bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the coagulation and inflammatory responses in solid organ transplant recipients and donors
Authors: Levitsky Josh , Freifeld Alison , Lyden Elizabeth , Stoner Julie , Florescu Diana , Langnas Alan , Brian Stevens R. , Hardiman Penny , Hill Lisa , Kalil Andre C.
Published: July 2009

Abstract: New strategies that modify the coagulation/inflammatory cascades may be applicable to solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients in the treatment of complications. However, data on kinetics of post‐SOT cascades are needed before considering these strategies. Prospectively collected pre‐transplant serum measurements of inflammatory (high‐sensitive C‐reactive protein, HS‐CRP) and coagulation (d‐Dimer, DD; protein C, PC) markers were compared to post‐operative (day 1–90) values in deceased‐donor liver (DDLT) and renal (DDRT) transplant recipients, living‐related renal recipients (LRT) and donors (LRD). A total of 85 SOT were enrolled: 25 DDLT, 32 DDRT/LRT, 28 LRD. HS‐CRP increased in all groups, mainly immediate post‐SOT and in LRDs. DD had a similar pattern mainly in LRT and LRD. PC increased significantly over time in the DDLT group ( p < 0.01). Compared to those with no complications (infection, rejection or thrombosis), day 30 HS‐CRP (p = 0.04) and DD (p = 0.06) were elevated in the DDRT/LRT group with complications; PC was decreased at day 7 (p = 0.04) and day 30 (p = 0.009) in DDLT and DDRT/LRT groups with complications, respectively. In conclusion, activation of the inflammatory/coagulation cascades occurs after SOT and is least pronounced in DDLT. This activation diminishes over time unless transplant complications occur. Our results support further research in approaches to altering these cascades in SOT recipients.
Quantitative trait loci associated with soybean tolerance to low phosphorus stress based on flower and pod abscission
Authors: Zhang D. , Liu C. , Cheng H. , Kan G. , Cui S. , Meng Q. , Gai J. , Yu D.
Published: July 2009

With 2 figures and 5 tables

Low phosphorus (P) stress limits soybean production. A population of 152 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between ‘Bogao’ (P sensitive variety) and ‘Nannong 94‐156’ (P tolerant variety) and 248 markers were used to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for low‐P tolerance. Two pot culture trials were conducted and low‐P tolerance evaluated using flower and pod abscission rate under low P and normal P. Conditional QTLs and epistasis for tolerance to low P were also analysed. A conditional QTL (near Satt274) on linkage group D1b+W was identified which conferred low‐P tolerance epistatic effects and coincided with previously discovered QTLs. An additive QTL, qFARLPG‐07, for flower abscission rate under low P was detected with a LOD score of 7.79 and explained 32.3% of phenotypic variation. It was detected at the same interval of the corresponding QTL for other traits across years. This region coincided with two conditional QTLs (cqFARLPG‐07 and cqPARLPG‐07), from the P‐tolerant parent ‘Nannong 94‐156’ related to low‐P tolerance. These results will provide a basis for further fine mapping and eventual cloning of the P‐efficiency genes in soybean.
Role of southeastern Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone in the tectonic evolution of Zagros Orogenic Belt, Iran
Authors: Arfania Ramin , Shahriari Sohrab
Published: July 2009

Geological studies indicate that the southeastern Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone, located in the southeastern Zagros Orogenic Belt, is subdivided transversally into the Esfahan–Sirjan Block with typical Central Iranian stratigraphic features and the Shahrekord–Dehsard Terrane consisting of Paleozoic and Lower Mesozoic metamorphic rocks. The Main Deep Fault (Abadeh Fault) is a major lithospheric fault separating the two parts. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the role of the southeastern Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone in the tectonic evolution of the southeastern Zagros Orogenic Belt on the basis of geological evidence. The new model implies that Neo‐Tethys 1 came into being when the Central Iran Microcontinent split from the northeastern margin of Gondwana during the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian. During the Late Triassic a new spreading ridge, Neo‐Tethys 2, was created to separate the Shahrekord–Dehsard Terrane from Afro–Arabian Plate. The Zagros sedimentary basin was formed on a continental passive margin, southwest of Neo‐Tethys 2. The two ophiolitic belts of Naien–Shahrebabak–Baft and Neyriz were developed to the northeast of Neo‐Tethys 1 and southwest of Neo‐Tethys 2 respectively, related to the sinking of the lithosphere of the Neo‐Tethys 1 in the Late Cretaceous. It can be concluded that deposition of the Paleocene conglomerate on the Central Iran Microcontinent and Pliocene conglomerate in the Zagros Sedimentary Basin is directly linked to the uplift generated by collision.
Petrologic evolution of Palau, a nascent island arc
Authors: Hawkins James W. , Ishizuka Osamu
Published: July 2009

Palau Islands, 7°30′N, are the only emergent feature on the more than 2500‐km‐long Kyushu–Palau Ridge. Small islands are mainly uplifted reef carbonate. Larger islands are volcanic with basalt to dacite and rare boninite. Polymict breccia is abundant: sills, flows, and dykes are common but pillows are rare. Palau Trench samples include all types found on the islands as well as high‐Mg basalt. Volcanism began in the late Eocene and ended by early Miocene. All igneous rocks comprise a low‐K primitive island arc‐tholeiite series. None are mid‐ocean ridge basalts. Rare earth elements and high field‐strength elements indicate a depleted mantle source. Elevated large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements indicate influx of ‘dehydration fluid’. Ce/Ce* and Eu/Eu* ratios show no evidence for recycling of arc‐derived clastics. Plate reconstructions and paleomagnetic data suggest that the arc probably formed on the trace of a transform fault that migrated northward and rotated clockwise up to 90°. Episodes of transtension caused upwelling of hot mantle into depleted mantle and sheared altered rocks of the transform. Episodes of transpression may have initiated subduction of old seafloor with a thin cover of pelagic sediments deposited far from terrigenous sediment sources.
Selected testosterone‐related diseases in women who have given birth to a child with infantile autism
Authors: Mouridsen Svend Erik , Rich Bente , Isager Torben
Published: July 2009

Aim:  The objective of the current study was to compare the prevalence of three testosterone‐related cancer diseases in the mothers of 111 individuals diagnosed as children with infantile autism (IA) with a matched comparison group of mothers of 330 children from the general population.

Method:  All mothers were screened through the nationwide Danish National Hospital Register. We inquired about breast‐, uterine‐, and ovarian cancer diseases during an observation period of 27 years.

Results:  At follow up a similar proportion of case and control mothers had a diagnosis of any cancer disease: 6.3% vs 8.5%. In addition, no single cancer disease was significantly more frequent among mothers of children with IA.

Conclusion:  Our study provides no support for an (eventually androgen‐mediated) increased rate of cancer in mothers of persons with IA.
The rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder in Chinese‐Taiwanese patients
Authors: Lin Feng‐Cheng , Lai Chiou‐Lian , Huang Poyin , Liu Ching‐Kuan , Hsu Chung‐Yao
Published: July 2009

Aims:  While the features of rapid‐eye‐movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) have been reported in Caucasian patients, the characteristics of Chinese‐Taiwanese patients with RBD have never been examined.

Methods:  Subjects were retrospectively recruited between April 2005 and February 2008 from the neurological clinic and sleep laboratory in the Department of Neurology of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. A total of 70 consecutive subjects fulfilling the criteria for RBD were recruited.

Results:  The records of standard overnight polysomnography in patients with RBD were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty‐five (35.7%) of the patients were female; the mean age of diagnosis was 67 years and the mean age of symptom onset was 60 years. Among patients with idiopathic RBD, there were 28 men (61%) and 18 women (39%). Nocturnal wandering in the bedroom was reported in 11 cases and out of the bedroom in seven cases. Nineteen patients (27.1%) had accidental falling from bed and 27 patients (38.6%) had sleep‐related injury that resulted in ecchymosis and laceration of the head, face or limbs.

Conclusions:  We found that some features in Chinese‐Taiwanese patients with RBD were different from Caucasian patients, such as a greater female ratio, lower injury episodes during sleep and more sleep wandering.
Unique alternative translation from two open reading frames on Acpin1 mRNA yields an acrosomal protein and a salivary‐gland‐specific protein
Authors: Ueda Tomohiro , Manabe Hiroyuki , Tokuhiro Keizo , Hirose Mika , Matsuoka Yasuhiro , Miyagawa Yasushi , Tsujimura Akira , Fujita Kyoko , Wada Morimasa , Okuyama Akihiko , Nishimune Yoshitake , Tanaka Hiromitsu
Published: July 2009

Objective:  To examine the expression profiles of the proteins translated from Acpin1 mRNA in germ cells.

Methods:  Northern and western blotting of various tissues and immunohistochemical analysis of germ cells were carried out in a mouse model.

Results:  ACPIN1 protein was transcribed from the longer, 3′ open reading frame (ORF) of Acpin1. An alternative‐splicing variant, Acpin1vs, contained only the smaller, 5′ ORF of the full‐length Acpin1 gene. Its gene product, SAGSIN1, was expressed specifically in salivary glands. Retrotransposed regions of Acpin1 homology were also detected in various chromosomes, and intronless paralogous genes on the X chromosome were expressed in the testis and other tissues. The genomic structure of Acpin1 is highly conserved in mammals.

Conclusion:  The two ORFs on the Acpin1 mRNA are independently translated in differentiated cells. Analysis of gene Acpin1 might clarify the molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis.
Seasonal fluctuation, phenology and turnover of chafer assemblages – insight to the structural plasticity of insect communities in tropical farmlands
Authors: Ahrens Dirk , Gc Yubak Dhoj , Lago Paul K , Nagel Peter
Published: July 2009

1 Studies on chafer assemblages were conducted on two farmland sites in the Terai lowland of Nepal (200 m above sea level) using light traps. During the course of a 2‐year field monitoring program, a total of 4503 specimens was captured and an unexpectedly high number of syntopically co‐occurring species was found: 52 from Gunganagar (GN) and 36 from Gaindakot (GK), respectively. Highest species abundances and species numbers were found during April and May.

2 Species occurrence was strongly correlated with air temperature and the maximum soil temperature, at least during the pre‐monsoon season. However, assemblage structure from the two sites showed significant qualitative and quantitative changes seasonally, as well as from 1 year to the next. Turnover rates between adjacent months were in the range 26–62% (GN) and 37–70% (GK), whereas the turnover from 2004 to 2005 was 25.8% (GN) and 21.4% (GK) respectively.

3 When only dominant and subdominant taxa are considered, the seasonal change in species composition was even more striking.

4 Strong fluctuation in chafer assemblage over time suggests: (i) a possible influence of patchy habitat types and soil working on seasonal assemblage structure and (ii) colonization of suitable habitats (fields) in great part by chance.
An experimental test of a visual‐based push–pull strategy for control of wood boring phytosanitary pests
Authors: Pawson Stephen Mark , Watt Michael Stuart
Published: July 2009

1 International phytosanitary standards require mandatory fumigation for key wood boring beetle pests prior to export. Pressure to reduce the use of toxic fumigants has created a need for alternative control techniques.

2 A visual based push–pull strategy that exploits a differential attraction to yellow and ultra violet (UV) lights was tested for its efficacy at controlling Cerambycidae.

3 The relative attraction of four ‘push’ lighting treatments [two yellow (high and low‐pressure Sodium), one white (metal halide) and a control (no light)] to beetles was assessed. Highly attractive UV ‘pull’ traps were compared with a paired control trap, the difference used as a measure of the UV traps attractiveness to residual beetles attracted by ‘push’ lights.

4 Trap catch beneath the two yellow ‘push’ lights was more similar to the control (no light) treatment than the white light for both species. Control ‘push’ lights had the highest average catch of Arhopalus ferus, whereas white light was least attractive. This finding was counter intuitive to expectations, and potential mechanisms are discussed. The white ‘push’ light was most attractive to Prionoplus reticularis.

5 Ultraviolet ‘pull’ traps were highly attractive to residual beetles drawn to yellow ‘push’ light treatments. Relative attraction to the UV ‘pull’ traps beneath control and white ‘push’ lights differed between species.

6 The results obtained suggest that a push–pull strategy combining yellow site lighting with UV kill traps could provide site specific control of wood borers. Future research should attempt large‐scale trials that are subject to competing alternative stimuli at a wood processing site.
Archaeal communities associated with shallow to deep subseafloor sediments of the New Caledonia Basin
Authors: Roussel Erwan G. , Sauvadet Anne‐Laure , Chaduteau Carine , Fouquet Yves , Charlou Jean‐Luc , Prieur Daniel , Cambon Bonavita Marie‐Anne
Published: July 2009

The distribution of the archaeal communities in deep subseafloor sediments [0–36 m below the seafloor (mbsf)] from the New Caledonia and Fairway Basins was investigated using DNA‐ and RNA‐derived 16S rRNA clone libraries, functional genes and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). A new method, Co‐Migration DGGE (CM‐DGGE), was developed to access selectively the active archaeal diversity. Prokaryotic cell abundances at the open‐ocean sites were on average ∼3.5 times lower than at a site under terrestrial influence. The sediment surface archaeal community (0–1.5 mbsf) was characterized by active Marine Group 1 (MG‐1) Archaea that co‐occurred with ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) sequences affiliated to a group of uncultured sedimentary Crenarchaeota. However, the anoxic subsurface methane‐poor sediments (below 1.5 mbsf) were dominated by less active archaeal communities, such as the Thermoplasmatales, Marine Benthic Group D and other lineages probably involved in the methane cycle (Methanosarcinales, ANME‐2 and DSAG/MBG‐B). Moreover, the archaeal diversity of some sediment layers was restricted to only one lineage (Uncultured Euryarchaeota, DHVE6, MBG‐B, MG‐1 and SAGMEG). Sequences forming two clusters within the Thermococcales order were also present in these cold subseafloor sediments, suggesting that these uncultured putative thermophilic archaeal communities might have originated from a different environment. This study shows a transition between surface and subsurface sediment archaeal communities.
Detection of microbial biomass by intact polar membrane lipid analysis in the water column and surface sediments of the Black Sea
Authors: Schubotz Florence , Wakeham Stuart G. , Lipp Julius S. , Fredricks Helen F. , Hinrichs Kai‐Uwe
Published: July 2009

The stratified water column of the Black Sea produces a vertical succession of redox zones, stimulating microbial activity at the interfaces. Our study of intact polar membrane lipids (IPLs) in suspended particulate matter and sediments highlights their potential as biomarkers for assessing the taxonomic composition of live microbial biomass. Intact polar membrane lipids in oxic waters above the chemocline represent contributions of bacterial and eukaryotic photosynthetic algae, while anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and sulfate‐reducing bacteria comprise a substantial amount of microbial biomass in deeper suboxic and anoxic layers. Intact polar membrane lipids such as betaine lipids and glycosidic ceramides suggest unspecified anaerobic bacteria in the anoxic zone. Distributions of polar head groups and core lipids show planktonic archaea below the oxic zone; methanotrophic archaea are only a minor fraction of archaeal biomass in the anoxic zone, contrasting previous observations based on the apolar derivatives of archaeal lipids. Sediments contain algal and bacterial IPLs from the water column, but transport to the sediment is selective; bacterial and archaeal IPLs are also produced within the sediments. Intact polar membrane lipid distributions in the Black Sea are stratified in accordance with geochemical profiles and provide information on vertical successions of major microbial groups contributing to suspended biomass. This study vastly extends our knowledge of the distribution of complex microbial lipids in the ocean.
PRODUCTIVE GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Authors: Irmen Andreas , Kuehnel Johanna
Published: July 2009

Abstract We provide a comprehensive survey of the recent literature on the link between productive government expenditure and economic growth. We show that an understanding of the core results and the ensuing contributions can be gained from the study of their respective Euler equations. We argue that the existing literature incorporates many relevant aspects; however, policy recommendations tend to hinge on several knife‐edge assumptions. Therefore, future research ought to focus more on idea‐based endogenous growth models to check the robustness of policy recommendations. Moreover, the inclusion of hitherto unexplored types of government expenditure, e.g. on the ‘rule of law’, would be desirable.
THE ECONOMICS OF NETWORKS: A SURVEY OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE
Authors: Birke Daniel
Published: July 2009

AbstractNetwork effects, the increase in value of consuming a product if many other consumers use the same product, are a feature of many markets and in particular of many high‐technology products. This paper surveys the burgeoning empirical literature that has developed especially during the last years. After theoretical work dominated the earlier years of research in this area, newer research has combined theoretical models with empirical studies and applied work with direct implications for public policy, marketing and company strategies. Furthermore, insights from the study of social networks have been applied to analyse how consumers interact with each other. The paper argues that a closer analysis of the network structure of consumer interaction promises fruitful future research avenues and advances in our understanding of how network effects operate.
Haploid technology allows for the efficient and rapid generation of homozygous antibody‐accumulating transgenic tobacco plants
Authors: Floss Doreen M. , Kumlehn Jochen , Conrad Udo , Saalbach Isolde
Published: July 2009

The large‐scale production of plant‐derived recombinant proteins requires the breeding of lines homozygous for the transgene(s). These can be selected by progeny testing over multiple sexual generations, but a more efficient means is to fix homozygosity in a single generation using doubled haploid technology. In this study, transgenic tobacco plants, hemizygous for both of the independently inherited genes encoding the light and heavy chains of the anti‐human immunodeficiency virus monoclonal antibody 2F5, were used to establish embryogenic pollen cultures. The improved protocol employed in this study guaranteed a very high regeneration efficiency, with more than 50% of the regenerants being spontaneously doubled haploids. Hence, there was no requirement to chemically induce chromosome doubling to recover sufficient entirely homozygous recombinants. As expected, approximately 25% of the regenerants were homozygous for both transgenes. Thus, the employment of haploid technology allowed for the efficient and rapid generation of true‐breeding tobacco lines accumulating functional immunoglobulins.
A CASE‐BASED DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUAL STRESS DIAGNOSIS USING FUZZY SIMILARITY MATCHING
Authors: Begum Shahina , Ahmed Mobyen Uddin , Funk Peter , Xiong Ning , Von Schéele Bo
Published: July 2009

Stress diagnosis based on finger temperature (FT) signals is receiving increasing interest in the psycho‐physiological domain. However, in practice, it is difficult and tedious for a clinician and particularly less experienced clinicians to understand, interpret, and analyze complex, lengthy sequential measurements to make a diagnosis and treatment plan. The paper presents a case‐based decision support system to assist clinicians in performing such tasks. Case‐based reasoning (CBR) is applied as the main methodology to facilitate experience reuse and decision explanation by retrieving previous similar temperature profiles. Further fuzzy techniques are also employed and incorporated into the CBR system to handle vagueness, uncertainty inherently existing in clinicians reasoning as well as imprecision of feature values. Thirty‐nine time series from 24 patients have been used to evaluate the approach (matching algorithms) and an expert has ranked and estimated similarity. On average goodness‐of‐fit for the fuzzy matching algorithm is 90% in ranking and 81% in similarity estimation that shows a level of performance close to an experienced expert. Therefore, we have suggested that a fuzzy matching algorithm in combination with CBR is a valuable approach in domains, where the fuzzy matching model similarity and case preference is consistent with the views of domain expert. This combination is also valuable, where domain experts are aware that the crisp values they use have a possibility distribution that can be estimated by the expert and is used when experienced experts reason about similarity. This is the case in the psycho‐physiological domain and experienced experts can estimate this distribution of feature values and use them in their reasoning and explanation process.
NOVELTY DETECTION AND IN‐LINE LEARNING OF NOVEL CONCEPTS ACCORDING TO A CASE‐BASED REASONING PROCESS SCHEMA FOR HIGH‐CONTENT IMAGE ANALYSIS IN SYSTEM BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
Authors: Perner Petra
Published: July 2009

Novelty detection, the ability to identify new or unknown situations that were never experienced before, is useful for intelligent systems aspiring to operate in environments where data are acquired incrementally. This characteristic is common to numerous problems in medical diagnosis and visual perception. We propose to see novelty detection as a case‐based reasoning (CBR) process. Our novelty‐detection method is able to detect the novel situation as well as to use the novel events for immediate reasoning. To ensure this capacity we combine statistical and similarity inference and learning. This view of CBR takes into account the properties of data such as the uncertainty and the underlying concepts such as storage, learning, retrieval and indexing can be formalized and performed efficiently. The novel events can be items being outliers or items making up a new class. Storage is done in a structured fashion, so that they can give a strategy for controlling the statistical learning process. Only when enough samples are available for a group of novel events, the statistical learning process proves if new models should be learned or if old models should be reorganized according to the new data. We use our novelty detection and handling method in a scenario where cell images may vary according to the particular cell line and the varying image quality given by the image acquisition unit. This scenario is valid for many medical applications and applications in system biology.
Renewal in the left periphery: economy and the complementiser layer1
Authors: Van Gelderen Elly
Published: July 2009

This paper examines cyclical changes involving complementisers, for instance,whetherin the history of English.Whetherstarts out as a pronoun and after frequent topicalisation is reanalysed as an element in the left‐most layer of the sentence. The same is true with prepositional phrases that are fronted and then reanalysed as part of the CP layer. The paper uses a Minimalist approach in that it seeks answers for the linguistic changes in terms of Economy Principles such as Specifier‐to‐Head Reanalysis. It examines two sources of renewal of complementisers, full phrases such as demonstrative pronouns and heads such as the verbs that reanalyse as question particles in Chinese.
‘I want to buy it’ in the Albanian glossary of Arnold von Harff1
Authors: Maynard Kelly Lynne
Published: July 2009

The first written snippets of the Albanian language are found in writings from the fifteenth century. One of these is the small vocabulary list with Ripuarian German glosses collected by Arnold von Harff in 1497. In this paper I argue that the Albanian phrase written by von Harff as  must be transliterated as Old Albanian duo t’a blej (= Standard Albanian dua ta blej) and translated as ‘I want to buy it’. It should not be surface‐read as Standard Albanian do ta blej, a syntactic future tense construction meaning ‘I will buy it’; therefore, it should not be used as evidence that a feature of the Balkan Sprachbund, future‐tense‐with‐‘will’, had already spread to North Albanian dialects by the late fifteenth century. To situate the argument, I first give background information on von Harff, his travels, and his book, including an annotated list of the twelve extant manuscripts known. I also give and describe von Harff’s Albanian section and provide his entire Albanian glossary with transliteration and translation notes.
Openness to Foreign Direct Investment in Services: An International Comparative Analysis
Authors: Golub Stephen S.
Published: July 2009

This paper quantifies and analyses the extent of restrictions on inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in the service sector in developed and developing countries. Services account for an increasing share of global FDI. Recognition of the economic benefits of FDI clashes with nationalistic economic, political and national security concerns about foreign takeover of ‘strategic’ sectors, such as telecommunications, finance and transport. Consequently, almost all countries impose restrictions on FDI in services. Several different types of restrictions are considered: limitations on foreign ownership, screening or notification procedures, management restrictions and operational restrictions. These restrictions on FDI are computed at the industry level and then aggregated into a single measure for the service sector as a whole for 23 developed and 50 developing countries. Notwithstanding the worldwide trend towards liberalisation of restrictions, there remain substantial disparities between regions and individual countries in the severity of restrictions on inward FDI in services. The lowest restriction scores are in Europe and Latin America, whereas East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East have the highest levels of restrictions. The evolution over time of FDI restrictions is also presented for developed countries over the period 1981–2005, showing liberalisation in all countries, especially since the early 1990s, although to varying extents across countries. The severity of restrictions also differs considerably by sector, with electricity, telecommunications, transport and finance most restricted. The paper also finds a strong negative correlation of restrictiveness with inward stocks of FDI in services, suggesting that restrictions impede FDI.
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF FISCAL PRUDENCE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Authors: DINCECCO MARK
Published: July 2009

This paper uses a new panel dataset to perform a statistical analysis of political regimes and financial rectitude over the long run. Old Regime polities in Europe typically suffered from fiscal fragmentation and absolutist rule. By the start of World War I, however, many such countries had centralized institutions and limited government. Panel regressions indicate that political transformations toward centralized and limited regimes led to significant improvements in fiscal prudence. Dynamic estimations and structural breaks tests reinforce these findings. The results suggest that good financial housekeeping is one mechanism through which political reforms reduce sovereign credit risk.
Relationships between Economics, Welfare, Social Network Factors, and Net Migration in the United States
Authors: Cheng Lee‐Joy
Published: July 2009

By using economics, welfare and social network factors as frames of reference, this study aims to explore the relationship between these three factors and net migration to various US states. Adopting related variables collected from official aggregate data, this study first utilizes Logit Regression analysis to draw out seven variables that best explain net migration to the various states, then employs these variables in LISREL analyses to build a model explaining the factors influencing net migration to the various US states. Concretely, this research obtained the following findings: (1) the seven variables ‐‐ the average rate of net migrants of 2002–2005, Medicaid, federal aid, employment rate, non‐poverty population rate, and SSI subsidy ‐‐ all significantly affected (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) net migration in 2006; (2) the main influences on net migration for the various states are, from highest to lowest, social network, economic, and welfare factors. More specifically, a better explanation is that, through the social network factor, economic and welfare factors exert an increased influence on the net number of migrants; and (3) as for the influence of social network factors on the number of net migrants, the social network factor for the previous year was found to best explain domestic migration flows, while the social network factor for the previous three‐to‐four years best explained international migration flows.
Rationalities and Images Underlying Labour Migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia
Authors: Dannecker Petra
Published: July 2009

Most studies of temporary labour migration use economic models or examine the economic rationales of migrants to explain why people are moving. Although in migration research new approaches and perspectives have been introduced lately, temporary labour migration, especially in the global South, is still defined primarily as purely economic in nature. This article concentrates on the migrants and their rationalities for migrating, their networks as well as their perceptions and interpretations of the situation they are confronted with abroad to argue that concentrating solely on economic aspects means to lose sight of the tremendous role images and myths about migration in general and receiving countries in particular do play. Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia, who have contributed to the remarkable economic success of the country during the last decades, are in the focus. The construction of the images and the role networks play within these processes will be analysed using data gathered from field research in both settings. Of special interest in this context is the construction of a Muslim brotherhood between the countries for an understanding of the migration flows. This article intends to broaden the current discussions on temporary labour migration by analysing not only the different motives and rationalities but relating them to the constructed images in the new spaces that temporary labour migration has constituted. This important link is missing so far in studies on this global phenomenon.
Private Equity Involvement and Earnings Quality
Authors: Beuselinck Christof , Deloof Marc , Manigart Sophie
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  This paper examines the relation between private equity (PE) investors' involvement and their portfolio firms' earnings quality. We operationalize earnings quality through comparative analyses of conditional loss recognition timeliness. For a sample of unlisted Belgian firms, we find that PE involvement increases a firm's willingness to recognize losses more timely as compared to industry, size and life‐cycle matched non‐PE backed firms. Further, we document more powerful earnings quality effects for firms backed by independent and captive PE‐investors as compared to firms backed by government‐related PE‐investors. Finally, we find no systematic variation in earnings quality across different levels of PE ownership. Our results are robust to the inclusion of various controls and remain unaffected when we consider the endogeneity of PE investments and compare pre‐ and post PE investment years. The current results provide novel evidence towards the understanding of PE investors' governance implications for portfolio firms' earnings quality.
Preferences of the Ponto‐Caspian amphipod Dikerogammarus haemobaphes for living zebra mussels
Authors: Kobak J. , Kakareko T. , Poznańska M. , Żbikowski J.
Published: July 2009

A Ponto‐Caspian amphipod Dikerogammarus haemobaphes has recently invaded European waters. In the recipient area, it encountered Dreissena polymorpha, a habitat‐forming bivalve, co‐occurring with the gammarids in their native range. We assumed that interspecific interactions between these two species, which could develop during their long‐term co‐evolution, may affect the gammarid behaviour in novel areas. We examined the gammarid ability to select a habitat containing living mussels and searched for cues used in that selection. We hypothesized that they may respond to such traits of a living mussel as byssal threads, activity (e.g. valve movements, filtration) and/or shell surface properties. We conducted the pairwise habitat‐choice experiments in which we offered various objects to single gammarids in the following combinations: (1) living mussels versus empty shells (the general effect of living Dreissena); (2) living mussels versus shells with added byssal threads and shells with byssus versus shells without it (the effect of byssus); (3) living mussels versus shells, both coated with nail varnish to neutralize the shell surface (the effect of mussel activity); (4) varnished versus clean living mussels (the effect of shell surface); (5) varnished versus clean stones (the effect of varnish). We checked the gammarid positions in the experimental tanks after 24 h. The gammarids preferred clean living mussels over clean shells, regardless of the presence of byssal threads under the latter. They responded to the shell surface, exhibiting preferences for clean mussels over varnished individuals. They were neither affected by the presence of byssus nor by mussel activity. The ability to detect and actively select zebra mussel habitats may be beneficial for D. haemobaphes and help it establish stable populations in newly invaded areas.
Telomerase activity, telomere length and human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in hepatocellular carcinoma is independent of hepatitis virus status
Authors: Saini Nitin , Srinivasan Radhika , Chawla Yogesh , Sharma Sanjeev , Chakraborti Anuradha , Rajwanshi Arvind
Published: July 2009

Background:Telomerase expression and the maintenance of a critical telomere length (TL) in cancer initiation indicates that telomere shortening and telomerase expression initiates cancer by induction of chromosomal instability.

Methods:Telomerase activity, TL and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression were investigated in 58 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 17 chronic hepatitis patients by the telomerase repeat amplification protocol, Southern blotting and reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction.

Results:Telomerase was positive in 76% of HCC and 11.8% of chronic hepatitis patients (P<0.0001). The mean telomere length (MTL) in HCC was significantly shorter compared with chronic hepatitis (P<0.0001). The MTL was not significantly different in HCC patients with and without cirrhosis (P=0.77). In hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and non‐B non‐C‐related HCC groups, no differences were found in telomerase activity and MTL (P=0.77). hTERT, a regulator of telomerase, was, however, positive in 81% of HCCs. The correlation between telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression was statistically significant (P<0.0001). The MTL in telomerase‐positive HCC cases was significantly shorter than the MTL in telomerase‐negative cases (P<0.0001).

Conclusion:The majority of HCCs exhibited telomerase activity that correlated well with hTERT expression. MTL in HCC was significantly shorter than chronic hepatitis. It was also found that shorter telomeres are present in telomerase‐positive HCC cases. However, no correlation was found between telomerase activity and TL with respect to the viral status in HCC.
Comparison of Outcomes of Permanently Closed and Periodically Harvested Coral Reef Reserves
Authors: BARTLETT C. Y. , MANUA C. , CINNER J. , SUTTON S. , JIMMY R. , SOUTH R. , NILSSON J. , RAINA J.
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  In many areas of the developing world, the establishment of permanent marine reserves is inhibited by cultural norms or socioeconomic pressures. Community conserved areas that are periodically harvested are increasingly being implemented as fisheries management tools, but few researchers have empirically compared them with permanently closed reserves. We used a hierarchal control‐impact experimental design to compare the abundance and biomass of reef fishes, invertebrates, and substrate composition in periodically harvested and permanent reserves and in openly fished (control sites) of the South Pacific island country of Vanuatu. Fished species had significantly higher biomass in periodically harvested reserves than in adjacent openly fished areas. We did not detect differences in substratum composition between permanent reserves and openly fished areas or between permanent reserves and periodically harvested reserves. Giant clams (tridacnids) and top shells (Trochus niloticus) were vulnerable to periodic harvest, and we suggest that for adequate management of these species, periodically harvested community conservation areas be used in conjunction with other management strategies. Periodic harvest within reserves is an example of adaptive and flexible management that may meet conservation goals and that is suited to the social, economic, and cultural contexts of many coastal communities in the developing world.
Value of Semi‐Open Corridors for Simultaneously Connecting Open and Wooded Habitats: a Case Study with Ground Beetles
Authors: EGGERS BRITTA , MATERN ANDREA , DREES CLAUDIA , EGGERS JAN , HÄRDTLE WERNER , ASSMANN THORSTEN
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  To counteract habitat fragmentation, the connectivity of a landscape should be enhanced. Corridors are thought to facilitate movement between disconnected patches of habitat, and linear strips of habitat connecting isolated patches are a popular type of corridor. On the other hand, the creation of new corridors can lead to fragmentation of the surrounding habitat. For example, heathland corridors connect patches of heathland and alternatively hedgerows connect patches of woodland. Nevertheless, these corridors themselves also break up previously connected patches of their surrounding habitat and in so doing fragment another type of habitat (heathland corridors fragment woodlands and woodland strips or hedgerows fragment heathlands). To overcome this challenge we propose the use of semi‐open habitats (a mixture of heathland and woodland vegetation) as conservation corridors to enable dispersal of both stenotopic heathland and woodland species. We used two semi‐open corridors with a mosaic of heathland and woody vegetation to investigate the efficiency of semi‐open corridors for species dispersal and to assess whether these corridors might be a suitable approach for nature conservation. We conducted a mark‐recapture study on three stenotopic flightless carabid beetles of heathlands and woodlands and took an inventory of all the carabid species in two semi‐open corridors. Both methodological approaches showed simultaneous immigration of woodland and heathland species in the semi‐open corridor. Detrended correspondence analysis showed a clear separation of the given habitats and affirmed that semi‐open corridors are a good strategy for connecting woodlands and heathlands. The best means of creating and preserving semi‐open corridors is probably through extensive grazing.
Residential Development Encroachment on U.S. Protected Areas
Authors: WADE ALISA A. , THEOBALD DAVID M.
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  Conservation of ecological processes and biodiversity may require development of a conservation system consisting of protected “cores” surrounded by “buffer zones” that effectively expand and connect the cores. Nevertheless, residential development near protected areas may threaten de facto protected areas and hinder development of an official conservation system in the United States. We identified potential conservation cores based on existing protected areas, and using a spatially explicit model of housing densities, we quantified how residential development has altered the structural context around cores nationally from 1970 to 2000 and forecasted changes from 2000 to 2030. We found that residential housing development has likely occurred preferentially near some cores, and if encroachment near cores continues at projected rates, the amount of buffer zone will have been reduced by a total of 12% by 2030, with much of this change occurring directly at core edges. Furthermore, development will have reduced the average connectedness (valence) of cores by 6% from 1970 to 2030. Although patterns of encroachment roughly increased west to east, our results painted a more complex picture of the difficulties that would be faced if establishment of an official conservation system was ever attempted. At a minimum, prioritizing future conservation action must consider adjacent land uses, and a key conservation strategy will be to work cooperatively across land‐ownership boundaries, particularly for smaller protected areas, which will tend to dominate future conservation activities.
Wealth Distribution, Inflation Tax, and Societal Benefits of Illiquid Bonds
Authors: KIM YOUNG SIK , LEE MANJONG
Published: July 2009

Illiquid nominal government bonds are shown to have two opposing effects on welfare. First, the relatively poor choose to top‐up money balances for future consumption by purchasing nominal bonds at a discount. The wealth distribution becomes more centered with a smaller consumption deviation from the first best. Second, the higher inflation tax on monetary wealth to finance interest payments makes money less valuable, so that the quantity of output produced in exchange for money decreases. The trade‐off between the welfare‐enhancing effect on wealth distribution and the distortionary effect on output implies the socially optimal discount rate and liquidity.
Price and Investment Dynamics: Theory and Plant‐Level Data
Authors: LUNDIN MAGNUS , GOTTFRIES NILS , BUCHT CHARLOTTE , LINDSTRÖM TOMAS
Published: July 2009

We construct a model of a firm competing for market share in a customer market and making investments in physical capital. The firm is financially constrained and there are implementation lags in investment. Our model predicts that product prices should depend on costs and competitors' prices but respond weakly to demand shocks. Also, prices should be strongly related to investment. We estimate price and investment equations on panel data for Swedish manufacturing plants and find results that are qualitatively in line with these predictions, though the relation between investment and prices is stronger than predicted by our model.
Religion and Female Educational Attainment
Authors: NORTON SETH W. , TOMAL ANNETTE
Published: July 2009

The paper reviews the literature on the education, gender, and religion nexuses and identifies plausible hypotheses that religion adversely affects female education. The link between major religions and female educational attainment is examined using the Barro‐Lee data set for a sample of 97 countries. The estimates include control variables for colonial heritage, urbanization, labor force participation, and young adult mortality. The estimates show powerful negative links between female educational attainment and the proportion of ethnoreligions, Hindu, and Muslim adherents in a country, with similar results for the gender gap. The paper offers some interpretative thoughts and research agendas.
The Response of Hours to a Technology Shock: A Two‐Step Structural VAR Approach
Authors: FÈVE PATRICK , GUAY ALAIN
Published: July 2009

The response of hours to a technology shock is a controversial issue in macroeconomics. Part of the difficulty lies in that the estimated response is sensitive to the specification of hours in structural vector autoregressions (SVARs). This paper uses a simple two‐step approach to consistently estimate the response of hours. The first step considers a SVAR model with a relevant stationary variable, but excluding hours. Given a consistent estimate of technology shocks in the first step, the response of hours to this shock is estimated in a second step. Simulation experiments from an estimated dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model show that this approach outperforms standard SVARs. When applied to U.S. data, the two‐step approach predicts a short‐run decrease followed by a hump‐shaped positive response. This result is robust to other specifications and data.
Consumption Habits in a New Keynesian Business Cycle Model
Authors: DENNIS RICHARD
Published: July 2009

Consumption habits have become an integral component in new Keynesian models. However, consumption habits can be modeled in a host of different ways and this diversity is reflected in the literature. I examine whether different approaches to modeling consumption habits have important implications for business cycle behavior. Using a standard New Keynesian business cycle model, I show that, to a first‐order log‐approximation, the consumption Euler equation associated with the additive functional form for habit formation encompasses the multiplicative function form. Empirically, I show that whether consumption habits are internal or external has little effect on the model's business cycle characteristics.
Unbiased Estimation of the Half‐Life to Price Index Convergence among U.S. Cities
Authors: NATH HIRANYA K. , SARKAR JAYANTA
Published: July 2009

Estimates of the half‐life to convergence of prices across a panel of cities are subject to bias from three potential sources: inappropriate cross‐sectional aggregation of heterogeneous coefficients, presence of lagged dependent variables in a model with individual fixed effects, and time aggregation of commodity prices. This paper finds no evidence of heterogeneity bias in annual CPI data for 17 U.S. cities from 1918 to 2006, but correcting for the “Nickell bias” and time aggregation bias produces a half‐life of 7.5 years, shorter than estimates from previous studies.
Why Are Buyouts Levered? The Financial Structure of Private Equity Funds
Authors: AXELSON ULF , STRÖMBERG PER , WEISBACH MICHAEL S.
Published: July 2009

Private equity funds are important to the economy, yet there is little analysis explaining their financial structure. In our model the financial structure minimizes agency conflicts between fund managers and investors. Relative to financing each deal separately, raising a fund where the manager receives a fraction of aggregate excess returns reduces incentives to make bad investments. Efficiency is further improved by requiring funds to also use deal‐by‐deal debt financing, which becomes unavailable in states where internal discipline fails. Private equity investment becomes highly sensitive to aggregate credit conditions and investments in bad states outperform investments in good states.