bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Judicial Review, Administrative Review, and Constitutional Review in the Weimar Republic
Authors: Stolleis Michael
Published: June 2003

Abstract Judicial review (richterliches Prüfungsrecht), administrative review (Verwaltungsgerichtbarkeit), and constitutional review (Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit) are three different ways in which the judiciary has sought to control the executive and legislative powers of the state. Historically and functionally they are closely linked. I intend to discuss them in their German context, focussing, in particular, on the Weimar Republic, that is to say, on the period between 1919 and 1932. Although I shall not be addressing the highly interesting parallels with the U.S. Supreme Court, or with the comparable courts in Italy, France, and, especially, Austria, I should like to invite attention to them, for there is really no Sonderweg in Germany as far as these developments are concerned.
Directionality and locality in allomorphy: A Response to Adger, Béjar and Harbour
Authors: Carstairs–McCarthy Andrew
Published: June 2003

Adger, Be´jar and Harbour (this volume; henceforth ABH) criticise Carstairs–McCarthy (henceforth C–M) (2001b) on several points. I argue that most of ABH's criticisms are mistaken. However, they make an interesting proposal concerning locality that deserves further investigation.
A Poetics of Psychological Explanation
Authors: Knight Deborah
Published: June 2003

Intentional, ‘commonsense,’ or ‘folk’ psychology is, as Jerry Fodor has remarked, ubiquitous. Explanations of what we say and do in terms of our reasons for acting are the stock in trade of intentional psychology. But there is a question whether explanations in terms of reasons are properly explanatory. Donald Davidson and Daniel Dennett, to name two, have defended intentional psychology and its reason‐explanations. Still, many philosophers – including Fodor, Davidson and Dennett – fail to pay due attention to the narrative basis of such agent‐centered accounts of action. In this paper, I argue that psychological explanation is an agent‐centered, narrative‐based interpretive practice. To make my case, I present a poetics of psychological explanation: seven elements which collectively describe what makes psychological explanations work. Narrative form allows us to represent the temporal arc of agents’ actions – as well as the temporal arc of their reasoning about their actions, both prospective and retrospective. It allows us to negotiate between the canonical and the exceptional in human experience, and thus to account for actions that strike us as puzzling or unusual – whether the puzzle originates in our suboptimal understanding or the agent's suboptimal reasoning. And it allows us to juxtapose different perspectives on any action. Such juxtapositioning gives us a mechanism for coming to see how an action that strikes us as misguided might have been construed by the agent as reasonable given her understanding of her circumstances. After establishing the seven elements of the poetics, I address the objection that narrative‐based accounts of intentional action are not properly explanatory.
Neoclassical Economics and the Last Dogma of Positivism: Is the Normative‐Positive Distinction Justified?
Authors: Keita L.D.
Published: June 2003

Neoclassical economic theory in its pretensions to scientific status is founded on one of the variants of a now discredited positivism. Neoclassical economic theory claims that there are two distinct areas of economic research: positive economics and normative economics. The former is assumed to deal with the cognitive as scientific content of economics while the later focuses on welfare or equity issues. I argue that the reliance of the whole theoretical structure of economics on the normative postulate of rationality renders neoclassical economics a normative discipline. I also argue that neoclassical economics should thus be viewed as an instance of applied ethics rather than as applied mathematics, say. Finally, it is suggested that neoclassical economics, if its scientific pretensions are to be taken seriously, should be absorbed theoretically into general anthropology.
Moral Accountancy and Moral Worth
Authors: Smilansky Saul
Published: June 2003

People do good or bad things, and get or do not get good or bad credit for their actions, depending (in part) on knowledge of their actions. I attempt to unfold some of the interconnections between these matters, and between them and the achievement of moral worth. The main conclusion is that the heights of moral worth seem to appear in the oddest places.
Character‐Principlism and the Particularity Objection
Authors: Blustein Jeffrey
Published: June 2003

This paper is a response to particularist critics of the normative force of moral principles. The particularist critique, as I understand it, is a rejection not only of principle‐based accounts of moral deliberation and justification, but also of accounts of character in which principles play a central role. I focus on the latter challenge and counter it with a view I call character‐principlism.

I begin by discussing in a general way what motivates the particularity objection to principles and then contrast two views – both of which insist on the importance of attentiveness to particularity – about the relative normative status of principles and particular cases. I present some reasons for believing that we need a more normatively robust conception of the role of moral principles than the particularists provide. In the main portion of the paper, I discuss how character‐principlism sees principles functioning in our lives and the lives we lead with others. I contrast this with some other accounts of desirable character that particularists can embrace, and argue that these are seriously flawed because, unlike character‐principlism, they cannot satisfactorily explain how a person could possess the constancy of character that moral integrity requires.
Strengthening Research to Improve the Practice and Management of Long‐Term Care
Authors: FELDMAN PENNY HOLLANDER , KANE ROBERT L.
Published: June 2003

Chronic disease and disability affect Americans of all ages, and millions rely on long‐term care (LTC) services—in nursing facilities, in congregate residences, or at home—to meet their health and personal assistance needs. People who are 65 years old today have about a 40 percent chance of spending some time in a nursing home before they die (Kemper and Murtaugh 1991; Murtaugh, Kemper, and Spillman 1990). Almost three‐quarters will have had some experience with home care (Stone 2000). The numbers of people, both young and old, in need of long‐term care are growing. Changing demographics, a more engaged public, and growing cost pressures are increasing the demand for empirical evidence of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of alternative LTC approaches and practices.

Making the formal LTC system more effective and more efficient requires that research play a more prominent role in informing service delivery. The research agenda should both respond to and push forward the field of practice, and the definitions of appropriate topics should come from both the practitioners and the researchers.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Public and Private Medical Care Expenditures among Aged Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: ESCARCE JOSÉ J. , KAPUR KANIKA
Published: June 2003

The lower access to and use of medical care among black Americans, compared with white Americans, have concerned researchers and policymakers for many years. Similarly, several studies suggest that Hispanic Americans face greater barriers to access and use medical care less often than whites do. These racial and ethnic disparities in care are attracting more attention as policymakers and health care providers struggle both to understand the sources of the disparities and to eliminate them, as exemplified in a recent Institute of Medicine (2002) review of the evidence regarding disparities.

Our study, outlined in this article, examined the current differences in medical care expenditures by non‐Hispanic white, non‐Hispanic black, and Hispanic seniors who were Medicare beneficiaries. Racial and ethnic differences in medical care are significant when they occur among seniors because seniors are more apt to have chronic diseases and may be particularly vulnerable to the harm caused by impaired access to care.
Reforming Medicare Payment: Early Effects of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act on Postacute Care
Authors: McCALL NELDA , KORB JODI , PETERSONS ANDREW , MOORE STANLEY
Published: June 2003

Since its passage in 1965, medicare has provided financial support for much of the acute medical care provided to the nation's aged and disabled. Over the years since the program was enacted, however, the cost of these services has increased dramatically, raising concerns about how to make the system more efficient.

At first, payments to providers were based on the actual costs of delivering the care. In the early 1980s, Medicare moved its largest providers, acute care hospitals, to per‐case payments based on the medical diagnoses for which the care was being provided (called DRGs, or diagnosis‐related groups). This change gave hospitals an incentive to keep their treatment costs for each patient as small as possible. Inherent in such a system, however, are incentives to underserve beneficiaries by moving them out of care too quickly.

In 1997, the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) further reformed Medicare payments by extending per‐case payment methodologies to all types of postacute care.
Convergence or Divergence? Reforming Primary Care in Norway and Britain
Authors: LIAN OLAUG S.
Published: June 2003

The health care systems in most industrializedcountries are being challenged. The challenges are similar because they are shaped by global trends such as decreasing economic growth, escalating costs, aging populations, advances in medical knowledge and technology, heightened expectations, and an increasing dependence on medicine to solve human problems. Together, these partly interrelated factors have brought the current demand for care to a point that it exceeds available resources. In response to these challenges, most countries have begun to change the way their health services are funded and organized.

These developments have prompted an exploration of the degree of convergence in the health policies in Western welfare states. To what extent are health care systems becoming more alike? Is there a new paradigm by which health systems are being redefined and reformed? Is there a move away from divergence toward convergence? Many scholars answer yes to these questions.
The Value of Secondary School Quality*
Authors: Rosenthal Leslie
Published: June 2003

Improving the quality of state‐funded secondary school education has become a major policy aim in the UK. However, without a valuation of the social benefits derived from public provision of educational services, the rational evaluation of policy to this end is difficult. Utilizing the argument that dwellings near better schools command a price premium, this paper presents results from an empirical exercise aimed at providing such a social valuation of increased school quality. Using a large set of data for England, and an instrumental variable approach, results indicate an elasticity of dwelling purchase price with respect to exam performance by schools at around +0.05. One implication is that society would value a general increase of five percentage points in exam performance by about £450 million per annum.
Alliances, Networks and Competitive Strategy: Rethinking Clusters of Innovation
Authors: Tracey Paul , Clark Gordon L.
Published: June 2003

Networks of interaction have assumed particular significance in recent years because of their presumed importance for learning and innovation. Alliances between related firms are thought to encourage interactive learning between participating organizations through the sharing of knowledge and information, which is itself facilitated through trust, shared values and ways of working. The vast body of literature that has emerged is, however, incredibly fragmented, encompassing an array of theoretical positions and perspectives. This paper focuses upon two issues which are believed to be of particular significance and which need clarification in order to move to a clearer understanding of the ways in which networks of interaction evolve, and of their capabilities and limitations in relation to economic performance and competitiveness: (1) the importance of network structure, arguing that innovative activity requires flexibility with regard to network formation. (2) The role of geography in relation to the construction and functioning of alliances. It is the contention here that networks are likely to be increasingly international in scope.
Local Industry Agglomeration and New Business Activity
Authors: Gabe Todd
Published: June 2003

New businesses are highly involved in innovative activity, which enhances worker productivity and leads to increased economic output. This paper investigates the effects of industry concentration on the incidence of new business openings in the 5,504 Maine county‐industries. Empirical findings indicate that new business activity increases with the number of incumbent establishments in a county‐industry and its concentration level relative to the U.S. economy. Model simulations show that raising county‐industries, with no initial industry presence, to concentration levels similar to that of the industry in the U.S. economy results in a 1.7 to 8.9 percent increase in the expected number of business openings over a three‐year period. Empirical results also suggest that industry clusters comprised of young and small establishments are more conducive to new business formation than clusters made up of mature and large companies.
Globalization, Financial Crisis, and Industrial Relations: The Case of South Korea
Authors: Kim Dong‐one , Kim Seongsu
Published: June 2003

The South Korean case shows that the globalization trend in the 1990s and the 1997–1998 financial crisis had two contrasting effects on labor rights. First, these developments resulted in negative labor market outcomes: increased unemployment, greater use of contingent workers, and widened income inequalities. On the other hand, they led international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to play important roles in improving labor standards in Korea. Also, continued restructuring drives prompted unions to merge into industrial unions and wage strikes with increased frequency and intensity. Contrary to the common belief, the Korean case shows that globalization and intensified competition resulted in stronger and strategic responses from labor by stimulating employees’ interest in and reliance on trade unionism.
State Prevailing Wage Laws and School Construction Costs
Authors: Azari‐Rad Hamid , Philips Peter , Prus Mark J.
Published: June 2003

Critics of prevailing wage laws claim that their elimination will cut total public construction costs by 15 to 25 percent. Justification for this assertion may be found in a 1983 study comparing the cost of public construction regulated by the Davis‐Bacon Act with the cost of similar private construction. However, this study failed to account for the difference in the cost of public and private buildings absent . Using F. W. Dodge data for 1991 to 1999, we show that the inclusion of the appropriate controls in a study of new school construction costs finds no statistically significant difference between the cost of public schools built with prevailing wage regulations.
Do Public‐Sector Strike Bans Really Prevent Conflict?
Authors: Hebdon Robert , Stern Robert
Published: June 2003

This article examines the effectiveness of strike‐ban laws in reducing industrial conflict at the municipal level of government. Our central findings are that job actions were higher in states that had no law or no finality in the law, publicity campaigns were used as a pressure tactic in the bargaining process, and grievance delays were greatest under final offer arbitration. Thus dispute costs are highest in jurisdictions that provide no finality in dispute resolution whether or not an explicit framework for bargaining exists.
Changing Patterns of Industrial Relations in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Shyh‐Jer , Roger Ko Jyh‐Jer , Lawler John
Published: June 2003

This article examines changing patterns of industrial relations (IR) in Taiwan. Although trade unions have become more autonomous since the lifting of martial law in the mid‐1980s, trends such as the privatization of state‐owned enterprises, industrial restructuring, flexible employment practices, and importation of foreign workers hinder union development. The millennium may represent a turning point for workers and their organizations because the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) replaced the Kuomintang (KMT) as the ruling party. This may further union independence and power because the DPP tends to be a more pro‐labor party. However, balancing the interests of workers and employers will still be a challenge for the DPP, particularly given employer opposition to many of the DPP's labor policies.
Questioning Market‐Led Agrarian Reform: Experiences from Brazil, Colombia and South Africa
Authors: Borras Saturnino M.
Published: June 2003

Market‐led agrarian reform (MLAR) has been conceptualized out of the pro‐market critique of classic state‐led agrarian reform. The pro‐market model has been implemented in Brazil, Colombia and South Africa, where its proponents have claimed impressive success. But close examination of the empirical evidence puts into question the basic theoretical and policy assumptions and current claims of MLAR proponents. The same model is no more likely to work elsewhere.
Participatory video in geographic research: a feminist practice of looking?
Authors: Kindon Sara
Published: June 2003

This paper explores how participatory video – a methodology increasingly used in community development and anthropological research – may enable a feminist practice of looking which does not perpetuate hierarchical power relations and create voyeuristic, distanced and disembodied claims to knowledge. I reflect on experiences from a participatory video project with members of a Maaori tribe in Aotearoa New Zealand in light of geographers’ uses of video to date. I argue that participatory video, if used within carefully negotiated relationships, has potential to destabilize hierarchical power relations and create spaces for transformation by providing a practice of looking ‘alongside’ rather than ‘at’ research subjects.
Entrepreneurial urbanism, state restructuring and civilizing ‘New’ East Manchester
Authors: Ward Kevin
Published: June 2003

This paper draws on the ‘entrepreneurial turn’ literatures to examine the current redevelopment of East Manchester. It makes three contributions to our existing empirical and theoretical understanding of what is termed here ‘entrepreneurial urbanism’. First, attention is drawn to the spatially selective nature of entrepreneurial urbanism within cities; second, it argues that entrepreneurial urbanism actually demands a qualitative shift in the state's role in urban redevelopment and third, using the example of East Manchester, these two theoretical issues are explored empirically.
Pond biodiversity and habitat loss in the UK
Authors: Wood P J , Greenwood M T , Agnew M D
Published: June 2003

Ponds are common landscape features but have been poorly studied compared to other freshwater habitats in the UK, despite their high frequency of occurrence. In the last century, many ponds have been lost and those that remain face increasing pressure due to agricultural land drainage, pollution and urban development. However, ponds provide important habitats for diverse floral and faunal communities, including a number of rare taxa of conservation interest. This paper examines the biodiversity and wider environmental value of ponds, with particular reference to the aquatic invertebrate and amphibian communities they support, and the adverse impact of anthropogenic activity on their aquatic habitats.
From observation to experimentation: one prescription for a geography of public policy
Authors: Cummins Steven C J
Published: June 2003

This brief paper considers recent debates about the public policy relevance of geography. Previous writings on the topic have highlighted problems in the discipline itself as well as criticizing the lack of policy relevance of much geographical research rather than offer up much in the way of remedy or prescription. This paper argues that an experimental approach to geographical research design could help make the discipline more policy relevant.
Income from Work Among Immigrants in Sweden
Authors: Hammarstedt Mats
Published: June 2003

This paper uses a two‐step Heckman approach to investigate to what extent there are differences in income from work between immigrants and natives in Sweden. Contrary to previous studies this study takes the selection effect, i.e. the probability of having an income from work, into account when calculating the effect on income from work of a change in any of the explanatory variables. Our study shows that when the selection effect is taken into account, the differences in income from work between immigrants and natives are smaller than when the selection effect is not considered. We find that immigrants have a lower income from work than the native population when we control for variables such as schooling, experience, civil status and region of residence. Furthermore, immigrant cohorts with a recent year of immigration have a considerably lower income from work than earlier immigrant cohorts.
Productivity Dynamics in a Large Sample of Countries: A Panel Study
Authors: Islam Nazrul
Published: June 2003

Recent research shows that productivity differences are more important than differences in accumulation rates in explaining per capita income differences across countries. So far static differences in productivity have been mainly computed and analyzed in large samples of countries. This paper extends the research by focusing on productivity dynamics. It uses the panel approach to compute productivity indices for a large sample of countries for two time periods, namely an initial period of 1960–75 and a subsequent period of 1975–90. This allows computation of ordinal and cardinal changes in productivity between the two periods. The results show considerable variation in productivity dynamics across countries. The task ahead is to find out what accounts for the observed dynamics.
The Effects of Bracketing in Wealth Estimation
Authors: Chand Harish , Gan Li
Published: June 2003

The use of bracketing in wealth surveys is sometimes criticized on the grounds that it will encourage respondents to substitute rough guesses for careful thought. In such a manner, the use of bracketing will “crowd out” more specific answers, creating the illusion of a reduction in nonresponse. This paper examines the patterns of wealth response in the first two waves of the Health and Retirement Study. On average, people do not appear to transition to bracketing. New tests of the breakeven level of crowding‐out are suggested. Based on the explanatory power of the brackets, the degree of crowding‐out which would be necessary to make the use of bracketing counterproductive appears to be much higher than plausible.
What is the Theory Behind?
Authors: Szilágyi György
Published: June 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Utz‐Peter Reich, Review of National Accounts and Economic Values—A Study in Concepts
Adolescents’ Perceptions of Parental Behaviors as Predictors of Adolescent Self–Esteem in Mainland China
Authors: Bush Kevin R. , Peterson Gary W. , Cobas José A. , Supple Andrew J.
Published: June 2003

Parents’ child–rearing behaviors have been identified as major sources of influence on the self–esteem of adolescents from Western societies and Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. The pattern of relationships found in samples of Hong Kong adolescents has been similar to the pattern found among samples of U.S. adolescents, but contrary to what might be expected in collectivistic societies such as mainland China. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to test specific dimensions of parenting behaviors as possible predictors of adolescents’ self–esteem in mainland China. Self–report data were acquired for this study from 480 adolescents who attended secondary schools located in Beijing. Results indicated that patterns of socialization between parents and adolescents in mainland China were similar to those found in the United States, although explanations for these results may differ from those characteristic of the United States and other Western societies. Reasoning, monitoring, and autonomy–granting behavior by Chinese parents were positive predictors, whereas punitiveness was a negative predictor of Chinese adolescents’ self–esteem (both males and females). Contrasting with patterns commonly found in the United States was the finding that parental support was not a predictor of Chinese adolescents’ self–esteem.
Framing Processes, Cognitive Liberation, and NIMBY Protest in the U.S. Chemical‐Weapons Disposal Conflict
Authors: Futrell Robert
Published: June 2003

This paper offers elaborations on current knowledge about social‐movement framing processes and cognitive liberation, especially regarding technical controversies and not‐in‐my‐backyard (NIMBY) protest. The social‐constructionist lens of the framing perspective also allows refinements in conventional explanations of NIMBY conflicts. Attention is given to the dynamics of emergence, continuity, and change in framing strategies over time in controversy regarding the U.S. Army's chemical‐weapons disposal program. I focus specifically on dynamics involved in the development of cognitive liberation, particularly the framing difficulties that occur in the context of cognitive ambiguities produced by an “information haze.” These ambiguities create problems for developing and linking the diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational elements of collective‐action frames. I also attend to frame transformation, explaining how transformation may be both animated and constrained by a movement's opponent. I conclude that NIMBY is only one possible framing and can be transformed as the context of the dispute shifts. Moreover, framing activities in technical disputes may be particularly difficult due to the role of scientific rhetoric and experts in interpreting risks and shaping understandings of the situation.
U.S. State Budget Directors: Characteristics, Experience, and Attitudes
Authors: Lee Robert D. , Burns Robert C.
Published: June 2003

Much literature exists on state government budgeting, but until now, none existed on state budget directors. This article reports on a survey of these individuals. Their ages, genders, race, education, and work experience are reported. Their work week is discussed in terms of number of hours worked and interactions with their staff, the governor, and the legislature. Attitudes about the job and about their personal lives as related to their jobs are discussed. Their plans for when they leave office are considered. The characteristics and attitudes of the directors are compared with data about their respective states in search of possible linkages.
The Role of the European Union Budget in View of EU Enlargement
Authors: Seguiti Maria Laura
Published: June 2003

What is the role of the European Union (EU) budget in the upcoming EU enlargement? This article attempts to answer this question by focusing on the EU budgetary system before and after the enlargement. The analysis of the EU budget helps us understand the political and economic philosophy as well as the practical achievements of the European construction. The upcoming enlargement urges the elaboration of a new vision of Europe, its missions and democratic institutions, and the power sharing between the EU and its member states, with a consequent major reform of EU fiscal and budgetary discipline.
Acidosis decreases low Ca2+ ‐induced neuronal excitation by inhibiting the activity of calcium‐sensing cation channels in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons
Authors: Chu Xiang‐Ping , Zhu Xiao‐Man , Wei Wen‐Li , Li Guo‐Hua , Simon Roger P. , MacDonald John F. , Xiong Zhi‐Gang
Published: June 2003

The effects of extracellular pH (pHo) on calcium‐sensing non‐selective cation (csNSC) channels in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons were investigated using whole‐cell voltage‐clamp and current‐clamp recordings. Decreasing extracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]o) activated slow and sustained inward currents through the csNSC channels. Decreasing pHo activated amiloride‐sensitive transient proton‐gated currents which decayed to baseline in several seconds. With proton‐gated channels inactivated by pre‐perfusion with low pH solution or blocked by amiloride, decreasing pHo to 6.5 inhibited the csNSC currents with a leftward shift of the Ca2+ dose–inhibition curve. Increasing pH to 8.5, on the other hand, caused a rightward shift of the Ca2+ dose–inhibition curve and potentiated the csNSC currents. Intracellular alkalinization following bath perfusion of quinine mimicked the potentiation of the csNSC currents by increasing pHo, while intracellular acidification by addition and subsequent withdrawal of NH4Cl mimicked the inhibition of the csNSC currents by decreasing pHo. Intracellular pH (pHi) imaging demonstrated that decreasing pHo induced a corresponding decrease in pHi. Including 30 mM Hepes in the pipette solution eliminated the effects of quinine and NH4Cl on the csNSC currents, but only partially reduced the effect of lowering pHo. In current‐clamp recordings, decreasing [Ca2+]o induced sustained membrane depolarization and excitation of hippocampal neurons. Decreasing pHo to 6.5 inhibited the low [Ca2+]o‐induced csNSC channel‐mediated membrane depolarization and the excitation of neurons. Our results indicate that acidosis may inhibit low [Ca2+]o‐induced neuronal excitation by inhibiting the activity of the csNSC channels. Both the extracellular and the intracellular sites are involved in the proton modulation of the csNSC channels.
Effects of leg muscle tendon vibration on group Ia and group II reflex responses to stance perturbation in humans
Authors: Bove Marco , Nardone Antonio , Schieppati Marco
Published: June 2003

Stretching the soleus (Sol) muscle during sudden toe‐up rotations of the supporting platform in a standing subject evokes a short‐latency response (SLR) and a medium‐latency response (MLR). The aim of the present investigation was to further explore the afferent and spinal pathways mediating the SLR and MLR in lower limb muscles by means of tendon vibration. In seven subjects, toe‐up or toe‐down rotations were performed under: (1) control, (2) continuous bilateral vibration at 90 Hz of Achilles' tendon or tibialis anterior (TA) tendon, and (3) post‐vibration conditions. Sol and TA background EMG activity and reflex responses were bilaterally recorded and analysed. Toe‐up rotations induced SLRs and MLRs in Sol at average latencies of 40 and 66 ms, respectively. During vibration, the latency of both responses increased by about 2 ms. The area of the SLR significantly decreased during vibration, regardless of the underlying background activity, and almost returned to control value post‐vibration. The area of Sol MLR was less influenced by vibration than SLR, the reduction being negligible with relatively high background activity. However, contrary to SLR, MLR was even more reduced post‐vibration. Toe‐down rotations induced no SLR in the TA, while a MLR was evoked at about 81 ms. The area of TA MLR decreased slightly during vibration but much more post‐vibration. SLRs and MLRs were differently affected by changing the vibration frequency to 30 Hz: vibration had a negligible effect on the SLR, but still produced a significant effect on the MLR. The independence from the background EMG of the inhibitory effect of vibration upon the SLR suggests that vibration removes a constant amount of the Ia afferent input. This can be accounted for by either presynaptic inhibition of group Ia fibres or a ‘busy‐line' phenomenon. The differential effect of vibration on SLRs and MLRs is compatible with the notions that spindle primaries have a higher sensitivity to vibration than secondaries, and that group II afferent fibres are responsible for the production of the MLR. The decrease of MLRs but not SLRs after vibration is discussed in terms of an interaction between peripheral and central drive on group II interneurones in order to produce sufficient EMG activity to maintain a given postural set.
Do Filopodia Enable the Growth Cone to Find Its Way?
Authors: Koleske Anthony J.
Published: June 2003

Ena/VASP family proteins are required for accurate axon pathfinding in developing
Drosophila
,
Caenorhabditis elegans
, and mouse nervous systems. Recent papers by Bear
et al
. and Svitkina
et al
. provide evidence that Ena/VASP proteins regulate actin filament elongation in the lamellipodia and filopodia of nonneuronal cells. Neuronal growth cones use filopodia as their "sensory organs" that steer the growth cone by reading guidance cues in the environment. Together, these studies suggest that Ena/VASP proteins regulate axon guidance by controlling the formation or rearrangement of growth cone filopodia.
Isolation and Characterization of NaCl-Sensitive Mutants ofCaulobacter crescentus
Authors: Zuleta Luiz Fernando G. , Italiani Valéria C. S. , Marques Marilis V.
Published: June 2003

An attempt to characterizeCaulobacter crescentusgenes important for the response to high concentrations of NaCl was initiated by the isolation of mutants defective in survival in the presence of 85 mM NaCl. A transposon Tn5library was screened, and five strains which contained different genes disrupted by the transposon were isolated. Three of the mutants had the Tn5in genes involved in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, one had the Tn5in thenhaAgene, which encodes a Na+/H+antiporter, and one had the Tn5in theppiDgene, which encodes a peptidyl-prolylcis-transisomerase. All the mutant strains showed severe growth arrest in the presence of 85 mM NaCl, but only thenhaAmutant showed decreased viability under these conditions. All the mutants except thenhaAmutant showed a slightly reduced viability in the presence of 40 mM KCl, but all the strains showed a more severe reduction in viability in the presence of 150 mM sucrose, suggesting that they are defective in responding to osmotic shock. The promoter regions of each disrupted gene were cloned inlacZreporter vectors, and the pattern of expression in response to NaCl and sucrose was determined; this showed that both agents inducedppiDandnhaAgene expression but did not induce the other genes. Furthermore, theppiDgene was not induced by heat shock, indicating that it does not belong to the σ32regulon, as opposed to what was observed for itsEscherichia colihomolog.
CodY-Regulated Aminotransferases AraT and BcaT Play a Major Role in the Growth of
Lactococcus lactis
in Milk by Regulating the Intracellular Pool of Amino Acids
Authors: Chambellon Emilie , Yvon Mireille
Published: June 2003

Aminotransferases, which catalyze the last step of biosynthesis of most amino acids and the first step of their catabolism, may be involved in the growth of
Lactococcus lactis
in milk. Previously, we isolated two aminotransferases from
L. lactis
, AraT and BcaT, which are responsible for the transamination of aromatic amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and methionine. In this study, we demonstrated that double inactivation of AraT and BcaT strongly reduced the growth of
L. lactis
in milk. Supplementation of milk with amino acids and keto acids that are substrates of both aminotransferases did not improve the growth of the double mutant. On the contrary, supplementation of milk with isoleucine or a dipeptide containing isoleucine almost totally inhibited the growth of the double mutant, while it did not affect or only slightly affected the growth of the wild-type strain. These results suggest that AraT and BcaT play a major role in the growth of
L. lactis
in milk by degrading the intracellular excess isoleucine, which is responsible for the growth inhibition. The growth inhibition by isoleucine is likely to be due to CodY repression of the proteolytic system, which is necessary for maximal growth of
L. lactis
in milk, since the growth of the CodY mutant was not affected by addition of isoleucine to milk. Moreover, we demonstrated that AraT and BcaT are part of the CodY regulon and therefore are regulated by nutritional factors, such as the carbohydrate and nitrogen sources.
Characterization of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Microbial Populations in Contaminated and Pristine Alpine Soils
Authors: Margesin R. , Labbé D. , Schinner F. , Greer C. W. , Whyte L. G.
Published: June 2003

Biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in cold environments, including Alpine soils, is a result of indigenous cold-adapted microorganisms able to degrade these contaminants. In the present study, the prevalence of seven genotypes involved in the degradation of
n
-alkanes (
Pseudomonas putida
GPo1
alkB
;
Acinetobacter
spp.
alkM
;
Rhodococcus
spp.
alkB1
, and
Rhodococcus
spp.
alkB2
), aromatic hydrocarbons (
P. putida xylE
), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (
P. putida ndoB
and
Mycobacterium
sp. strain PYR-1
nidA
) was determined in 12 oil-contaminated (428 to 30,644 mg of total petroleum hydrocarbons [TPH]/kg of soil) and 8 pristine Alpine soils from Tyrol (Austria) by PCR hybridization analyses of total soil community DNA, using oligonucleotide primers and DNA probes specific for each genotype. The soils investigated were also analyzed for various physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters, and statistical correlations between all parameters were determined. Genotypes containing genes from gram-negative bacteria (
P. putida alkB
,
xylE
, and
ndoB
and
Acinetobacter alkM
) were detected to a significantly higher percentage in the contaminated (50 to 75%) than in the pristine (0 to 12.5%) soils, indicating that these organisms had been enriched in soils following contamination. There was a highly significant positive correlation (
P
< 0.001) between the level of contamination and the number of genotypes containing genes from
P. putida
and
Acinetobacter
sp. but no significant correlation between the TPH content and the number of genotypes containing genes from gram-positive bacteria (
Rhodococcus alkB1
and
alkB2
and
Mycobacterium nidA
). These genotypes were detected at a high frequency in both contaminated (41.7 to 75%) and pristine (37.5 to 50%) soils, indicating that they are already present in substantial numbers before a contamination event. No correlation was found between the prevalence of hydrocarbon-degradative genotypes and biological activities (respiration, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, lipase activity) or numbers of culturable hydrocarbon-degrading soil microorganisms; there also was no correlation between the numbers of hydrocarbon degraders and the contamination level. The measured biological activities showed significant positive correlation with each other, with the organic matter content, and partially with the TPH content and a significant negative correlation with the soil dry-mass content (
P
< 0.05 to 0.001).
Genes Involved in the Biosynthesis of Photosynthetic Pigments in the Purple Sulfur Photosynthetic Bacterium
Thiocapsa roseopersicina
Authors: Kovács Ákos T. , Rákhely Gábor , Kovács Kornél L.
Published: June 2003

A pigment mutant strain of the purple sulfur photosynthetic bacterium
Thiocapsa roseopersicina
BBS was isolated by plasposon mutagenesis. Nineteen open reading frame, most of which are thought to be genes involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids, bacteriochlorophyll, and the photosynthetic reaction center, were identified surrounding the plasposon in a 22-kb-long chromosomal locus. The general arrangement of the photosynthetic genes was similar to that in other purple photosynthetic bacteria; however, the locations of a few genes occurring in this region were unusual. Most of the gene products showed the highest similarity to the corresponding proteins in
Rubrivivax gelatinosus
. The plasposon was inserted into the
crtD
gene, likely inactivating
crtC
as well, and the carotenoid composition of the mutant strain corresponded to the aborted spirilloxanthin pathway. Homologous and heterologous complementation experiments indicated a conserved function of CrtC and CrtD in the purple photosynthetic bacteria. The
crtDC
and
crtE
genes were shown to be regulated by oxygen, and a role of CrtJ in aerobic repression was suggested.
Enhanced Mercury Biosorption by Bacterial Cells with Surface-Displayed MerR
Authors: Bae Weon , Wu Cindy H. , Kostal Jan , Mulchandani Ashok , Chen Wilfred
Published: June 2003

The metalloregulatory protein MerR, which exhibits high affinity and selectivity toward mercury, was exploited for the construction of microbial biosorbents specific for mercury removal. Whole-cell sorbents were constructed with MerR genetically engineered onto the surface of
Escherichia coli
cells by using an ice nucleation protein anchor. The presence of surface-exposed MerR on the engineered strains enabled sixfold-higher Hg
2+
biosorption than that found in the wild-type JM109 cells. Hg
2+
binding via MerR was very specific, with no observable decline even in the presence of 100-fold excess Cd
2+
and Zn
2+
. The Hg
2+
binding property of the whole-cell sorbents was also insensitive to different ionic strengths, pHs, and the presence of metal chelators. Since metalloregulatory proteins are currently available for a wide variety of toxic heavy metals, our results suggest that microbial biosorbents overexpressing metalloregulatory proteins may be used similarly for the cleanup of other important heavy metals.
Analysis of the Sulfate-Reducing Bacterial and Methanogenic Archaeal Populations in Contrasting Antarctic Sediments
Authors: Purdy K. J. , Nedwell D. B. , Embley T. M.
Published: June 2003

The distribution and activity of communities of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea in two contrasting Antarctic sediments were investigated. Methanogenesis dominated in freshwater Lake Heywood, while sulfate reduction dominated in marine Shallow Bay. Slurry experiments indicated that 90% of the methanogenesis in Lake Heywood was acetoclastic. This finding was supported by the limited diversity of clones detected in a Lake Heywood archaeal clone library, in which most clones were closely related to the obligate acetate-utilizing
Methanosaeta concilii
. The Shallow Bay archaeal clone library contained clones related to the C
1
-utilizing
Methanolobus
and
Methanococcoides
and the H
2
-utilizing
Methanogenium
. Oligonucleotide probing of RNA extracted directly from sediment indicated that archaea represented 34% of the total prokaryotic signal in Lake Heywood and that
Methanosaeta
was a major component (13.2%) of this signal. Archaea represented only 0.2% of the total prokaryotic signal in RNA extracted from Shallow Bay sediments. In the Shallow Bay bacterial clone library, 10.3% of the clones were SRB-like, related to
Desulfotalea
/
Desulforhopalus
,
Desulfofaba
,
Desulfosarcina
, and
Desulfobacter
as well as to the sulfur and metal oxidizers comprising the
Desulfuromonas
cluster. Oligonucleotide probes for specific SRB clusters indicated that SRB represented 14.7% of the total prokaryotic signal, with
Desulfotalea
/
Desulforhopalus
being the dominant SRB group (10.7% of the total prokaryotic signal) in the Shallow Bay sediments; these results support previous results obtained for Arctic sediments.
Methanosaeta
and
Desulfotalea
/
Desulforhopalus
appear to be important in Lake Heywood and Shallow Bay, respectively, and may be globally important in permanently low-temperature sediments.
Escherichia coli
Heat Shock Protein DnaK: Production and Consequences in Terms of Monitoring Cooking
Authors: Seyer Karine , Lessard Martin , Piette Gabriel , Lacroix Monique , Saucier Linda
Published: June 2003

Through use of commercially available DnaK proteins and anti-DnaK monoclonal antibodies, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to quantify this heat shock protein in
Escherichia coli
ATCC 25922 subjected to various heating regimens. For a given process lethality (
F
70
10
of 1, 3, and 5 min), the intracellular concentration of DnaK in
E. coli
varied with the heating temperature (50 or 55°C). In fact, the highest DnaK concentrations were found after treatments at the lower temperature (50°C) applied for a longer time. Residual DnaK after heating was found to be necessary for cell recovery, and additional DnaK was produced during the recovery process. Overall, higher intracellular concentrations of DnaK tended to enhance cell resistance to a subsequent lethal stress. Indeed,
E. coli
cells that had undergone a sublethal heat shock (105 min at 55°C,
F
70
10
= 3 min) accompanied by a 12-h recovery (containing 76,786 ± 25,230 molecules/cell) resisted better than exponentially growing cells (38,500 ± 6,056 molecules/cell) when later heated to 60°C for 50 min (
F
70
10
= 5 min). Results reported here suggest that using stress protein to determine cell adaptation and survival, rather than cell counts alone, may lead to more efficient heat treatment.
The Bacterium
Thermus thermophilus
, Like Hyperthermophilic Archaea, Uses a Two-Step Pathway for the Synthesis of Mannosylglycerate
Authors: Empadinhas Nuno , Albuquerque Luciana , Henne Anke , Santos Helena , Costa Milton S. da
Published: June 2003

The biosynthetic pathway for the synthesis of the compatible solute α-mannosylglycerate (MG) in the thermophilic bacterium
Thermus thermophilus
HB27 was identified based on the activities of recombinant mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase (MPGS) (EC 2.4.1.217) and mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate phosphatase (MPGP) (EC 3.1.3.70). The sequences of homologous genes from the archaeon
Pyrococcus horikoshii
were used to identify MPGS and MPGP genes in
T. thermophilus
HB27 genome. Both genes were separately cloned and overexpressed in
Escherichia coli
, yielding 3 to 4 mg of pure recombinant protein per liter of culture. The molecular masses were 43.6 and 28.1 kDa for MPGS and MPGP, respectively. The recombinant MPGS catalyzed the synthesis of α-mannosyl-3-phosphoglycerate (MPG) from GDP-mannose and
d
-3-phosphoglycerate, while the recombinant MPGP catalyzed the dephosphorylation of MPG to MG. The recombinant MPGS had optimal activity at 80 to 90°C and a pH optimum near 7.0; MPGP had maximal activity between 90 and 95°C and at pH 6.0. The activities of both enzymes were strictly dependent on divalent cations; Mn
2+
was most effective for MPGS, while Mn
2+
, Co
2+
, Mg
2+
, and to a lesser extent Ni
2+
activated MPGP. The organization of MG biosynthetic genes in
T. thermophilus
HB27 is different from the
P. horikoshii
operon-like structure, since the genes involved in the conversion of fructose-6-phosphate to GDP-mannose are not found immediately downstream of the contiguous MPGS and MPGP genes. The biosynthesis of MG in the thermophilic bacterium
T. thermophilus
HB27, proceeding through a phosphorylated intermediate, is similar to the system found in hyperthermophilic archaea.