bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dialogical relationships in impoverished narratives: From theory to clinical practice
Authors: Dimaggio Giancarlo , Salvatore Gianpaolo , Azzara Cristina , Catania Dario , Semerari Antonio , Hermans Hubert J. M.
Published: November 2003

Individuals are guided in their actions in the world by a set of narratives portraying them in their relations with others. The narratives contain representations of self, of the world, of the various characters with which individuals interact and of the forms of relationship that they foresee establishing. Within the narratives the various characters, each from the position of an independent author, negotiate the meaning of events.

A narrative can be altered either as regards its contents or its form. In this article, we describe impoverished narratives. These are lacking in various elements—descriptions of a narrator's inner state, of others' points of view, of the action scenario and of what goes on between the characters—and concentrate repetitively on only one or a few themes. With such features, individuals are hampered in their actions in the world. A therapist listening to a patient relating impoverished narratives finds it difficult to grasp what the problems are and what steps need to be taken. As a result, it takes longer or is not possible for each to become attuned with the other and to put together an agreed treatment programme. We illustrate this narrative deficit with a psychotherapy case study and hypothesize about the way a therapist ought to operate in order to tackle the deficit.
Living with puerperal psychosis: A qualitative analysis
Authors: Robertson Emma , Lyons Antonia
Published: November 2003

Objectives: To explore women's experiences of the relatively uncommon postnatal illness of puerperal psychosis, and to gain understanding into living through and past the illness.

Design: An interview‐based study using grounded theory principles to analyse the qualitative data.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 10 women who had been diagnosed and treated for puerperal psychosis (defined according to DSM‐IV criteria, with onset within six weeks of childbirth) during the last 10 years.

Results: Three main categories were identified from the interviews: puerperal psychosis as a separate form of mental illness, loss, and relationships and social rules. Further, two higher order concepts were identified, termed ‘living with emotions’ and ‘regaining and changing sel’. These concepts emerged across, and linked, the categories previously identified.

Conclusions: Women felt that the illness took away the ability to experience normal emotions, as affective responses were viewed as potentially pathogenic. Although puerperal psychosis was described as a life‐changing experience, the women used feeling like their ‘old sense of self’ as a marker for recovery. Anger and frustration were directed towards health services because of their lack of provision of adequate information and support for the women and their families. More support may have alleviated the stresses placed on relationships and informed families about the nature of the illness. Further work is needed to establish the long‐term effects of suffering from puerperal psychosis.
An interview study of people with learning disabilities' experience of, and satisfaction with, group analytic therapy
Authors: MacDonald James , Sinason Valerie , Hollins Sheila
Published: November 2003

A number of clinicians have developed psychodynamic treatments for people with learning disabilities, but there have been few studies assessing the impact of psychodynamic therapy with this population. In particular, there have been no studies in which investigators have asked clients about their experience of psychodynamic treatment. The current study is an attempt to rectify this by exploring people with learning disabilities' experiences of, and satisfaction with, two psychodynamic groups provided by an inner city service. Nine learning‐disabled clients, four from a sexual offenders' group and five from a women's group, were interviewed about their experience of psychodynamic group psychotherapy. Their responses were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Participants suggested that they valued the therapists and the group, and appreciated the opportunity to talk about painful experiences and be included and valued in the group. However, participants also indicated that they found the group emotionally painful, on occasion found it hard to identify with other group members, and were often unaware of any positive change in themselves. These interview findings complement ongoing quantitative attempts to establish the impact of psychodynamic treatment for this population.
Consumer Choice between Hedonic and Utilitarian Goods
Authors: Dhar Ravi , Wertenbroch Klaus
Published: November 2003

In this article, the authors examine how consumer choice between hedonic and utilitarian goods is influenced by the nature of the decision task. Building on research on elaboration, the authors propose that the relative salience of hedonic dimensions is greater when consumers decide which of several items to give up (forfeiture choices) than when they decide which item to acquire (acquisition choices). The resulting hypothesis that a hedonic item is relatively preferred over the same utilitarian item in forfeiture choices than in acquisition choices was supported in two choice experiments. In a subsequent experiment, these findings were extended to hypothetical choices in which the acquisition and forfeiture conditions were created by manipulating initial attribute-level reference states instead of ownership. Finally, consistent with the experimental findings, a field survey showed that, relative to market prices, owners of relatively hedonic cars value their vehicles more than do owners of relatively utilitarian cars. The authors discuss theoretical implications of these reference-dependent preference asymmetries and explore consequences for marketing managers and other decision makers.
Factor Analysis and Missing Data
Authors: Kamakura Wagner A. , Wedel Michel
Published: November 2003

The authors study the estimation of factor models and the imputation of missing data and propose an approach that provides direct estimates of factor weights without the replacement of missing data with imputed values. First, the approach is useful in applications of factor analysis in the presence of missing data. Second, the proposed factor analysis model may be used as a vehicle for imputing missing data, producing a complete data set that can be analyzed subsequently with some other method. Here, the factor model itself is not of primary interest but presents a suitable model for purposes of imputation. The proposed method accommodates various patterns of missing data commonly found in marketing. The framework for factor analysis the authors develop deals with both discrete and continuous variables and gives rise to several models not considered previously. The authors illustrate various factor models on synthetic data, investigating their performance when missing data are present and when the distribution of the observed variables is incorrectly specified. The authors provide two empirical studies of the performance of the approach. In the first, the authors demonstrate how the proposed approach recovers the true (complete-data) factor structure in the presence of missing observations that occur because of item nonresponse and compare the procedure with three alternative methods traditionally used for handling missing data in factor analysis. In the second application, the factor model is used as a vehicle to impute data that are missing by design.
Evidences of high carbon catabolic enzyme activities during sporulation of Pleurotus ostreatus (Florida)
Authors: Chakraborty Tapas K. , Das Nirmalendu , Mukherjee Mina
Published: November 2003

Measurements of the specific activities of the representative enzymes of different pathways linked to carbohydrate metabolism indicate that glycolysis and TCA cycles are the major route of carbohydrate catabolism in the sporulating phase of fruiting body development in Pleurotus ostreatus. Enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway always showed lower specific activities as compared to those of the enzymes of the glycolytic pathway. The activity of NADP linked glutamate dehydrogenase which is known to be an anabolic enzyme decreased drastically in sporulating fruiting bodies and in spore containing gill tissue (spore bearing structure). Mannitol dehydrogenase activity declined significantly in the sporulating phase of P. ostreatus.

The high rate of metabolism during sporulation was further supported by a lower rate of gluconeogenesis at this stage. Concentrations of all the major sugars of the fruiting body (mannitol, glucose and trehalose) decreased in the mature fruiting body and gill tissue. This indicated high catabolic activities at this stage of development.
Ksg1, a homologue of the phosphoinositide‐dependent protein kinase 1, controls cell wall integrity in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Gräub Remo , Hilti Norma , Niederberger Christian , Schweingruber M. Ernst
Published: November 2003

It has previously been shown that the Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant ksg1‐358 has a mating and sporulation defect at 30 °C and that it is temperature sensitive for growth at 35 °C. However the molecular basis for these phenotypes remained largely unknown. In this study we show that ksg1‐358 mutant cells lysed at the non‐permissive temperature, which could be prevented by sorbitol. Overexpression of ksg1 using the nmt1‐promoter showed slow growth and cells became swollen when incubated at 35 °C under low inositol conditions. Interestingly, in a two‐hybrid assay we found that the ksg1‐protein interacted with Pck1p, a protein implicated in regulating cell wall integrity in S. pombe. Genetic complementation assays showed that an overexpression of pck2, the homologue of pck1 involved in the regulation of cell wall synthesis, could partially rescue ksg1‐358 phenotypes. We digested the ksg1‐358 cell wall using β‐glucanase. We found that the ksg1‐358 mutant was more resistant to cell lysis at 30 °C than the wildtype strain h972, which was similar to a pck1‐deletion strain. A ksg1‐overexpressing strain was hypersensitive towards β‐glucanase treatment similar to a pck2‐deletion strain. The pck1‐deletion partially rescued β‐glucanase hypersensitivity of the ksg1‐overexpressing strain but the pck2‐deletion increased it. The ksg1‐358 mutation increased β‐glucanase resistance of a pck1‐overexpressing strain but it had no effect on a pck2‐overexpressing strain. Our results provide evidence that ksg1 is a novel regulator of cell wall integrity in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. They further suggest that Ksg1p acts in a pathway with Pck1p, possibly upstream and through direct interaction.
Effect of oxythiamin on growth rate, survival ability and pyruvate decarboxylase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Tylicki Adam , Łempicka Anna , Romaniuk‐Demonchaux Katarzyna , Czerniecki Jan , Dobrzyń Paweł , Strumiło Sławomir
Published: November 2003

Oxythiamin is one of the antivitamin derivatives of thiamin which, after phosphorylation, can be bound to the catalytic centre of thiamin‐dependent enzymes and inhibit these enzymes. In this work the influence of oxythiamin on the growth rate, survival and the activity of pyruvate decarboxylase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (s288c) was investigated. Oxythiamin decreased both the growth rate and survival ability of yeast cells. Moreover, in three‐day‐old cultures on a medium with oxythiamin, an increase of pyruvate decarboxylase activity was observed. This unusual effect may be in response to the earlier inhibition of pyruvate decarboxylase. A high concentration of pyruvate in the cell extracts taken from the medium with oxythiamin was found. This accumulation of pyruvate could provide for enhanced biosynthesis of the pyruvate decarboxylase apoform and an increase of enzyme activity.
Measuring goodwill trust between groups of people: three years of an oil industry alliance
Authors: Green Richard
Published: November 2003

The period from 1993 to 1998 saw the UK's upstream oil and gas industry move towards more collaborative relationships (partnering and alliances) between the oil companies and their contractors.

This paper is derived from observation over three years of an alliance between an oil company and five of its contractors involved in underwater projects.

The paper uses concepts of ‘goodwill trust’ and ‘obligational contractual relationships’ which have been introduced by Sako. The ideals of obligational contractual relationships are very similar to those of the collaborative relationships between companies in the UK upstream oil and gas industry in the 1990s.

Attitude surveys of members of the alliance in three consecutive years attempted to estimate the levels of goodwill trust between the people and companies in it.

It would be expected that trust levels within an alliance would rise over time as people gain experience of working with each other. Analysis of the results from the survey did show an overall increase in goodwill trust over the period but also showed some company pairs where trust levels remained low.

The paper speculates that the reasons for reduced levels of trust could include: the experiences inherited from previous relationships, project successes or failures affecting the way people felt about each other, perceived lack of fairness in allocation of risks and rewards, and changes in senior management.

Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Current developments in SELDI affinity technology
Authors: Tang Ning , Tornatore Pete , Weinberger Scot R.
Published: November 2003

I.
Introduction
34

   II.
Affinity Probes
35

A.  Initial Surface‐Affinity Research
36

B.  Self‐Assembled Monolayers
36

C.  Dextran
36

D.  Metal Affinity
36

E.  Antibody‐ and Protein‐Affinity Probes
37

F.  Lectin Affinity Capture
38

G.  Inherent Hydrophobic Interaction Bio‐Probes
38

H.  Bio‐Molecular Interaction Probes
39

 III.
SELDI
39

A.  Fundamentals of SELDI
39

B.  SELDI in Proteomics
40

 IV.
Conclusions
41

References
41

The overall history and recent advancements in Surface‐Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization (SELDI) affinity technology is reviewed. A detailed account of SELDI technology, utilizing Immobilized‐Metal Affinity surfaces, pseudo‐specific chromatographic surfaces, and biospecific interactive surfaces, is presented with particular emphasis placed upon examination of fundamental characteristics as well as specific applications for each. Finally, a detailed review of the specific use of such affinity surfaces in fundamental aspects of clinical, process, and research proteomics activity is presented. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 23:34–44, 2004
Between‐gel reproducibility of the human cerebrospinal fluid proteome
Authors: Terry Doris E. , Desiderio Dominic M.
Published: November 2003

This manuscript describes the between‐gel reproducibility of the two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis of the human lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome. This reproducibility study is a necessary component for our long‐term research program that uses comparative proteomics to analyze lumbar CSF samples in a study of human idiopathic low back pain. A Protein‐Plus Dodeca Cell electrophoresis apparatus and PDQuest software were used to measure the level of between‐gel reproducibility of the CSF proteome. One pooled CSF sample was used to evaluate the level of within‐sample, between‐gel reproducibility, and a set of seven different CSF samples (CSF‐1 to 7) was used to test the level of within‐group and between‐group variability. Differentially expressed proteins (six CSF samples versus the designated control, CSF‐3) were characterized with mass spectrometry. The number of spots found in the pooled CSF sample was 490 ± 30 (n = 10 gels); the percentage of protein spots found in those 10 gels was 92 ± 6%, with a coefficient of variation of 6%; and a positive coefficient of correlation (r = 0.82) was found. In order to test the proof‐of‐principle, that set of seven CSF samples served as a test of our ability to perform reproducibility comparative proteomics, and to detect differentially expressed proteins within that set of test samples. One sample (CSF‐3) served as the control for the other six to locate the differentially expressed proteins. A comparison of fifteen differentially expressed proteins found in that set of test CSF samples correlated with pathology. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time‐of‐flight and electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry were used to characterize thirteen of those fifteen differentially expressed proteins. These results (reproducibility, protein characterization, set of test samples, and proof‐of‐principle) suggest that the analysis of human CSF two‐dimensional gels can achieve a high level of within‐sample and between‐sample reproducibility, and that PDQuest software can measure the relative protein abundance in the human CSF proteome.
A proposal for systems science
Authors: Warfield John N.
Published: November 2003

Systems science is not entirely characterized by a unique conception. Since it seems still to be in a formative stage, a proposal that looks to its future may be appropriate. Because systems science is commonly perceived to be very broad in its scope and far reaching in its implications for practitioners, it is not unreasonable to suppose that systems science can be seen as filling multiple scientific roles. In order to fulfill this common perspective, systems science ought to be able to appear in at least five roles: as a science of description—in which the original role of science, to describe the physical world and portray interactions among a few of its components, is enlarged to enable description of problematic situations, whatever the nature of these situations; as a science of generic design—in which those aspects of system design often left to intuition are no longer the prisoner of intuitive thought only, but rather become identifiable beneficiaries of methods that do not rely on specific disciplines, but rather stem from neutral sources that are clearly essential for the development of any science, thus serving a broad universe of design situations; as a science of complexity—in which systems science is extendible to the far reaches of human competence, enlarging the domain of demonstrable results in the service of humanity, relying on high discursivity and careful quality control; as a science of action—in which clear patterns of behavior essential to resolve problematic situations are identified, and the linguistic and infrastructure needs for carrying out such actions are clearly specified; as a science that is open to imports from other disciplines and incorporates means of identifying and integrating essential components of those disciplines, when clearly required in a problematic situation. It is proposed that systems science will fill all of these roles, being perceived by means of a hierarchical inclusion structure in which general concepts are applied to well‐specified purposes, reserving importation of methods from the specific disciplines to its applications arena. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Participatory democracy: drawing on C. West Churchman's thinking when making public policy
Authors: McIntyre Janet J.
Published: November 2003

The purpose of the paper is to not to restate or comment on the work of C. West Churchman, but to celebrate his contribution by means of an example of the practical, praxis potential of his work. The celebration is of an ongoing ‘work in progress’ project to address governance challenges by means of applying theory to practice and ‘learning by doing’. Churchman believed in the need for open systems and multiple viewpoints, in order to achieve better social inquiry outcomes. Participatory democracy is based on active, creative participation in policy making, not merely on voting.

This case study discusses being a ‘facilitator of facilitators’ who together are in the process of developing an integrated model for governance that is defined and owned by an Indigenous public housing association comprising groups of extended families (on 18 town camps) in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

The paper applies Churchman's thinking to participatory approaches to designing creative, systemic public policy. Flinders University and the Indigenous local‐level governance organization (a housing association) in Alice Springs are involved in addressing complex development challenges by working together in a community of practice that has been funded in part by a faculty grant and in part by the Centre of Remote Health, based at Flinders University and Northern Territory University. This systemic approach is based on iterative learning across disciplinary, cultural and organizational boundaries to strive for ‘good’ development and management outcomes. Dialectical thinking techniques are applied by members of a staff action group, called the TUT group, meaning both ‘a tutorial group’ in English and ‘working together’ in Arrernte. The praxis techniques applied include: ‘sweeping in’, ‘unfolding’, being mindful of values (‘religious, aesthetic, moral and political’, the so‐called ‘enemies within’) and their implications for the way we define and address problems. This group forms the community of practice. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generalized three‐dimensional flow due to a stretching sheet
Authors: Ariel P.D.
Published: November 2003

The three‐dimensional steady, laminar flow due to stretching of a sheet is considered. The governing equations of motion admit a similarity solution. By drawing an analogy with the flow due to a rotating disk it is demonstrated that the resulting boundary value problem admits a solution in terms of series of exponentially decaying functions. The solution is highly efficient and very accurate, as it eliminates the need of replacing numerical infinity in the range of integration by a finite value. Two perturbation solutions are also developed when the primary flow corresponds to the two‐dimensional case and the axisymmetric case. In each case the expansion is obtained up to the second degree term of the perturbation parameter. Finally, an approximate solution is derived, which is very simple and highly accurate.
Chemical and physical properties of bulk aerosols within four sectors observed during TRACE‐P
Authors: Jordan C. E. , Anderson B. E. , Talbot R. W. , Dibb J. E. , Fuelberg H. E. , Hudgins C. H. , Kiley C. M. , Russo R. , Scheuer E. , Seid G. , Thornhill K. L. , Winstead E.
Published: November 2003

Chemical and physical aerosol data collected on the DC‐8 during TRACE‐P were grouped into four sectors based on back trajectories. The four sectors represent long‐range transport from the west (WSW), regional circulation over the western Pacific and Southeast Asia (SE Asia), polluted transport from northern Asia with substantial sea salt at low altitudes (NNW) and a substantial amount of dust (Channel). WSW has generally low mixing ratios at both middle and high altitudes, with the bulk of the aerosol mass due to non‐sea‐salt water‐soluble inorganic species. Low altitude SE Asia also has low mean mixing ratios in general, with the majority of the aerosol mass comprised of non‐sea‐salts, however, soot is also relatively important in this region. NNW had the highest mean sea salt mixing ratios, with the aerosol mass at low altitudes (<2 km) evenly divided between sea salts, non‐sea‐salts, and dust. The highest mean mixing ratios of water‐soluble ions and soot were observed at the lowest altitudes (<2 km) in the Channel sector. The bulk of the aerosol mass exported from Asia emanates from Channel at both low and midaltitudes, due to the prevalence of dust compared to other sectors. Number densities show enhanced fine particles for Channel and NNW, while their volume distributions are enhanced due to sea salt and dust. Low‐altitude Channel exhibits the highest condensation nuclei (CN) number densities along with enhanced scattering coefficients, compared to the other sectors. At midaltitudes (2–7 km), low mean CN number densities coupled with a high proportion of nonvolatile particles (≥65%) observed in polluted sectors (Channel and NNW) are attributed to wet scavenging which removes hygroscopic CN particles. Low single scatter albedo in SE Asia reflects enhanced soot.
Siberian wetlands: Where a sink is a source
Authors: Friborg Thomas , Soegaard Henrik , Christensen Torben R. , Lloyd Colin R. , Panikov Nicolai S.
Published: November 2003

A greenhouse gas inventory can for some ecosystems be based solely on the net CO2 exchange with the atmosphere and the export of dissolved organic carbon. In contrast, the global warming effect may be more complex in ecosystems where other greenhouse gases such as CH4 or N2O have significant exchanges with the atmosphere. Through micrometeorological landscape‐scale measurements from the largest wetlands on Earth in West Siberia we show that CH4 has a stronger effect than CO2 on the greenhouse gas budget in terms of radiative forcing on the atmosphere. Direct measurements of the CO2 and CH4 exchange during the summer of 1999 show that these wetland ecosystems, on average, acted as net sinks of carbon of 0.5 g C m−2 day−1 but large net sources of CH4. Given the high Global Warming Potential of CH4, the Siberian wetlands are an important source of radiative forcing, even in comparison to anthropogenic emissions.
Locations of auroral kilometric radiation bursts inferred from multispacecraft wideband Cluster VLBI observations. 1: Description of technique and initial results
Authors: Mutel R. L. , Gurnett D. A. , Christopher I. W. , Pickett J. S. , Schlax M.
Published: November 2003

The Cluster Wideband Data instrument has been used to determine the locations of auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) using very long baseline interferometry. The technique involves cross‐correlating individual AKR bursts from all six Cluster baselines using time and frequency filtered waveforms. The resulting differential delay peaks are used to determine source locations with an uncertainty as small as 500 km in a plane perpendicular to the source‐spacecraft line of sight or about 200 km when the burst position is projected onto the auroral zone along the magnetic field lines passing through the source. The uncertainty along the line of sight is much larger, but this is mitigated by assuming that the emission arises from a height corresponding to the electron gyrofrequency. We report the locations of over 1700 individual AKR bursts during six observing epochs between 10 July 2002 and 22 January 2003 when the Cluster constellation was high above the Southern or Northern Hemisphere. In general we find that the AKR burst locations lie along magnetic field lines which map onto the nighttime auroral zone as expected from previous AKR studies. For the three observing epochs viewing the Northern Hemisphere, there is a strong tendency for AKR burst locations to be centered within the auroral oval and in the evening sector. The Southern Hemisphere burst locations favor magnetic local midnight to early morning and have somewhat higher invariant magnetic latitudes. The distribution of AKR auroral footprint locations at each epoch had a overall spatial scale between 1000 and 2000 km, much larger than the positional uncertainty of an individual AKR burst location magnetic footprint, but a small fraction of the auroral oval. This indicates that on a timescale of 1–3 hours conditions for suitable generation of AKR emission are found on only a fraction of all magnetic field lines crossing through the auroral oval. For two of the six epochs, there was a significant drift in the mean location of AKR activity over a period of 1–2 hours. The drift was predominantly in latitude at one epoch and in longitude at the other, with average drift speed V ∼ 80–90 m s−1 at the AKR emission location.
Evaluation of induced responses, insect population growth, and host‐plant fitness may change the outcome of tests of the preference‐performance hypothesis: a case study
Authors: Gonzáles Wilfredo L. , Gianoli Ernesto
Published: November 2003

The preference‐performance hypothesis predicts that insect preference should correspond to host suitability for offspring development. We studied the pattern of within‐plant preference in the aphid Sipha flava and its consequences for offspring performance on the host‐plant Sorghum halepense, regarding the role of induced responses of plants to aphid feeding. The consequences of within‐plant preference on aphid population growth and host‐plant traits were also evaluated. Our results showed that winged and wingless aphids preferred to settle on mature rather than young leaves. In contrast, aphid individual growth rate was higher on young leaves when compared with mature leaves, suggesting that the outcome of this test rejected the preference‐performance hypothesis. However, the inclusion of the factor ‘previous aphid infestation’ changed the outcome from a maladaptive choice to a neutral one. Thus, individual growth rates of S. flava increased when aphids developed on leaves that had been previously infested. Interestingly, aphid growth rate on previously infested leaves did not differ between young and mature leaves. On the other hand, aphid population reproductive rate was higher and the percentage of winged aphids lower when infestation occurred on mature rather than young leaves. Aphid infestation reduced plant and shoot biomass, and increased leaf mortality. These negative effects on plant traits related to plant fitness were greater when aphid infestation occurred on young leaves. Likewise, whereas infestation on mature leaves did not cause a significant reduction in the number of flowering plants compared with control plants, aphid infestation on young leaves did reduce the number of plants at the flowering stage. Consequently, if both the reproductive rate of aphids in the mid‐term, and host‐plant fitness are taken into account, the results indicate that aphid preference for mature leaves may be an adaptive choice, thus supporting the preference‐performance hypothesis.
The Relationship Between the Audit Committee and the Internal Audit Function: Evidence from Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Goodwin Jenny
Published: November 2003

This study examines the separate influence of independence and financial experience on audit committee relations with the internal audit function. Using data from Australia and New Zealand, the study focuses on audit committees and internal audit in both private and public sector entities. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire sent to chief internal auditors. The results suggest that independence and accounting experience have a complementary impact on audit committee relations with internal audit. Independence is more associated with issues of process while accounting experience is associated with the extent that the audit committee reviews the work of the internal audit function. There are also some differences based on country and sector. Overall, the findings have important implications for regulators in light of recent calls for audit committee members to have accounting expertise in addition to being independent.
Importance of rhizodeposition in the coupling of plant and microbial productivity
Authors: Paterson Eric
Published: November 2003

Plant roots influence the biological, chemical and physical properties of rhizosphere soil. These effects are a consequence of their growth, their activity and the exudation of organic compounds from them. In natural ecosystems, the linkages between inputs of carbon from plants and microbial activity driven by these inputs are central to our understanding of nutrient cycling in soil and the productivity of these systems. This coupling of plant and microbial productivity is also of increasing importance in agriculture, where the shift towards low‐input systems increases the dependence of plant production on nutrient cycling, as opposed to fertilizers. This review considers the processes by which plants can influence the cycling of nutrients in soil, and in particular the importance of organic inputs from roots in driving microbially mediated transformations of N. This coupling of plant inputs to the functioning of the microbial community is beneficial for acquisition of N by plants, particularly in low‐input systems. This occurs through stimulation of microbes that produce exoenzymes that degrade organic matter, and by promoting cycling of N immobilized in the microbial biomass via predation by protozoa. Also, plants increase the cycling of N by changes in exudation in response to nitrogen supply around roots, and in response to browsing by herbivores. Plants can release compounds in exudates that directly affect the expression of genes in microbes, and this may be an important way of controlling their function to the benefit of the plant.
Measurements of the soil microbial community for estimating the success of restoration
Authors: Harris J. A.
Published: November 2003

Land degradation is of concern in many countries. In order for timely and effective interventions to be made to reverse this degradation it is necessary to have objective measurements of ecosystem status. By measuring characteristics of the soil microbial community we can assess the status of the microbial ecosystem and in that sense the quality of the soil, and the potential for, and progress of, restoration after degradation.

Recent research has shown quantitatively how by measuring the soil microbial community we can assess degradation and the effects of management designed to reverse it. The size, composition and activity of the soil microbial community convincingly distinguish between systems, and between the impact of management strategies upon them. Measurements of these characteristics of the microbial community provide invaluable information for restoring degraded land and are ready for routine use. Specifically, profiles of phospholipid fatty acid contents, and substrate induced respiratory responses to different carbon substrates, will yield significant data upon which management decisions may be based.
Impact of ectomycorrhizas on the concentration and biodegradation of simple organic acids in a forest soil
Authors: Van Hees P. A. W. , Godbold D. L. , Jentschke G. , Jones D. L.
Published: November 2003

Simple organic acids seem to be important in many soil processes including nutrient uptake in the rhizosphere and long‐term pedogenic processes such as podzolization. The factors regulating the concentrations of these acids in soil, however, remain poorly understood. We have investigated one set of factors, namely the impact of ectomycorrhizal (Paxillus involutus) and non‐mycorrhizal Picea abies seedlings and humic acid on the concentration and dynamics of organic acids in soil solution. We did so over 10 months in laboratory columns containing soil from the E horizon of a sandy forest soil. Several organic acids were identified in the solution extracted from the root zone including oxalic, citric, malonic, succinic, acetic, formic and lactic acids at concentrations ranging from <0.1 to 2.3 µm. Both plants and ectomycorrhizas had significant effects on the concentration of organic acids in soil solution. In contrast, omitting P from the irrigation water appeared to have little effect on the concentrations. The microbial mineralization kinetics of oxalate conformed well to a single Michaelis–Menten equation. Further, the soil with the mycorrhizas had a significantly faster mineralization of oxalic acid over a wide concentration range than did the soil without ectomycorrhizas and without plants. We conclude that the oxalate flux through the soil with both trees and mycorrhizas is much faster than is evident from measurements of solution concentration at steady state. Humic acid had little effect on the concentrations of organic acids or dynamics in the soil solution. Oxalic acid concentrations in the soil solution were correlated with hyphal length, rate of microbial mineralization, soil respiration, and shoot to root weight ratio. We conclude that both mycorrhizas and plants have a large impact on organic acid cycling in forest soils.
Plant community composition affects the biomass, activity and diversity of microorganisms in limestone grassland soil
Authors: Johnson D. , Booth R. E. , Whiteley A. S. , Bailey M. J. , Read D. J. , Grime J. P. , Leake J. R.
Published: November 2003

The diversity and functional type of plants can affect the microbial biomass in the soil, its respiratory activity and the diversity of its bacterial population. We have studied these effects in microcosms of reconstituted limestone grassland containing (i) a 12‐species mixture of graminoids and forbs, (ii) a monoculture of the sedge Carex flacca, (iii) a monoculture of the grass Festuca ovina, and (iv) similar soil without plants. Microbial biomass was significantly greater in soil under monocultures of F. ovina than in the other microcosms. Basal respiration was largest in the F. ovina and mixed‐species treatments where values were more than double those in the C. flacca and bare soil microcosms. The basal respiration was strongly linearly related to plant productivity (r = 0.89). Analysis of the active bacterial population by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S rRNA revealed its diversity to be significantly greater in the C. flacca and bare soil treatments than in the F. ovina or mixed‐species microcosms. This suggests that the functional type of plants has a strong influence on the composition of the bacterial community. We hypothesize that the discriminating functional attribute leading to a reduction of bacterial diversity in these microcosms was the presence in the F. ovina and mixed‐plant communities of an active arbuscular–mycorrhizal mycelium that is absent from bare soil and monocultures of C. flacca.
The nature of technology‐mediated interaction in globalized distance education
Authors: Vrasidas Charalambos , Zembylas Michalinos
Published: November 2003

The purpose of this paper is to discuss technology‐mediated communication and interaction in globalized distance education. We will briefly present the context, methods, findings, and implications of a research and development program we have been running for the last five years at Western Illinois University in collaboration with other institutions in the US, Mexico, and Cyprus (Intercollege). The emphasis will be on discussing the differences between face‐to‐face (F2F) and technology‐mediated interaction. Online interaction may be slower and ‘lacking’ in continuity, richness, and immediacy, when compared to F2F interaction; however, in some ways online interaction may be as good as or even superior to F2F interaction. We will use selected findings from our work to theorize the nature of interaction in online distance education in a globalized world. Our argument is that despite differences between F2F and online distance education, the latter should not be considered as second best, because there are significant qualities of online education that are often ignored.
Supporting the global e‐teacher
Authors: McNaught Carmel
Published: November 2003

This paper describes the scope of the challenge needed to support university teaching staff to become effective global e‐teachers. This challenge involves teachers in broadening their understanding of cultural diversity, as well as acquiring new skills in educational design and online teaching and learning. Three ways of supporting teachers are described: growth of individual teachers’ skills and confidence, a focus on curriculum and educational design, and development of appropriate university policy. In reality, support is needed in all three areas. Finally, some general principles for staff development of the global e‐teacher are suggested.
Transdermal delivery of erythromycin lactobionate—implications for the therapy of gastroparesis
Authors: Brand R. M. , Lof J. , Quigley E. M. M.
Published: November 2003

Background:

The treatment of many diseases may be complicated by abnormalities in gastric emptying. Gastric motor dysfunction may lead to unpredictable food and medication delivery to the small intestine, their site of absorption. Prokinetic agents improve gastric motility, but orally administered drugs are unreliably absorbed, thereby limiting their effectiveness. A method of delivering prokinetic agents which bypasses the gastrointestinal tract could lead to more effective treatment.

Methods:

Skin samples from rat, hairless mouse and man were placed in an in vitro diffusion chamber. The epidermal side of the skin was exposed to erythromycin lactobionate and passage of the drug across the skin sample monitored and quantitated by high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection.

Results:

Erythromycin passed across all skin types tested. Steady‐state flux across hairless mouse skin was greater than for rat, full thickness human skin and human epidermis. In the first 3 h following introduction of erythromycin lactobionate, 1.85 mg/cm2 crossed human epidermis. Given that a dose of 50 mg may exert prokinetic effects in vivo in man, increasing the patch size to ≈28 cm2 should provide therapeutic levels of drug within 3 h.

Conclusions:

Erythromycin lactobionate, when administered transdermally, can be delivered at levels sufficient to treat gastroparesis. This technique warrants in vivo investigation.
H2‐receptor antagonists and antacids have an aggravating effect on Helicobacter pylori gastritis in duodenal ulcer patients
Authors: MEINING A. , BOSSECKERT H. , CASPARY W. F. , NAUERT C. , STOLTE M.
Published: November 2003

Background: Antacids, such as aluminium–magnesium hydroxide (AlMg(OH)3), or H2‐receptor antagonists, such as ranitidine, are common drugs used for treating peptic ulcer disease and acid‐related symptoms.

Methods: In a prospective double‐blind controlled study, 174 patients were randomized to a 4‐week course of treatment with either AlMg(OH)3 (acid‐binding capacity: 280 mval/day) or ranitidine 300 mg for active Helicobacter pylori‐associated duodenal ulcers (as determined by histology and the urease test). Before and after treatment, two biopsy specimens each were obtained from the antrum and corpus, and the grade and activity of gastritis, as well as H. pylori density, were determined using a score ranging from 0 = none to 4 = severe.

Results: Pre‐ and post‐treatment histology were available for 138 patients (AlMg(OH)3: 67, ranitidine: 71). Treatment with AlMg(OH)3 significantly increased the activity of corpus gastritis (Wilcoxon signed‐rank: P = 0.0014), while ranitidine treatment significantly increased both the grade and activity of corpus gastritis (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.0001 respectively). In the antrum, both regimens provoked a significant increase in the frequency of intestinal metaplasia, but this may be a consequence of sampling error.

Conclusions: Ranitidine and AlMg(OH)3 have an aggravating effect on H. pylori gastritis in duodenal ulcer patients. This should be considered a side‐effect of the respective drugs and is more pronounced with ranitidine.
urea breath tests for detecting Helicobacter pylori
Authors: GODDARD A. F. , LOGAN R. P. H.
Published: November 2003

The urea breath test (UBT) is the most sensitive and specific non‐invasive test for the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection both before and after treatment. Labelling of the urea with either 13C or 14C has relative advantages and disadvantages. 13C‐UBTs are both safe and well‐validated, and have the additional advantage that they can be used in children. However, the initial capital costs of 13CO2 analysis are large compared to those for 14CO2. The protocol details for use of the 13C‐UBT are variable: a test meal is important if urea solution is to be used and a single sample time point at 30 min is adequate. The recent development of novel formulations of 13C urea and new analytical techniques for the measurement of 13CO2 should allow reduction in the length of the test and its cost; they may herald a more widespread clinical application of this useful test.
Effects of an isotonic oral rehydration solution, enriched with glutamine, on fluid and sodium absorption in patients with short‐bowel syndrome
Authors: BEAUGERIE L. , CARBONNEL F. , HECKETSWEILER B. , DÉCHELOTTE P. , GENDRE J.‐P. , COSNES J.
Published: November 2003

Aim: To compare the effects of a standard oral rehydration solution with a polymeric glucose isotonic solution enriched with glutamine on water and sodium absorption in the short bowel.

Methods: Six patients with high jejunostomy were tested in a random order on 2 consecutive days with the standard solution (20 g/L glucose, 94 mmol/L sodium, 292 mOsm/kg osmolality) and a solution containing maltodextrins (18 g/L Glucidex 12; hydrolysis of 18 g of Glucidex 12 yields 20 g glucose) enriched with 14.6 g/L of glutamine (94 mmol/L sodium, 282 mOsm/kg osmolality). Solutions were administered via a naso‐gastric tube at a rate of 2 mL/min. Jejunal effluent for each solution was collected during an 8‐h period, after a 14‐h equilibrium period.

Results: The net 8‐h fluid absorption was not significantly different between the standard solution and the solution with glutamine (333 ± 195 and 213 ± 251 mL, respectively (mean ± S.E.M.)). Net sodium absorption was higher for the standard solution than for the solution with glutamine (15 ± 15 vs. 2 ± 20 mmol, P < 0.05). The rate of glucose absorption was not different between the solutions.

Conclusion: The replacement of glucose by maltodextrins and the addition of glutamine to the standard oral rehydration solution, without changing its sodium content or osmolality, results in a reduction of sodium absorption in the short‐bowel syndrome.
The utility of the 13C‐galactose breath test as a measure of liver function
Authors: Saadeh S. , Behrens P. W. , Parsi M. A. , Carey W. D. , Connor J. T. , Grealis M. , Barnes D. S.
Published: November 2003

Background : The 13C‐galactose breath test has been reported to be an accurate, non‐invasive method for the assessment of liver function.

Aims : To determine the optimal doses of labelled and unlabelled carrier galactose necessary to perform the 13C‐galactose breath test, to assess the utility of the 13C‐galactose breath test in distinguishing between normal subjects and those with liver cirrhosis and to determine whether the 13C‐galactose breath test can stratify patients with cirrhosis based on their Child–Pugh score.

Methods : Twenty‐three control subjects and 30 patients with liver cirrhosis received fixed doses of unlabelled carrier galactose and labelled 13C‐galactose. Breath samples were collected just before and at 30‐min intervals up to 4 h after the ingestion of unlabelled carrier galactose and labelled 13C‐galactose. Each sample was analysed for its 13CO2 content.

Results : Doses of 25 g/m2 of unlabelled carrier galactose and 100 mg of 13C‐galactose had the greatest sensitivity (93%; 95% confidence interval, 76–99%) and specificity (87%; 95% confidence interval, 65–97%) for distinguishing between normal subjects and cirrhotics when the test was performed 2 h after ingestion. The 13C‐galactose breath test was also able to distinguish between class A and class B or C cirrhotics.

Conclusion : The 13C‐galactose breath test is a useful non‐invasive tool for distinguishing between healthy subjects and patients with liver cirrhosis and between cirrhotics with well‐compensated liver disease and those with decompensated liver disease.