bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Papular cutaneous lesions in a cat associated with feline infectious peritonitis
Authors: Declercq Jan , De Bosschere Hendrik , Schwarzkopf Ilona , Declercq Lies
Published: August 2008

A 7‐month‐old‐intact male domestic shorthair cat was presented with fever, anterior uveitis in the right eye and respiratory distress when handled. These signs along with mild changes in serum protein levels and the exclusion of other potential causes were suggestive of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). As the disease progressed, more clinical signs consistent with FIP, including renal involvement and later pleural effusion, became evident. Non‐pruritic cutaneous lesions, characterized by slightly raised intradermal papules over the dorsal neck and over both lateral thoracic walls, were recognized at the end stage of the disease. The identification of papules in well‐haired skin was difficult, and clipping of the fur facilitated their detection. Definitive diagnosis of FIP was made by histopathology and by immunohistochemical demonstration of coronavirus antigen in macrophages within kidney and skin lesions. The case was classified as a mixed form of FIP. Recognition of associated cutaneous lesions may facilitate a diagnosis of FIP in suspicious cases.
Amplification of papillomaviral DNA sequences from a high proportion of feline cutaneousin situand invasive squamous cell carcinomas using a nested polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Munday John S. , Kiupel Matti , French Adrienne F. , Howe Laryssa
Published: August 2008

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are common skin tumours of cats. Previous studies have suggested that papillomaviral (PV) DNA is detectible within some feline SCCs. A PV DNA sequence has been previously amplified from five feline bowenoidin situcarcinomas (BISCs). Primers specific for this sequence were used in a nested polymerase chain reaction to compare PV detection rates in SCCs to rates within non‐SCC skin lesions. Papillomaviral DNA was amplified from 20 of 20 BISC, 17 of 20 invasive SCC and 3 of 17 non‐SCC controls. The rate of PV amplification from feline cutaneous SCCs was significantly higher than from non‐SCC lesions. These results confirm that feline cutaneous SCCs are associated with PV infection. In humans, there is evidence that PVs promote SCC development within sun‐exposed skin. The demonstrated association between PVs and feline cutaneous SCCs suggests, but does not prove, that PVs may also promote feline SCC development. If PVs are oncogenic in cats, prevention of PV infection may reduce feline cutaneous SCC development. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that PV DNA has been amplified from a non‐SCC sample of feline skin.
Influence of inflammation and coat type on oestrogen receptor immunohistochemistry
Authors: Kirzeder Elizabeth M. , Frank Linda A. , Sowers Kristi D. , Rohrbach Barton W. , Donnell Robert L.
Published: August 2008

The purpose of this study was to evaluate oestrogen receptor alpha staining in a variety of breeds and skin conditions. The influence of inflammation and coat type on the presence and intensity of oestrogen receptor alpha staining was evaluated. Approximately 1700 haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)‐stained slides of skin biopsies were screened for presence of small hair bulbs. Slides from 94 cases were submitted for oestrogen receptor alpha immunohistochemistry. H&E‐stained skin biopsy tissues were examined for inflammation and hair follicle stages. Oestrogen receptor alpha staining characteristics of telogen follicles, flame follicles, large anagen bulbs, small hair bulbs and early anagen hairs (capped bulbs) were recorded. To assess the influence of inflammation and coat type on oestrogen receptor staining of hair follicle types, chi‐square tests, Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression models were performed. Slides were classified as inflammatory (65) and noninflammatory (29). There were no statistically significant differences in oestrogen receptor staining when comparing inflammatory to noninflammatory skin biopsies or skin biopsies from dogs with different coat types. A subset of 13 noninflammatory biopsies from alopecic skin was identified. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of flame follicles in this subset as compared to all others. Comparison of oestrogen receptor staining of hair follicle types from these biopsies and all other biopsies revealed a statistically significant increase in the number of mature telogen hair follicles stained in this subset. No statistical difference in staining of early follicle stages was noted. Therefore, the oestrogen receptor is unlikely to be the controlling factor for the transition from telogen to anagen in the dog.
Pets as the main source of two zoonotic species of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex in Switzerland, Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii and Arthroderma benhamiae
Authors: Drouot Stéphane , Mignon Bernard , Fratti Marina , Roosje Petra , Monod Michel
Published: August 2008

In cases of highly inflammatory dermatophytosis in humans, it is important to identify the possible source of animal transmission in order to prevent recurrence, family outbreaks or rapidly progressing epidemics. A survey of dermatophytes in pets during a 14‐month period in Switzerland revealed, in addition to Microsporum canis, two different species of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex, Arthroderma benhamiae and Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii, all causing inflammatory dermatophytoses. Arthroderma benhamiae was only and frequently isolated from guinea pigs. Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii was isolated mainly from European short hair cats, but also from dogs and in one case from a pure‐bred cat. Ninety‐three percent of the cats carrying A. vanbreuseghemii were hunters and all had skin lesions. In contrast, cats with skin lesions that were strictly indoors were found to be almost exclusively infected by M. canis. Therefore, it can be suspected that infection with A. vanbreuseghemii occurred during hunting and that the natural source of this dermatophyte is either soil or an animal other than the cat, most probably a rodent.
CLINICAL STUDY: Subjective responses and cardiovascular effects of self‐administered cocaine in cocaine‐abusing men and women
Authors: Lynch Wendy J. , Kalayasiri Rasmon , Sughondhabirom Atapol , Pittman Brian , Coric Vladimir , Morgan Peter T. , Malison Robert T.
Published: August 2008

This study aimed to examine sex differences in cocaine self‐administration and cocaine‐induced subjective and cardiovascular measures. The research was based on secondary analysis of data collected in our human laboratory in which subjects self‐administered cocaine infusions (8, 16 and 32 mg/70 kg) over a 2‐hour period under a fixed ratio 1, 5 minute time out schedule in three test sessions. Subjects were 10 women and 21 men with a history of either cocaine abuse or dependence who were not currently seeking treatment. Women and men self‐administered similar amounts of cocaine. None of the subjective effects measures showed a significant main effect of sex during the cocaine self‐administration session. Significant interactions were observed for subjective ratings of ‘high’ (sex × time) and ‘stimulated’ (sex × time × dose), with women reporting lower ratings over time/doses than men. Relative to men, cocaine produced dose‐ and time‐dependent increases in feelings of hunger (i.e., reduced appetite suppression) in women. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures showed different patterns of change in men and women, with women showing less robust cocaine‐induced increases than men. Taken together, these findings suggest that women and men may differ in their subjective and cardiovascular responses to self‐administered cocaine. Further research that prospectively controls for hormonal influences upon these measures is needed.
GENETIC STUDY: Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene and alcohol use among college students
Authors: Gacek Paul , Conner Tamlin S. , Tennen Howard , Kranzler Henry R. , Covault Jonathan
Published: August 2008

Genes that regulate serotonin activity are regarded as promising predictors of heavy alcohol use. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH2) plays an important role in serotonergic neurotransmission by serving as the rate‐limiting enzyme for serotonin biosynthesis in the midbrain and serotonergic neurons. Despite the link between TPH2 and serotonergic function, TPH2's role in the pathogenesis of alcohol‐use disorders remains unclear. The goal of this study was to examine whether a variation in the TPH2 gene is associated with risky alcohol consumption. Specifically, this study examined whether the TPH2 G‐703T polymorphism predicted alcohol consumption among college students. In two successive years, 351 undergraduates were asked to record their alcohol use each day for 30 days using an Internet‐based electronic diary. Participants' DNA was collected and polymerase chain reaction genotyping was performed. Results show that alcohol consumption was not associated with the TPH2 G‐703T polymorphism alone, or the interaction of TPH2 with two other candidate polymorphisms (TPH1 C218A and the SLC6A4 tri‐allelic 5‐HTTLPR), or negative life events. In conclusion, this study supports recent null findings relating TPH2 to drinking outcomes. It also extends these findings by showing null interactions with the TPH1 C218A polymorphism, the SLC6A4 tri‐allelic 5‐HTTLPR polymorphism and environmental stressors in predicting sub‐clinical alcohol use among Caucasian American young adults.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: Systemic administration of ghrelin induces conditioned place preference and stimulates accumbal dopamine
Authors: Jerlhag Elisabet
Published: August 2008

Ghrelin, preferably via hypothalamic circuits, is known to play a role in the control of energy balance, body weight homeostasis and appetite. In addition, it has recently been found that ghrelin injection into key structures of the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system increases food intake in rodents and induces locomotor stimulation as well as accumbal DA overflow in mice. Thus, centrally administered ghrelin activates the mesolimbic DA system. However, ghrelin is mainly produced in and secreted from peripheral tissues. The present series of experiments were therefore undertaken to investigate the effects of peripherally injected ghrelin on mesolimbic DA system activity and, herewith, associated behaviours. It was found that intraperitoneal administration of ghrelin (0.33 mg/kg) induces locomotor stimulation, conditioned place preference and accumbal DA‐overflow in mice. In conclusion, peripherally produced ghrelin, e.g. in the stomach, may activate the mesolimbic DA system. This suggests that the pre‐prandial rise in plasma ghrelin may, via this system, increase the incentive value for motivated behaviours such as food seeking.
CLINICAL STUDY: Cannabimimetic effects modulated by cholinergic compounds
Authors: McPartland John M. , Blanchon Dan J. , Musty Richard E.
Published: August 2008

This report is based upon a clinical case series describing five patients who volitionally adultered cannabis with a variety of compounds that shared a common trait—cholinergic modulation. They included a nicotinic agonist, muscarinic antagonist and antiacetylcholinesterase compounds. Some of these compounds (e.g. tobacco) are known to exert pharmacokinetic effects upon cannabinoids (e.g. improved drug absorption). Contrarily, our patients claimed that the compounds altered pharmacodynamic ‘cannabimimetic’ effects. The case series was supported by forensic identification of adulterants and by use of a symptom causality algorithm. A survey of the gray literature and drug culture web sites indicated that the case series portended a larger social phenomenon. Furthermore, many clinical reports, animal behaviour studies and in vitro mechanistic studies substantiated our observations. In conclusion, we provide empirical data regarding a new trend in the drug culture—cholinergic modulation of cannabinoid effects—that presents new research directions.
T‐cell PTLD presenting as acalculous cholecystitis
Authors: Miloh Tamir , Magid Margret , Yurovitsky Alyssa , Strauchen James , Arnon Ronen , Kerkar Nanda , Rosenberg Henrietta , Joashi Umesh , Bhojwani Deepa
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  We report a five‐yr‐old child, presenting three yr after heart transplant with acalculous cholecystitis. Histology revealed EBV negative T‐cell PTLD. The disease involved the gallbladder, liver, lungs, and mesenteric lymph nodes. He was treated with chemotherapy, went into remission, but relapsed after 11 months and died.
The technical pitfalls of duct‐to‐duct biliary reconstruction in pediatric living‐donor left‐lobe liver transplantation: The impact of stent placement
Authors: Sakamoto Seisuke , Egawa Hiroto , Ogawa Kohei , Ogura Yasuhiro , Oike Fumitaka , Ueda Mikiko , Yazumi Shujiro , Shibata Toshiya , Takada Yasutsugu , Uemoto Shinji
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  The feasibility of D‐D biliary reconstruction in pediatric LDLT using a left‐lobe graft is still controversial. The medical records of 19 pediatric patients (age: four months to 16 yr) were reviewed. The biliary reconstruction was performed in an end‐to‐end fashion using absorbable sutures. An external biliary tube was placed into the bile duct through the anastomotic site (n = 10) and not through the anastomotic site (n = 4). An external tube was not used in five patients. The median follow‐up was 4.7 yr. Nine patients had 11 biliary complications (leakage, n = 2; stricture, n = 7; stricture with leakage, n = 2). Due to biliary complications, conversion to an R‐Y was required in five patients, and four patients required radiological or endoscopic management. The patients younger than one yr of age required conversion to R‐Y within one wk after LDLT. The analysis of factors related to biliary complications revealed that the use of a trans‐anastomotic biliary tube was the only significant factor to avoid biliary complications. In conclusion, D‐D biliary reconstruction in LDLT using a left‐lobe graft is feasible in selected cases, though it remains challenging. The use of a trans‐anastomotic biliary tube is important to avoid biliary complications.
The reduced left lateral segment in pediatric liver transplantation: An alternative to the monosegment graft
Authors: Attia M. S. , Stringer M. D. , McClean P. , Prasad K. R.
Published: August 2008

Abstract:  Tailoring graft size to small paediatric recipients is a challenge. We have developed a reduced left lateral segment as an alternative to monosegment transplantation for small size recipients. Since November 2000, 89 children have been transplanted with 100 deceased donor liver grafts in our unit. Our median patient and graft survival is 89% and 88% respectively. Four of these cases were performed using a new technique of creating a small donor graft by reducing the left lateral segment. The median weight of the reduced liver graft was 264 g (range: 165–390 g). The median blood transfusion requirement was 101 mL/kg body weight (range 69–167 mL/kg). The median values of peak ALT were 1473 IU/L, INR 2.2 and bilirubin 293 μmol/L in the first two wk following surgery. One neonatal recipient died five days after transplantation from a massive intracranial haemorrhage despite satisfactory graft function. Another recipient with excellent graft function died 10 months later from primary pulmonary hypertension and secondary cardiac failure. Hepatic artery thrombosis occurred in one patient with successful revascularization but he was retransplanted three months later for chronic rejection. No biliary or venous outflow complications occurred in this group. This technique of reduced left lateral segment liver transplantation is an alternative to the monosegment graft and allows small recipients to be successfully transplanted with few technical complications related to graft preparation.
Potential influence of tacrolimus and steroid avoidance on early graft function in pediatric renal transplantation
Authors: Li L. , Weintraub L. , Concepcion W. , Martin J. P. , Miller K. , Salvatierra O. , Sarwal M. M.
Published: August 2008

Abstract: With the increasing adoption of steroid‐sparing immunosuppression protocols in renal transplantation, it is important to evaluate any adverse effects of steroid avoidance on graft function. Early graft function, measured by CrCl was retrospectively studied in 158 consecutive pediatric renal transplant recipients from 1996 to 2005, receiving either steroid‐free or steroid‐based immunosuppression. Patients receiving steroid‐free immunosuppression vs. steroid‐based immunosuppression had no difference change in CrCl (ΔCrCl) in the first week post‐transplantation (p = 0.12). When stratified by corticosteroid usage, patients with higher tacrolimus trough levels (≥14 ng/mL) had slower graft function recovery in the first week post‐transplantation than those with lower tacrolimus trough levels (p = 0.008) in the steroid‐free group only. Despite initial slower graft function recovery in this subgroup, there was no negative impact on graft function in the steroid‐free group; in fact steroid‐free patients trended towards better CrCl at six months (p = 0.047) and 12 months (p < 0.001) post‐transplant than the steroid‐based group. With the improved immunological outcomes with steroid avoidance, close surveillance should be performed of tacrolimus levels to avoid levels >14 ng/mL. In patients with slow recovery of early graft function, short‐term perioperative steroids may be considered.
Natural selection drives patterns of lake–stream divergence in stickleback foraging morphology
Authors: BERNER D. , ADAMS D. C. , GRANDCHAMP A.‐C. , HENDRY A. P.
Published: August 2008

To what extent are patterns of biological diversification determined by natural selection? We addressed this question by exploring divergence in foraging morphology of threespine stickleback fish inhabiting lake and stream habitats within eight independent watersheds. We found that lake fish generally displayed more developed gill structures and had more streamlined bodies than did stream fish. Diet analysis revealed that these morphological differences were associated with limnetic vs. benthic foraging modes, and that the extent of morphological divergence within watersheds reflected differences in prey resources utilized by lake and stream fish. We also found that patterns of divergence were unrelated to patterns of phenotypic trait (co)variance within populations (i.e. the ‘line of least resistance’). Instead, phenotypic (co)variances were more likely to have been shaped by adaptation to lake vs. stream habitats. Our study thus implicates natural selection as a strong deterministic force driving morphological diversification in lake–stream stickleback. The strength of this inference was obtained by complementing a standard analysis of parallel divergence in means between discrete habitat categories (lake vs. stream) with quantitative estimates of selective forces and information on trait (co)variances.
Identification and molecular analysis of candidate genes homologous toHcrVfgenes for scab resistance in apple
Authors: Boudichevskaia A. , Flachowsky H. , Dunemann F.
Published: August 2008

The genetic locus for resistance to apple scab most frequently used in apple breeding isVf, derived fromMalus floribunda821. For theVflocus a cluster of four resistance gene paralogs (called asHcrVfgenes) encoding receptor‐like proteins (RLP) with similarity to the tomatoCfresistance genes is known. Based on published sequences forHcrVf1andHcrVf2PCR primers were designed from the domain B and the variable leucine‐rich repeat (LRR) C1 subdomain. PCR products with high amino acid identity (85–100%) toHcrVf1andHcrVf2were obtained not only fromM. floribunda821 andVfcultivars but also from other apple scab resistance sources, such as ‘Russian Seedling’ R12740‐7A (Vrresistance) or ‘Antonovka polutorafuntovaya’ (VAresistance). A series of 13HcrVfcandidate genes have been partly cloned from the PCR fragments spanning N‐terminal LRRs 20–30. A considerable number of amino acid exchanges within the solvent‐exposed xxLxLxx structural motives were detected among the homologous sequences. Expression analyses and mapping focused on a selectedVf‐homologous candidate gene (calledVf2ARD) identified in resistantMalusgenotypes known for carrying other scab resistance genes thanVf. RT‐PCR experiments showed thatVf2ARDis expressed under pathogen‐free conditions. The results of a quantitative PCR‐based transcription profiling suggest that this gene is scab‐inducible in some resistant cultivars.Vf2ARDhas been mapped on linkage group LG 1. It is separated from theVfgene cluster with a genetic distance of about 2 cM and might be a member of a secondVf ‐like locus on apple linkage group LG 1.
Iron localization in superficial siderosis of the central nervous system
Authors: Kellermier Harry , Wang Guoji , Wiley Clayton
Published: August 2008

Originally conceived as an uncommon disorder, with the advent of MRI, CNS superficial siderosis has been observed more frequently. We present histologic, histochemical, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescent and ultrastructural evaluation of a 56‐year‐old woman with superficial siderosis. Iron was concentrated in macrophages, superficial astrocytes and gray matter oligodendroglia deep within the cord. While spatially associated with dystrophic glial and neuronal spheroids, iron did not colocalize with mitochondria. Neurotoxic effects were observed despite selective iron localization only within a variety of non‐neuronal cell types.
The power of routine and special observations: producing civility in a public acute psychiatric unit
Authors: Hamilton Bridget , Manias Elizabeth
Published: August 2008

The power of routine and special observations: producing civility in a public acute psychiatric unit

This study directly addresses controlling aspects of psychiatric nursing practice, which are currently marginalised in practice and research. We first consider the discursive tensions surrounding the mandated goal of social control in public acute psychiatric units, particularly referring to those units located within medical hospitals. We attest to the enduring social control mandate in psychiatric nursing and explore ways in which it is enacted.

Specific nursing practices of ‘doing the obs’ while scanning the ward and ‘special observations’ are investigated as important activities of social control, based on findings from an ethnographic study in one acute psychiatric unit in Australia. These practices are acknowledged as key modes of nursing surveillance. Contrary to past work, they are regarded as productive for engendering civil conduct among patients in acute psychiatric settings. We reframe these activities of surveillance as liberal therapeutic practices in themselves, to the extent that they assist patients to achieve treatment goals and promote self‐surveillance and self‐control. Instead of effacing practices of control, we encourage nurses to discriminate between more and less liberal modes of control in everyday practice and to build their skills in liberal controlling strategies.
Personality disorders: illegitimate subject positions
Authors: Crowe Marie
Published: August 2008

Personality disorders: illegitimate subject positions

The diagnosis of personality disorder is common in mental health nurse settings and is a term often used without critical consideration. In clinical practice, the term personality disorder has pejorative connotations, which arise out of the way in which these behaviours are constructed as behavioural rather than psychiatric. The discursive construction of categories of personality disorder are inculcated into clinical practice and become taken‐for‐granted by those in practice culture. The construction of some personalities as disordered and, therefore, illegitimate becomes natural. This paper provides a critical analysis of the diagnosis and suggests an approach to mental health nursing care that is more legitimising for those people who receive psychiatric diagnoses.
Establishment and characterization of in vivo human tumor models in the NOD/SCID/γcnull mouse
Authors: Fujii Etsuko , Suzuki Masami , Matsubara Koichi , Watanabe Miho , Chen Yu Jau , Adachi Kenji , Ohnishi Yasuyuki , Tanigawa Manabu , Tsuchiya Masayuki , Tamaoki Norikazu
Published: August 2008

Immunodeficient mice are widely used for xenografts of human cells and tissue. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of xenograft human tumor models using engraftment of various non‐hematopoietic tumors in the NOD/SCID/γcnull mouse. For tumor models, human solid tumor tissues were serially passaged three or more times to establish tissue lines. A total of 326 fresh tumor specimens, mainly gastrointestinal and female genital tissue, were engrafted with 54 established tissue lines. The types of tissue lines varied and included tumor tissue of both epithelial and mesenchymal origin. In some cases the original surgical specimen was replaced with large mononuclear cells. In the established tumor tissue lines, differentiation and tumor structure were similar to that of the original surgical specimen. The interstitium of the xenograft tissue in the tissue lines was relatively well preserved although slightly decreased and replaced by host tissue. These results indicate that human solid tumors can be successfully engrafted into the NOD/SCID/γcnull mouse and that tissue lines with the characteristics of the original tumors can be established. Investigators in the field of tumor research will benefit from the availability of tissue lines that allow the establishment of more relevant in vivo human tissue models.
Obesity and positive surgical margins by anatomic location after radical prostatectomy: results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database
Authors:   The SEARCH Database Study Group:, Jayachandran Jayakrishnan , Aronson William J. , Terris Martha K. , Presti Jr Joseph C. , Amling Christopher L. , Kane Christopher J. , Freedland Stephen J.
Published: August 2008

OBJECTIVES

To determine if there is predilection for any specific anatomical location of positive surgical margins (PSMs) after radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer in obese men, as previous studies found that obesity was associated with an increased risk of PSMs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We analysed retrospectively 1434 men treated with RP between 1989 and 2007 within the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database. The association between increased body mass index (BMI) and overall and site‐specific PSMs was assessed using multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

After adjusting for several preoperative clinical and pathological characteristics, a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of PSMs both overall and at all specific anatomical locations (all P ≤ 0.007). For mildly obese men, this risk was very similar across all anatomical sites (44–78% increased risk relative to men of normal weight). When BMI was coded as a continuous variable, the odds ratio for the risk of overall PSMs or at any specific locations was nearly identical at 1.05–1.06. Among men with a BMI of ≥35 kg/m2, there was more variation, with the highest excess risk of PSMs at the bladder neck and apex.

CONCLUSIONS

Obesity was associated with an increased risk of overall PSMs and at all anatomical locations. Although the excess risk of PSMs was similar across all anatomical locations, there was a suggestion of a higher risk of apical margins among the most obese men, which if validated, further supports the importance of the apical dissection in all men and suggests added difficulty in obese patients.
Prebiotic inulin‐type fructans: nutritional benefits beyond dietary fibre source
Authors: Alexiou H. , Franck A.
Published: August 2008

Summary  For several years, there has been an increasing awareness of the fundamental role that the complex bacterial ecosystem plays in our health. Inulin and oligofructose are prebiotic dietary fibres naturally present in the chicory root. They escape metabolism in the small intestine, and their selective fermentation by the human colonic microflora leads to a shift in the composition of the indigenous bacterial ecosystem, in favour of health‐promoting bifidobacteria. In addition to their dietary fibre effects on improved bowel regularity, several physiological advantages are linked to their specific pattern of fermentation in the colon, including improved mineral absorption, enhanced natural host defences and colonic protection, improved gut health, and beneficial influence on appetite regulation. The aim of the present review was to highlight the nutritional benefits of inulin‐type fructans, focusing on key physiological functions.
Audit quality, auditor compensation and initial public offering underpricing
Authors: Chang Xin , Gygax André F. , Oon Elaine , Zhang Hong Feng
Published: August 2008

We jointly study the impact of audit quality on auditor compensation and initial public offering (IPO) underpricing using a sample of Australian firms going public over the period 1996–2003. We find that quality (Big Four) audit firms earn significantly higher fees than non‐Big Four auditors, and audit quality is positively associated with IPO underpricing. The positive relation between audit quality and underpricing is more pronounced for small issues, IPOs underwritten by non‐prestigious underwriters, and those that are not backed by venture capitalists. Taken together, our results suggest that quality auditors serve as a signalling device that enhances post‐issue market value of equity.
Tournament Rituals, Category Dynamics, and Field Configuration: The Case of the Booker Prize
Authors: Anand N. , Jones Brittany C.
Published: August 2008

abstract In this article we theorize the ways in which tournament rituals, in the form of prominent industry award ceremonies, configure organizational fields. We review field theory to distil four criteria to which field‐configuring mechanisms should conform. We undertake an archival study of the Booker Prize for Fiction to explore how this tournament ritual has configured the field of contemporary English‐language literature by championing the distinctive category of post‐colonial fiction.
Showdown at Kykuit: Field‐Configuring Events as Loci for Conventionalizing Accounts
Authors: McInerney Paul‐Brian
Published: August 2008

abstract Despite the centrality of fields as a concept in organizational research, the processes by which fields form and change have not been studied in great depth. By situating action in time and space, field‐configuring events (FCEs) offer valuable settings for researchers seeking insight into such processes. This paper develops a theory of accounts as a way to understand a mechanism by which institutional entrepreneurs seek to shape fields and influence the institutions that govern them. Actors produce and distribute justified accounts – narratives that describe the way work in the field ought to be done – and attempt to persuade powerful actors in the field to adopt them as conventions. FCEs can thus be understood as loci for conventionalizing accounts. The theory of accounts and field‐level change is illustrated with a case study of a turning point FCE during which competing institutional entrepreneurs in the field of ‘non‐profit technology assistance providers’ present alternative accounts. Successful institutional entrepreneurship comes from recognizing political opportunities to align one's account with the dominant orders of worth in the field, thereby convincing powerful actors to accept one's account as convention.
Using Field‐Configuring Events for Sense‐Making: A Cognitive Network Approach
Authors: Oliver Amalya L , Montgomery Kathleen
Published: August 2008

abstract We explore the usefulness of network analytical techniques to reveal the structure of shared cognitions among participants at a field‐configuring event. Using transcripts from a professional conference at a pivotal moment in the emergence of the Jewish lawyers group in pre‐state Israel, we analyse the relationships of actors and topics raised at the 1944 meeting. Our analysis demonstrates the underlying centrality of a subset of topics and actors that facilitated shared cognitive sense‐making. Subsequent events are consistent with our interpretation that the revealed shared cognitions helped mobilize changes in the organizational field and its institutional logic, including growth in the Jewish legal profession and Jewish judges, use of Hebrew in courts, and establishment of an Israeli bar.
Guest Editors’ Introduction
Authors: Lampel Joseph , Meyer Alan D.
Published: August 2008

abstract  In this introductory article to the Special Issue we make a case for the study of ‘field‐configuring events’ (FCEs). We begin with a discussion of the nature and character of FCEs. We next situate the study of FCEs in the context of ongoing research addressing the growth and evolution of institutional, organizational, and professional fields. We follow this with an overview of the relationship between FCEs and the evolution of fields, paying particular attention to how FCEs link field evolution at the macro level with individual action at the micro level. We then examine the unique methodological advantages that the study of FCEs offers to researchers who are interested in studying dynamic field processes. We conclude with a summary of the five papers that make up this Special Issue.
Proteome rebalancing in soybean seeds can be exploited to enhance foreign protein accumulation
Authors: Schmidt Monica A. , Herman Eliot M.
Published: August 2008

Seeds possess a high intrinsic capacity for protein production that makes them a desirable bioreactor platform for the manufacture of transgenic products. One strategy to enhance foreign protein production involves exchanging the capacity to produce intrinsic proteins for the capacity to produce a high level of foreign proteins. Suppression of the α/α′ subunit of β‐conglycinin storage protein synthesis in soybean has been shown previously to result in an increase in the accumulation of the glycinin storage protein, some of which is sequestered as proglycinin intode novoendoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐derived protein bodies. The exchange of glycinin for conglycinin is quantitative, with the remodelled soybeans possessing a normal protein content with an altered proteome. The green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐kdel reporter was transferred in a construct using the glycinin promoter and terminator to mimic glycinin gene expression. When expressed in soybean seeds, GFP‐kdel accreted to form ER‐derived protein bodies. The introgression of GFP‐kdel into the α/α′ subunit of the β‐conglycinin suppression background resulted in a fourfold enhancement of GFP‐kdel accumulation to > 7% (w/w) of the total protein in soybean seeds. The resulting seeds accumulated a single population of ER membrane‐bound protein bodies that contained both GFP‐kdel and glycinin. Thus, the collateral proteome rebalancing that occurs with the suppression of intrinsic proteins in soybean can be exploited to produce an enhanced level of foreign proteins.
At 11 months, prosody still outranks statistics
Authors: Johnson Elizabeth K. , Seidl Amanda H.
Published: August 2008

English‐learning 7.5‐month‐olds are heavily biased to perceive stressed syllables as word onsets. By 11 months, however, infants begin segmenting non‐initially stressed words from speech. Using the same artificial language methodology as

Johnson and Jusczyk (2001

), we explored the possibility that the emergence of this ability is linked to a decreased reliance on prosodic cues to word boundaries accompanied by an increased reliance on syllable distribution cues. In a baseline study, where only statistical cues to word boundaries were present, infants exhibited a familiarity preference for statistical words. When conflicting stress cues were added to the speech stream, infants exhibited a familiarity preference for stress as opposed to statistical words. This was interpreted as evidence that 11‐month‐olds weight stress cues to word boundaries more heavily than statistical cues. Experiment 2 further investigated these results with a language containing convergent cues to word boundaries. The results of Experiment 2 were not conclusive. A third experiment using new stimuli and a different experimental design supported the conclusion that 11‐month‐olds rely more heavily on prosodic than statistical cues to word boundaries. We conclude that the emergence of the ability to segment non‐initially stressed words from speech is not likely to be tied to an increased reliance on syllable distribution cues relative to stress cues, but instead may emerge due to an increased reliance on and integration of a broad array of segmentation cues.
The Neoliberal State, Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining in Australia
Authors: Cooper Rae , Ellem Bradon
Published: August 2008

For nearly 12 years from 1996, the Australian government pursued a neoliberal industrial relations agenda, seeking to break with structures based on collective bargaining and trade unions. In the name of choice and deregulation, this agenda involved unique levels of state intervention and prescription — and anti‐unionism. In the last round of legislative change, the 2005 laws badged as Work Choices, the government overreached itself and in 2007 was defeated in a general election. As in the UK after Thatcher, the extent to which collective bargaining can be restored and trade unions regain a voice is problematical.
Non‐parametric Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Cox Regression with Subject‐Specific Measurement Error
Authors: WANG C. Y.
Published: August 2008

Abstract.  Many epidemiological studies have been conducted to identify an association between nutrient consumption and chronic disease risk. To this problem, Cox regression with additive covariate measurement error has been well developed in the literature. However, researchers are concerned with the validity of the additive measurement error assumption for self‐report nutrient data. Recently, some study designs using more reliable biomarker data have been considered, in which the additive measurement error assumption is more likely to hold. Biomarker data are often available in a subcohort. Self‐report data often encounter with a variety of serious biases. Complications arise primarily because the magnitude of measurement errors is often associated with some characteristics of a study subject. A more general measurement error model has been developed for self‐report data. In this paper, a non‐parametric maximum likelihood (NPML) estimator using an EM algorithm is proposed to simultaneously adjust for the general measurement errors.
States, markets, and other unexceptional communities: informal Romanian labour in a Spanish agricultural zone
Authors: Hartman Tod
Published: August 2008

The logic of transnational capital and the ongoing European imperative of ‘competition’ have created unofficial economies, seemingly exceptional situations in which the state is left to grapple with the problem of essential but ‘illegal’ labour in spaces in which it is no longer unambiguously sovereign. This article discusses Romanian labourers working informally, and often temporarily, in an agricultural area characterized by intensive plastic greenhouse production in Almería province, Spain. Informal employment is arranged through personal contacts and connections, advertisements, or anonymously in the plaza, the public square. Wages are often negotiated through the person of a Romanian intermediary, who organizes workers into teams, contracts with Spanish growers, and retains a significant proportion of the total pay. It is argued here that although technically outside of state jurisdiction, some of this ‘illegal’ economic activity embodies normalized, unexceptional features of the ‘official’ labour market. These include the general reliability of obtaining work with predictable wages and some opportunity for occupational and economic mobility within the sector for a limited number of people, as well as work‐related hierarchies, a racialized division of the area's labour force, and the reproduction of capitalist relations of production in the interests of prolonging the provision of flexible and cheap migrant labour with the complicity of the state.

La logique du capital transnational et l'impératif européen de « concurrence » ont donné naissance à des économies non officielles, situations apparemment exceptionnelles dans lesquelles l'État doit résoudre le problème d'une main‐d'œuvre indispensable mais « illégale » dans des espaces où il n'est plus entièrement souverain. L'auteur décrit ici le travail informel et souvent temporaire de Roumains dans une région agricole de la province d'Almería, en Espagne, caractérisée par une production intensive sous serres en plastique. Les embauches informelles s'organisent par contacts personnels et relations, par petites annonces, ou de façon anonyme sur les places de village. Les salaires sont souvent négociés par un intermédiaire roumain qui organise aussi les équipes d'ouvriers, sous‐traite avec les cultivateurs espagnols et se réserve une part conséquente de la paie. Bien qu'elle échappe techniquement à la juridiction de l'État, une partie de cette activitééconomique « illégale » reprend des caractéristiques normalisées et ordinaires du marché du travail « officiel » : fiabilité d'un travail rémunéré de façon prévisible, possibilité de mobilité professionnelle et économique dans le secteur pour un nombre limité de personnes, hiérarchisation du travail, division racialisée de la main‐d'œuvre dans la région, reproduction des relations capitalistes de production en vue de prolonger la fourniture de main‐d'œuvre migrante flexible et bon marché, avec la complicité des pouvoirs publics.
BORN AGAIN: GLOBALIZATION'S SIXTEENTH CENTURY ORIGINS (ASIAN/GLOBAL VERUS EUROPEAN DYNAMICS)
Authors: Flynn Dennis O. , Giráldez Arturo
Published: August 2008

Abstract.  Globalization began when all heavily populated land masses began interacting – both directly and indirectly via other land masses – in a sustained manner with deep consequences for all interacting regions. Globalization emerged during the sixteenth century. Dynamism emanating from within China played a pivotal role. Valid hypotheses concerning globalization's emergence must accommodate evidence from numerous disciplinary debates. Discussion of globalization's birth in terms of economic issues alone – for example, O’Rourke and Williamson's price convergence of the 1820s – is doomed. The central role of economic history – including Chinese economic history – becomes salient when arguments are formulated in the context of a multidisciplinary, global historical narrative.
MIRACLE OR MIRAGE? FOREIGN SILVER, CHINA'S ECONOMY AND GLOBALIZATION FROM THE SIXTEENTH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURIES
Authors: Deng Kent G.
Published: August 2008

Abstract.  Ming–Qing China has been seen as positioned at the very centre of the process of early globalization partly due to China's huge appetite for foreign silver for its own commercialization. The findings of this study challenge this view head on by showing that not only did China not import and use nearly as much foreign silver as commonly imagined, silver moved into and also out of China. It served at best as a secondary currency and often worked on a barter basis. The sector which retained the lion's share was the pawnshop for short‐term credit mainly for consumption.
Social Networks and Corporate Governance
Authors: Subrahmanyam Avanidhar
Published: August 2008

We analyse frameworks that link corporate governance and firm values to governing boards' social networks and innovations in technology. Because agents create social networks with individuals with whom they share commonalities along the dimensions of social status and income, among other attributes, CEOs may participate in board members' social networks, which interferes with the quality of governance. At the same time, social connections with members of a board can allow for better evaluation of the members' abilities. Thus, in choosing whether to have board members with social ties to management, one must trade off the benefit of members successfully identifying high ability CEOs against the cost of inadequate monitoring due to social connections. Further, technologies like the Internet and electronic mail that reduce the extent of face‐to‐face networking cause agents to seek satisfaction of their social needs at the workplace, which exacerbates the impact of social networks on governance. The predictions of our model are consistent with recent episodes that appear to signify inadequate monitoring of corporate disclosures as well as with high levels of executive compensation. Additionally, empirical tests support the model's key implication that there is better governance and lower executive compensation in firms where networks are less likely to form.
An exploration of the relationship between training grants and profitability of UK construction companies
Authors: Abdel‐Wahab Mohamed , Dainty Andrew R. J. , Ison Stephen G. , Hazlehurst Guy
Published: August 2008

A levy/grant system exists in the UK construction industry to provide financial support for companies undertaking training activities. With the current UK government skills policy, there is an emphasis on ensuring that training support provided to employers is aimed at enhancing companies' profitability. This paper explores the profitability of construction companies in relation to training grants. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze a uniquely combined dataset over the period 2002–2005. The research revealed that there is not a simple linear relationship between training grants and profitability. However, large and more profitable companies claimed more training grants in relation to the following areas of training: management, qualifying their existing workforce (certifying the skills of their existing workforce) and developing training plans. The authors argue that training grants should be targeted and focused towards specific areas of training if profitability gains are to be achievable. Future research should consider training grant utilization within the context of construction companies in order to ascertain the real contribution of training grants to their profitability.
Measuring consumer's willingness to pay for organic and Fair Trade products
Authors: Didier Tagbata , Lucie Sirieix
Published: August 2008

Previous research has extensively studied consumer's environmental and social concerns. However, measuring the value of the environmental or social dimension of a product remains a challenge. This paper proposes to partially fill this gap by measuring the double ‘Fair Trade and organic’ labels' value using an experimental method – the Becker‐DeGroot‐Marschak's mechanism. Two ‘organic and Fair Trade’ and two conventional chocolate products were tested on a sample of 102 consumers. Results show that organic and Fair Trade labels increase consumers' willingness to pay, and allow the identification of three consumers clusters. The first cluster represents people insensitive to the label. For the second cluster, the ‘organic and Fair Trade’ labels' influence on the improving image of the products is positive and important. And finally, for the third cluster, the valuation of the ‘organic and Fair Trade’ label is determined by the product's taste. Our research contributes to a better understanding of consumers' valuation of Fair Trade and organic labels, leading to our conclusions, which offer managerial implications with respect to this market (importance of taste and usefulness of double labels).