bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development porn? Child sponsorship advertisements in the 1970s
Authors: Mittelman Robert , Neilson Leighann C.
Published: August 2011

Purpose

Child sponsorship programs have been accused of representing children in the developing world in a manner described as “development porn”. The purpose of this paper is to take an historical approach to investigating the use of advertising techniques by Plan Canada, a subsidiary of one of the oldest and largest child sponsorship‐based non‐governmental development agencies, Plan International, during the 1970s. This time period represents an important era in international development and a time of significant change in the charitable giving and advertising industries in Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct a content analysis on an archival collection of 468 print advertisements from the 1970s.

Findings

A description of the “typical” Plan Canada fund‐raising ad is presented and shown to be different, in several aspects, from other advertisements of the time period. It was determined that Plan Canada's advertisement did not cross the delicate line between showing the hardship and realities of life in the developing world for these children and what became known as “development porn”.

Originality/value

There has been little previous research which focuses specifically on the design of charity advertisements. This paper presents a historically contextualized description of such ads, providing a baseline for further research. It also raises important questions regarding the portrayal of the “other” in marketing communications and the extent to which aid agencies must go to attract the attention of potential donors.
The history of Canadian marketing: from the seventeenth century to World War II
Authors: Shapiro Stanley J. , Tamilia Robert D.
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a briefly annotated bibliography of some 200 items that together constitute a “select list” of the available academic literature on the history of Canadian marketing from the seventeenth century to the beginning of Second World War.

Design/methodology/approach

After all the available academic literature on Canadian marketing the authors could uncover was examined, the most relevant, interesting, and accessible material was identified and annotated. In addition, all of the literature considered in any way pertinent was added to a more complete bibliography available on the CHARM web site.

Findings

Though existing Canadian business and economic history texts and courses tend to pay far more attention to other topics, there is a rich and varied literature on the history of Canadian marketing.

Research limitations/implications

No selections are included from either archival sources or the popular press nor are unpublished theses or dissertations cited.

Originality/value

This appears to be the first annotated bibliography on the history of Canadian marketing ever to have been compiled and published.
A pilot of team‐based dual diagnosis training for assertive Outreach teams
Authors: Hughes Liz , Tobin Derek , McGlynn Patrick , Heffernan Kevin
Published: August 2011

Assertive outreach teams are working with a significant proportion of people with complex needs, including dual diagnosis. Government policy has highlighted the role of assertive outreach in engaging and intervening with this group. This paper reports on the development and evaluation of a specific team‐focused training package and its trial in the Eastern and West Midlands regions.
12‐step programmes ‐ several steps too far?
Authors: Janner Marion
Published: August 2011

This article considers the role of mutual support on acute admissions wards. Building on the authors own experience of a 12‐step specialist inpatient programme Marion identifies some of the limitations of the approach and considers how some of the positive aspects might be modified and transferred to acute inpatient wards to help people with a dual diagnosis in this setting.
Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA) in the UK
Authors: Cameron Alison
Published: August 2011

This article is supplied by Alison, a long‐time member of Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA), about the aims and principles of their 12‐step programme. DRA's 12‐step programme helps members to recover from both a drug or alcohol dependency and emotional or psychiatric illness (dual diagnosis) by focusing on relapse prevention and actively improving the quality of their lives.
The ABC (and DE) of cultural competence in clinical care
Authors: Srivastava Rani
Published: August 2011

Although the need for cultural competence in clinical care has been well articulated for over four decades, the goal of integrating and addressing cultural issues in care remains elusive. The challenges can be attributed to a lack of clarity on definitions and a lack of understanding of what constitutes cultural competence. What to know and what to do are questions that are frequently raised in discussions of cultural competence. Previous literature has described cultural competence in terms of affective, behavioural, and cognitive domains. The purpose of this paper is to build on this discourse by discussing key attributes within each domain and extending the framework to highlight the dynamics of difference, clarify the goal of equity, and recognise the importance of practice environments in the development of cultural competence in clinical care.
Masculinity and emasculation for black men in modern mental health care
Authors: McKeown Mick , Robertson Steve , Habte‐Mariam Zemikael , Stowell‐Smith Mark
Published: August 2011

This paper reports on key findings from the practice survey wing of a broader knowledge review into mental health advocacy with African and Caribbean men funded by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). Selected themes from the analysis are discussed in the light of theory regarding ethnicity, masculinity and mental health. Conclusions are drawn that suggest that understandings of mental health and advocacy within black communities are congruent with ideologies of holism, recovery and transformational goals for services and society at large. This is in contrast to experiences in mainstream mental health services which privilege a relatively narrow medical model and treatments that are emasculating. The empowerment and emancipatory potential wrapped up in both individual and collective notions of advocacy can be seen as one part of a resistance to oppressive practices and a means of reclaiming personal efficacy and potency by virtue of challenging emasculation in services.
Training to redress racial disadvantage in mental health care: race equality or cultural competence?
Authors: Bennett Joanna , Keating Frank
Published: August 2011

It has been acknowledged that the disparities and inequalities for black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in mental health in the United Kingdom (UK) has reached such proportions that it is considered a public health issue. This paper reviews training as one of the strategies that have been employed to address these inequalities and draws on a historical review and a scoping exercise in England which mapped approaches to race equality training in mental health services. The historical review showed that the concept of race and racism has been replaced by culturalism as an explanation for all racial inequalities and is the central framework for race equality training. Whilst the survey showed that the majority of mental health services were providing training for their staff, there is much fragmentation and a lack of robust evaluation demonstrating effectiveness. While education and training have a key role to play in developing knowledge and skills to address racial inequality, current approaches are fundamentally flawed.
Personal experience of cultural competence
Authors: Lindsay Lloyd
Published: August 2011

Lloyd Lindsay is a researcher and writer who spent time as a mental health service user in different London hospitals. He spent about a month in Elliot Ward at Ealing Hospital in 2000, which he found a positive experience. We asked him to summarise some of the aspects of cultural competence/capability that he had experienced in his time there.
The Count Me In census: what it tells us and what it does not
Authors: McKenzie Kwame
Published: August 2011

On or around the 31 March each year all psychiatric units in the UK undertake the Count Me In census. Now in its fourth year and with 100% of units in England taking part, the Count Me In census offers comprehensive but limited information on all people receiving inpatient psychiatric care. It also offers information on their ethnicity so that comparisons can be made between groups. It is an extraordinary achievement but this achievement has brought with it burdens. Though envisaged as a vehicle for introducing ethnic monitoring, the census is now expected to be a major tool of assessment and an aid to service development. But can this epidemiological survey deliver the information England needs to develop culturally competent services?
Equality and diversity as a way of delivering the wider health and social care agenda
Authors: McPherson Blair
Published: August 2011

The author argues that equality of opportunity is the core value underpinning the public sector. It is the big idea that staff and managers can get behind and use to turn NHS trusts and local authorities into the type of organisations that can successfully deliver the health and social care agenda. The author further argues that such organisations are characterised by a culture of trust and fairness where staff feel valued and a high value is placed on managers' people management skills.
Advantageous inequality or disadvantageous equality? Ethnicity and family support among older people in Britain
Authors: Willis Rosalind
Published: August 2011

There is a popular perception that particular ethnic groups have a stronger sense of filial responsibility than is found in Western European societies, which has led to a belief that formal services are not required by minority groups. However, it has been suggested that some minority ethnic older people are actually in greater need of support, because of factors such as poorer health and lower socio‐economic status, than the white majority in Britain. Employing data from the 2005 Home Office Citizenship Survey, ethnic group differences in help given to family members are examined. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, there was only one ethnic group difference; black Caribbean older people had significantly lower odds than white British people of supporting members of their household. Support was equally likely among all other minority groups and the white British group, providing nationally representative evidence for an idea only previously speculated upon.
From temple to table: an innovative community health and lifestyle intervention aimed at a South Asian community
Authors: Coe C , Boardman S
Published: August 2011

This paper describes the early development of a health and lifestyle initiative, the Apnee Sehat project, located at the heart of a South Asian community and developed in partnership with them. The project aims were to promote behaviour change in a sensitive and culturally acceptable manner and had a Sikh temple in the United Kingdom (UK) as its focus. Working in partnership with the community was implemented and sustained by key enthusiastic ‘health champions’. Participants welcomed the Apnee Sehat project as a health promoting initiative and were supportive of its chosen venue and the simple visual and narrative format of the health messages. Participants reported lifestyle changes at both individual and household levels. An evaluation of the Apnee Sehat project reports raised awareness, understanding, satisfaction and engagement. Elements of the Apnee Sehat project create a toolbox that has the potential for transfer to other communities in the UK.
Improving social care services for black and minority ethnic people: findings from the Commission for Social Care Inspection
Authors: Wilkinson Lucy
Published: August 2011

Previous literature about race equality in social care has identified specific examples of good practice, but also a lack of widespread action by services to address both race discrimination and cultural competence. This paper is based on work by the Commission for Social Care Inspection to produce a practice‐focussed bulletin for social care service providers about providing appropriate services for black and minority ethnic people. It is based on evidence from self‐assessment work by services and importantly, the views and experiences of black and minority ethnic people using social care services. The findings suggest that only a minority of services are taking specific action on race equality and that there is an under‐reporting of concerns by black and minority ethnic people using services. The key to appropriate services is not adapting existing services based on generalisations about ‘culture’ but providing culturally competent, personalised support that addresses individual needs alongside a systematic approach to remove barriers to race equality in the service.
Unchaining Prometheus: Does a caste allocation hypothesis begin to explain the pervasive effects of diagnostic labelling and stigma on service users?
Authors: Coote David
Published: August 2011

One of the aims of this review will be to draw upon Wright and colleagues' (2000) claim that the ‘labelling’ field needs theoretical development. By comparing and contrasting the two main approaches to understanding diagnostic practices, Modified Labelling Theory (MLT; Scheff, 1999; Wright et al, 2000) and the medical model (Wolff, 1991); we can further hypothesise on the social function of diagnostic practices. The three main areas of conceptual overlap between MLT and the medical model are as follows.1) Psychological processes play a key role.2) Diagnosed individuals are interpersonally (or culturally) diverse and tend to challenge implicit (‘unspoken’) social norms.3) This diversity may increasingly result in the labelled being socially excluded, under the guise of being ‘violent’, ‘odd’ or ‘deviant’.Karpman's (1968) drama cycle offers a social cognitive model that explains the co‐dependant social function of the violent persecutor role. When the roles become unjustifiably (ie. Large et al, 2008; Fazel et al, 2009) pervasive and stymied (as in the case of labelled individuals), labelling becomes understood as functioning as analogous to a caste system. This innovative hypothesis could generate both research impetus, as well as implications for clinical practice.
Breast cancer screening and treatment in England: the impact of ethnicity and age on access, experiences and outcomes
Authors: Sin Chih , Janjua Ayesha , Hedges Annie , Cook Chloe , Sloman Joanna
Published: August 2011

The National Health Service Breast Screening Programme set up 20 years ago in the UK has to evolve continuously to meet changing needs as a result of fundamental transformations in the age and ethnic profile of the population. This article draws on evidence generated as part of the Healthcare Commission's national study aimed at identifying issues that may contribute to different groups not having equal access to, experience of, or outcomes from services relating to breast screening and breast cancer treatment. Findings indicate that ethnicity has an effect on the awareness of services and of breast cancer. Access to screening and the experience of screening and treatment are influenced by the interaction of ethnicity with age. Younger women from certain black and minority ethnic groups face particular barriers. There can be additional barriers experienced by those from linguistic minorities. Equality of access, experience and outcomes does not mean treating everyone the same way.
A model for prison change: combating discrimination
Authors: Illingworth Paul
Published: August 2011

Discrimination takes the form of continuing segregation and exclusion in society. Prison staffs are actively encouraged to be anti‐discriminatory. Offenders are one group discriminated against by society; estimates have been as high as 90% of offenders also having mental health problems. People with mental illness are also discriminated against, therefore offenders with mental illness are at greater risk of being discriminated against. This article explores how quality assurance models could be used as a means of improving anti‐discriminatory practice in prison settings.
What works in preventing bullying: effective elements of anti‐bullying programmes
Authors: Ttofi Maria , Farrington David
Published: August 2011

This paper summarises the results of a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the effectiveness of anti‐bullying programmes in schools. Extensive searches were carried out in 18 databases and in 35 journals. The number of reports on anti‐bullying programmes increased considerably over time. Nearly 600 reports were found, but only 59 of these (describing evaluations of 30 different programmes) were eligible for inclusion in our review because they described a high‐quality evaluation. We coded the elements of the intervention in these programmes and key features of the evaluation and related these to the effects of the intervention. These types of figures have never been presented in any previous systematic review or meta‐analysis of anti‐bullying programmes. Our meta‐analysis showed that school‐based anti‐bullying programmes are effective in reducing bullying and victimisation (being bullied), which were reduced by about 20‐23% in experimental schools, compared with control schools. The most important programme components that were associated with a decrease in bullying were parent training, improved playground supervision, disciplinary methods, school conferences, videos, information for parents, work with peers, classroom rules and classroom management.
Evaluating rapists' distorted beliefs and deviant sexual fantasies: a preliminary study
Authors: Beech Anthony , Swaffer Tracey , Multra Vidyah , Fisher Dawn
Published: August 2011

This study sought to further develop the growing body of qualitative evidence exploring the content, duration and triggers of cognitive distortions and deviant sexual fantasies in perpetrators who offend against adult women, using grounded theory techniques. Detailed accounts of the thoughts and fantasies of 10 rapists pre‐ and post‐intervention were analysed. All participants reported having benefited from the programme. Nine participants reported that the victim‐focused work had the most impact on them. It was also found that after treatment: (a) there was a reduction in the level of cognitive distortions around victim blaming, other justifications for offending (such as alcohol use) and the acknowledgment of the impact that their offences has had upon their victims; (b) reductions in denial of fantasising about the offences prior to their offences. The implications of this study, for the improvement of intervention programmes for this group of offenders, are discussed.
Predicting drop out of incarcerated men from a long‐term aggression programme
Authors: Stokes Hayley , Dixon Louise , Beech Anthony
Published: August 2011

This study aims to use pre‐treatment assessment scores to predict the drop out of 103 incarcerated male violent perpetrators undertaking a long‐term aggression programme, namely the Cognitive Self Change Programme (CSCP), in six English prisons. A hierarchy of best predictors of attrition in this sample is developed. Results found eight out of the 46 assessment variables analysed had a significant association with treatment drop out. Further to this, discriminant function analysis predicted group membership with 80% accuracy, successfully distinguishing perpetrators who dropped out of the programme from those who completed it. The findings support the use of identifying risk factors pre‐treatment to predict drop out and offer a practical way to identify group members who are likely to drop out of the CSCP in addition to identifying markers for programme improvement. The need for further research to increase our understanding of the underlying causal explanations that link specific assessment items to treatment dropout is discussed.
Who will act badly in toxic situations?
Authors: Dutton Donald , Tetreault Christie
Published: August 2011

We examine whether individual differences exist in reactions to toxic situations, reviewing historical examples of massacres. The social psychological research on the question consists of the famous Milgram experiment on obedience and the Stanford Prison Experiment. Although these studies show the power of situations in eliciting aggression towards targets, they overlook an essential aspect of real world behaviours ‐ the innovation of imaginative sadistic sequences that go beyond the orders given. We argue that analogue studies are too limited to capture these situations and that social psychological research has been too limited in its assessment of key relevant individual traits, one of which is a potential for sadism. Furthermore, we raise concerns about whether ‘snapshot’ analogue research can capture the transitional processes central to an understanding of real world reactions to toxicity.
Violent attitudes and mental health symptoms among mutually violent Ghanaian couples
Authors: Próspero Moisés , Dwumah Peter , Ofori‐Dua Kwadwo
Published: August 2011

This study examined sex differences in the prevalence of mutual intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health symptoms among Ghanaian university students. Three hundred and fifty‐eight university students in heterosexual relationships were asked if they had experienced IPV, coercion, and symptoms of depression or post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as attitudes on the use of violence. Analyses were conducted separately for female and male respondents to explore sex differences in mutual violence and correlates of partner violence and mental health symptoms. Bivariate analyses found that both males and females reported strong correlations between IPV perpetration and IPV victimisation. Multivariate analyses found that among female respondents, their coercive behaviours, attitudes that accept violence and alcohol use were related to perpetrating against their male partner. Among male respondents, attitudes that accept violence and symptoms of conduct disorder were related to abusing their female partner. Additionally, results were that both females and males reported increased mental health symptoms if she/he reported childhood abuse and if her/his partner had attitudes that accepted the use of violence to achieve goals. Taken together, these findings suggest that the majority of couples experience mutual violence and that both females and males can have violent attitudes that accept the use of violence to control their intimate partners, which may also contribute to mental health symptomology.
Domestic violence and child custody: are family court professionals' decisions based on erroneous beliefs?
Authors: Hamel John , Desmarais Sarah , Nicholls Tonia , Malley‐Morrison Kathleen , Aaronson Jon
Published: August 2011

If child custody decisions are based on erroneous beliefs, family courts may not be acting in the best interests of children. This study examined family court professionals' beliefs about family violence. Respondents (N = 410) of diverse professions, including child custody mediators, evaluators, and therapists, family law attorneys and judges, victim advocates and university students, completed a 10‐item multiple‐choice quiz. Results revealed low rates of correct responding, with respondents correctly answering approximately three out of 10 items on average, based on current research in the field. Overall, response rates were highly consistent with the discredited patriarchal paradigm. Shelter workers and victim advocates had the lowest average score, and men were found to have slightly higher scores than women. More troubling, students' scores were not significantly lower than those of family court professionals. Implications are discussed with respect to decision‐making in the context of child custody disputes.
Practice report: A comparative study of battered women and violence‐prone women
Authors: Pizzey Erin
Published: August 2011

In this practice report, the author describes the setting up of Chiswick Women's Aid, the first refuge1 for the care and treatment of battered women and their children. A key differentiation is made between ‘battered women’ and ‘violence‐prone women’ and the author summarises past objection and opposition to her work and theories.It is then contended that the issue of family violence must be seen in the personal and psychological realm, rather than in the political domain, and this is discussed in relation to a statistical survey of answers provided in questionnaires self‐completed by 100 female residents of Chiswick Women's Aid, London during 1975. This study shows evidence of a link between violence in childhood and the recreation of violent relationships in adult life and thus suggests that violence appears to be intergenerational.
Eliciting first person accounts of childhood wartime experiences and perceived impact on psychological well‐being
Authors: Morris‐King Shelly
Published: August 2011

The longer‐term psychological impact of childhood wartime experiences is an under‐researched area. Davies' (2001) work has been seminal in drawing attention to the challenges that older people face in coming to terms with their early childhood experiences during the Second World War. This project used qualitative research methods to investigate the lived experience of older people who were evacuated during the war or remained in Liverpool, UK and experienced ‘the Blitz’ firsthand. It also investigated older people's understanding of these experiences, the meaning they attributed to them, and how they felt these experiences had affected them across the lifespan. The data collection phase of this project included an initial focus group and four free association narrative (FAN) interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was the method used to draw out main themes for each of the participants. Analysis revealed specific psychological issues for each of the participants, along with specific coping strategies. Analysis also suggested that some older people continued to find it challenging to make sense of their early experiences and to assimilate these unusual events into their life narratives. This project has contributed to the limited literature base relating to the longer‐term consequences of early wartime experiences, which may be of use to psychologists working with a range of individuals with past or more recent experiences of war or ‘war‐like’ experiences.
A Six Sigma framework for marine container terminals
Authors: Saeed Nooramin Amir , Reza Ahouei Vahid , Sayareh Jafar
Published: August 2011

Purpose

This research uses an optimisation model, based on the Six Sigma methodology, which assists marine container terminal operators to minimize trucks' congestions, as a defect in the global containerisation and smoothing the gate activity to reduce trucks' turn‐around times. The main purpose of this paper is implementing the Six Sigma in the landside of marine container terminals to reduce the average number of trucks in queues and average trucks' waiting times in both entrance and exit gates.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines the applicability of the DMAIC method along with the SIPOC, cause and effect diagram, and failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA).

Findings

In this paper, Six Sigma methodology is found as an accurate optimisation tool in marine container terminals. Risk Priority Numbers obtained from the FMEA analysis denote that additional control procedures and associated inspections are needed as monitoring tools on the working time and activity of weighbridge operators and truck's drivers. In addition, serious consideration should be given to operator's performance appraisal and improving the administrative systems.

Research limitations/implications

This study was carried out with some boundaries; like the complex operational system in marine container terminals, available data, time constraints, training the team members and controlling the implemented obtained results.

Originality/value

To date, no study has adequately examined the Six Sigma methodology in marine container terminals as an optimisation tool for reducing trucks' congestion. The challenging issues inherent this problem and the limitation of existing research, motivates this study.
Aztec Fluids & Machinery: issues in managing growth in India
Authors: Nair Satish K.
Published: August 2011

Subject area

strategic alliances/collaborative strategies;

defending against global competitors;

related diversification;

entrepreneurship-organizational life cycle; and

evaluating strategies for firm growth.

Study level/applicability

MBA/PGP level programmes in management and/or entrepreneurship.

Case overview

Aztec Fluids & Machinery, set up just over four years ago in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, caters to the printer hardware, spares and consumables needs of the digital ink jet printing market. The company has identified vendors principally from the UK and China for its printers and consumable sourcing and presently markets these using a hybrid channel structure of direct selling and through 12 distributors in ten cities of India. A recent development of note is the successful transformation of a flexible roll printer into a flat-bed type one by the co-founder. The experiment assumes significance since the cost of a conventional flat-bed screen printer is almost five times that of the improvised printer. The huge, fragmented, price-sensitive, yet quality-conscious market in India offers immense potential for this innovation. At the same time, Aztec's recent interactions with a couple of its UK-based vendors present other alternatives for growth.

Expected learning outcomes

To explore organizational life cycle: the introduction and early growth phases.

To understand alliance dynamics for early-stage entrepreneurs –rationale, management and the manifestation of trust between different types of partners: suppliers and customers.

To understand how small firms prepare for and evaluate the challenges of growth.

Supplementary materials

Teaching note.
PETAWRAP: the Indian grilled wraps
Authors: Mehrotra Sonia
Published: August 2011

Subject area

Entrepreneurship; Business Strategy; Business Environment courses.

Study level/applicability

This case is appropriate for use in Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programs as well as advanced undergraduate courses. The case provides an apt simulation of the emerging Indian fast food companies in the competitive dynamics of Indian business environment.

Case overview

Rakesh an MBA graduate from the University of Hartford, Connecticut, after four years of corporate experience, made a decision to start a business of his own. Thus, was born Infusions Foods Pvt Ltd (IFPL) an entrepreneurial venture of Rakesh Raghunathan. IFPL launched its fast food chain of grilled wraps under the brand name of PETAWRAP. The brand was positioned to target the recent consumer behavior shift of Indian consumers which was towards healthy, nutritious food combined with the concept of necessity-based eating out.IFPL had successfully opened six company owned outlets by March 2011. Their strategy for success was built on the age-old four-point formula of a good-quality product, at value for money prices, delivered efficiently to the customers. The absence of “a hygienic branded product” in this Indian fast food industry contributed to the initial success of their company. Rakesh believed that key to building the brand image depended on quality in terms of operations standardization and product quality.

Expected learning outcomes

The case is structured to achieve the following pedagogical objectives: To identify the forces on which of an entrepreneurial opportunity is dependent; To analyze the changes in competitive dynamics of Indian fast food industry and identify the factors that lead to the emergence and acceptance of PetaWrap; To understand the challenges of building a brand in low-cost business model and the economics of cost incurred; To evaluate the business strategy and the business model adopted by the company for expansion.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes
Association between insulin‐like growth factor‐1 polymorphisms and stomach cancer risk in a Japanese population
Authors: Ennishi Daisuke , Shitara Kohei , Ito Hidemi , Hosono Satoyo , Watanabe Miki , Ito Seiji , Sawaki Akira , Yatabe Yasushi , Yamao Kenji , Tajima Kazuo , Tanimoto Mitsune , Tanaka Hideo , Hamajima Nobuyuki , Matsuo Keitaro
Published: August 2011

The insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) signaling system plays a central role in cellular growth, differentiation and proliferation. Although the association between IGF1 gene polymorphisms and cancer risk has been evaluated for several carcinomas, this association has not yet been examined for stomach cancer. We investigated the association between IGF1 polymorphisms and the risk of stomach cancer in a Japanese population. A total of 703 patients with stomach cancer and 1462 non‐cancer control subjects were enrolled in this case–control study. Associations between polymorphisms of 10 IGF1 loci and the risk of stomach cancer were evaluated using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in multiple logistic regression models. We observed that the C allele in rs1520220 and the G allele in rs4764887 were significantly associated with stomach cancer risk in the per‐allele model after adjusting for other risk factors (OR: 1.14 [95% CI: 1.00–1.30] and OR: 1.18 [95% CI: 1.02‐1.36], respectively). We also observed a positive and dose‐dependent association between the number of risk alleles and stomach cancer risk (P‐trend: 0.019) when examining the two loci in the same model. These associations were still seen after adjusting for potential confounders, including sex, age, smoking status, history of diabetes and family history of stomach cancer. We did not find any significant interaction between these factors and the number of risk alleles. In conclusion, we observed a significant association between IGF1 polymorphisms and stomach cancer risk among a Japanese population. Examination of the biological significance of IGF1 is warranted. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 2231–2235)
Beyond species: functional diversity and the maintenance of ecological processes and services
Authors: Cadotte Marc W. , Carscadden Kelly , Mirotchnick Nicholas
Published: August 2011

1. The goal of conservation and restoration activities is to maintain biological diversity and the ecosystem services that this diversity provides. These activities traditionally focus on the measures of species diversity that include only information on the presence and abundance of species. Yet how diversity influences ecosystem function depends on the traits and niches filled by species.

2. Biological diversity can be quantified in ways that account for functional and phenotypic differences. A number of such measures of functional diversity (FD) have been created, quantifying the distribution of traits in a community or the relative magnitude of species similarities and differences. We review FD measures and why they are intuitively useful for understanding ecological patterns and are important for management.

3. In order for FD to be meaningful and worth measuring, it must be correlated with ecosystem function, and it should provide information above and beyond what species richness or diversity can explain. We review these two propositions, examining whether the strength of the correlation between FD and species richness varies across differing environmental gradients and whether FD offers greater explanatory power of ecosystem function than species richness.

4. Previous research shows that the relationship between FD and richness is complex and context dependent. Different functional traits can show individual responses to different gradients, meaning that important changes in diversity can occur with minimal change in richness. Further, FD can explain variation in ecosystem function even when richness does not.

5. Synthesis and applications. FD measures those aspects of diversity that potentially affect community assembly and function. Given this explanatory power, FD should be incorporated into conservation and restoration decision‐making, especially for those efforts attempting to reconstruct or preserve healthy, functioning ecosystems.
Accounting for multi‐scale spatial autocorrelation improves performance of invasive species distribution modelling (iSDM)
Authors: Václavík Tomáš , Kupfer John A. , Meentemeyer Ross K.
Published: August 2011

Aim  Analyses of species distributions are complicated by various origins of spatial autocorrelation (SAC) in biogeographical data. SAC may be particularly important for invasive species distribution models (iSDMs) because biological invasions are strongly influenced by dispersal and colonization processes that typically create highly structured distribution patterns. We examined the efficacy of using a multi‐scale framework to account for different origins of SAC, and compared non‐spatial models with models that accounted for SAC at multiple levels.

Location  We modelled the spatial distribution of an invasive forest pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, in western USA.

Methods  We applied one conventional statistical method (generalized linear model, GLM) and one nonparametric technique (maximum entropy, Maxent) to a large dataset on P. ramorum occurrence (n = 3787) to develop four types of model that included environmental variables and that either ignored spatial context or incorporated it at a broad scale using trend surface analysis, a local scale using autocovariates, or multiple scales using spatial eigenvector mapping. We evaluated model accuracies and amounts of explained spatial structure, and examined the changes in predictive power of the environmental and spatial variables.

Results  Accounting for different scales of SAC significantly enhanced the predictive capability of iSDMs. Dramatic improvements were observed when fine‐scale SAC was included, suggesting that local range‐confining processes are important in P. ramorum spread. The importance of environmental variables was relatively consistent across all models, but the explanatory power decreased in spatial models for factors with strong spatial structure. While accounting for SAC reduced the amount of residual autocorrelation for GLM but not for Maxent, it still improved the performance of both approaches, supporting our hypothesis that dispersal and colonization processes are important factors to consider in distribution models of biological invasions.

Main conclusions  Spatial autocorrelation has become a paradigm in biogeography and ecological modelling. In addition to avoiding the violation of statistical assumptions, accounting for spatial patterns at multiple scales can enhance our understanding of dynamic processes that explain ecological mechanisms of invasion and improve the predictive performance of static iSDMs.
The long and the short of it: SD1 polymorphism and the evolution of growth trait divergence in U.S. weedy rice
Authors: REAGON MICHAEL , THURBER CARRIE S. , OLSEN KENNETH M. , JIA YULIN , CAICEDO ANA L.
Published: August 2011

Growth‐related traits, such as greater height, greater biomass, faster growth rate and early flowering, are thought to enhance competitiveness of agricultural weeds. However, weedy rice, a conspecific weed of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), displays variation for growth traits. In the United States, separately evolved weedy rice groups have been shown to share genomic identity with exotic domesticated cultivars. Through a common garden experiment, we investigated whether growth trait divergence has occurred among U.S. weeds and their putative cultivated progenitors. We also determined polymorphism patterns in the growth candidate gene, SD1, to assess its possible role in the evolution of divergent phenotypes. We found considerable growth trait variation among weed groups, suggesting that growth trait convergence is not evident among weedy populations. Phenotypic divergence of weedy rice from cultivated ancestors is most apparent for flowering time. Introgression of a chromosomal block containing the SD1 allele from tropical japonica, the predominant U.S. rice cultivar, was detected in one weedy rice population and is associated with a change in growth patterns in this group. This study demonstrates the role of introgressive hybridization in evolutionary divergence of an important weed.
Inactivation of a novel response regulator is necessary for biofilm formation and host colonization by Vibrio fischeri
Authors: Morris Andrew R. , Darnell Cynthia L. , Visick Karen L.
Published: August 2011

The marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri uses a biofilm to promote colonization of its eukaryotic host Euprymna scolopes. This biofilm depends on the symbiosis polysaccharide (syp) locus, which is transcriptionally regulated by the RscS–SypG two‐component regulatory system. An additional response regulator (RR), SypE, exerts both positive and negative control over biofilm formation. SypE is a novel RR protein, with its three putative domains arranged in a unique configuration: a central phosphorylation receiver (REC) domain flanked by two effector domains with putative enzymatic activities (serine kinase and serine phosphatase). To determine how SypE regulates biofilm formation and host colonization, we generated a library of SypE domain mutants. Our results indicate that the N‐terminus inhibits biofilm formation, while the C‐terminus plays a positive role. The phosphorylation state of SypE appears to regulate these opposing activities, as disruption of the putative site of phosphorylation results in a protein that constitutively inhibits biofilm formation. Furthermore, SypE restricts host colonization: (i) sypE mutants with constitutive inhibitory activity fail to efficiently initiate host colonization and (ii) loss of sypE partially alleviates the colonization defect of an rscS mutant. We conclude that SypE must be inactivated to promote symbiotic colonization by V. fischeri.
The superoxide dismutase SodA is targeted to the periplasm in a SecA‐dependent manner by a novel mechanism
Authors: Krehenbrink Martin , Edwards Anne , Downie J. Allan
Published: August 2011

The manganese/iron‐type superoxide dismutase (SodA) of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841 is exported to the periplasm of R. l. bv. viciae and Escherichia coli. However, it does not possess a hydrophobic cleaved N‐terminal signal peptide typically present in soluble proteins exported by the Sec‐dependent (Sec) pathway or the twin‐arginine translocation (TAT) pathway. A tatC mutant of R. l. bv. viciae exported SodA to the periplasm, ruling out export of SodA as a complex with a TAT substrate as a chaperone. The export of SodA was unaffected in a secB mutant of E. coli, but its export from R. l. bv. viciae was inhibited by azide, an inhibitor of SecA ATPase activity. A temperature‐sensitive secA mutant of E. coli was strongly reduced for SodA export. The 10 N‐terminal amino acid residues of SodA were sufficient to target the reporter protein alkaline phosphatase to the periplasm. Our results demonstrate the export of a protein lacking a classical signal peptide to the periplasm by a SecA‐dependent, but SecB‐independent targeting mechanism. Export of the R. l. bv. viciae SodA to the periplasm was not limited to the genus Rhizobium, but was also observed in other proteobacteria.
The broadly conserved regulator PhoP links pathogen virulence and membrane potential in Escherichia coli
Authors: Alteri Christopher J. , Lindner Jonathon R. , Reiss Daniel J. , Smith Sara N. , Mobley Harry L. T.
Published: August 2011

PhoP is considered a virulence regulator despite being conserved in both pathogenic and non‐pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae. While Escherichia coli strains represent non‐pathogenic commensal isolates and numerous virulent pathotypes, the PhoP virulence regulator has only been studied in commensal E. coli. To better understand how conserved transcription factors contribute to virulence, we characterized PhoP in pathogenic E. coli. Deletion of phoP significantly attenuated E. coli during extraintestinal infection. This was not surprising since we demonstrated that PhoP differentially regulated the transcription of > 600 genes. In addition to survival at acidic pH and resistance to polymyxin, PhoP was required for repression of motility and oxygen‐independent changes in the expression of primary dehydrogenase and terminal reductase respiratory chain components. All phenotypes have in common a reliance on an energized membrane. Thus, we hypothesized that PhoP mediates these effects by regulating genes encoding proteins that generate proton motive force. Indeed, bacteria lacking PhoP exhibited a hyperpolarized membrane and dissipation of the transmembrane electrochemical gradient increased susceptibility of the phoP mutant to acidic pH, while inhibiting respiratory generation of the proton gradient restored resistance to antimicrobial peptides independent of lipopolysaccharide modification. These findings demonstrate a connection between PhoP, virulence and the energized state of the membrane.
Age‐Dependent Alterations of HLA‐DR Expression and Effect of Lipopolysaccharide on Cytokine Secretion of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in the Elderly Population
Authors: Wu J. , Liu Z. , Zhang Y. , Wang L. , Feng D. , Liu L. , Peng Y. , Dai B. , Li W.
Published: August 2011

HLA‐DR, a major histocompatibility complex, MHC class II, is involved in several autoimmune conditions, disease susceptibility and disease resistance. Here, we investigate the impact of different age individuals on HLA‐DR expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results indicate that HLA‐DR expression on PBMCs in the population aged above 70 years significantly increased as compared with that in the lower‐age groups by flow cytometry analysis (B–D; r = 0.690, P = 0.000265). In addition, followed by LPS stimulation, the levels of cytokine TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐10 secretion by allogeneic T lymphocytes from different age groups (A–D) were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Notably, levels of TNF‐α and IL‐6 were significantly reduced in groups B, C and D as compared with group A (P < 0.05), whereas levels of IL‐10 increased (P = 0.012). However, no significant difference in PBMC‐secreted TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐10 levels was observed among groups A, B, C and D (P > 0.05) before LPS stimulation. We firstly present data showing an age‐dependent increase in HLA‐DR expression in the population aged above 70 years and the individual with aged above 70 years has reduced the secretion of inflammatory mediators (TNF‐α and IL‐6) by PBMCs and increased the secretion of anti‐inflammatory cytokine (IL‐10) after LPS stimulation in vitro. The better understanding of HLR–DR expression on human PBMCs in aged individuals and its relation to the host cellular immunity would provide important insights into the immunity of aged individuals and particularly, in elderly patients with sepsis.