bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA: SOCIALIST, CIVILIAN OR TRADITIONAL?
Authors: Yin Bo , Duff Peter
Published: November 2010

Taxonomy, as a methodological tool introduced from natural science, brought the categorization of legal systems to comparative law.1The term ‘legal family’2is normally used as a metaphor, because it recognizes that within each grouping there are many variations. Each of the legal families is regarded as a combination of fundamental features of legal systems which have certain similarities. As an analytical device, taxonomy renders the comparison of different laws and legal institutions manageable by means of simplifying or abstracting the diverse and complicated realities of a myriad of legal systems. As a result, the concept of legal families acts as a support for legal borrowing and transplantation, as well as comprising an inevitable part of most comparative law works. Even where as few as two jurisdictions are involved, the categorization of legal families is still a useful tool for most comparative legal analysis. Assisted by the notion of legal families, comparativists can readily understand and explore an unfamiliar legal system.3Normally, such scholars tend to accept the conventional or widely accepted categorization of a particular legal system as belonging to a certain legal family. However, without detailed scrutiny of the first-hand material, distortions may arise as a result of preconceptions held at the beginning of the comparative study.4
PEACE AGREEMENTS OR PIECES OF PAPER? THE IMPACT OF UNSC RESOLUTION 1325 ON PEACE PROCESSES AND THEIR AGREEMENTS
Authors: Bell Christine , O'Rourke Catherine
Published: November 2010

On the 31 October 2000 UNSC Resolution 1325 was adopted. The resolution provided for a range of measures aimed at the inclusion of women in the prevention, management and resolution of conflict. In particular, several of the resolution's provisions addressed the role of women and gender in peace negotiations and agreements. This article examines whether and how Resolution 1325 has impacted on the drafting of peace agreements. We analyse explicit references to women and gender in peace agreements from 1990 to 2010, providing a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the extent to which women and gender are addressed. We conclude by using our findings and analysis to address the relationship of feminist intervention to international law, and debates around the strategies and trade-offs which underlie feminist promotion and use of UN Security Council Resolutions in particular.
A new species ofTriptolemma(Porifera: Pachastrellidae) from the Pacific Ocean with a revision of the genus
Authors: Bertolino Marco , Pica D. , Bavestrello G. , Iwasaki N. , Calcinai B.
Published: November 2010

A new species,T. strongylatasp. nov. is described on the basis of material collected from the Pacific Ocean. The new species is characterized by the presence of sinuous strongyles. Moreover the incomplete description ofT. simplex(Sarà, 1959) is implemented on the basis of new abundant material allowing, for the first time, the complete description of the skeleton of aTriptolemmaspecies and the detecting of the presence of monaxonic spicules in the spicular complement of the genus. The skeleton is composed of a thick crust of disorderly arranged mesotriaenes and scattered microscleres, supported by diverging spicule tracts formed by oxeas towards the surface. Both species were recorded associated to boring sponges(SpiroxyaandCliona)in excavations of the calcareous scleraxis of precious corals or in organogenic concretions. In the cavities where the tissue ofTriptolemmawas recorded the wall of the excavation partially lost its typical pattern characterized by ovoid scars and became irregularly eroded. Our hypothesis is thatTriptolemmainsinuates inside the erosions produced by other sponges and it is able to enlarge them by an etching mechanism based on chemical dissolution only.
Environmental variables influencing the Callinectes (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae) species distribution in a tropical estuary—Cachoeira River (Bahia, Brazil)
Authors: de Carvalho Fabrício Lopes , Couto Erminda da Conceição Guerreiro
Published: November 2010

The genus Callinectes comprises seven species of blue crab found on the Brazilian coast, almost all are recorded in Cachoeira River estuary. The objective of this study is to analyse distribution of Callinectes species in the estuary of Cachoeira River (Ilhéus, Bahia). Monthly collections were conducted in the low tide of neap tide for a year and in five stations distributed according to the estuary salinity gradient. Six traps were assembled and submerged at each station for two hours. Sediment samples were collected for granulometric characterization and measuring of organic matter content. Temperature, salinity and pH were also measured in the bottom water, as well as water transparency at the start of each collection. Five species were collected: Callinectes danae, C. ornatus, C. exasperatus, C. larvatus and C. bocourti. The species presented different distribution patterns based on the salinity gradient and transversal profile of the estuary. Only C. danae was found in all collection points, and was the most abundant species throughout the study period. Callinectes ornatus was restricted to external estuarine areas, which presented higher salinity and transparency values. Callinectes larvatus predominantly occurred in the external station and estuary partitions, mainly in the margin. In spite of the occurrence of C. exasperatus throughout the entire estuary, this species was restricted to the margin. This study supports the assumption that species distribution patterns of this genus are the result of both variable influence, namely salinity, and complex intraspecific and interspecific relations between the congeneric species.
A model study of Saharan dust emissions and distributions during the SAMUM‐1 campaign
Authors: Laurent B. , Tegen I. , Heinold B. , Schepanski K. , Weinzierl B. , Esselborn M.
Published: November 2010

Simulations of Saharan dust emission, transport, and deposition are performed using new developments of the regional model COSMO‐MUSCAT for the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM‐1), which took place in May–June 2006. Up‐to‐date surface soil data sets developed especially to model dust emissions are used, and a new representation of the dust size distribution is proposed. Compared with previous model studies performed with COSMO‐MUSCAT, the advantage of our approach is that no tuning factor on the erosion threshold is needed for the whole Sahara. The performances and limitations of COSMO‐MUSCAT to model the regional dust cycle are discussed. The spatiotemporal variability of simulated Saharan emissions is evaluated using a backtracking approach to locate dust sources with Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) infrared difference images and using dust observations of North African meteorological stations. The Saharan dust emissions are estimated to be 78 Tg during the studied period. The model dust size distributions agree well with SAMUM‐1 airborne measurements, previous model simulations, and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) inversion products. Our ability to simulate the vertical cross section of a dust plume is also discussed with regard to airborne lidar measurements and former simulations. The horizontal distribution of model‐derived aerosol optical thicknesses (AOT) is compared with Aqua‐MODIS Deep Blue AOT and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol indexes. Dry and wet deposition rates are simulated. About 67% of the emitted dust is deposited in the vicinity of the emitted source areas over North Africa and close marine areas, and 33% is transported out of the studied area toward other continents and remote ocean areas.
Decadal changes in two types of the western North Pacific subtropical high in boreal summer associated with Asian summer monsoon/El Niño–Southern Oscillation connections
Authors: Park Jong‐Yeon , Jhun Jong‐Ghap , Yim So‐Young , Kim Won‐Moo
Published: November 2010

The decadal variability of boreal summertime western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) associated with Asian summer monsoon/El Niño–Southern Oscillation is investigated through the two types of WNPSH that are identified from the empirical orthogonal function of 850 hPa horizontal wind anomalies. These two types of WNPSH are associated with two different connections between the summer mean rainfall variability over the East Asian–western North Pacific (EA‐WNP) region and the sea surface temperature (SST) variability over the equatorial Pacific. The contribution of each type to these connections has been changed after the mid‐1990s. Both types of WNPSH are predominantly associated with the local subsidence compensating the enhanced convection over equatorial regions and exhibit two significant periodicities, 2.5 and 4–5 years. However, the first type accompanies a fast decay of El Niño‐like warming centered in the eastern Pacific from preceding winter to concurrent summer, while the second type features the persistent SST warming shifted to the central Pacific. The relative dominance of type 1 after the mid‐1990s may be one of possible causes for the increase of August rainfall over northeast Asia. Moreover, temporal variations of two types of WNPSH are characterized by the 1 year lagged relationship, which has been significantly weakened after the mid‐1990s, which may partly explain the decadal change in the relationship between EA and WNP summer monsoons. This result suggests the close linkage between WNPSH and EA‐WNP summer monsoon on the long‐term variability.
Air‐sea flux of CO2 in the Arctic Ocean, 1998–2003
Authors: Arrigo Kevin R. , Pabi Sudeshna , van Dijken Gert L. , Maslowski Wieslaw
Published: November 2010

The Arctic Ocean has experienced an unprecedented reduction in sea ice over the last 3 decades, increasing the potential for greater exchange of gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) between the atmosphere and the upper ocean. The present study utilizes remotely sensed data on distributions of both sea ice and chlorophyll a, together with modeled temperature and salinity fields, to obtain high‐resolution basin‐scale estimates of the air‐sea flux of CO2 (FCO2) in the Arctic Ocean for the years 1998–2003. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were derived from multiple linear regression relationships with sea surface temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll a. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in surface waters was computed from DIC and alkalinity, the latter of which varied with salinity. FCO2 was calculated from the air‐sea difference in pCO2 and wind speed. Annual FCO2 was highest in the Atlantic‐dominated Greenland and Barents sectors due to their lower sea ice cover, although area‐normalized FCO2 in these sectors was low. Only the Siberian sector exhibited a significant increase in annual FCO2 during the time of our study, due to a corresponding increase in ice‐free water. Overall, the Arctic Ocean was a net atmospheric sink for CO2, with annual FCO2 averaging 118 ± 7 Tg C yr−1 during 1998–2003.
No slab‐derived CO2 in Mariana Trough back‐arc basalts: Implications for carbon subduction and for temporary storage of CO2 beneath slow spreading ridges
Authors: Macpherson Colin G. , Hilton David R. , Hammerschmidt Konrad
Published: November 2010

The Southern Mariana Trough is particularly well suited to study mass balance in subduction zones because the flux of material recycled from the subducted slab has been shown to diminish to negligible levels in the southernmost part of the area. We present new He and Ar concentration and isotopic data for 16 back‐arc basaltic glasses and combine these with previously published CO2 and H2O concentration and δ13C data to explore the recycling of carbon and light noble gases in the Mariana back arc. Degassing has affected all samples and is particularly extensive in more water‐rich samples, i.e., those containing the largest recycled component. The degassing history features three stages: (1) deep degassing which commenced when the melt reached saturation of CO2 and noble gases in the mantle, (2) preeruptive degassing during storage in the crust‐mantle transition zone which involved addition of extraneous CO2 to the vapor phase, and (3) eruption. CO2 released during stage 1 was, at least partially, incorporated into wall rock and subsequently remobilized during stage 2 degassing of later magma batches. Reconstructed parental values for 3He/4He, δ13C, CO2/3He, and CO2/40Ar* are indistinguishable from those of mid‐ocean ridge basalt. This implies that there is negligible recycling of subducted carbon, helium, or argon into the source of Mariana Trough basalt.
Influence of Arctic sea ice extent on polar cloud fraction and vertical structure and implications for regional climate
Authors: Palm Stephen P. , Strey Sara T. , Spinhirne James , Markus Thorsten
Published: November 2010

Recent satellite lidar measurements of cloud properties spanning a period of 5 years are used to examine a possible connection between Arctic sea ice amount and polar cloud fraction and vertical distribution. We find an anticorrelation between sea ice extent and cloud fraction with maximum cloudiness occurring over areas with little or no sea ice. We also find that over ice‐free regions, there is greater low cloud frequency and average optical depth. Most of the optical depth increase is due to the presence of geometrically thicker clouds over water. In addition, our analysis indicates that over the last 5 years, October and March average polar cloud fraction has increased by about 7% and 10%, respectively, as year average sea ice extent has decreased by 5%–7%. The observed cloud changes are likely due to a number of effects including, but not limited to, the observed decrease in sea ice extent and thickness. Increasing cloud amount and changes in vertical distribution and optical properties have the potential to affect the radiative balance of the Arctic region by decreasing both the upwelling terrestrial longwave radiation and the downward shortwave solar radiation. Because longwave radiation dominates in the long polar winter, the overall effect of increasing low cloud cover is likely a warming of the Arctic and thus a positive climate feedback, possibly accelerating the melting of Arctic sea ice.
Microbial methanol uptake in northeast Atlantic waters
Authors: Dixon Joanna L , Beale Rachael , Nightingale Philip D
Published: November 2010

Methanol is the predominant oxygenated volatile organic compound in the troposphere, where it can significantly influence the oxidising capacity of the atmosphere. However, we do not understand which processes control oceanic concentrations, and hence, whether the oceans are a source or a sink to the atmosphere. We report the first methanol loss rates in seawater by demonstrating that 14C-labelled methanol can be used to determine microbial uptake into particulate biomass, and oxidation to 14CO2. We have found that methanol is used predominantly as a microbial energy source, but also demonstrated its use as a carbon source. We report biological methanol oxidation rates between 2.1 and 8.4 nmol l−1 day−1 in surface seawater of the northeast Atlantic. Kinetic experiments predict a Vmax of up to 29 nmol l−1 day−1, with a high affinity Km constant of 9.3 nm in more productive coastal waters. We report surface concentrations of methanol in the western English channel of 97±8 nm (n=4) between May and June 2010, and for the wider temperate North Atlantic waters of 70±13 nm (n=6). The biological turnover time of methanol has been estimated between 7 and 33 days, although kinetic experiments suggest a 7-day turnover in more productive shelf waters. Methanol uptake rates into microbial particles significantly correlated with bacterial and phytoplankton parameters, suggesting that it could be used as a carbon source by some bacteria and possibly some mixotrophic eukaryotes. Our results provide the first methanol loss rates from seawater, which will improve the understanding of the global methanol budget.
Crystal Structures and Magnetic or Photoluminescent Properties of Copper(II) and Zinc(II)-5-Sulfoisophthalate Coordination Polymers
Authors: Liu Qing-Yan , Wang Yu-Ling , Du Zi-Yi , Shan Zeng-Mei , Yang Er-Lei , Zhang Na
Published: November 2010

{[Cu4(µ3-OH)2(SIP)2(imz)2]·(H2O)2}n (1) and {[Zn3(µ2-OH2)2(SIP)2(phen)3(H2O)3]·(H2O)5}n (2) were obtained under hydrothermal conditions (SIP = 5-sulfoisophthalate, imz = imidazole, and phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). Compound 1 features a novel 3D network based on tetranuclear [Cu4(µ3-OH)2] secondary building unit; its topological structure is similar to that of rutile. Compound 2 is a 1D zigzag chain containing dinuclear [Zn2(µ2-OH2)2(phen)2] and mononuclear [Zn(phen)(H2O)] units. Variable-temperature magnetic studies reveal the existence of dominant ferromagnetic interactions within the tetranuclear copper(ii) cluster in compound 1. Further magnetic measurements indicate that compound 1 has the zero-field splitting parameters D = –0.29 cm–1 and E = 0.00052 cm–1, and g = 2.11 based on ST = 2. Compound 2 exhibits a blue fluorescence emission band at 458 nm on excitation at 391 nm, with a lifetime of 5.78 ns.
Tuning the reactivity of semiconductor surfaces by functionalization with amines of different basicity
Authors: Bent Stacey F. , Kachian Jessica S. , Rodríguez-Reyes Juan Carlos F. , Teplyakov Andrew V.
Published: November 2010

Surface functionalization of semiconductors has been the backbone of the newest developments in microelectronics, energy conversion, sensing device design, and many other fields of science and technology. Over a decade ago, the notion of viewing the surface itself as a chemical reagent in surface reactions was introduced, and adding a variety of new functionalities to the semiconductor surface has become a target of research for many groups. The electronic effects on the substrate have been considered as an important consequence of chemical modification. In this work, we shift the focus to the electronic properties of the functional groups attached to the surface and their role on subsequent reactivity. We investigate surface functionalization of clean Si(100)-2 × 1 and Ge(100)-2 × 1 surfaces with amines as a way to modify their reactivity and to fine tune this reactivity by considering the basicity of the attached functionality. The reactivity of silicon and germanium surfaces modified with ethylamine (CH
3
CH
2
NH
2
) and aniline (C
6
H
5
NH
2
) is predicted using density functional theory calculations of proton attachment to the nitrogen of the adsorbed amine to differ with respect to a nucleophilic attack of the surface species. These predictions are then tested using a model metalorganic reagent, tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium (((CH
3
)
2
N)
4
Ti, TDMAT), which undergoes a transamination reaction with sufficiently nucleophilic amines, and the reactivity tests confirm trends consistent with predicted basicities. The identity of the underlying semiconductor surface has a profound effect on the outcome of this reaction, and results comparing silicon and germanium are discussed.
An endogenous aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligand acts on dendritic cells and T cells to suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Quintana Francisco J. , Murugaiyan Gopal , Farez Mauricio F. , Mitsdoerffer Meike , Tukpah Ann-Marcia , Burns Evan J. , Weiner Howard L.
Published: November 2010

The ligand-activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) participates in the differentiation of FoxP3+Treg, Tr1 cells, and IL-17–producing T cells (Th17). Most of our understanding on the role of AHR on the FoxP3+Tregcompartment results from studies using the toxic synthetic chemical 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Thus, the physiological relevance of AHR signaling on FoxP3+Tregin vivo is unclear. We studied mice that carry a GFP reporter in the endogenousfoxp3locus and a mutated AHR protein with reduced affinity for its ligands, and found that AHR signaling participates in the differentiation of FoxP3+Tregin vivo. Moreover, we found that treatment with the endogenous AHR ligand 2-(1′H-indole-3′-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE) given parenterally or orally induces FoxP3+Tregthat suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. ITE acts not only on T cells, but also directly on dendritic cells to induce tolerogenic dendritic cells that support FoxP3+Tregdifferentiation in a retinoic acid-dependent manner. Thus, our work demonstrates that the endogenous AHR ligand ITE promotes the induction of active immunologic tolerance by direct effects on dendritic and T cells, and identifies nontoxic endogenous AHR ligands as potential unique compounds for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.
Participation of the p38 pathway in
Drosophila
host defense against pathogenic bacteria and fungi
Authors: Chen Jianming , Xie Changchuan , Tian Lili , Hong Lixin , Wu Xiurong , Han Jiahuai
Published: November 2010

The signaling network of innate immunity in
Drosophila
is constructed by multiple evolutionarily conserved pathways, including the Toll- or Imd-regulated NF-κB and JNK pathways. The p38 MAPK pathway is evolutionarily conserved in stress responses, but its role in
Drosophila
host defense is not fully understood. Here we show that the p38 pathway also participates in
Drosophila
host defense. In comparison with wild-type flies, the sensitivity to microbial infection was slightly higher in the
p38a
mutant, significantly higher in the
p38b
mutant, but unchanged in the
p38c
mutant. The
p38b;p38a
double-mutant flies were hypersensitive to septic injury. The immunodeficiency of
p38b;p38a
mutant flies was also demonstrated by hindgut melanization and larvae stage lethality that were induced by microbes naturally presented in fly food. A canonical MAP3K-MKK cascade was found to mediate p38 activation in response to infection in flies. However, neither Toll nor Imd was required for microbe-induced p38 activation. We found that p38-activated heat-shock factor and suppressed JNK collectively contributed to host defense against infection. Together, our data demonstrate that the p38 pathway-mediated stress response contribute to
Drosophila
host defense against microbial infection.
Warning symbology
Authors: Adams Austin , Boersema Theo , Mijksenaar Meijer
Published: November 2010

Symbol signs ­– signs without words – are often used to communicate safety or public information messages. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides standards ISO 3864-1 and ISO 3864-3 giving design principles for both graphical symbols and completed signs in the safety arena. The present study shows that for difficult signage circumstances a two-part sign, showing the desired and undesired circumstances with a tick and a cross, can be much more effective than the normal single-part sign provided for by these ISO standards. The present study also suggests that ISO’s sign assessment methods could be efficiently combined and simplified.
The necessity of adjusting tests of protein category enrichment in discovery proteomics
Authors: Louie Brenton , Higdon Roger , Kolker Eugene
Published: November 2010

Motivation: Enrichment tests are used in high-throughput experimentation to measure the association between gene or protein expression and membership in groups or pathways. The Fisher's exact test is commonly used. We specifically examined the associations produced by the Fisher test between protein identification by mass spectrometry discovery proteomics, and their Gene Ontology (GO) term assignments in a large yeast dataset. We found that direct application of the Fisher test is misleading in proteomics due to the bias in mass spectrometry to preferentially identify proteins based on their biochemical properties. False inference about associations can be made if this bias is not corrected. Our method adjusts Fisher tests for these biases and produces associations more directly attributable to protein expression rather than experimental bias.

Results: Using logistic regression, we modeled the association between protein identification and GO term assignments while adjusting for identification bias in mass spectrometry. The model accounts for five biochemical properties of peptides: (i) hydrophobicity, (ii) molecular weight, (iii) transfer energy, (iv) beta turn frequency and (v) isoelectric point. The model was fit on 181 060 peptides from 2678 proteins identified in 24 yeast proteomics datasets with a 1% false discovery rate. In analyzing the association between protein identification and their GO term assignments, we found that 25% (134 out of 544) of Fisher tests that showed significant association (q-value ≤0.05) were non-significant after adjustment using our model. Simulations generating yeast protein sets enriched for identification propensity show that unadjusted enrichment tests were biased while our approach worked well.

Contact:  eugene.kolker@seattlechildrens.org

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Diminished organelle motion in murine Kupffer cells during the erythrocytic stage of malaria
Authors: Bellows Charles F. , Molina Ramon M. , Brain Joseph D.
Published: November 2010

Parasitized erythrocytes are ingested by murine hepatic macrophages during malaria infection. We non-invasively monitored how this altered the motion of intracellular phagosomes in Kupffer cells using magnetometry. Submicrometric γFe2O3particles were injected prior to malaria infection. They were cleared from the blood, primarily by Kupffer cells, and retained within their phagosomes. The mice were periodically magnetized. After removing this external magnet, the aligned iron particles created a remnant magnetic field (RMF) which then decayed (relaxation), reflecting the motion of particle-containing phagosomes. After baseline measurements of relaxation, the mice were injected intravenously withPlasmodium chabaudi-parasitized or normal murine red blood cells (RBCs). During the next 15 days, relaxation measurements, parasitaemia and haematocrit values were monitored. At 6 days post injection with 3 × 107parasitized RBCs, relaxation rates had decreased. At this time, all mice had parasitaemias greater than 58 per cent and haematocrits less than 20 per cent. At day 7, while the parasitaemias were declining, the rate of relaxation continued to decrease. Throughout the experiment, relaxation remained constant in animals injected with normal RBCs. Electron microscopy revealed Kupffer cells filled with damaged and parasitized erythrocytes, and haemoglobin degradation pigment. We conclude that ingestion and metabolism of parasitized erythrocytes by liver macrophages during malaria infection decreases their organelle motion with likely consequences of compromised host defences.
The intelligibility of noise-vocoded speech: spectral information available from across-channel comparison of amplitude envelopes
Authors: Roberts Brian , Summers Robert J. , Bailey Peter J.
Published: November 2010

Noise-vocoded (NV) speech is often regarded as conveying phonetic information primarily through temporal-envelope cues rather than spectral cues. However, listeners may infer the formant frequencies in the vocal-tract output—a key source of phonetic detail—from across-band differences in amplitude when speech is processed through a small number of channels. The potential utility of this spectral information was assessed for NV speech created by filtering sentences into six frequency bands, and using the amplitude envelope of each band (≤30 Hz) to modulate a matched noise-band carrier (N). Bands were paired, corresponding to F1 (≈N1 + N2), F2 (≈N3 + N4) and the higher formants (F3′ ≈ N5 + N6), such that the frequency contour of each formant was implied by variations in relative amplitude between bands within the corresponding pair. Three-formant analogues (F0 = 150 Hz) of the NV stimuli were synthesized using frame-by-frame reconstruction of the frequency and amplitude of each formant. These analogues were less intelligible than the NV stimuli or analogues created using contours extracted from spectrograms of the original sentences, but more intelligible than when the frequency contours were replaced with constant (mean) values. Across-band comparisons of amplitude envelopes in NV speech can provide phonetically important information about the frequency contours of the underlying formants.
Early-life conditions and age at first pregnancy in British women
Authors: Nettle Daniel , Coall David A. , Dickins Thomas E.
Published: November 2010

There is growing evidence that the reproductive schedules of female mammals can be affected by conditions experienced during early development, with low parental investment leading to accelerated life-history strategies in the offspring. In humans, the relationships between early-life conditions and timing of puberty are well studied, but much less attention has been paid to reproductive behaviour. Here, we investigate associations between early-life conditions and age at first pregnancy (AFP) in a large, longitudinally studied cohort of British women (n= 4553). Low birthweight for gestational age, short duration of breastfeeding, separation from mother in childhood, frequent family residential moves and lack of paternal involvement are all independently associated with earlier first pregnancy. Apart from that of birthweight, the effects are robust to adjustment for family socioeconomic position (SEP) and the cohort member's mother's age at her birth. The association between childhood SEP and AFP is partially mediated by early-life conditions, and the association between early-life conditions and AFP is partially mediated by emotional and behavioural problems in childhood. The overall relationship between early-life adversities and AFP appears to be approximately additive.
Another one bites the dust: faecal silica levels in large herbivores correlate with high-crowned teeth
Authors: Hummel Jürgen , Findeisen Eva , Südekum Karl-Heinz , Ruf Irina , Kaiser Thomas M. , Bucher Martin , Clauss Marcus , Codron Daryl
Published: November 2010

The circumstances of the evolution of hypsodonty (= high-crowned teeth) are a bone of contention. Hypsodonty is usually linked to diet abrasiveness, either from siliceous phytoliths (monocotyledons) or from grit (dusty environments). However, any empirical quantitative approach testing the relation of ingested silica and hypsodonty is lacking. In this study, faecal silica content was quantified as acid detergent insoluble ash and used as proxy for silica ingested by large African herbivores of different digestive types, feeding strategies and hypsodonty levels. Separate sample sets were used for the dry (
n
= 15 species) and wet (
n
= 13 species) season. Average faecal silica contents were 17–46 g kg
−1
dry matter (DM) for browsing and 52–163 g kg
−1
DM for grazing herbivores. No difference was detected between the wet (97.5 ± 14.4 g kg
−1
DM) and dry season (93.5 ± 13.7 g kg
−1
DM) faecal silica. In a phylogenetically controlled analysis, a strong positive correlation (dry season
r
= 0.80,
p
< 0.0005; wet season
r
= 0.74,
p
< 0.005) was found between hypsodonty index and faecal silica levels. While surprisingly our results do not indicate major seasonal changes in silica ingested, the correlation of faecal silica and hypsodonty supports a scenario of a dominant role of abrasive silica in the evolution of high-crowned teeth.
Epidemic malaria and warmer temperatures in recent decades in an East African highland
Authors: Alonso David , Bouma Menno J. , Pascual Mercedes
Published: November 2010

Climate change impacts on malaria are typically assessed with scenarios for the long-term future. Here we focus instead on the recent past (1970–2003) to address whether warmer temperatures have already increased the incidence of malaria in a highland region of East Africa. Our analyses rely on a new coupled mosquito–human model of malaria, which we use to compare projected disease levels with and without the observed temperature trend. Predicted malaria cases exhibit a highly nonlinear response to warming, with a significant increase from the 1970s to the 1990s, although typical epidemic sizes are below those observed. These findings suggest that climate change has already played an important role in the exacerbation of malaria in this region. As the observed changes in malaria are even larger than those predicted by our model, other factors previously suggested to explain all of the increase in malaria may be enhancing the impact of climate change.
Maturation Stress Generation in Poplar Tension Wood Studied by Synchrotron Radiation Microdiffraction
Authors: Clair Bruno , Alméras Tancrède , Pilate Gilles , Jullien Delphine , Sugiyama Junji , Riekel Christian
Published: November 2010

Tension wood is widespread in the organs of woody plants. During its formation, it generates a large tensile mechanical stress called maturation stress. Maturation stress performs essential biomechanical functions such as optimizing the mechanical resistance of the stem, performing adaptive movements, and ensuring the long-term stability of growing plants. Although various hypotheses have recently been proposed, the mechanism generating maturation stress is not yet fully understood. In order to discriminate between these hypotheses, we investigated structural changes in cellulose microfibrils along sequences of xylem cell differentiation in tension and normal wood of poplar (Populus  deltoides × Populus trichocarpa ‘I45-51’). Synchrotron radiation microdiffraction was used to measure the evolution of the angle and lattice spacing of crystalline cellulose associated with the deposition of successive cell wall layers. Profiles of normal and tension wood were very similar in early development stages corresponding to the formation of the S1 layer and the outer part of the S2 layer. Subsequent layers were found with a lower microfibril angle (MFA), corresponding to the inner part of the S2 layer of normal wood (MFA approximately 10°) and the G layer of tension wood (MFA approximately 0°). In tension wood only, this steep decrease in MFA occurred together with an increase in cellulose lattice spacing. The relative increase in lattice spacing was found close to the usual value of maturation strains. Analysis showed that this increase in lattice spacing is at least partly due to mechanical stress induced in cellulose microfibrils soon after their deposition, suggesting that the G layer directly generates and supports the tensile maturation stress in poplar tension wood.
Gaming outcome of accountants and human capital theory: Macau evidence
Authors: Law Philip
Published: November 2010

Purpose

Macau is a major gambling city in Asia, with many tourists and customers visiting its casinos every day. These visitors include not only recreational and pathological gamblers, but also professional people such as accountants. Although, past studies have been carried out on the gambling behavior of various individuals, no research has examined the actual gambling outcome of accountants. The rationale for this research is that accountants may be more confident in their ability to predict or calculate gambling outcomes than other individuals because of their numerical competency. This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is ought to be the first to use data on professional accountants to examine the actual gambling outcomes for accountants against the background of human capital theory. The data are taken from an on‐site survey of 203 professional accounting professionals visiting a casino in Macau.

Findings

The results of the logistic regressions indicate that the variables of “age” and “previous win” have no significant influence on the actual gaming outcome for accountants, but that certified public accountants (CPA) status, self‐confidence, temper, and luck may positively affect the outcome. Further, female accounting professionals are less likely to win than male accounting professionals. The results support the validity of human capital theory, which asserts that the market compensates the cost of education. Although table games are based on casino mathematics, probability, and luck, it is interesting to note that human capital theory also applies in the gaming industries.

Originality/value

The results extend the theoretical development of human capital theory and broaden its application from business sectors to the gaming industry. Further research is recommended to validate the findings.
Chinese glocalization – a study of intergenerational residence in urban China
Authors: Lin Shengdong , Ke Xue
Published: November 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the way in which Chinese consumers integrate both global culture and local culture through the change of intergenerational residence in urban China.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected by semi‐structured interviews of 15 families from three cities in south China. All interview tapes were transcribed. A hermeneutic process is used to analyze the verbal context.

Findings

There is a new trend of intergenerational residence in urban China, living apart but close. Living apart is a result of equalization between generations in socio‐political power, whereas living close is a way for traditional value adapting to global environments. Further analysis suggests that the assimilation of socio‐political values rooted in individualistic cultures, unexpectedly, is for the purpose of collective goodness, and the performance of traditional moral values is shifting from the compulsory rule based on traditional social norms to the spontaneous rule based on human demand.

Research limitations/implications

These findings capture the richness of Chinese dialectical way of “glocalization,” which retains basic (often positive) elements of opposing perspectives by seeking a middle way. Such findings would be valuable for global marketers trying to enter the Chinese market.

Originality/value

This paper answers the question of how Chinese consumers accept the competitive advantages of global culture and at the same time keep the positive distinctiveness of the heritage culture.
Environmental assessment of shipment release policies
Authors: Merrick Ryan J. , Bookbinder James H.
Published: November 2010

Purpose

A program of shipment consolidation (SCL) is the purposeful intervention by management to regularly combine several small shipments so that a larger load may be dispatched on the same vehicle. SCL decisions traditionally have been based upon minimization of total logistics costs (inventory plus transportation). The paper aims to answer the following research question: given the environmental implications of vehicle emissions as a function of load weight, are the familiar SCL policies still optimal?

Design/methodology/approach

Nonlinear expressions relating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to vehicle weight, and parameterized by trip length and average travel speed, were derived from published experimental data. Those expressions were included in a simulation model that assessed the environmental impact, in addition to the logistics cost, of the policies concerning when to release a consolidated load.

Findings

For short holding times, the quantity policy performs best in terms of both logistics cost and pollution reduction. In the case of low‐order arrival rates and long holding times, the time policy is best at reducing emissions and logistics costs. However, the best dispatch policy conflicts in terms of pollution reduction and logistics cost minimization for the following cases: moderate holding times and long holding times combined with high‐order arrival rates. In these cases, it is necessary to consider the speed of travel, trip length and unit cost of emissions when evaluating the policies.

Research limitations/implications

A carbon trading market appears to be on the horizon in several industries, which will establish a price per unit weight for CO2 emissions and make it beneficial to minimize the total cost (including emissions) of the network. This research only considers CO2 pollution, but future investigations could also consider other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic carbons.

Practical implications

SCL policies can include a “green logistics” component that is based on empirical data.

Originality/value

One undesirable consequence of transportation by truck is CO2 emissions. However, the impact can be lessened, while still emphasizing total logistics cost per load, with our simulation‐based results for shipment release policies.
Density dependence in the Chinese construction industry
Authors: Yang Huan , Chan Albert P.C. , Li Qiming
Published: November 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the density dependence theory and explain the deep changes that the Chinese construction industry is experiencing. Focusing on both organizational level and industry level, it aims to identify the factors and to show how these factors affect the mortality of the Chinese construction companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The Jiangsu construction industry is chosen as a proxy of the Chinese market. With the event history analysis method and life history data on all companies known to have operated during the period 1989‐2007 in Jiangsu, an expanded Cox model is established to achieve the purpose.

Findings

The construction industry level evolution plays an important role on exit rate of construction companies; however, this effect does not conform with density dependence as expected, and it interacts with organizational age. Besides, age and size of organizational level, and macro environment also act on mortality.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the difficulty in data acquisition, only 19 years of the Jiangsu construction industry have been reported here, which may not provide the whole picture of the evolution process. Furthermore, the different ending events, such as disbanding and merge, have not been identified, which may affect the results to some extent.

Practical implications

The paper provides a new perspective to analyze the evolution of the Chinese construction industry and the mortality of construction companies.

Originality/value

This is the first article that applies the density dependence theory to analyze the evolution process of the construction industry. It is also the first attempt to analyze the interaction of density, macro factors and organizational age, which is a contribution to the organizational ecology theory and the study of construction industry development.
A coopetition strategy – a study of inter‐firm dynamics between competition and cooperation
Authors: Osarenkhoe Aihie
Published: November 2010

Purpose

This paper contributes to extant knowledge by highlighting the complementarity‐based nature of coopetition strategy and its impact on collective strategies for value generation among actors.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collection draws on three cases encompassing three empirical contexts. A theoretical lens that enables a focus on contemporary inter‐organisational markets as organised behaviour systems manifesting network structures is adopted. Business strategy is operationalised as an exchange strategy with an emphasis on the exchange effectiveness achieved when some value is produced in cooperation with significant others.

Findings

The results show that managerial leadership and development of trust are the key success factors. Furthermore, this hybrid level of inter‐organisational relationship encompassing both competition and cooperation – coopetition – fosters collective intelligence through information and knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

This paper concludes that, due to contemporary inter‐organisational exchange often being governed by the “visible hand” of the process of networking, today's environment is different from the environment firms used to encounter in the past. From a managerial perspective, the findings demonstrate the multifaceted nature of coopetition. Additional work on the impact of the concept of coopetition strategy on business practice is needed to add to this valuable endeavour.

Originality/value

The existing studies are primarily concerned with arm's‐length exchange (competition), a dynamic situation in which several actors are vying for scarce resources and/or producing and marketing similar products or services. Comparatively little research has focused on inter‐organisational dynamics, which entails both cooperation and competition. This paper demonstrates that participating in inter‐firm networks has become increasingly popular to enhance corporate entrepreneurship.
The reliability of virus‐induced gene silencing experiments using tobacco rattle virus in tomato is influenced by the size of the vector control
Authors: WU CHENGJUN , JIA LINGLING , GOGGIN FIONA
Published: November 2010

The tobacco rattle virus (TRV)‐based vector pYL156 is the most widely used vector for virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) in solanaceous plants. We show here that vacuum agroinfiltration of the pYL156 empty vector causes extensive stem lesions, foliar necrosis, stunted growth and delayed flowering in tomato, whereas plants infiltrated with pYL156‐based silencing constructs that carry inserts of ∼250 bp or more show few symptoms of virus infection. This difference in plant health influences plant susceptibility to insects, a trait measured in many VIGS experiments, and could potentially bias the results of other bioassays designed to assess the phenotypic consequences of VIGS. When plants were infiltrated with the pYL156:GUS construct, which carries a 396‐bp fragment of the β‐glucuronidase gene that has no significant homology with any endogenous gene in tomato, they showed similar growth and development as buffer‐infiltrated controls, and exhibited significantly fewer viral symptoms than the empty vector. Furthermore, pYL156:GUS did not influence plant susceptibility to aphids. Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) results indicated that the GUS insert may cause a modest delay in virus movement within the plant, but does not limit TRV replication in infected tissue. Therefore, the pYL156:GUS construct represents an improved negative control for TRV‐induced gene silencing.
Human replicative DNA polymerase δ can bypass T‐T (6‐4) ultraviolet photoproducts on template strands
Authors: Narita Takeo , Tsurimoto Toshiki , Yamamoto Junpei , Nishihara Kana , Ogawa Kaori , Ohashi Eiji , Evans Terry , Iwai Shigenori , Takeda Shunichi , Hirota Kouji
Published: November 2010

DNA polymerase δ (Polδ) carries out DNA replication with extremely high accuracy. This great fidelity primarily depends on the efficient exclusion of incorrect base pairs from the active site of the polymerase domain. In addition, the 3′–5′ exonuclease activity of Polδ further enhances its accuracy by eliminating misincorporated nucleotides. It is believed that these enzymatic properties also inhibit Polδ from inserting nucleotides opposite damaged templates. To test this widely accepted idea, we examined in vitro DNA synthesis by human Polδ enzymes proficient and deficient in the exonuclease activity. We chose the UV‐induced lesions cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimer (CPD) and 6‐4 pyrimidone photoproduct (6‐4 PP) as damaged templates. 6‐4 PP represents the most formidable challenge to DNA replication, and no single eukaryotic DNA polymerase has been shown to bypass 6‐4 PP in vitro. Unexpectedly, we found that Polδ can perform DNA synthesis across both 6‐4 PP and CPD even with a physiological concentration of deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs). DNA synthesis across 6‐4 PP was often accompanied by a nucleotide deletion and was highly mutagenic. This unexpected enzymatic property of Polδ in the bypass of UV photoproducts challenges the received notion that the accuracy of Polδ prevents bypassing damaged templates.