Treg adenocarcinoma expressed significantly higher mRNA levels of transforming growth factor‐β (P = 0.01) and vascular endothelial growth factor (P = 0.01), both of which are involved in Treg induction. Our studies suggest the possibility that CAF expressing immunoregulatory cytokines may induce Treg in the stroma, creating a tumor‐promoting microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma that leads to a poor outcome.
Low cyclin F expression in hepatocellular carcinoma associates with poor differentiation and unfavorable prognosis
Authors: Fu Jia , Qiu Huijuan , Cai Muyan , Pan Yinghua , Cao Yun , Liu Lili , Yun Jingping , Zhang Chris Zhiyi
Published: January 2013

Cyclin F, capable of forming Skp1‐Cul1‐F‐box protein ubiquitin ligase complex, is implicated in controlling centrosome duplication and preventing genome instability. Cyclin F oscillates during cell cycle with a similar pattern to cyclin A. However, its expression and significance in cancer remain obscure. In this study, we showed that cyclin F was noticeably decreased in 16 pairs of tissue samples of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to paracarcinoma tissues, at both mRNA and protein levels. Immunohistochemical staining data revealed that in 71.8% (176/245) of HCC cases, cyclin F expression in tumor tissue was much lower than that in nontumorous tissue. Low cyclin F expression, defined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, was present in 69.0% of HCC patients. Low expression of cyclin F was significantly correlated with tumor size, clinical stage, serum alpha‐fetoprotein level and tumor multiplicity. Further study showed that cyclin F expression was reversely associated with tumor differentiation in HCC. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that low cyclin F expression was related to poor overall survival and recurrence‐free survival. The prognostic impact of cyclin F was further confirmed by stratified survival analysis. Importantly, multivariate analysis revealed that low cyclin F expression was an independent poor prognostic marker for overall survival. We conclude that cyclin F is downregulated in HCC and is a promising prognostic marker for patients suffering from this deadly disease.
Identification and characterization ofPlAlix, theAlix homologue from theMediterranean sea urchinParacentrotus lividus
Authors: Romancino Daniele P. , Anello Letizia , Morici Giovanni , d'Azzo Alessandra , Bongiovanni Antonella , Di Bernardo Maria
Published: January 2013

The sea urchin provides a relatively simple and tractable system for analyzing the early stages of embryo development. Here, we use the sea urchin species,Paracentrotus lividus, to investigate the role of Alix in key stages of embryogenesis, namely the egg fertilization and the first cleavage division. Alix is a multifunctional protein involved in different cellular processes including endocytic membrane trafficking, filamentous (F)‐actin remodeling, and cytokinesis.Alix homologues have been identified in different metazoans; in these organisms,Alix is involved in oogenesis and in determination/differentiation events during embryo development. Herein, we describe the identification of the sea urchin homologue ofAlix,PlAlix. The deduced amino acid sequence shows thatAlix is highly conserved in sea urchins. Accordingly, we detect thePlAlix protein cross‐reacting with monoclonalAlix antibodies in extracts fromP. lividus, at different developmental stages. Focusing on the role ofPlAlix during early embryogenesis we found thatPlAlix is a maternal protein that is expressed at increasingly higher levels from fertilization to the 2‐cell stage embryo. In sea urchin eggs,PlAlix localizes throughout the cytoplasm with a punctuated pattern and, soon after fertilization, accumulates in larger puncta in the cytosol, and in microvilli‐like protrusions. Together our data show thatPlAlix is structurally conserved from sea urchin to mammals and may open new lines of inquiry into the role ofAlix during the early stages of embryo development.
Identification of a retinoic acid‐responsive neural enhancer in the Ciona intestinalis Hox1 gene
Authors: Kanda Miyuki , Ikeda Taku , Fujiwara Shigeki
Published: January 2013

The Hox1 gene in the urochordate ascidian Ciona intestinalis (Ci‐Hox1) is expressed in the nerve cord and epidermis. We identified a nerve cord enhancer in the second intron of Ci‐Hox1, and demonstrated that retinoic acid (RA) plays a major role in activating this enhancer. The enhancer contained a putative retinoic acid‐response element (RARE). Mutation of the RARE in the Ci‐Hox1 nerve cord enhancer only partially abolished the enhancer activity. Genes encoding RA synthase and the RA receptor were knocked down using specific antisense morpholino oligos (MOs), and injection of embryos with these MOs resulted in the complete disappearance of epidermal expression of Ci‐Hox1 and reduction of neural expression. However, nerve cord expression was not completely repressed. These results suggest that the nerve cord enhancer is activated by two partially redundant pathways; one RA‐dependent and one RA‐independent.
Low biodiversity state persists two decades after cessation of nutrient enrichment
Authors: Isbell Forest , Tilman David , Polasky Stephen , Binder Seth , Hawthorne Peter
Published: January 2013

Although nutrient enrichment frequently decreases biodiversity, it remains unclear whether such biodiversity losses are readily reversible, or are critical transitions between alternative low‐ and high‐diversity stable states that could be difficult to reverse. Our 30‐year grassland experiment shows that plant diversity decreased well below control levels after 10 years of chronic high rates (95–270 kg N ha−1 year−1) of nitrogen addition, and did not recover to control levels 20 years after nitrogen addition ceased. Furthermore, we found a hysteretic response of plant diversity to increases and subsequent decreases in soil nitrate concentrations. Our results suggest that chronic nutrient enrichment created an alternative low‐diversity state that persisted despite decreases in soil nitrate after cessation of nitrogen addition, and despite supply of propagules from nearby high‐diversity plots. Thus, the regime shifts between alternative stable states that have been reported for some nutrient‐enriched aquatic ecosystems may also occur in grasslands.
Blood lactate concentrations in ponies and miniature horses with gastrointestinal disease
Authors: Dunkel B. , Kapff J. E. , Naylor R. J. , Boston R.
Published: January 2013

Reasons for performing study

Clinical impression suggested that pony and miniature breeds (collectively referred to as ponies) presenting to a referral hospital for investigation of gastrointestinal disease had higher blood lactate concentrations on admission than large breed horses.

Objectives

The study tested the hypothesis that ponies with gastrointestinal disease had higher blood lactate concentrations on admission than large breed horses with similar disease severity.

Study design

Retrospective case–control study.

Methods

Medical records fromSeptember 2006 toJuly 2011 were reviewed for ponies with a primary presenting complaint of gastrointestinal disease. Two larger breed horses with gastrointestinal disease were selected as controls for each case. Data collected included case details, historical and clinicopathological findings, diagnosis and outcome.

Results

Information was collected on 50 ponies and 100 horses. Ponies had higher mean ± s.d. respiratory rates (27 ± 13 vs. 21 ± 13 beats/min;P= 0.01) and rectal temperatures (37.9 ± 0.6 vs. 37.4 ± 0.6°C;P= 0.006) and a longer median duration of clinical signs prior to presentation (10 h [1–72 h] vs. 6 h [1–120];P<0.001). Median blood lactate concentrations on admission were higher in ponies than in horses (2.8 mmol/l [0.7–18.0] vs. 1.6 mmol/l [0.4–8.1];P= 0.001). All other parameters relating to colic severity were not significantly different between groups, although more horses underwent exploratory laparotomy (19/50 ponies and 55/100 horses;P= 0.05). Median blood lactate concentrations in ponies with large intestinal disease, nonstrangulating lesions, undergoing medical treatment and surviving ponies were significantly higher than in horses in the same category. In contrast to horses, no differences in blood lactate concentrations exist between ponies with medical vs. surgical treatment, strangulating and nonstrangulating lesions and surviving and nonsurviving ponies.

Conclusion and potential relevance

Ponies might present with higher blood lactate concentrations than horses and might falsely be suspected of having a surgical lesion or a poorer prognosis if veterinarians are not aware of breed differences.
Exposure of mares to processionary caterpillars (Ochrogaster lunifer) in early pregnancy: An additional dimension to equine amnionitis and fetal loss
Authors: Cawdell‐Smith A. J. , Todhunter K. H. , Perkins N. R. , Bryden W. L.
Published: January 2013

Reasons for performing study

Equine amnionitis and fetal loss (EAFL) is an unusual form of abortion in mid‐ to late‐gestation mares, first identified in Australia in 2004. It has been shown that both whole processionary caterpillars (Ochrogaster lunifer) and their shed exoskeletons can induce abortion in mares during midgestation. These abortions exhibited gross pathology and bacteriology results consistent with field cases of EAFL.

Objectives

To determine whether exposure of mares to the shed exoskeletons of processionary caterpillars can induce abortion in the preplacentation (<35 days' gestation) and early placentation (45–60 days) stages of pregnancy.

Study design

In vivo experimental study.

Methods

Mares less than 35 days' gestation and between 45 and 60 days' gestation were exposed to a slurry of shed processionary caterpillar exoskeletons by nasogastric intubation. Mares were monitored by clinical examination daily. Transrectal ultrasonography was performed daily (control and treated preplacentation mares, treated early placentation mares) or every second day (control early placentation mares). Uterine swabs were collected from mares that aborted. All live foals underwent a clinical examination. Placentas were examined, with sampling for bacteriology and histopathology if appropriate.

Results

Abortions occurred in treated mares in both experiments without signs of impending abortion. One mare aborted in the embryonic stage experiment and 2 in the early placentation experiment. Embryonic and fetal death was detected on transrectal ultrasonography prior to abortion. In the early placentation experiment, one foal was born 5 weeks preterm and was very small, with laxity of the tendons in all limbs. Enteric or environmental bacteria, consistent with EAFL, were isolated from the mares that aborted. Focal mucoid placentitis lesions were present on the placentas of 2 treated mares, one from each experiment.

Conclusions and potential relevance

Processionary caterpillar exposure may be associated with EAFL‐related embryonic and early fetal loss in mares. Processionary caterpillars may also play a role in the occurrence of focal mucoid placentitis.
Spatial distribution of Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in relation to spatial distributions of krill in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
Authors: Murase Hiroto , Kitakado Toshihide , Hakamada Takashi , Matsuoka Koji , Nishiwaki Shigetoshi , Naganobu Mikio
Published: January 2013

The spatial distribution of Antarctic minke whales in the Ross Sea with relation to spatial distributions of their prey – krill – was investigated in this study using generalized additive models (GAMs). Spatial distributions of two species of krill (ice and Antarctic krill) were estimated by GAMs. Three abiotic factors – distance from the continental shelf break (800 m isobaths), the mean temperature and salinity from the surface to 200 m (MTEM‐200 and MSAL‐200), and latitude and longitude – were used as covariates for models of krill. Estimated spatial distributions of krill were then used with other covariates to model the spatial distribution of Antarctic minke whales. In the selected model of Antarctic minke whales, Antarctic krill were more influential than ice krill. The number of Antarctic minke whales increased as the density of Antarctic krill increased to around 1.5 g m−2. Beyond that, the number of Antarctic minke whales decreased as the density of Antarctic krill increased. High densities of the Antarctic minke whales were estimated along the sea ice edge in the eastern part of the Ross Sea. Specifically, the densities were high in the north of the continental shelf break where low MTEM‐200 and MSAL‐200 and intermediate densities of Antarctic krill were observed. Further data collection is needed to investigate interannual variations and trends in their relationship. The results show that the spatial distribution of Antarctic minke whales is a function of longitude, distance from the shelf break, oceanographic condition (temperature and salinity), and densities of ice and Antarctic krill.
Nanometer‐scale characterization of exceptionally preserved bacterial fossils in Paleocene phosphorites from Ouled Abdoun (Morocco)
Authors: Cosmidis J. , Benzerara K. , Gheerbrant E. , Estève I. , Bouya B. , Amaghzaz M.
Published: January 2013

Micrometer‐sized spherical and rod‐shaped forms have been reported in many phosphorites and often interpreted as microbes fossilized by apatite, based on their morphologic resemblance with modern bacteria inferred by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. This interpretation supports models involving bacteria in the formation of phosphorites. Here, we studied a phosphatic coprolite of Paleocene age originating from the Ouled Abdoun phosphate basin (Morocco) down to the nanometer‐scale using focused ion beam milling, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning transmission x‐ray microscopy (STXM) coupled with x‐ray absorption near‐edge structure spectroscopy (XANES). The coprolite, exclusively composed of francolite (a carbonate‐fluroapatite), is formed by the accumulation of spherical objects, delimited by a thin envelope, and whose apparent diameters are between 0.5 and 3 μm. The envelope of the spheres is composed of a continuous crown dense to electrons, which measures 20–40 nm in thickness. It is surrounded by two thinner layers that are more porous and transparent to electrons and enriched in organic carbon. The observed spherical objects are very similar with bacteria encrusting in hydroxyapatite as observed in laboratory experiments. We suggest that they are Gram‐negative bacteria fossilized by francolite, the precipitation of which started within the periplasm of the cells. We discuss the role of bacteria in the fossilization mechanism and propose that they could have played an active role in the formation of francolite. This study shows that ancient phosphorites can contain fossil biological subcellular structures as fine as a bacterial periplasm. Moreover, we demonstrate that while morphological information provided by SEM analyses is valuable, the use of additional nanoscale analyses is a powerful approach to help inferring the biogenicity of biomorphs found in phosphorites. A more systematic use of this approach could considerably improve our knowledge and understanding of the microfossils present in the geological record.
Pension Privatization: Evolution of a Paradigm
Authors: Orenstein Mitchell A.
Published: January 2013

From 1981 to 2004, a paradigm shift occurred in pension systems worldwide as more than 30 countries fully or partially replaced their state‐administered pay‐as‐you‐go pension systems with ones based on individual, private savings accounts. Yet in 2005, pension privatization abruptly stopped. After the 2008 crisis, several countries that had privatized their pension systems scaled back or even canceled individual accounts. Is the new pension paradigm dead? And if so, why? This article shows that fiscal and ideational factors caused a temporary halt to pension privatization worldwide and induced transnational pension policy networks to find new ways to respond to perceived failures. Adjustments to the new pension paradigm such as emphasizing minimum pensions and recommending that governments “nudge” rather than mandate pension savings will enable pension privatization to continue in years ahead, albeit in a revised form.
Where SUNCT Contacts TN: A Case Report
Authors: Rinaldi Fabrizio , Rao Renata , Venturelli Elisabetta , Liberini Paolo , Gipponi Stefano , Pari Elisa , Sapia Eluisa , Padovani Alessandro
Published: January 2013

Background.—Short‐lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) are unilateral painful conditions that can share the same triggering factors, autonomic features and the main location, as well as the cyclically recurrent crises. Both these syndromes are associated with a high percentage of findings of vascular malformation touching the trigeminal nerve, suggesting a pathophysiological relationship.

Case.—In this paper, we report a new case with the main purpose to shine a light on the pathophysiology of these conditions.

Conclusion.—Many authors described a SUNCT case deriving from TN or vice versa, suggesting that these conditions are strongly related. Every case of transformed TN or SUNCT should therefore be reported to gather and compare further information.