bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainable leadership: honeybee practices at a leading Asian industrial conglomerate
Authors: Kantabutra Sooksan , Avery Gayle
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Avery and Bergsteiner's updated set of 23 sustainable leadership practices derived from sustainable enterprises and five performance outcomes provides a framework to examine the business practices of Thailand's largest conglomerate, Siam Cement Group (SCG). The aim of this paper is to build on and expand Kantabutra and Avery's study based on Avery.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis was conducted by grouping Avery and Bergsteiner's principles into six categories, namely taking a long‐term perspective, investing in people, adapting the organizational culture, being innovative, exhibiting social and environmental responsibility, and behaving ethically. Adopting a multi‐data collection approach, research teams supplemented case study data with non‐participant observations from visits to the conglomerate and its training sessions. Multiple stakeholders were interviewed in semi‐structured interviews. Documentation and information supplied by, or published about, the conglomerate was consulted.

Findings

All six sets of practices, which sharply contrast with the prevailing business model of short‐term maximization of profitability but are consistent with the 23 sustainable leadership practices, were found to apply in varying degrees to SCG. A total of 19 applied strongly, with three others moderately strong.

Practical implications

Given that sustainable leadership principles are associated with enhanced brand and reputation, customer and staff satisfaction, and financial performance, the new Sustainable Leadership Grid provides corporate leaders with a useful checklist for this purpose.

Originality/value

This paper reports on the first examination of Avery and Bergsteiner's 23 sustainable leadership elements in a developing economy. It shows that even a publicly‐listed company can resist pressures to conform to business‐as‐usual practices and adopt the long‐term, socially responsible principles of “honeybee” sustainable leadership.
The moderating role of consumer personality and source credibility in celebrity endorsements
Authors: Roy Subhadip , Jain Varsha , Rana Pragati
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of the present study is to investigate the comparative effect of sports vs film celebrity with the moderating effect (if any) of the celebrity credibility and consumer personality on consumer attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study uses a 3×1 experimental design (celebrity being the independent variable), on a combined sample of 463 respondents to investigate their attitudes towards celebrity endorsement, moderated by their personality traits and source credibility.

Findings

Major findings indicate a film celebrity to create more positive consumer attitudes than a sports celebrity. The components Agreeableness, Openness and partially, Conscientiousness were important moderators of consumers' attitudes out of the Big Five Personality dimensions. All dimensions of source credibility were found to have significant moderating effects on consumer attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to the Indian context, but has theoretical implications in terms of testing a new relationship affecting the success/failure of celebrity endorsements.

Practical implications

For a practitioner, the study findings suggest that the marketers should aim at matching the personality traits of the target audience when opting for a celebrity endorsement and also select a celebrity with a high perceived credibility.

Originality/value

The study proposed and tested a new theoretical framework, thereby contradicting the traditional notion of source credibility of a celebrity endorser as an independent variable affecting consumer attitudes. It also has included the effect of consumer personality which is a new contribution to literature.
Use of the Mental Capacity Act with children and young people with intellectual disability
Authors: Gratton Suzannah
Published: March 2013

Purpose

A review of the literature regarding the use of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) of 2005 with young people with intellectual disability indicated an absence of publications on this topic, yet clinical practice suggests that services are grappling with complex issues in this area. This article aims to focus on the principles of the MCA and to explore its application to young people with intellectual disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The key principles of the MCA are reviewed and its application to young people with intellectual disability are explored through case studies.

Findings

The MCA is applicable to 16‐18 year olds with intellectual disability and services require training and support in its implementation. Issues of adaptation of communication to convey complex matters and appropriate preparation for assessment are especially pertinent.

Originality/value

The article explores the application and relevance of the MCA to young people with intellectual disability in clinical practice.
Adiponectin levels in patients with psoriasis: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhu Kun‐Ju , Shi Ge , Zhang Chi , Li Ming , Zhu Cheng‐Yao , Fan Yi‐Ming
Published: March 2013

Conflicting results regarding adiponectin levels in patients with psoriasis have been reported. We carried out a meta‐analysis on studies which compared adiponectin levels of psoriatic patients with controls. A published work search was performed through PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for articles published in English. Pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by using random effects and fixed effect models. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the Cochran's Q and I2 statistics. A total of nine studies were enrolled (389 cases and 360 controls) for adiponectin, and three studies were included (132 cases and 132 controls) for high‐molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin. Adiponectin and HMW adiponectin levels were not significantly different in patients with psoriasis compared with controls (SMD, −0.151 [95% CI, −0.616 to 0.315]; P = 0.526 for adiponectin; SMD, 0.999 [95% CI, −2.626 to 4.624]; P = 0.589 for HMW adiponectin). The associations were borderline significantly different in the stratum of those with a mean age of less than 40 years (SMD, −0.516 [95% CI: −1.032 to 0]; P = 0.050). Sensitivity analyses were not substantially altered in the direction of effect when any one study was excluded. No publication bias was detected. The level of adiponectin and HMW adiponectin may not be associated with psoriasis. The relationship between psoriasis and adipokines needs more in‐depth studies with larger sample sizes.
Refining thresholds in coupled fire–vegetation models to improve management of encroaching woody plants in grasslands
Authors: Twidwell Dirac , Fuhlendorf Samuel D. , Taylor Charles A. , Rogers William E.
Published: March 2013

Restoration priorities are typically established without quantitative information on how to overcome the thresholds that preclude successful restoration of desirable ecosystem properties and services. We seek to demonstrate that quantifying ecological thresholds and incorporating them into management‐oriented frameworks provide a more comprehensive perspective on how the threshold concept can be applied to achieve restoration goals.

As an example, restoration actions have been largely unsuccessful when based on prevailing ecological knowledge of fire‐based thresholds in nonresprouting Juniperus woodland. We build on previous threshold‐based research and link well‐established models from applied fire physics with a widely applied ecological positive feedback model of woody plant encroachment to introduce a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism influencing fire intensity and juniper mortality.

Our coupling of physical and ecological fire models revealed a critical knowledge gap, a lack of a quantitative estimate on the critical surface fire intensity required to cause mortality of Juniperus ashei trees, which limits the linking of scientific knowledge from these two disciplines.

To quantify the relationship between fire intensity and J. ashei mortality, we input data from a previous experiment into Byram's fireline intensity model. This critical surface fire intensity–mortality threshold was estimated to be Is > 160 kJ m−1 s−1. This value establishes a specific threshold that managers should target when attempting to use restoration to collapse J. ashei woodlands.

Synthesis and applications. For scientific information associated with the threshold concept to be useful to practitioners, specific information is needed that demonstrates how to use restoration activities to overcome thresholds and collapse the current, degraded state in favour of a more desired ecological state. With this in mind, we present a broadly applicable decision support model within a state and transition framework that identifies the ecological states where the surface fire intensity–mortality threshold is most likely to meet restoration objectives and provides examples of how fuel properties that drive fire intensity should be targeted in restoration to surpass this threshold.
Linking isoprenoidal GDGT membrane lipid distributions with gene abundances of ammonia‐oxidizing Thaumarchaeota and uncultured crenarchaeotal groups in the water column of a tropical lake (Lake Challa, East Africa)
Authors: Buckles Laura K. , Villanueva Laura , Weijers Johan W. H. , Verschuren Dirk , Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe
Published: March 2013

Stratified lakes are important reservoirs of microbial diversity and provide habitats for niche differentiation of Archaea. In this study, we used a lipid biomarker/DNA‐based approach to reveal the diversity and abundance of Archaea in the water column of Lake Challa (East Africa). Concentrations of intact polar lipid (IPL) crenarchaeol, a specific biomarker of Thaumarchaeota, were enhanced (1 ng l−1) at the oxycline/nitrocline. The predominance of the more labile IPL hexose‐phosphohexose crenarchaeol indicated the presence of an actively living community of Thaumarchaeota. Archaeal 16S rRNA clone libraries revealed the presence of thaumarchaeotal groups 1.1a and 1.1b at and above the oxycline. In the anoxic deep water, amoA gene abundance was an order of magnitude lower than at the oxycline and high abundance (∼ 90 ng l−1) of an IPL with the acyclic glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT‐0) was evident. The predominance of archaeal 16S rRNA sequences affiliated to the uncultured crenarchaeota groups 1.2 and miscellaneous crenarchaeotic group (MCG) points to an origin of GDGT‐0 from uncultured crenarchaeota. This study demonstrates the importance of thermal stratification and nutrient availability in the distribution of archaeal groups in lakes, which is relevant to constrain and validate temperature proxies based on archaeal GDGTs (i.e. TEX86).
Organizational Responses to Contending Institutional Logics: The Moderating Effect of Group Dynamics
Authors: Bjerregaard Toke , Jonasson Charlotte
Published: March 2013

This paper advances knowledge on how the forms of institutional logics that emerge and become venerated among members of a singular organization in a heterogeneous field are influenced by struggles between contending interest groups. It examines the moderating effect of group dynamics that occur when an organization attempts to balance novel institutional complexity within organizational bounds through its hiring and promotion systems. The authors argue that, while the specific institutional oppositions of heterogeneous fields compel organizational changes, the institutional forms that emerge and become legitimate among members of an organization in such fields are the effects of indeterminate social processes of regularization and breaking of coexisting logics. The paper provides insights into how the negotiations among groups of organizational actors over the process and outcome of institutional change are influenced by asymmetric power relationships yet significantly mediated by their social strategies. The findings reported are from an ethnography of the enactment of institutional changes at a South Korean credit card company following the economic crisis in 1997 and the International Monetary Fund bailout programme.
‘We Cannot Give One Millimetre’? Liberalism, Enlightenment and Diversity
Authors: Tate John William
Published: March 2013

This article challenges a prominent interpretation of the liberal tradition which seeks to divide that tradition, from its origins, into two competing strands, one committed to reason (however defined) as a normative ideal, and the other, involving no such ideal, centred on a commitment either to negative liberty or the political management of diversity. This dichotomous account seeks to enlist the inaugural figures of John Locke, Immanuel Kant and in one case John Stuart Mill as the origins of that part of the liberal tradition committed to reason. This article will show that such claims have no foundation in the most inaugural figure cited, and that, as a consequence, liberalism, from its origins, has had a far deeper commitment to negative liberty and diversity than to any necessary connection with reason.
Romantic Liberalism: An Alternative Perspective on Liberal Disrespect in the Muhammad Cartoons Controversy
Authors: Gustavsson Gina
Published: March 2013

There is an increasing scholarly concern that liberalism comes into conflict with religious diversity. William Galston blames this tendency on ‘Enlightenment liberalism’, which places autonomous self-reflection at the heart of the liberal project. This article, however, proposes a culprit that is more prone to both disrespect and dogmatism: romantic liberalism, which idealises authentic self-expression. I develop this concept by revisiting the Danish cartoon controversy, allegedly a case of Enlightenment liberalism. This exercise reveals that Flemming Rose, the editor who commissioned the cartoons, invokes romantic rather than enlightened values in defence of the publication. In contrast to previous research, I show that Rose does not portray the disrespectfulness of the cartoons as a side-effect of trying to promote autonomy among Muslims. Rather, he argues in favour of artistic provocation as such, invoking a distinctly romantic understanding of freedom of speech, which in many ways runs counter to the ideal of autonomy.
Why ‘class’ is too soft a category to capture the explosiveness of social inequality at the beginning of the twenty‐first century
Authors: Beck Ulrich
Published: March 2013

We can distinguish four positions on the continuing, or maybe even increasing, relevance of the category of class at the beginning of the twenty‐first century depending on the extent to which they accord central importance to (1) the reproduction or (2) the transformation of social classes with regard to (3) the distribution of goods without bads or (4) the distribution of goods and bads. One could say that Dean Curran introduces the concept of ‘risk‐class’ to radicalize the class distribution of risk and charts who will able to occupy areas less exposed to risk and who will have little choice but to occupy areas that are exposed to the brunt of the fact of the risk society. As he mentioned it is important to note that this social structuring of the distribution of bads will be affected not only by class, but also by other forms of social structuration of disadvantage, such as gender and race. In order to demonstrate that the distribution of bads is currently exacerbating class differences in life chances, however, Curran concentrates exclusively on phenomena of individual risks. In the process, he overlooks the problem of systemic risks in relation of the state, science, new corporate roles, management the mass media, law, mobile capital and social movements; at the same time, his conceptual frame of reference does not really thematize the interdependence between individual and systemic risks. Those who reduce the problematic of risk to that of the life chances of individuals are unable to grasp the conflicting social and political logics of risk and class conflicts. Or, to put it pointedly: ‘class’ is too soft a category to capture the explosiveness of social inequality in world risk society.
Why do nations matter? The struggle for belonging and security in an uncertain world
Authors: Skey Michael
Published: March 2013

This paper explores the reasons why national forms of identification and organization (might) matter in the contemporary era. In contrast to the majority of macro‐sociological work dealing with this topic, I develop an analytical framework that draws together recent research on everyday nationalism with micro‐sociological and psychological studies pointing to the importance of routine practices, institutional arrangements and symbolic systems in contributing to a relatively settled sense of identity, place and community. The second part of the paper focuses on the hierarchies of belonging that operate within a given national setting. Of particular interest is the largely taken‐for‐granted status of the ethnic majority and the degree to which it underpins claims to belonging and entitlement that are used to secure key allocative and authoritative resources.
Framing the Other: cosmopolitanism and the representation of difference in overseas gap year narratives
Authors: Snee Helene
Published: March 2013

This paper engages with debates surrounding contemporary cosmopolitanism and the outcomes of cultural encounters. It considers if overseas gap years, often put forward in the UK as a way of becoming a global citizen, enable young Britons to ‘broaden their mind’. I explore representations of the people and places encountered during these periods of time out through an analysis of young people's travel blogs. Four key themes are highlighted in these narratives: the exotic place; feeling ‘out of place’; the importance and outcomes of local interaction; and the historical legacies that are implicated in constructing places as ‘different’. Gappers display a willingness to interact with and gain knowledge about their host communities. Yet as gap years are designed to be distinct from the normal course of things, they also demonstrate the ‘difference’ of places. This can often result in the reproduction of established ways of representing the Other in order to frame them as meaningful. There is a tension in the narratives between ‘globally reflexive’ and ‘globally reproductive’ representations of difference, and I suggest that we might question the development of cosmopolitan attitudes and competencies through undertaking a gap year.
Anomalous Anterior Papillary Muscle as an Autopsy Finding in Two Cases
Authors: Strajina Veljko , Živković Vladimir , Nikolić Slobodan
Published: March 2013

Anomaly in the anterior papillary muscle (APM) is known to cause left ventricle outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, and this rare congenital condition could be a cause of sudden cardiac death. This anomaly and its hemodynamic effects is similar to valvular heart disease. In our two described cases, in which cause of death was, respectively, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and suicide by hanging, the cephalad portion of the left APM was inserted directly into the ventricular surface of the anterior mitral leaflet and chordae tendineae were absent in the area of the direct anomalous muscle insertion; the aberrant papillary muscle was very large and showed an exaggerated anterior displacement within the left ventricular cavity. The described anomaly is a cause of LVOT obstruction. This condition is considered to be rare, although incidence estimates do not exist. In the absence of other possible causes, this finding may indicate arrhythmia as being the immediate cause of death.
The Effects of Continuous Application of the TASER X26 Waveform on Sus scrofa,
Authors: Jenkins David M. , Murray W. Bosseau , Kennett Mary J. , Hughes Edward L. , Werner Jacob R.
Published: March 2013

This study investigated and evaluated the safety margins of the continuous long duration (up to 30 min) effect of the TASER X26 waveform, using a Sus scrofa model. Long duration continuous stimulus has not been evaluated on humans or human surrogates prior to this study. Swine were used as models due to similarities with humans in their skin and cardiovascular systems. Very long duration was used to determine both exposure dose and possible adverse physiological effects of dose. The trial began with an application of 10 min, and subsequent animals received increasing exposure time up to a survived maximum duration of 30 min. At the onset of this work, it was hypothesized that there would be a time limit after which most animals would not survive consistent with increased dose response. However, this hypothesis was not supported by the experimental results. All animals (10 of 10) survived up to 3 min. Seven of the 10 animals survived up to a 10‐min exposure and 3 of 5 animals with a 30‐min target exposure survived the full exposure. Surviving animals were recovered and observed for 24 h, with no postrecovery deaths. This suggests that swine (based on physiology) will not experience a fatal event when exposed to the TASER X26 for a continuous 3 min. Conclusions regarding longer duration (10–30 min) are not as certain due to the small sample sizes at these time intervals.
Analysis and Discrimination of Single‐Layer White Architectural Paint Samples,
Authors: Wright Diana M. , Bradley Maureen J. , Mehltretter Andria Hobbs
Published: March 2013

Comparative analyses of 50 single‐layer white architectural paints were conducted to determine the discrimination power using standard techniques and to provide a basis for assessing significance when paints with limited features are not discriminated. Utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 68 undifferentiated pairs resulted, yielding a discrimination of 94.45%. Adding stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and backscatter electron (BSE) imaging, and pyrolysis‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py‐GC/MS), the overall discrimination was 99.35%. The study included blind verification replicates, which resulted in the only pairs without indications of physical or chemical differences. The remaining groups of undifferentiated samples contained subtle differences by at least one technique, but were considered undifferentiated for the discrimination power evaluations. This study demonstrates a high degree of discrimination of single‐layer white architectural paints using methods of analysis often encountered in forensic science laboratories.
Lightning Strike as Probable Cause of Death and Determining Identity Based on the Examination of Skeletal Remains
Authors: Hauser Roman , Kaliszan Michał , Basir Aaron , Basir Iwona Dawlidowicz ‐
Published: March 2013

In this article,a case of examining an incomplete human skeleton found in a forest is presented. Based on the assessment of posttraumatic lesions in the skull bones, the cause of death of a man who had died 14 years prior to the examination was determined with high probability to be due to a lightning strike. Moreover, the rare pathological lesions within the skeleton, such as a healed fracture of the humerus and rheumatoid malformations within the hand, in reference to preserved medical records, have also allowed to identify the deceased. Most noteworthy points in this case are, however, initially difficult to comprehend, posttraumatic lesions within the bones of the skull such as carbonization and fracture of the vertex. Their origin can be explained by a lightning strike as the most probable cause of death. Thus, the presented case demonstrates probable cause of death and identity can be established many years after death, based on skeletal remains.
Can the RUVIS Reflected UV Imaging System Visualize Fingerprint Corrosion on Brass Cartridge Casings Postfiring?
Authors: Leintz Rachel , Bond John W.
Published: March 2013

Comparisons are made between the visualization of fingerprint corrosion ridge detail on fired brass cartridge casings, where fingerprint sweat was deposited prefiring, using both ultraviolet (UV) and visible (natural daylight) light sources. A reflected ultraviolet imaging system (RUVIS), normally used for visualizing latent fingerprint sweat deposits, is compared with optical interference and digital color mapping of visible light, the latter using apparatus constructed to easily enable selection of the optimum viewing angle. Results show that reflected UV, with a monochromatic UV source of 254 nm, was unable to visualize fingerprint ridge detail on any of 12 casings analyzed, whereas optical interference and digital color mapping using natural daylight yielded ridge detail on three casings. Reasons for the lack of success with RUVIS are discussed in terms of the variation in thickness of the thin film of metal oxide corrosion and absorption wavelengths for the corrosion products of brass.
Expert Interpretation of Bitemark Injuries—A Contemporary Qualitative Study
Authors: Page Mark , Taylor Jane , Blenkin Matt
Published: March 2013

This study attempts to characterize the nature of disagreement among odontologists in determining the fundamental properties of suspected bitemark injuries. Fifteen odontologists were asked to freely comment on six images of supposed bitemarks. Qualitative analysis using a grounded theory approach revealed that practitioner agreement was at best fair, with wide‐ranging opinions on the origin, circumstance, and characteristics of the wound given for all six images. More experienced practitioners (>10 years) tended to agree with each other less than those who had 10 years or less experience in forensic odontology. The differences in opinions can be at least partly accounted for by the inconsistent nature of approaches used by different practitioners in assessing bitemark evidence. The results of this study indicate that more definitive guidelines as to the assessment of bitemarks as patterned injuries should be developed to ensure the highest possible level of practitioner agreement.
Lifting Bloody Footwear Impressions Using Alginate Casts Followed by Chemical Enhancement
Authors: Wiesner Sarena , Izraeli Elad , Shor Yaron , Domb Avi
Published: March 2013

A method for lifting bloody footwear impressions using alginate casts and enhancing the lifted impressions with amido black is presented. On rough or dark substrates, background interferences may conceal significant details of footwear impressions. Illumination with alternative light sources and chemically enhancing the bloody footwear impressions may reveal additional details, but sometimes, lifting footwear impressions prior to enhancing is the only way to expose hidden details (by using blood reagents not adequate on the original). Several cast formulations were tested for lifting the footwear impressions. The best results were achieved using Aroma fine®. Enhancement of the footwear impressions was attempted with several reagents prior to lifting, during the casting process, and on the lifted footwear impressions. Applying amido black to footwear impressions lifted with alginate produced the sharpest and most detailed footwear impressions. Alginate castings followed by chemical enhancement with amido black may produce high‐quality footwear impressions for comparison.
Recessionary bundles: HR practices in the Irish economic crisis
Authors: Teague Paul , Roche William K.
Published: March 2013

The HR practices adopted by firms in response to the current deep and prolonged recession have received little attention in the literature. There are reasons for supposing that firms will adopt HR practices in bundles in responding to the recession in order to benefit from technical and behavioural complementarities. Drawing on a nationally representative survey, the article investigates the bundles of HR practices adopted by firms during the Irish recession and examines influences on the bundles that are evident. The article contributes to HRM theory by testing different views on HR bundles likely to be adopted in recessionary conditions and by moving beyond the prevailing focus in HRM on HR bundles adopted by firms in steady‐state business conditions.
Artificial nesting habitats as a conservation strategy for turtle populations experiencing global change
Authors: WNEK John P. , BIEN Walter F. , AVERY Harold W.
Published: March 2013

Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) inhabit estuaries in eastern USA and may tolerate salinity of sea‐water for short durations. Many North American estuaries are adversely affected by anthropogenic impacts, such as pollution, dredging and invasion by non‐native plants. Many nesting areas have been altered or destroyed, causing terrapins to nest on roadsides and artificial islands made of dredged substrate from bottom sediments. Shading by non‐native plants may suppress development and reduce survival of embryos. In Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, USA, there is a mosaic of natural and degraded terrapin nesting habitats. We investigated the effects of dredge soil and shade on the hatching success of diamondback terrapins to determine whether nesting habitat could be increased by using dredged bottom sediments. In year 1, unshaded nests in natural loamy‐sand had the highest hatching success (55.2%), while nests in dredge soil produced no hatchlings. In year 2, nests in unshaded loamy‐sand had a hatching success of 85.3%, whereas those in dredge soil, aged 1 year, had a hatching success of 59.4%. Dredge soil improved as an incubation substrate after aging 1 year by the washout of salt. Nest temperatures were generally cool and produced mostly male hatchlings. Uncontaminated dredge soil may provide suitable nesting substrates for diamondback terrapins if used after one year, and may be particularly beneficial if used for constructing islands that provide new nesting sites with reduced access of mammalian predators.
Safety Assessment and Probiotic Evaluation of Enterococcus Faecium YF5 Isolated from Sourdough
Authors: Tan Qianglai , Xu Hengyi , Aguilar Zoraida P. , Peng Shanshan , Dong Suqin , Wang Baogui , Li Ping , Chen Tingtao , Xu Feng , Wei Hua
Published: March 2013

Enterococcus faecium YF5, a strain previously isolated from sourdough, was assessed for safety and probiotic potential. Its virulence and antibiotic resistant phenotypes (cytolysin and gelatinase production, antibiotic susceptibility) and genes (cylA, gelE, ace, agg, esp, and vanA) were surveyed. Results indicated that the tested virulence determinants were nontoxic. In addition, E. faecium YF5 was sensitive to 3 antibiotics such as amoxicillin, vancomycin, and chloramphenicol. Furthermore, results of in vivo animal acute oral toxicity of E. faecium YF5 studies were similar to the control group that indicated no abnormalities. In addition, E. faecium YF5 stably survived in low pH, bile salts, gastric, and intestinal fluids in vitro. Moreover, E. faecium YF5 was found to adhere to human colon cancer cell line HT‐29 at 3.39 (±0.67) × 105 CFU/mL. When cocultured with pathogenic organisms (Enterobacter sakazakii CMCC45402, Escherichia coli CMCC44102, enterohemorrhage Escherichia coli O157: H7 CMCC44828, Salmonella Typhimurium CMCC50071, Shigella flexneri 301, and Shigella sonnei ATCC 29930) and 2 gram‐positive strains (Listeria monocytogenes CMCC54001 and Staphylococcus aureus CMCC 26003), it inhibited these foodborne pathogens with exception of S. aureus. Therefore, E. faecium YF5 can be regarded as a safe strain and it may be used as a probiotic preparation or for microecologics.
Glucose metabolic flux distribution of Lactobacillus amylophilus during lactic acid production using kitchen waste saccharified solution
Authors: Liu Jianguo , Wang Qunhui , Zou Hui , Liu Yingying , Wang Juan , Gan Kemin , Xiang Juan
Published: March 2013

The 13C isotope tracer method was used to investigate the glucose metabolic flux distribution and regulation in Lactobacillus amylophilus to improve lactic acid production using kitchen waste saccharified solution (KWSS). The results demonstrate that L. amylophilus is a homofermentative bacterium. In synthetic medium, 60.6% of the glucose entered the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas (EMP) to produce lactic acid, whereas 36.4% of the glucose entered the pentose phosphate metabolic pathway (HMP). After solid–liquid separation of the KWSS, the addition of Fe3+ during fermentation enhanced the NADPH production efficiency and increased the NADH content. The flux to the EMP was also effectively increased. Compared with the control (60.6% flux to EMP without Fe3+ addition), the flux to the EMP with the addition of Fe3+ (74.3%) increased by 23.8%. In the subsequent pyruvate metabolism, Fe3+ also increased lactate dehydrogenase activity, and inhibited alcohol dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase, thereby increasing the lactic acid production to 9.03 g l−1, an increase of 8% compared with the control. All other organic acid by‐products were lower than in the control. However, the addition of Zn2+ showed an opposite effect, decreasing the lactic acid production. In conclusion it is feasible and effective means using GC‐MS, isotope experiment and MATLAB software to integrate research the metabolic flux distribution of lactic acid bacteria, and the results provide the theoretical foundation for similar metabolic flux distribution.
Salt deliquescence drives photosynthesis in the hyperarid Atacama Desert
Authors: Davila Alfonso F. , Hawes Ian , Ascaso Carmen , Wierzchos Jacek
Published: March 2013

Endolithic cyanobacteria are found in halite nodules in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. Using Pulse Amplitude Modulated Fluorometry, we show here that photosynthetic systems of these cyanobacteria become active when the relative humidity rises above 70% and the salt becomes wet by way of deliquescence. This is the first evidence of active metabolism in the hyperarid core of the Atacama, and supports the view of a microbial community sustained by deliquescence. Our results expand the water activity envelope of life on Earth.
Comparing diversity data collected using a protocol designed for volunteers with results from a professional alternative
Authors: Holt Ben G. , Rioja‐Nieto Rodolfo , Aaron MacNeil M. , Lupton Jan , Rahbek Carsten
Published: March 2013

In light of the continuing biodiversity crisis, the need for high‐resolution, broad‐scale ecological data is particularly acute. The expansive scale of volunteer data collection programmes provides an opportunity to address this challenge, however, protocols used to collect such data are typically less standardized than those used by professional scientists. Although previous studies have established that different protocols can lead to different results, it remains unclear how relevant these differences are to specific study goals, such as biodiversity assessment.

This study uses both null model and Bayesian occupancy approaches to examine the capacity of a widely used volunteer survey protocol, the roving diver transect, to detect patterns of marine fish diversity. Richness estimates are compared with those obtained using the conventional belt transects favoured in many peer reviewed studies, examining the power of both protocols to detect statistically significant differences between survey sites and quantifying differences in detectability.

Pairwise site comparisons of α‐diversity (i.e. within site diversity) were consistent between protocols, particularly for species totals.

The roving diver transect protocol detected a substantially larger number of species than the belt transect protocol, due to notably higher detectability, even after controlling for confounding factors. Both protocols detected the same species pool, although the species richness among observations was higher for the belt protocol at certain sites.

The significance of pairwise site β‐diversity (i.e. differentiation between sites) comparisons differed between the protocols and care should be exercised, when using either protocol, when studying variation in species composition.

These results provide vital information for managers and researchers considering the use of volunteer data or protocols for the purpose of biodiversity assessment in aquatic systems, helping to quantify the value of thousands of existing survey records. The larger number of species detected by the volunteer protocol suggests this protocol may be advantageous with regards to the completion of taxonomic lists.
Heterochronic parabiosis: historical perspective and methodological considerations for studies of aging and longevity
Authors: Conboy Michael J. , Conboy Irina M. , Rando Thomas A.
Published: March 2013

Pairing two animals in parabiosis to test for systemic or circulatory factors from one animal affecting the other animal has been used in scientific studies for at least 150 years. These studies have led to advances in fields as diverse as endocrinology, immunology, and oncology. A variation on the technique, heterochronic parabiosis, whereby two animals of different ages are joined to test for systemic regulators of aspects of aging or age‐related diseases also has almost a century‐long scientific history. In this review, we focus on the history of heterochronic parabiosis, methodological considerations and caveats, and the major advances that have emerged from those studies, including recent advances in our understanding of stem cell aging.
Ethanol Inhibition of a T‐Type Ca2+ Channel Through Activity of Protein Kinase C
Authors: Shan Hong Qu , Hammarback James A. , Godwin Dwayne W.
Published: March 2013

Background

T‐type calcium channels (T‐channels) are widely distributed in the central and peripheral nervous system, where they mediate calcium entry and regulate the intrinsic excitability of neurons. T‐channels are dysregulated in response to alcohol administration and withdrawal. We therefore investigated acute ethanol (EtOH) effects and the underlying mechanism of action in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines, as well as effects on native currents recorded from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons cultured from Long‐Evans rats.

Methods

Whole‐cell voltage‐clamp recordings were performed at 32 to 34°C in both HEK cell lines and DRG neurons. The recordings were taken after a 10‐minute application of EtOH or protein kinase C (PKC) activator (phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate [PMA]).

Results

We recorded T‐type Ca2+ currents (T‐currents) from 3 channel isoforms (CaV3.1, CaV3.2, and CaV3.3) before and during administration of EtOH. We found that only 1 isoform, CaV3.2, was significantly affected by EtOH. EtOH reduced current density as well as producing a hyperpolarizing shift in steady‐state inactivation of both CaV3.2 currents from HEK 293 cell lines and in native T‐currents from DRG neurons that are known to be enriched in CaV3.2. A myristoylated PKC peptide inhibitor (MPI) blocked the major EtOH effects, in both the cell lines and the DRG neurons. However, PMA effects were more complex. Lower concentration PMA (100 nM) replicated the major effects of EtOH, while higher concentration PMA (1 μM) did not, suggesting that the EtOH effects operate through activation of PKC and were mimicked by lower concentration of PMA.

Conclusions

EtOH primarily affects the CaV3.2 isoform of T‐type Ca2+ channels acting through PKC, highlighting a novel target and mechanism for EtOH effects on excitable membranes.
Physiological and Endocrine Reactions to Psychosocial Stress in Alcohol Use Disorders: Duration of Abstinence Matters
Authors: Starcke Katrin , van Holst Ruth J. , van den Brink Wim , Veltman Dick J. , Goudriaan Anna E.
Published: March 2013

Background

Recent research findings suggest that heavy alcohol use is associated with alterations of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and autonomic nervous system function and that early abstinence is associated with blunted stress responsiveness.

Methods

This study investigated abstinent alcohol‐dependent participants (AADs; n = 31), who had a drinking history of levels about 97 drinks per week (abstinence range: 2 weeks to 24 months), actively drinking problem drinkers (PRDs; n = 23), who reported drinking levels about 47 drinks per week and who were abstinent for at least 24 hours, and healthy control (HC) participants (n = 20). It was investigated how participants responded to a psychosocial stress task. All of them were exposed to a modified Trier Social Stress Test. Salivary cortisol, heart rate, skin conductance levels, and negative affect were assessed as stress indicators.

Results

AADs showed stress reactions comparable to HC participants, whereas active PRDs showed increased heart rate and cortisol stress responses. In the AAD group, duration of abstinence was positively related to cortisol stress responses.

Conclusions

Active PRDs showed increased responses to psychosocial stress. Results indicate that duration of abstinence is a key factor when analyzing and interpreting stress responses in alcohol abuse and dependence.
Clinical and psychological impact after surgical, medical or expectant management of first‐trimester miscarriage – a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Kong Grace Wing Shan , Lok Ingrid Hung , Yiu Alice Ka Wah , Hui Annie Shuk Yi , Lai Beatrice Pui Yee , Chung Tony Kwok Hung
Published: March 2013

Background

The management of first‐trimester miscarriage has been studied extensively in recent years. However, relatively little attention has been focussed on woman's satisfaction and psychological impact from different treatment modalities.

Aim

To investigate the clinical and psychological outcomes of surgical, medical and expectant management of first‐trimester miscarriage.

Materials and Methods

A prospective randomised controlled trial of 180 women suffering miscarriage managed by either surgical evacuation, medical evacuation or expectant management was conducted in a university‐affiliated, tertiary referral hospital. The complete miscarriage rate, clinical symptomatology, complications, women's satisfaction and the psychological impact were evaluated.

Results

Women in surgical evacuation (98.1%) had a significantly higher complete miscarriage rate when compared with medical evacuation (70%) and expectant management (79.3%). Women who had surgical evacuation had significantly shorter duration of vaginal bleeding, but higher rate of infection. Women who had medical evacuation had significantly more gastrointestinal symptoms. Despite differences in efficacy and complication profile, there was no significant difference in satisfaction among groups. There were no significant differences in terms of psychological well‐being, depression scores, anxiety level, fatigue symptoms as measured in General Health Questionnaire‐12, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory and fatigue scale at treatment and four weeks after treatment. However, women with active intervention had greater post‐traumatic stress symptoms as measured in Chinese version of Impact of Event Scale – Revised at the time of treatment when compared with women in expectant management.

Conclusion

Without substantial differences in the clinical and psychological impact between different treatment modalities, a more conservative approach with expectant management for miscarriage may be an option for women.
Total War and Entitlement: Towards a Global History of Veteran Privilege
Authors: Crotty Martin , Edele Mark
Published: March 2013

By comparing Australia with the USSR (and not with the UK or other British dominions as is most often done) we advance two principal arguments. Firstly, despite the claims of some historians, veterans as a social entity are not the exclusive product of postwar discourse and the postwar political, cultural and social milieux in the countries for which soldiers fought. Rather, their emergence as a social group reflects the experience of mass soldiering in an age of total war. Secondly, it is possible to identify the factors which influenced the extent to which veterans’ claims to special entitlements were translated into special status. We identify eight structural factors which, if they did not determine, at least heavily influenced, the policy outcomes of veterans’ activism.
“Leavening British Traditions”: Integration Policy in Australia, 1962–1972
Authors: Mann Jatinder
Published: March 2013

During the period 1962–72 integration replaced assimilation as official government policy in dealing with migrants in Australia. Migrants were now encouraged to incorporate themselves into the dominant Anglo‐Celtic society but also to retain elements of their own culture. The policy emerged in response to the unravelling of Britishness and the incremental dismantling of the White Australia policy as the twin pillars of Australian national identity. The “new nationalism”, which stressed a more independent and home grown Australian image, arose as a possible replacement to British race patriotism towards the end of this period. At the same time whiteness was also broken down.
Clinical significance of nucleophosmin/B23 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu expressions in gastric cancers
Authors: Zhou Fang , Qiu Wensheng , Sun Lingling , Xiang Jinyu , Sun Xiaoxiao , Sui Aihua , Ding Aiping , Yue Lu
Published: March 2013

The aim of the study was to investigate the expression levels of ‘NPM’/nucleophosmin/B23 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her‐2)/neu in gastric cancer (GC) and corresponding non‐malignant tissues, correlation with their clinicopathological parameters and the relationship of nucleophosmin/B23 and Her‐2/neu in the occurrence and development of GC. A total of 131 postoperative patients were examined for nucleophosmin/B23 expression by immuno‐histochemistry and for Her‐2/neu expression by fluorescence in situ hybridization with the median follow‐up period of 38 months. The positive expression rates of nucleophosmin (NPM) in neoplastic tissues and adjacent gastric mucosa were 65.6% and 52.7%, respectively. Nucleophosmin/B23 levels were linked to more advanced tumor stages, poor prognosis, and likelihood of recurrence (p < 0.05). The Cox multivariate analysis indicated that the nucleophosmin/B23 expression was an independent indicator for tumor recurrence (p = 0.011). Of the total GC specimens 12.21% were positive for Her‐2/neu, but whose expression was of no correlation with patients' survival. Patients who were positive for Her‐2/neu also had high NPM expression levels (p = 0.0303). The results suggest that nucleophosmin/B23 is a favorable prognostic indicator for GC. But Her‐2/neu has no relationship with the prognosis of GC. The combined clinical significance of nucleophosmin/B23 and Her‐2/neu remains to be further investigated.