bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Concrete problems in the abstract deontic selection task—And how to solve them
Authors: Beller Sieghard
Published: May 2012

The abstract deontic selection task was introduced by Cheng and Holyoak with the aim of demonstrating that people possess abstract reasoning schemas for processing deontic rules about what an individual must, must not, may, or need not do. Solving this task requires people to detect possible rule violators. The average solution rate across several studies, while being substantially higher than that with abstract nondeontic tasks, did not reach the level obtained with concrete deontic tasks. A task analysis based on the deontic principles by Beller uncovers several problems with the formulation of the original task. They concern the presentation of the deontic rule as well as the instructions (focusing on rule following) and result in a specific selection behaviour. Three experiments replicate the difficulties with the original task and show that task performance increases when the formulation problems are resolved. The best performance was obtained with a task that combined a genuine violation detection instruction with a genuine permission rule. Interestingly, permissions are weak deontic rules that, if taken literally, cannot be violated in a deontic sense. Therefore, people must interpret these rules as implying a strong deontic constraint (i.e., a ban), which then constitutes the basis for solving the task. The results provide novel insights into the interpretation of deontic rules and into the role that these content-specific, but abstract, tasks can play for the study of reasoning processes.
GGA1-mediated endocytic traffic of LR11/SorLA alters APP intracellular distribution and amyloid-β production
Authors: Herskowitz Jeremy H. , Offe Katrin , Deshpande Aniruddha , Kahn Richard A. , Levey Allan I. , Lah James J.
Published: May 2012

Proteolytic processing of the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and generation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) are key events in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Cell biological and genetic evidence has implicated the low-density lipoprotein and sorting receptor LR11/SorLA in AD through mechanisms related to APP and Aβ production. Defining the cellular pathway(s) by which LR11 modulates Aβ production is critical to understanding how changes in LR11 expression affect the development of Aβ pathology in AD progression. We report that the LR11 ectodomain is required for LR11-mediated reduction of Aβ and that mutagenesis of the LR11 Golgi-localizing, γ-adaptin ear homology domain, ADP-ribosylation factor (GGA)-binding motif affects the endosomal distribution of LR11, as well as LR11's effects on APP traffic and Aβ production. Targeted small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown studies of GGA1, GGA2, and GGA3 indicate a surprising degree of specificity toward GGA1, suggesting that GGA1 is a candidate regulator of LR11 traffic. Additional siRNA knockdown experiments reveal that GGA1 is necessary for both LR11 and β-site APP-cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) modulation of APP processing to Aβ. Mutagenesis of BACE1 serine 498 to alanine enhances BACE1 targeting to LR11-positive compartments and nullifies LR11-mediated reduction of Aβ. On basis of these results, we propose that GGA1 facilitates LR11 endocytic traffic and that LR11 modulates Aβ levels by promoting APP traffic to the endocytic recycling compartment.
Influence of Milk, Corn Starch, and Baking Conditions on the Starch Digestibility, Gelatinization, and Fracture Stress of Biscuits
Authors: Conforti Paula A. , Yamul Diego K. , Lupano Cecilia E.
Published: May 2012

Dough for nontraditional semisweet biscuits—prepared with wheat flour or replacing part of the wheat flour with corn starch, with or without skim milk—was baked at two oven temperatures, 120 or 170°C, until reaching moisture content and water activity lower than 6% and 0.5, respectively. Assays of fracture stress, differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, and starch digestibility were performed. Results showed that biscuits containing milk had the highest fracture stress, and biscuits baked at low temperature were harder than biscuits baked at high temperature. The degree of starch gelatinization during baking was higher when dough was baked at 170°C, compared with dough baked at 120°C. The decrease in gelatinization coincides with the decrease in the height and surface of peaks at 15 and 23° in the X‐ray diffraction patterns. Milk and corn starch did not affect the starch digestibility of biscuits, but biscuits baked at 170°C presented lower fracture stress and higher starch digestibility than biscuits baked at 120°C.
A review of rainwater harvesting in the UK
Authors: Fewkes Alan
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the technology, design and application of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in a UK context and identify areas of research and development.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive range of literature from 1978‐2010 is reviewed and divided into the following sections: history, application in developed countries, benefits of RWH, system categories and components, storage capacity, rainwater quality and factors influencing the use of RWH systems.

Findings

This paper provides a useful source of information relating to the potential benefits of RWH systems, different types of system and components used to supply non potable water. To ensure the potential of RWH systems in the UK is realized, an integrated approach to their application is required. This may improve the financial viability of these systems and sustainability credentials but requires further research.

Research limitations/implications

It is not an exhaustive list of publications but attempts to draw on major sources of literature which catalogue the development and design of RWH systems. Current sources of literature are also identified which identify various factors influencing the future development and application of rainwater systems.

Practical implications

The paper provides practitioners with an initial basis for evaluating or undertaking the initial design of RWH systems.

Originality/value

The study provides historical context for the recent and ongoing development of RWH. In particular areas of further research and development are identified to ensure the potential of RWH systems are realized in the future.
Client satisfaction and usefulness to external stakeholders from an audit client perspective
Authors: Öhman Peter , Häckner Einar , Sörbom Dag
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to develop, test, and improve a structural equation model (SEM) of client satisfaction with the audit, and of client perception of the usefulness of the audit to external stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was mailed to audit clients, i.e. managers of Swedish limited companies with 50 or more employees; 627 useable questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 43 percent. Data were processed using the SEM software LISREL.

Findings

The data suggest that auditors face difficulties in handling divided loyalties, as audit clients perceive a strong relationship between client satisfaction and usefulness to external stakeholders. Signing auditor competence is positively and auditor skepticism negatively related to both client satisfaction and usefulness to external stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses solely on the auditor and audit team levels and uses a limited number of independent variables.

Practical implications

The findings extend previous results, indicating that client relationships with both signing auditors and audit assistants affect client satisfaction positively, but have no significant connection with usefulness to external stakeholders. Consequently, it would be useful to consider organizing audit teams in which the various members have distinct roles.

Originality/value

The study addresses an issue most auditing research has not explicitly considered: the distinction between client satisfaction with the audit and client perceptions of the usefulness of the audit to external stakeholders.
Branding in fictional and virtual environments
Authors: Muzellec Laurent , Lynn Theodore , Lambkin Mary
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims at establishing a new stream of academic study for virtual brands. It explains the concepts of protobrands and reverse product placement and explores some of the managerial and academic implications.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from the most recent definition of the brand construct, the paper establishes that the brand concept may now be detached from physical embodiment. The extension of application of the branding domain to the fictional and computer‐synthesized worlds is extensively illustrated by examples of virtual brands from books, films, video games and other multi‐user virtual environments.

Findings

Evidence suggests that purely potential brands (protobrands) initiated in the virtual world may possess strong consumer‐based brand equity. The study shows that the equity of the protobrands may be leveraged in‐world (and can acquire legal protection) or through reverse product placement and the launch of the physical embodiment of the protobrand in the physical world (the HyperReal brand).

Research limitations/implications

This is an initial conceptual paper on virtual and HyperReal brands. This study, which has no antecedents, highlights the need for further empirical inquiry. The reverse product placement phenomenon may result in academics and practitioners to revise the traditional models of building brands.

Originality/value

The paper introduces and defines virtual brands, both fictional and computer‐synthesized, HyperReal brands and the reverse product placement phenomenon.
The service elimination decision‐making during the service life cycle
Authors: Papastathopoulou Paulina , Gounaris Spiros P. , Avlonitis George J.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The paper aims to offer a preliminary insight into the issue of whether service providers eliminate their offerings in various stages of their life cycle, and if so, whether elimination decision‐making differs depending on the service's life cycle stage.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were secured by means of a structured questionnaire which was completed through personal interviews. Respondents answered all questions having a recently eliminated service in mind. The initial calls and follow‐up efforts generated 164 usable responses (49.8 per cent response rate).

Findings

A service may be eliminated from a service provider's portfolio in any stage of its life cycle. Further, in terms of precipitating circumstances, evaluation factors and elimination strategies, the service elimination process differs depending on the stage of the service life cycle that the elimination decision is taken.

Practical implications

The most important implication is service providers eliminate services not only as a response to a crisis possibly caused by drops of sales volume, but also for other reasons. In this respect, service portfolio rationalization and particularly service elimination may result as a consequence of strategic management decisions taken for positive (e.g. development of a new service) or negative (e.g. competitive actions) reasons. Within this framework, the service life cycle (SLC) model, as a strategic tool for analysis and decision‐making, may well serve to guide the rationalization process.

Originality/value

The research questions of the study have been examined for tangible products, but this is the first relevant study that is conducted in a service context.
The learning organization
Authors: Gronhaug Kjell , Stone Robert
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Twenty years ago, Senge's, 1990 pioneering article, ”The learning organization,” published in MIT'sSloan Management Review, received center‐stage attention. The concept received much support and was followed with articles by prominent writers and educators, Margaret Wheatley amongst them. Only ten years later, however, another prominent writer and educator, David Garvin, remarked, “Learning organizations have been embraced in theory but are still surprisingly rare.” The purpose of this paper is to argue and present support for a perspective that learning organizations have existed for over 100 years. Linking this concept to the past versus arguing that learning organizations are new will better pave the way for learning organizations to achieve a status of being more than simply “embraced in theory.”

Design/methodology/approach

Three objectives were presented. The first developed an historical link, with the goal of showing that learning organizations have had a rich history and did not simply appear in 1990. The approach to the second was based on drawing implications from literature about the learning process. The very heart of competitiveness depends on how firm members experience the learning process. The process is a function of the use of tools (T) within a learning climate (C) and their interaction (T x C). The approach to the third objective was to conceptualize learning climate dimensions, old compared to new learning organizations.

Findings

First, the idea that learning is always a competitiveness issue has not been consistently advanced in the literature, if hardly at all. Second, the internal learning climates within firms are what is at the heart of other cultures' successes. Much time has been spent studying the tools used in these firms, for instance quality circles, but little time with the climate learning dimension. The climate dimension has been the reason for their success.

Originality/value

The paper presents a tools/climate learning dimensions matrix (a 2x2 matrix) and develops the understanding that all learning stems from two learning dimensions, tools, and the learning dimension, climate, within which the tools are employed. Within this discussion, the authors present the idea of the competitive advantage of cultures; this advantage appearing in a firm as a consequence of the “climate learning dimension” of various cultures. The concluding section of the paper presents five climate dimensions; those of yesterday compared with those of today. These well known management perspectives (e.g. single loop learning/double loop learning, independence/interdependence) are linked to the learning process with a special focus on the climate dimension of the process. It is there that the degree of the firm's competitiveness is enhanced.
Crafting a future online
Authors: Holmes Kate , McLean Rachel , Green Gill
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how independent craftspeople adopt and use social media (SM) in order to promote their creative enterprise. However, some of these opportunities may place a demand for specific knowledge, business and technical skills on untrained artists. The purpose of this paper is to look into this emerging phenomena, the challenges and opportunities it presents and to propose solutions or recommendations to independent artists, training organisations, and government bodies who may wish to promote the creative industries.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to identify different modes of adoption of SM and some of the related challenges within this domain, interviews were conducted with independent craftspeople in order to explore these topics and identify emergent themes. The research focuses on an ethnographic study through an interpretive lens; Habermas' theory of communicative action is drawn on to explore the adoption and use of technology by craftspeople to promote their work and business.

Findings

The paper identifies some of the most current challenges for the independent craftsperson in adopting SM to promote and sell products. While participants are aware of benefits of SM technologies, lack of time, lack of technical knowledge and unfamiliarity with new media technologies are all highlighted as barriers to adoption. Proposed recommendations include training and support offered by government development agencies, and cooperatives employing social media experts.

Research limitations/implications

Situated within the context of an ongoing ethnographic study, this study was a specific episode carried out at a craft fair to investigate the specific theme of SM adoption for product promotion. Given more time further interviews could be carried out to include a greater range of participants. Craftspeople who work entirely out of a workshop and do not attend events such as craft fairs could be interviewed to give further insight. A future study will present an analysis of the content of web sites, third party portals and social media posts to understand the interactions that take place through web technologies and social media.

Originality/value

The findings of this paper can be used in shaping support solutions for independent craftspeople wishing to adopt SM as a method of promoting their product or craft. The discovered challenges may be used to identify potential problems of the Internet and SM for the independent craftsperson. Findings can also be used to inform hosts of e‐commerce sites for independent artists, they may also be used to inform government and funding bodies.
“I'm here to help”
Authors: Coyle James R. , Smith Ted , Platt Glenn
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Customers have high expectations that company representatives contacted online will go out of their way to be helpful. One type of social media that may be particularly useful as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool is microblogging platforms such as Twitter. The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of perceived helpfulness of customer representative microblog responses on people's perceptions of brand trust, brand benevolence, brand attitudes and intentions to try or purchase a brand.

Design/methodology/approach

A field experiment was conducted to manipulate three variables: type of helpfulness response (empathetic or problem‐solving), amount of helpfulness (less or more helpful), and interface in which responses were viewed (branded, Google, or Twitter).

Findings

The interaction between type of helpfulness and amount of helpfulness led to greater perceptions of company trustworthiness and benevolence when there were many problem‐solving responses than when there were few, but the number of empathetic postings did not reveal this same pattern. Furthermore, attitudes towards the brand were greater when there were many problem‐solving postings than when there were few problem‐solving postings, and lower when there were many empathetic postings than when there were few empathetic postings.

Originality/value

Marketers must think carefully about whether they have the necessary resources to successfully engage consumers on microblogs. This paper found that simply acknowledging that a problem exists is not the level of engagement that consumers expect. Thus, companies that cannot afford to monitor microblogs for signs of consumer distress and then respond to consumers' problems are advised to not publicly respond in purely empathetic ways.
“Off stage‐on stage”: men and women entrepreneurs leading change and business growth
Authors: Kariv Dafna
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The gender gaps found in research in the growth of businesses headed by men or women may be the consequence of their different change‐oriented strategies. The purpose of this paper is to explore the premise that each genders' use of strategies associated with leading change in their businesses determines those businesses' growth. Findings based on the responses of 260 Israeli entrepreneurs revealed that men and women lead change in their businesses differently, and that the use of these strategies by each gender group is indeed echoed in their businesses' growth. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were delivered by e‐mail to 190 entrepreneurs participating in non‐academic programs at five centers for entrepreneurial support in Israel (three university‐based centers and two government‐based centers). The respondents were asked to suggest other entrepreneurs for this study; this procedure produced 100 contact details of entrepreneurs which the author approached by snowball sampling procedure. The 260 completed questionnaires were from 171 (66 percent) entrepreneurs participating in the non‐academic programs and 89 (34 percent) of their suggested colleagues. T‐tests showed no significant differences between these groups in gender, age, educational level or years of experience as entrepreneurs.

Findings

Strategies that emerge as most relevant to business growth are associated with empowering the staff to use more creative and innovative practices and embracing change on a routine basis. While it is common knowledge that “change” should be exhibited by the entrepreneur, the findings suggest that providing the platform or delegating the power to the staff to initiate changes in the business, as well as supporting the staff, are useful to business growth, and therefore in line with the DC framework.

Practical implications

These findings promote knowledge in this area by showing that empowerment is actually a way of implementing change in the business and that the action of change exhibited by the entrepreneur is not the only way to accomplish change and consequently, growth. Such findings are most important for research that is lacking in empirical studies in this respect, as well as being of vast significance for women entrepreneurs who may lack confidence when applying empowerment to achieve change and business growth. These findings clearly demonstrate the relevance of empowerment to the business's growth.

Originality/value

One main implication of this study is in the area of training and higher education in entrepreneurship: developing programs that advance strategies aimed at leading change in the business can assist entrepreneurs and affect their businesses' growth. It is important that local governments and private agencies serving entrepreneurs are aware of these findings and build on them to develop appropriate programs, assess the programs' outcomes and initiate policy measures.
Global financial system reform: the Dodd‐Frank Act and the G20 agenda
Authors: Nolle Daniel E.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The Dodd‐Frank Act of 2010 is the keystone policy response directed at reforming US financial system activities and oversight in the wake of the 2007‐2009 financial crisis. The USA also has financial system reform policy commitments in the international arena, including in particular by virtue of its membership in the G20. The purpose of this paper is to consider US policy initiatives related to a core dimension of financial system reform: risks posed by systemically important financial institutions (“SIFIs”).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a deta‘iled comparison of SIFI policy initiatives and timetables under both the Dodd‐Frank Act and the G20 agenda, as reflected in the ongoing work plan of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), and poses the question “Are US domestic and international financial system reform commitments in sync?”

Findings

The study finds that, fundamentally, the answer is “yes.” However, the comparison yields two caveats with potential policy implications. First, the two agendas differ in their relative emphasis on the coverage of both banks and nonbanks. The G20/FSB focus, at least over the near‐term, is bank‐centric compared with the Dodd‐Frank Act, which consistently addresses both bank and nonbank financial firms. Second, implementation of Dodd‐Frank Act provisions is subject to long‐established US law mandating that there be sufficient opportunity for public input into the rulemaking process, whereas the G20/FSB process has been less systematic and transparent on public consultation and feedback.

Practical implications

These observations may be relevant to the current debate over the speed and scope of Dodd‐Frank Act implementation measures, and to the discussion about the future international competitiveness of US banks and nonbank financial firms.

Originality/value

This study is the first to present a detailed, comprehensive comparison of financial system reform initiatives and provisions in the Dodd‐Frank Act and the G20 agenda.
A procedure to derive probabilistic fatigue crack propagation data
Authors: Correia José A.F.O. , de Jesus Abilio M.P. , Fernández‐Canteli Alfonso
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Recently, a new class of fatigue crack growth models based on elastoplastic stress‐strain histories at the crack tip region and strain‐life fatigue damage models have been proposed. The fatigue crack propagation is understood as a process of continuous crack initializations, over elementary material blocks, which may be governed by strain‐life data of the plain material. The residual stresses developed at the crack tip play a central role in these models, since they are used to assess the actual crack driving force, taking into account mean stresses and loading sequential effects. The UniGrow model fits this particular class of fatigue crack propagation models. The purpose of this paper is to propose an extension of the UniGrow model to derive probabilistic fatigue crack propagation data, in particular the derivation of the P–da/dN–ΔK–R fields.

Design/methodology/approach

An existing deterministic fatigue crack propagation model, based on local strain‐life data is first assessed. In particular, an alternative methodology for residual stress computation is proposed, based on elastoplastic finite element analysis, in order to overcome inconsistencies found in the analytical approximate approaches often used in literature. Then, using probabilistic strain‐life fields, a probabilistic output for the fatigue crack propagation growth rates is generated. A new probabilistic fatigue field is also proposed to take mean stress effects into account, using the Smith‐Watson‐Topper (SWT) damage parameter. The proposed models are assessed using experimental data available for two materials representative from old Portuguese bridges.

Findings

A new method to generate probabilistic fatigue crack propagation rates (P–da/dN–ΔK–R fields) is proposed and verified using puddle iron from old Portuguese bridges, usually characterized by significant scatter in fatigue properties. Also, a new probabilistic fatigue field for plain material is proposed to deal with mean stress effects.

Originality/value

A relation between the P–ε–N and the P–da/dN–ΔK–R fields is firstly proposed in this research. Furthermore, a new P–SWT–N field is proposed to deal with mean stress effects.
An urban regeneration model in heritage areas in search of sustainable urban development and internal cohesion
Authors: Cervelló‐Royo Roberto , Garrido‐Yserte Rubén , Segura‐García del Río Baldomero
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis and an optimization model of the spatial impact for the externalities derived from urban regeneration and rehabilitation of degraded and segregated historic heritage areas.

Design/methodology/approach

From the amount invested and state intervention locations, an impact index is put forward. The spatial distribution of these impact indexes in the interventions' area of influence will be the basis for the analysis. Hence, by setting some specific objectives of the decision agent about this distribution homogeneity, and with the aim of avoiding inner segregation and to facilitate the sustainable urban development and cohesion of the neighborhood as a whole, a model which will allow the allocation of the budget available among the different locations fixed a priori is proposed.

Findings

It is found that by comparing the spatial distributions of impact indexes obtained in both situations, a measure of the urban regeneration and rehabilitation process and its impact can be obtained.

Originality/value

In order to favour the neighborhoods' internal cohesion and to avoid inner segregation, the model enables one to better address priority areas of intervention inside a historic heritage urban area and to better achieve sustainable urbanization by providing a more equitable and efficient managing of resources.
Homology and errors
Authors: Brower Andrew V.Z. , de Pinna Mario C.C.
Published: May 2012

A recent review of the homology concept in cladistics is critiqued in light of the historical literature. Homology as a notion relevant to the recognition of clades remains equivalent to synapomorphy. Some symplesiomorphies are “homologies” inasmuch as they represent synapomorphies of more inclusive taxa; others are complementary character states that do not imply any shared evolutionary history among the taxa that exhibit the state. Undirected character‐state change (as characters optimized on an unrooted tree) is a necessary but not sufficient test of homology, because the addition of a root may alter parsimonious reconstructions. Primary and secondary homology are defended as realistic representations of discovery procedures in comparative biology, recognizable even in Direct Optimization. The epistemological relationship between homology as evidence and common ancestry as explanation is again emphasized. An alternative definition of homology is proposed.

© The Willi Hennig Society 2012.
Retracted: Antitumor activity of human γδ T cells transducted with CD8 and with T‐cell receptors of tumor‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Authors: Hanagiri Takeshi , Shigematsu Yoshiki , Kuroda Koji , Baba Tetsuro , Shiota Hironobu , Ichiki Yoshinobu , Nagata Yoshika , Yasuda Manabu , So Tomoko , Takenoyama Mitsuhiro , Tanaka Fumihiro
Published: May 2012

The difficulty in the induction and preparation of a large number of autologous tumor‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) from individual patients is one of major problems in their application to adoptive immunotherapy. The present study tried to establish the useful antitumor effectors by using γδ T cells through tumor‐specific TCRαβ genes transduction, and evaluated the efficacy of their adoptive transfer in a non‐obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice model. The TCRαβ gene was cloned from the HLA‐B15‐restricted CTL clone specific of the Kita‐Kyushu Lung Cancer antigen‐1 (KK‐LC‐1). The cloned TCRαβ as well as the CD8 gene were transduced into γδ T cells induced from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity was examined using a standard 4 h 51Cr release assay. Mice with a xenotransplanted tumor were treated with an injection of effector cells. Successful transduction of TCRαβ was confirmed by the staining of KK‐LC‐1‐specific tetramers. The γδ T cells transduced with TCRαβ and CD8 showed CTL activity against the KK‐LC‐1‐positive lung cancer cell line in a HLA B15‐restricted manner. Adoptive transfer of the effector cells in a mice model resulted in marked growth suppression of KK‐LC‐1‐ and HLA‐B15‐positive xenotransplanted tumors. Co‐transducing TCRαβ and CD8 into γδ T cells yielded the same antigen‐specific activity as an original CTL in vitro and in vivo. The TCRαβ gene transduction into γδ T cells is a promising strategy for developing new adoptive immunotherapy. (Cancer Sci, doi: 10.1111/j.1349‐7006.2012.02337.x, 2012)
miR‐34a is downregulated in cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum treated sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma patients with poor prognosis
Authors: Ogawa Takenori , Saiki Yuriko , Shiga Kiyoto , Chen Na , Fukushige Shinichi , Sunamura Makoto , Nagase Hiroki , Hashimoto Sho , Matsuura Kazuto , Saijo Shigeru , Kobayashi Toshimitsu , Horii Akira
Published: May 2012

For the purpose of analyzing mechanisms related to the cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, we analyzed RPMI2650 and its derived previously established cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum resistant cell line RPMI2650CR. To identify resistant phenotype‐related microRNAs, we compared microRNA expressions between RPMI2650CR and RPMI2650 by microarray. One of the microRNAs as downregulated, miR‐34a, was further investigated. Decreased expression of miR‐34a in RPMI2650CR was confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction, but introduction of the miR‐34a precursor into RPMI2650CR or the inhibitor of miR‐34a into RPMI2650 did not change cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum sensitivities. However, 24 patients with sinonasal squamous cell carcinomas treated with intra‐arterial infusion of cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum showed a significant association between decreased expression of miR‐34a and poor disease specific survival (P = 0.0015), poor disease free survival (P = 0.0019), and poor local control rates (P = 0.017) (median follow‐up period: 53 months). Furthermore, multivariate analyses demonstrated significant associations between miR‐34a expression and the hazard ratios of disease free survival at 0.005 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00–0.29, P = 0.011) and local control rate at 0.008 (95% CI 0.00–0.44, P = 0.019), although other parameters such as age, gender, treatment method, T and N stages did not show any similar association. These results strongly suggest that miR‐34a expression can be an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma who are undergoing treatment with cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum.
How anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies activate neutrophils
Authors: Kettritz R
Published: May 2012

OTHER ARTICLES PUBLISHED ON ANCA IN THIS ISSUE

Animal models of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2012, 169: 229–37.

Neutrophils are pivotal to host defence during infectious diseases. However, activated neutrophils may also cause undesired tissue damage. Ample examples include small-vessel inflammatory diseases (vasculitis) that are associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) residing in the patients' plasma. In addition to being an important diagnostic tool, convincing evidence shows that ANCA are pathogenic. ANCA–neutrophil interactions induce important cellular responses that result in highly inflammatory necrotizing vascular damage. The interaction begins with ANCA binding to their target antigens on primed neutrophils, proceeds by recruiting transmembrane molecules to initiate intracellular signal transduction and culminates in activation of effector functions that ultimately mediate the tissue damage.
Towards a unification of movement ecology and biogeography: conceptual framework and a case study on Afrotropical ducks
Authors: Cumming Graeme S. , Gaidet Nicolas , Ndlovu Mduduzi
Published: May 2012

Aim  We present elements of a new conceptual framework for the unification of biogeography and movement ecology, and demonstrate the value of the new framework using a case study of two species of Afrotropical duck (Anatidae) across a latitudinal gradient.

Location  Southern Africa.

Methods  The first part of the paper rests on logic and philosophy. For the second (case study) section, we used data from up to 3 years of satellite telemetry for 26 individuals of two species of Afrotropical duck, the Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) and red‐billed teal (Anas erythrorhyncha), from three different populations with moulting sites spread across 17 degrees of latitude. We compared quantitative measures of movement patterns using principal components analysis and boxplots.

Results  We argue that unpacking the concept of dispersal into the fundamental elements of movement (internal drivers, external drivers, navigation capacity, and motion capacity) provides a more solid basis for contrasting competing hypotheses in biogeographical studies. We found, surprisingly, that red‐billed teal, a ‘highly nomadic’ species, moved with a relatively high degree of consistency at each of our three study latitudes, while Egyptian geese, a ‘resident’ species, showed latitude‐dependent variation in their movements. However, much of the latitude‐related variation for Egyptian geese was driven by their annual moult migrations, rather than directly by fluctuations in resource availability. Internal factors appear to dominate movements and probably determine the species ranges of both of our study species.

Main conclusions  The integration of biogeography and movement ecology, through a more sophisticated view of mechanisms formerly lumped together under ‘dispersal’, offers a fertile area for further research. The biogeography of Afrotropical ducks appears to be strongly influenced by internal factors. Biogeographical patterns in this taxon may thus be best understood (and modelled) as a long‐term response to environmental stochasticity, rather than as a deliberate selection of optimal habitat. Latitudinal comparisons emerge as a valuable way of gaining insights into the drivers of movement for widespread species.
The medical student as a patient: attitudes towards involvement in the quality and safety of health care
Authors: Davis Rachel E. , Joshi Devavrata , Patel Krishan , Briggs M. , Vincent Charles A.
Published: May 2012

Background  In recent years, factors that affect patients' willingness and ability to participate in safety‐relevant behaviours have been investigated. However, how trained healthcare professionals or medical students would feel participating in safety‐relevant behaviours as a patient in hospital remains largely unexplored.

Objectives  To investigate medical students' willingness to participate in behaviours related to the quality and safety of their health care.

Design  A cross‐sectional exploratory study using a survey that addressed willingness to participate in different behaviours recommended by current patient safety initiatives. Three types of interactional behaviours (asking factual or challenging questions, notifying doctors or nurses of errors/problems) and three non‐interactional behaviours (choosing a hospital based on the safety record, bringing medicines and a list of allergies into hospital, and reporting an error to a national reporting system) were assessed.

Participants  One hundred and seventy‐nine medical students from an inner city London teaching hospital participated in the study.

Findings  Students' willingness to participate was affected (P < 0.05) by the action required by the patient and (for interactional behaviours) whether the patient was engaging in the specific action with a doctor or nurse. Students were least willing to ask ‘challenging’ questions to doctors and nurses and to report errors to a national reporting system. Doctors' and nurses' encouragement appeared to increase self‐reported willingness to participate in behaviours where baseline willingness was low.

Conclusion  Similar to research on lay patient populations; medical students do not view involvement in safety‐related behaviours equally. Interventions should be tailored at encouraging students to participate in behaviours they are less inclined to take on an active role in. Future research is required to examine students' motivations for participation in this important but heavily under‐researched area.
Hepatitis B virus X gene differentially modulates cell cycle progression and apoptotic protein expression in hepatocyte versus hepatoma cell lines
Authors: Yang C. H. , Cho M.
Published: May 2012

Summary.  The hepatitis B virus (HBV) X gene, which encodes the hepatitis B virus x protein (HBx), is essential for viral infection and genome replication, virus‐associated liver disease, and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the exact role(s) of HBx remain controversial. In this study, we focus on studying the role of HBx in the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis in normal liver and hepatoma cell lines. We established the Huh7‐X and Chang‐X cell lines that constitutively express HBx. There were differences between the two cell lines in terms of cell cycle regulation and expression of p27 and transforming growth factor‐β. Expression of HBx proteins dramatically increases expression of Bcl‐2 and reduces levels of cleaved PARP protein in Chang‐X cells, and it inhibits apoptosis under unfavourable conditions, such as serum starvation, in both cell lines. Our findings provide clues about the intracellular roles of HBx and demonstrate that expression of this protein is important for multiple cellular processes, that is, cell cycle progression and apoptosis, in hepatoma cells and normal liver cell lines.
The Atlantic–Mediterranean watershed, river basins and glacial history shape the genetic structure of Iberian poplars
Authors: MACAYA‐SANZ D. , HEUERTZ M. , LÓPEZ‐de‐HEREDIA U. , De‐LUCAS A. I. , HIDALGO E. , MAESTRO C. , PRADA A. , ALÍA R. , GONZÁLEZ‐MARTÍNEZ S. C.
Published: May 2012

Recent phylogeographic studies have elucidated the effects of Pleistocene glaciations and of Pre‐Pleistocene events on populations from glacial refuge areas. This study investigates those effects in riparian trees (Populusspp.), whose particular features may convey enhanced resistance to climate fluctuations. We analysed the phylogeographic structure of 44 white (Populus alba), 13 black (Populus nigra) and two grey (Populus x canescens) poplar populations in the Iberian Peninsula using plastid DNA microsatellites and sequences. We also assessed fine‐scale spatial genetic structure and the extent of clonality in four white and one grey poplar populations using nuclear microsatellites and we determined quantitative genetic differentiation (QST) for growth traits in white poplar. Black poplar displayed higher regional diversity and lower differentiation than white poplar, reflecting its higher cold‐tolerance. The dependence of white poplar on phreatic water was evidenced by strong differentiation between the Atlantic and Mediterranean drainage basins and among river basins, and by weaker isolation by distance within than among river basins. Our results suggest confinement to the lower river courses during glacial periods and moderate interglacial gene exchange along coastlines. In northern Iberian river basins, white poplar had lower diversity, fewer private haplotypes and larger clonal assemblies than in southern basins, indicating a stronger effect of glaciations in the north. Despite strong genetic structure and frequent asexual propagation in white poplar, some growth traits displayed adaptive divergence between drainage and river basins (QST > FST), highlighting the remarkable capacity of riparian tree populations to adapt to regional environmental conditions.
Isopeptide bonds of the major pilin protein BcpA influence pilus structure and bundle formation on the surface of Bacillus cereus
Authors: Hendrickx Antoni P. A. , Poor Catherine B. , Jureller Justin E. , Budzik Jonathan M. , He Chuan , Schneewind Olaf
Published: May 2012

Bacillus cereus strains elaborate pili on their surface using a mechanism of sortase‐mediated cross‐linking of major and minor pilus components. Here we used a combination of electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to visualize these structures. Pili occur as single, double or higher order assemblies of filaments formed from monomers of the major pilin, BcpA, capped by the minor pilin, BcpB. Previous studies demonstrated that within assembled pili, four domains of BcpA – CNA1, CNA2, XNA and CNA3– each acquire intramolecular lysine‐asparagine isopeptide bonds formed via catalytic glutamic acid or aspartic acid residues. Here we showed that mutants unable to form the intramolecular isopeptide bonds in the CNA2 or CNA3 domains retain the ability to form pilus bundles. A mutant lacking the CNA1 isopeptide bond assembled deformed pilin subunits that failed to associate as bundles. X‐ray crystallography revealed that the BcpA variant Asp312Ala, lacking an aspartyl catalyst, did not generate the isopeptide bond within the jelly‐roll structure of XNA. The Asp312Ala mutant was also unable to form bundles and promoted the assembly of deformed pili. Thus, structural integrity of the CNA1 and XNA domains are determinants for the association of pili into higher order bundle structures and determine native pilus structure.
Chlamydia co‐opts the rod shape‐determining proteins MreB and Pbp2 for cell division
Authors: Ouellette Scot P. , Karimova Gouzel , Subtil Agathe , Ladant Daniel
Published: May 2012

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that have extensively reduced their genome in adapting to the intracellular environment. The chlamydial genome contains only three annotated cell division genes and lacks ftsZ. How this obligate intracellular pathogen divides is uncharacterized. Chlamydiae contain two high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) penicillin binding proteins (Pbp) implicated in peptidoglycan synthesis, Pbp2 and Pbp3/FtsI. We show here, using HMW Pbp‐specific penicillin derivatives, that both Pbp2 and Pbp3 are essential for chlamydial cell division. Ultrastructural analyses of antibiotic‐treated cultures revealed distinct phenotypes: Pbp2 inhibition induced internal cell bodies within a single outer membrane whereas Pbp3 inhibition induced elongated phenotypes with little internal division. Each HMW Pbp interacts with the Chlamydia cell division protein FtsK. Chlamydiae are coccoid yet contain MreB, a rod shape‐determining protein linked to Pbp2 in bacilli. Using MreB‐specific antibiotics, we show that MreB is essential for chlamydial growth and division. Importantly, co‐treatment with MreB‐specific and Pbp‐specific antibiotics resulted in the MreB‐inhibited phenotype, placing MreB upstream of Pbp function in chlamydial cell division. Finally, we showed that MreB also interacts with FtsK. We propose that, in Chlamydia, MreB acts as a central co‐ordinator at the division site to substitute for the lack of FtsZ in this bacterium.
Comparison of physiological and antioxidant responses of Anoda cristata and cotton to progressive drought
Authors: RATNAYAKA HH , MOLIN WT , STERLING TM
Published: May 2012

Ratnayaka HH, Molin WT & Sterling TM (2012). Comparison of physiological and antioxidant responses of Anoda cristata and cotton to progressive drought. Weed Research52, 358–366.

Knowledge about physiological responses of weed and crop to drought is needed to minimise crop losses caused by weed interference and to improve cropping systems and crop cultivars. In this study, gas exchange, photochemistry and antioxidant defences of two Anoda cristata (spurred anoda) accessions from Mississippi and New Mexico and two cotton types (Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense) were evaluated under unstressed conditions and progressive drought. Under no stress, net photosynthesis (Pnet) and quantum yield (ΦPSII) were similar, but stomatal conductance (gs) was higher in A. cristata than cotton. Glutathione reductase activity was highest in A. cristata from Mississippi. Cotton had at least 92% greater α‐tocopherol concentration than A. cristata. Progressive drought that suppressed gas exchange to near zero decreased biomass and ΦPSII, but increased xanthophyll cycle conversion state in both A. cristata and cotton. Anoda cristata had prolonged gas exchange at lower leaf water contents than cotton. Air‐to‐leaf temperature difference was at least 66% greater in A. cristata, while α‐tocopherol concentration increased only in cotton under progressive drought. Anoda cristata appears to use patchy stomatal closure and alternative electron sinks to minimise light damage during severe drought. Furthermore, sustained water‐holding capacity and assimilation helped by prolonged stomatal activity, larger pigment pools and lower leaf temperature in A. cristata may confer stress tolerance and consequent success in cotton –A. cristata interference.