bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conversational repair in speakers with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Volden Joanne
Published: March 2004

Background: The ability to repair communicative breakdown is an important pragmatic language skill, yet very little is known about it in the population of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous investigations have shown that people with ASD, across a variety of ages and language levels, recognized communicative breakdown and responded to requests for clarification (RQCLs) with a wide variety of repair strategies. No previous work has assessed the repair abilities of speakers with ASD when faced with a persistent communicative breakdown indicated by a stacked series of RQCLs.

Aims: The present paper aimed to determine whether school‐aged, high‐functioning children with ASD responded to a stacked series of RQCLs in a way similar to children matched for language age.

Methods & Procedures: Nine school‐aged, high‐functioning children with ASD were recruited and matched to nine control group children based on language level. During conversation, an unfamiliar examiner engineered 10 episodes of communicative breakdown. Each consisted of a stacked series of three RQCLs (‘What?’, ‘I don't understand’, ‘Tell me another way’). Verbal and non‐verbal responses to each RQCL were coded. Reponses were analysed by a series of repeated measures analyses of variance with diagnostic group and RQCL type/position as independent variables and type of repair as the dependent variable.

Outcomes & Results: Children with ASD were similar to language age‐matched control children in responding to RQCLs and employing a variety of repair strategies. In addition, their pattern of responding over the series of RQCLs was very similar to the controls in varying the repair strategy by adding increasingly more information as the breakdown persisted, i.e. as the sequence of RQCLs progressed. Children with ASD, however, were significantly more likely than language age‐matched controls to respond to an RQCL with an inappropriate response.

Conclusions: The ability to repair communicative breakdown successfully raises questions about some of the currently popular theories about the source and nature of social and communicative deficits in autism. In addition, the presence of significantly more inappropriate utterances in the group with ASD poses both theoretical and clinical challenges. In theoretical terms, several possible explanations are proposed, but future work will need to test these hypotheses. Clinically, it is important to focus on utterances that disrupt the conversational flow and that generate severe social penalties for the speaker with ASD.
Conotoxins as selective inhibitors of neuronal ion channels, receptors and transporters
Authors: Lewis Richard J.
Published: March 2004

Cone snails have evolved a vast array of peptide toxins for prey capture and defence. These peptides are directed against a wide variety of pharmacological targets, making them an invaluable source of ligands for studying the properties of these targets in normal and diseased states. A number of these peptides have shown efficacy in vivo, including inhibitors of calcium channels, the norepinephrine transporter, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, NMDA receptors and neurotensin receptors, with several having undergone pre‐clinical or clinical development for the treatment of pain.
IUBMB Life, 56: 89‐93, 2004
In vitro FRAP reveals the ATP-dependent nuclear mobilization of the exon junction complex protein SRm160
Authors: Wagner Stefan , Chiosea Simion , Ivshina Maria , Nickerson Jeffrey A.
Published: March 2004

We present a new in vitro system for characterizing the binding and mobility of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)–labeled nuclear proteins by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching in digitonin-permeabilized cells. This assay reveals that SRm160, a splicing coactivator and component of the exon junction complex (EJC) involved in RNA export, has an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–dependent mobility. Endogenous SRm160, lacking the EGFP moiety, could also be released from sites at splicing speckled domains by an ATP-dependent mechanism. A second EJC protein, RNPS1, also has an ATP-dependent mobility, but SRm300, a protein that binds to SRm160 and participates with it in RNA splicing, remains immobile after ATP supplementation. This finding suggests that SRm160-containing RNA export, but not splicing, complexes have an ATP-dependent mobility. We propose that RNA export complexes have an ATP-regulated mechanism for release from binding sites at splicing speckled domains. In vitro fluorescence recovery after photobleaching is a powerful tool for identifying cofactors required for nuclear binding and mobility.
Primary cilia of human endothelial cells disassemble under laminar shear stress
Authors: Iomini Carlo , Tejada Karla , Mo Wenjun , Vaananen Heikki , Piperno Gianni
Published: March 2004

We identified primary cilia and centrosomes in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by antibodies to acetyl-α-tubulin and capillary morphogenesis gene-1 product (CMG-1), a human homologue of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) protein IFT-71 in Chlamydomonas. CMG-1 was present in particles along primary cilia of HUVEC at interphase and around the oldest basal body/centriole at interphase and mitosis. To study the response of primary cilia and centrosomes to mechanical stimuli, we exposed cultured HUVEC to laminar shear stress (LSS). Under LSS, all primary cilia disassembled, and centrosomes were deprived of CMG-1. We conclude that the exposure to LSS ends the IFT in cultured endothelial cells.
In Vivo Targeting of Antigens to Maturing Dendritic Cells via the DEC-205 Receptor Improves T Cell Vaccination
Authors: Bonifaz Laura C. , Bonnyay David P. , Charalambous Anna , Darguste Dara I. , Fujii Shin-Ichiro , Soares Helena , Brimnes Marie K. , Moltedo Bruno , Moran Thomas M. , Steinman Ralph M.
Published: March 2004

The prevention and treatment of prevalent infectious diseases and tumors should benefit from improvements in the induction of antigen-specific T cell immunity. To assess the potential of antigen targeting to dendritic cells to improve immunity, we incorporated ovalbumin protein into a monoclonal antibody to the DEC-205 receptor, an endocytic receptor that is abundant on these cells in lymphoid tissues. Simultaneously, we injected agonistic α-CD40 antibody to mature the dendritic cells. We found that a single low dose of antibody-conjugated ovalbumin initiated immunity from the naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cell repertoire. Unexpectedly, the αDEC-205 antigen conjugates, given s.c., targeted to dendritic cells systemically and for long periods, and ovalbumin peptide was presented on MHC class I for 2 weeks. This was associated with stronger CD8+ T cell–mediated immunity relative to other forms of antigen delivery, even when the latter was given at a thousand times higher doses. In parallel, the mice showed enhanced resistance to an established rapidly growing tumor and to viral infection at a mucosal site. By better harnessing the immunizing functions of maturing dendritic cells, antibody-mediated antigen targeting via the DEC-205 receptor increases the efficiency of vaccination for T cell immunity, including systemic and mucosal resistance in disease models.
Taxonomic study of Halorubrum distributum and proposal of Halorubrum terrestre sp. nov.
Authors: Ventosa Antonio , Gutiérrez M. Carmen , Kamekura Masahiro , Zvyagintseva Irina S. , Oren Aharon
Published: March 2004

Halorubrum distributum (basonym, Halobacterium distributum) is an extremely halophilic, aerobic archaeon isolated from saline soils, which was described on the basis of phenotypic features of several strains. The designated type strain of the species (1mT=VKM B-1733T=JCM 9100T) was shown recently to differ from the other strains. In this study, Halorubrum distributum isolates have been characterized with regard to phenotypic features, polar lipid content, comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences and DNA–DNA hybridization. On the basis of these data, a novel species that includes the other isolates is proposed, with the name Halorubrum terrestre sp. nov. The type strain of this novel species is 4pT (=VKM B-1739T=JCM 10247T). The DNA G+C content of this novel species is 64·2–64·9 mol% (64·4 mol% for the type strain).
Bifidobacterium psychraerophilum sp. nov. and Aeriscardovia aeriphila gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a porcine caecum
Authors: Simpson Paul J. , Ross R. Paul , Fitzgerald Gerald F. , Stanton Catherine
Published: March 2004

In a previous study that was based primarily on 16S rDNA sequencing, two groups of bifidobacteria that had been recovered from a pig caecum were proposed to belong to two novel species, termed ‘Bifidobacterium pyschroaerophilum’ and ‘Bifidobacterium aerophilum’. In this study, based on DNA G+C content and partial heat-shock protein 60 (HSP60) gene sequences, the assignment of ‘B. pyschroaerophilum’, corrected toBifidobacterium pyschraerophilum, to the genusBifidobacteriumwas confirmed. The DNA G+C content of ‘B. aerophilum’ was relatively low, which was consistent with its segregation into subcluster II of the 16S rDNA phylogenetic tree. Based on partial 16S rDNA and HSP60 gene sequences, the species was transferred to a novel genus and reclassified asAeriscardovia aeriphilagen. nov., sp. nov. Biochemical profiles and growth parameters were established for both novel species. Interestingly, each had a high tolerance to oxygen and grew on agar media under aerobic conditions, a trait that may relate to their caecal habitat. Under aerobic growth conditions, the short-rod morphology ofA. aeriphilalengthened considerably. This appeared to arise from incomplete cell division. In addition,B. pyschraerophilumwas unusual in that it grew at temperatures as low as 4 °C. On the basis of genetic, phylogenetic and phenotypic data, the identities ofBifidobacterium pyschraerophilumsp. nov. (type strain, T16T=LMG 21775T=NCIMB 13940T) andAeriscardovia aeriphilagen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain, T6T=LMG 21773T=NCIMB 13939T) are confirmed.
Classification of phytoplasma strains in the elm yellows group (16SrV) and proposal of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi’ for the phytoplasma associated with elm yellows
Authors: Lee Ing-Ming , Martini Marta , Marcone Carmine , Zhu Shifang F.
Published: March 2004

Elm yellows group (16SrV) phytoplasmas, which are associated with devastating diseases in elm, grapevine, blackberry, cherry, peach and several other plant species in America, Europe and Asia, represent one of the most diverse phytoplasma clusters. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences, elm yellows group phytoplasmas form a discrete subclade within the phytoplasma clade. Three phylogenetic parameters, namely 16S rRNA, ribosomal protein and secY genes, have been evaluated for their usefulness in differentiating elm yellows group phytoplasmas. RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA sequences differentiated the elm yellows group phytoplasmas into five subgroups. Twelve RFLP subgroups were differentiated on the basis of ribosomal protein and 13 were differentiated using secY gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal protein genes and secY gene alone or in combination indicated that the subgroups constitute 12 genetically distinct lineages, each of which appears to have evolved under different ecological constraints such as specific vector or plant hosts. On the basis of unique DNA and biological properties, it is proposed that the elm yellows phytoplasma EY1T represents a novel taxon, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi’.
Microbacterium ulmi sp. nov., a xylanolytic, phosphate-solubilizing bacterium isolated from sawdust of Ulmus nigra
Authors: Rivas Raúl , Trujillo Martha E. , Sánchez Manuel , Mateos Pedro F. , Martínez-Molina Eustoquio , Velázquez Encarna
Published: March 2004

A xylanolytic and phosphate-solubilizing bacterium isolated from sawdust ofUlmus nigrain Salamanca was characterized by a polyphasic approach. The novel strain, designated XIL02T, was Gram-positive, aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-negative, rod-shaped and non-motile. Phylogenetically and chemotaxonomically, it was related to members of the genusMicrobacterium. According to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, it is closely related toMicrobacterium arborescensandMicrobacterium imperiale; however, DNA–DNA hybridization showed reassociation values less than 70 % with the type strains of these species. In chemotaxonomic analyses, the major menaquinones detected were MK-12, MK-13 and MK-11 and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0and iso-C16 : 0; the peptidoglycan was of the type B2β. The G+C content determined was 69 mol%. Based on the present data, it is proposed that strain XIL02T(=LMG 20991T=CECT 5976T) be classified as the type strain of a novelMicrobacteriumspecies, for which the nameMicrobacterium ulmisp. nov. is proposed.
Asaia krungthepensis sp. nov., an acetic acid bacterium in the α-Proteobacteria
Authors: Yukphan Pattaraporn , Potacharoen Wanchern , Tanasupawat Somboon , Tanticharoen Morakot , Yamada Yuzo
Published: March 2004

Three bacterial strains were isolated from flowers collected in Bangkok, Thailand, by an enrichment-culture approach for acetic acid bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolates were located in the lineage of the genusAsaiabut constituted a cluster separate from the type strains ofAsaia bogorensisandAsaia siamensis. The DNA base composition of the isolates was 60·2–60·5 mol% G+C, with a range of 0·3 mol%. The isolates constituted a taxon separate fromAsaia bogorensisandAsaia siamensison the basis of DNA–DNA relatedness. The isolates had morphological, physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic characteristics similar to those of the type strains ofAsaia bogorensisandAsaia siamensis, but the isolates grew on maltose. The major ubiquinone was Q10. On the basis of the results obtained, the nameAsaia krungthepensissp. nov. is proposed for the isolates. The type strain is isolate AA08T(=BCC 12978T=TISTR 1524T=NBRC 100057T=NRIC 0535T), which had a DNA G+C content of 60·3 mol% and was isolated from a heliconia flower (‘paksaasawan’ in Thai;Heliconiasp.) collected in Bangkok, Thailand.
Cellulophaga pacifica sp. nov.
Authors: Nedashkovskaya Olga I. , Suzuki Makoto , Lysenko Anatoly M. , Snauwaert Cindy , Vancanneyt Marc , Swings Jean , Vysotskii Mikhail V. , Mikhailov Valery V.
Published: March 2004

Three marine, heterotrophic, aerobic, agarolytic, pigmented and gliding bacteria were isolated in June 2000 from a sea water sample that was collected in the Gulf of Peter the Great, Sea of Japan, and analysed in a polyphasic taxonomic study. 16S rDNA sequence analysis indicated that strains KMM 3664T, KMM 3669 and KMM 3915 were members of the familyFlavobacteriaceae. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, the isolates were classified in the genusCellulophagaas members of a novel species,Cellulophaga pacificasp. nov. The type strain is KMM 3664T(=JCM 11735T=LMG 21938T).
Thalassomonas ganghwensis sp. nov., isolated from tidal flat sediment
Authors: Yi Hana , Bae Kyung Sook , Chun Jongsik
Published: March 2004

A Gram-negative, aerobic, halophilic bacterium, designated strain JC2041T, was isolated from a sediment sample of getbol, the Korean tidal flat. Results of 16S rDNA sequence analyses indicated a moderate relationship to Thalassomonas viridans within the γ-Proteobacteria (94·9 % similarity). Depending on the tree-making algorithm used, the isolate either formed a monophyletic clade with T. viridans or was recovered as a sister group of a class containing the genera Thalassomonas and Colwellia. Phenotypic features of the getbol isolate were similar to those of T. viridans, but several physiological and chemotaxonomic properties, including nitrate reduction, amylase, lecithinase, Tweenase and utilization of 13 carbon sources, distinguished strain JC2041T from T. viridans. The polyphasic data presented in this study indicate that the isolate should be classified as a novel species in the genus Thalassomonas. The name Thalassomonas ganghwensis sp. nov. is therefore proposed for the getbol isolate; the type strain is JC2041T (=IMSNU 14005T=KCTC 12041T=DSM 15355T).
Wautersia gen. nov., a novel genus accommodating the phylogenetic lineage including Ralstonia eutropha and related species, and proposal of Ralstonia [Pseudomonas] syzygii (Roberts et al. 1990) comb. nov.
Authors: Vaneechoutte Mario , Kämpfer Peter , De Baere Thierry , Falsen Enevold , Verschraegen Gerda
Published: March 2004

Comparative 16S rDNA sequence analysis indicates that two distinct sublineages, with a sequence dissimilarity of >4 % (bootstrap value, 100 %), exist within the genus Ralstonia: the Ralstonia eutropha lineage, which comprises Ralstonia basilensis, Ralstonia campinensis, R. eutropha, Ralstonia gilardii, Ralstonia metallidurans, Ralstonia oxalatica, Ralstonia paucula, Ralstonia respiraculi and Ralstonia taiwanensis; and the Ralstonia pickettii lineage, which comprises Ralstonia insidiosa, Ralstonia mannitolilytica, R. pickettii, Ralstonia solanacearum and Ralstonia syzygii comb. nov. (previously Pseudomonas syzygii). This phylogenetic discrimination is supported by phenotypic differences. Members of the R. eutropha lineage have peritrichous flagella, do not produce acids from glucose and are susceptible to colistin, in contrast to members of the R. pickettii lineage, which have one or more polar flagella, produce acid from several carbohydrates and are colistin-resistant. Members of the R. pickettii lineage are viable for up to 6 days on tryptic soy agar at 25 °C, whereas members of the R. eutropha lineage are viable for longer than 9 days. It is proposed that species of the R. eutropha lineage should be classified in a novel genus, Wautersia gen. nov. Finally, based on the literature and new DNA–DNA hybridization data, it is proposed that Pseudomonas syzygii should be renamed Ralstonia syzygii comb. nov.
Malassezia nana sp. nov., a novel lipid-dependent yeast species isolated from animals
Authors: Hirai Asuka , Kano Rui , Makimura Koichi , Duarte Eduardo Robson , Hamdan Júnia Soares , Lachance Marc-André , Yamaguchi Hideyo , Hasegawa Atsuhiko
Published: March 2004

Five isolates of a novel species of the yeast genus Malassezia were isolated from animals in Japan and Brazil. Phylogenetic trees based on the D1/D2 domains of the large-subunit (26S) rDNA sequences and nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer 1 region showed that the isolates were conspecific and belonged to the genus Malassezia. They were related closely to Malassezia dermatis and Malassezia sympodialis, but were clearly distinct from these two species and the other six species of Malassezia that have been reported, indicating that they should be classified as a novel species, Malassezia nana sp. nov. Morphologically and physiologically, M. nana resembles M. dermatis and M. sympodialis, but can be distinguished from these species by its inability to use Cremophor EL (Sigma) as the sole lipid source and to hydrolyse aesculin. The type strain of M. nana is NUSV 1003T (=CBS 9557T=JCM 12085T).
The leucine-responsive regulatory protein (lrp) gene for characterization of the relationship among Xanthomonas species
Authors: Cubero Jaime , Graham James H.
Published: March 2004

Characterization of strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri by using DNA fingerprints that were generated from primers for enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) elements led to the discovery of differential sequences for a leucine-responsive regulatory protein (lrp) gene in two subgroups of strains with different host ranges on Citrus spp. DNA hybridization and PCR-based assays that used different sets of primers were designed to detect the core sequence, as well as to obtain the entire sequence of the lrp gene for several Xanthomonas species and pathovars. Higher variability was observed at the nucleotide level than at the amino acid level among the different species and pathovars, revealing selection pressure on the lrp gene, which is presumably due to an essential role of the gene in bacterial metabolism. Moderate variability in the 3′ and 5′ domains was used to study relationships among different species within the genus Xanthomonas. Species of this genus that were isolated from citrus, as well as other pathovars of X. axonopodis, showed highly similar lrp gene sequences, whereas other Xanthomonas species, especially Xanthomonas campestris, had sequences that were more dissimilar to that of X. axonopodis. Thus, the lrp gene sequence is useful to distinguish X. axonopodis pv. citri groups and promising for polyphasic taxonomic analysis of the genus Xanthomonas. Data from analysis of lrp gene sequences support the current concepts for classification of xanthomonads, which are based on other approaches.
Halomonas neptunia sp. nov., Halomonas sulfidaeris sp. nov., Halomonas axialensis sp. nov. and Halomonas hydrothermalis sp. nov.: halophilic bacteria isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal-vent environments
Authors: Kaye Jonathan Z. , Márquez M. Carmen , Ventosa Antonio , Baross John A.
Published: March 2004

To assess the physiological and phylogenetic diversity of culturable halophilic bacteria in deep-sea hydrothermal-vent environments, six isolates obtained from low-temperature hydrothermal fluids, sulfide rock and hydrothermal plumes in North and South Pacific Ocean vent fields located at 1530–2580 m depth were fully characterized. Three strains were isolated on media that contained oligotrophic concentrations of organic carbon (0·002 % yeast extract). Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that all strains belonged to the genusHalomonasin theγ-subclass of theProteobacteria. Consistent with previously described species, the novel strains were slightly to moderately halophilic and grew in media containing up to 22–27 % total salts. The isolates grew at temperatures as low as −1 to 2 °C and had temperature optima of 30 or 20–35 °C. Both the minimum and optimum temperatures for growth were similar to those of Antarctic and sea-iceHalomonasspecies and lower than typically observed for the genus as a whole. Phenotypic tests revealed that the isolates were physiologically versatile and tended to have more traits in common with each other than with closely relatedHalomonasspecies, presumably a reflection of their common deep-sea, hydrothermal-vent habitat of origin. The G+C content of the DNA for all strains was 56·0–57·6 mol%, and DNA–DNA hybridization experiments revealed that four strains (Eplume1T, Esulfide1T, Althf1Tand Slthf2T) represented novel species and that two strains (Eplume2 and Slthf1) were related toHalomonas meridiana. The proposed new species names areHalomonas neptunia(type strain Eplume1T=ATCC BAA-805T=CECT 5815T=DSM 15720T),Halomonas sulfidaeris(type strain Esulfide1T=ATCC BAA-803T=CECT 5817T=DSM 15722T),Halomonas axialensis(type strain Althf1T=ATCC BAA-802T=CECT 5812T=DSM 15723T) andHalomonas hydrothermalis(type strain Slthf2T=ATCC BAA-800T=CECT 5814T=DSM 15725T).
Xylanibacterium ulmi gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel xylanolytic member of the family Promicromonosporaceae
Authors: Rivas Raúl , Trujillo Martha E. , Schumann Peter , Kroppenstedt Reiner M. , Sánchez Manuel , Mateos P. F. , Martínez-Molina E. , Velázquez Encarna
Published: March 2004

A bacterial strain designated XIL08Twas isolated from an elm tree affected by Dutch elm disease. Strain XIL08Tis Gram-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped and non-motile. The complete 16S rDNA sequence of this micro-organism was obtained and phylogenetic analysis based on the neighbour-joining method indicated that the closest related organism belongs to the genusXylanimonasof the familyPromicromonosporaceae, suborderMicrococcineae. Cell-wall analyses revealed the presence of type A4α,l-lys–l-ala–d-Glu peptidoglycan. The cell-wall sugars found were rhamnose in large amounts, fucose, mannose and galactose and traces of arabinose and glucose. HPLC analysis of menaquinones revealed two peaks, the main peak corresponding to MK-9(H4) and the smaller one to MK-8(H4). The major fatty acid found was anteiso-C15 : 0. Mycolic acids were absent. The polar lipids detected were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannosides. The G+C content of the DNA was 72 mol%. Isolate XIL08Thydrolysed xylan but not cellulose. Growth was observed with many carbohydrates including acetate and xylan as the only carbon source. Catalase activity was not detected. The data from this polyphasic study suggest that this bacterium belongs to a novel genus of the familyPromicromonosporaceae. It is proposed that isolate XIL08T(=LMG 21721T=CECT 5731T) be classified in a new genus,Xylanibacteriumgen. nov., as the type strain ofXylanibacterium ulmisp. nov.
Taxonomy of the canine Mollicutes by 16S rRNA gene and 16S/23S rRNA intergenic spacer region sequence comparison
Authors: Chalker Victoria J. , Brownlie Joe
Published: March 2004

The taxonomy of canine Mollicutes is described, based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene and 16S/23S rRNA intergenic spacer (IGS) region sequences. The nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA gene of two untyped mycoplasmas and the IGS region of 11 Mycoplasma species were determined and used for phylogenetic analysis. The two untyped Mycoplasma strains, HRC 689 and VJC 358, were found to be distinct from all known canine mycoplasmas and all published mycoplasma 16S rRNA gene sequences.
Arsenicicoccus bolidensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from contaminated lake sediment
Authors: Collins Matthew D. , Routh Joyanto , Saraswathy Ambujom , Lawson Paul A. , Schumann Peter , Welinder-Olsson Christina , Falsen Enevold
Published: March 2004

An unknown Gram-positive, catalase-positive, facultatively anaerobic, non-spore-forming, coccus-shaped bacterium originating from sediment was characterized using phenotypic, molecular chemical and molecular phylogenetic methods. Chemical studies revealed the presence of a cell-wall murein based on ll-diaminopimelic acid (type ll-Dpm-glycine1), a complex mixture of saturated, monounsaturated and iso- and anteiso-methyl-branched, non-hydroxylated, long-chain cellular fatty acids and tetrahydrogenated menaquinones with eight isoprene units [MK-8(H4)] as the major respiratory lipoquinone. This combination of characteristics somewhat resembled members of the suborder Micrococcineae, but did not correspond to any currently described species. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed that the unidentified coccus-shaped organism is a member of the Actinobacteria and represents a hitherto-unknown subline related to, albeit different from, a number of taxa including Intrasporangium, Janibacter, Terrabacter, Terracoccus and Ornithinicoccus. Based on phenotypic and phylogenetic considerations, it is proposed that the unknown bacterium originating from lake sediment be classified as a new genus and species, Arsenicicoccus bolidensis gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain CCUG 47306T=DSM 15745T).
Phylogenetic analysis of the genera Streptomyces and Kitasatospora based on partial RNA polymerase β-subunit gene (rpoB) sequences
Authors: Kim Bum-Joon , Kim Chang-Jin , Chun Jongsik , Koh Young-Hwan , Lee Sueng-Hyun , Hyun Jin-Won , Cha Chang-Yong , Kook Yoon-Hoh
Published: March 2004

The RNA polymerase β-subunit genes (rpoB) of 67 Streptomyces strains, representing 57 species, five Kitasatospora strains and Micromonospora echinospora KCTC 9549 were partially sequenced using a pair of rpoB PCR primers. Among the streptomycetes, 99·7–100 % similarity within the same species and 90·2–99·3 % similarity at the interspecific level were observed by analysis of the determined rpoB sequences. The topology of the phylogenetic tree based on rpoB sequences was similar to that of 16S rDNA. The five Kitasatospora strains formed a stable monophyletic clade and a sister group to the clade comprising all Streptomyces species. Although there were several discrepancies in the details, considerable agreement was found between the results of rpoB analysis and those of numerical phenetic classification. This study demonstrates that analysis of rpoB can be used as an alternative genetic method in parallel to conventional taxonomic methods, including numerical phenetic and 16S rDNA analyses, for the phylogenetic analyses of the genera Streptomyces and Kitasatospora.
Grey transportation problem
Authors: Bai Guozhong , Mao Jingzhong , Lu Gang
Published: March 2004

In ordinary transportation problems, it is always supposed that the mileage from every source to every destination is a definite number. But in special conditions, such as transporting emergency materials when natural calamity occurs or transporting military supplies during wartime, carrying network may be destroyed, mileage from some sources to some destinations are no longer definite. It is uncertain, a grey number. In these conditions, transportation capacity is often poor; the problems of optimization become even more important. Obviously, traditional methods are not suitable to solve these problems. In this paper, some methods of optimization for the special transportation problems are given.
Grey linear programming
Authors: Chen Zhijie , Chen Qile , Chen Weizhen , Wang Yinao
Published: March 2004

This paper describes the use of grey system theory in mathematical programming problems. In particular, the linear programming problem, which is one of the most widely used mathematical programming problems, with grey interval and grey forecasting are developed. The adaptability of both these linear programming problems is rather satisfactory.
The open router of active network and security
Authors: He Min‐Wei , Liu Xing‐Cheng , Zhang Guang‐Zhao
Published: March 2004

This paper discusses the implementation method of open router based on active network, and describes the measure to assure the security of network. The active network can supply the clients with the new services by loading new code on the router in active network, but not changing the hardware.
The characteristics analysis of SCGM(1,1) model and the new grey modeling methods
Authors: Zhang Shuhong , Chen Mianyun
Published: March 2004

The system with partial unknown structure, parameters and characteristics is called a grey system. Grey system theory is a newly developed theory to deal with the problem of uncertainties in the case with “poor” information and has widely been used in many fields. The grey prediction SCGM(1,1) model has been used widely. In this paper, the characteristics of SCGM(1,1) model are systematically studied. Some new existing forms of SCGM(1,1) are derived including exponential form, α, β parameter form, scale form and recursive form. The parameter range suitable for SCGM(1,1) modeling has been studied based on strict proof. The prohibited area and the area not suitable or suitable for modeling of SCGM(1,1) model are divided clearly according to the developing coefficient a. Then, the discrete form of developing coefficient a is given. Based on the discrete form of developing coefficient a, a new grey modeling method avoiding complex matrix calculation is presented.
Fuzzy theory and its applications in insulation diagnosis of electrical equipment
Authors: Zhou Long , Chen Mian‐Yun
Published: March 2004

It is an effective approach to combine state signal processing with fuzzy mathematics for recognizing fuzziness and randomness clearly. This paper shows how the fuzzy membership functions are obtained from the result of signal processing of fault diagnosis in electrical equipment. So the properties of electrical equipment are revealed more thoroughly. Finally, the effectiveness of the method was proved by an example.
Rock on! An elementary model of customer satisfaction with musical performances
Authors: Minor Michael S. , Wagner Tillmann , Brewerton F.J. , Hausman Angela
Published: March 2004

Local and regional entertainers typically perform without a star performer or national recognition. These performers are often an incidental backdrop for the festivities. Is audience satisfaction with the group more than a summation of the satisfaction with individual performers; do factors surrounding the performance aid in determining audience satisfaction? Answers to these questions may allow event planners to engage performers likely to increase event success. This paper develops a model of audience satisfaction with live performances, which began using a theory developed by Grove et al. in 1992. This theory was modified as a result of further conceptualization, qualitative data analysis, and survey results. Results suggest consumers judge performances as the sum of several components, including both elements of the performance and the setting.
Rethinking customer expectations of service quality: are call centers different?
Authors: Dean Alison M.
Published: March 2004

Reported studies on call centers emphasize efficiency and control, with possible implications for service priorities, customer orientation and service quality. However, there is little empirical research to test assumptions from the customer’s perspective. This study aimed to establish whether customers expected (predicted) low levels of service from a call center, how this level compared to the minimum level they considered adequate, and whether the perceived customer orientation of the call center was related to service quality expectations. Data were collected in Australia from two sources: end consumers (n = 289) of an insurance provider, and business customers (n = 325) of a bank. Key findings were similar for both samples. First, customers had very high levels of adequate (minimum) expectations, and adequate expectations behaved independently from predicted (forecast) expectations. Second, customer orientation was associated with predicted expectations but not adequate expectations. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research and managerial implications.
A cross‐national comparison of citizen perceptions of the police in New York City and St Petersburg, Russia
Authors: Davis Robert C. , Ortiz Christopher W. , Gilinskiy Yakov , Ylesseva Irina , Briller Vladimir
Published: March 2004

Long a tradition in the USA, surveys of citizen perceptions of the police are beginning to gain prominence in emerging democracies. Recently, citizen surveys using common items were conducted in New York and St Petersburg, Russia. This paper reports on a cross‐national analysis of data on citizen perceptions of the police using data from these two surveys. The analyses include comparisons of voluntary and involuntary contacts with the police, perceptions of police effectiveness, and perceptions of police misconduct. Results suggest that residents of St Petersburg are more likely to be stopped by the police, while residents of New York are more likely to contact the police for assistance with crime and other neighborhood problems. Police in New York were generally seen as more effective than their counterparts in St Petersburg. In both cities, roughly half of those surveyed believed that the police engaged in misconduct.
America’s conservation police: agencies in transition
Authors: Falcone David
Published: March 2004

Examines the history of US conservation police agencies and notes how changes in social values and recreational activities have increased the demands for the protection of wildlife and other natural resources. This has led to the creation of departments of natural resources (DNRs). DNRs have placed an increasingly heavier burden on conservation police departments and have demanded a wider range of tasks and responsibilities of them. These more general policing tasks have, in turn, cast the formerly law enforcement‐oriented conservation police into a more generalist police‐like posture.
Official status and the swiftness of criminal arrest
Authors: Zhang Lening , Liu Jianhong
Published: March 2004

Building upon the conflict paradigm, the present study examines the impact of official status on the swiftness of criminal arrest in China and derives two major hypotheses from the Chinese culture and system: first, an individual's official status has a negative effect on the swiftness of criminal arrest by police, and second, an individual's own and friends’ official statuses have an interactive and negative effect on the swiftness of criminal arrest by police. Data collected from Tianjin, a large city in China, were used to test these hypotheses. The results support the hypotheses. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Community policing in Hong Kong
Authors: Wing‐Hung Lo Carlos , Chun‐Yin Cheuk Albert
Published: March 2004

This paper is an in‐depth analysis of community policing in Hong Kong. It includes an outline of the evolution of community policing in Hong Kong, identifies the structural arrangements for the practice of community policing, examines major community‐based programs that have been launched, evaluates the performance of this strategy, and considers constraints on these policy initiatives. It shows that this community effort has already gone beyond the confines of promoting community relations in Hong Kong. The results have been encouraging. They include a significant improvement in the quality of police‐public interactions, the engagement of the public and their increased support in crime control and prevention, and the beginning of the conversion of traditional police enforcement to that of police services. However, the Force's use of community policing schemes predominantly for the pragmatic purpose of crime control has accounted for the lack of breakthroughs in forging a strategic partnership with the public to promote a secure and harmonious environment.
Towards a holistic knowledge management model
Authors: Diakoulakis Ioannis E. , Georgopoulos Nikolaos B. , Koulouriotis Dimitrios E. , Emiris Dimitrios M.
Published: March 2004

Knowledge management (KM) has been gradually established as a strong methodology to support business viability, competitiveness and growth; however, the lack of maturity is obvious, as evidenced by divergent points of view in critical sub‐domains of the related theory and practice, such as the spectrum of processes and the clusters of tactics scheduled to underpin them. The systems thinking logic, the discipline for seeing structures underlying complex phenomena, is perceived as a promising direction for consolidating the various approaches and developing a holistic KM paradigm. Through the integration of the fragmented landscape of knowledge management on a transparent and concrete framework based on cause‐effect relationships, not only the underlying theoretical assumptions are clarified and subjected to further analysis at a strategic level, but also practical issues concerning planning and decision making become less complicated, increasing effectiveness.
Formative knowledge: from knowledge dichotomy to knowledge geography – knowledge management transformed by the ubiquitous information society
Authors: Takahashi Takuma , Vandenbrink Donna
Published: March 2004

The ubiquitous information society gave birth to quasi‐explicit, or formative, knowledge. Formative knowledge is like explicit knowledge in that it can be copied, but unlike explicit knowledge because it is not fixed. Some manufacturers are beginning to adopt approaches to knowledge management that rely on formative knowledge. Such an approach enabled Honda to start production of its newest Civic model almost simultaneously at 12 plants around the globe in 2000. Strong fear of formative knowledge “consumption” by lead consumers made Honda use CAD/CAE networks to nurture a worldwide community of engineers to design the Civic. This innovation reduced Honda’s average model transfer time to about a half that of Toyota. Honda’s achievement suggests that a new approach to knowledge management is possible, one that lies between Japanese‐style knowledge management centered on human mediation and tacit knowledge and Western‐style knowledge management based on information technology and explicit knowledge.
Knowledge sharing community in P2P network: a study of motivational perspective
Authors: Kwok James S.H. , Gao S.
Published: March 2004

How to effectively share knowledge within organizations has been given a great deal of attention in practice as well as in research. However, most of current approaches are based on the centralized network structure, e.g. a central knowledge repository, which has been considered inappropriate and ineffective to facilitate the process of knowledge sharing. On the contrary, in this study, we propose the idea of a virtual knowledge sharing community that is based on decentralized P2P technology. In the community, each member plays an equal role of knowledge producing, receiving and coordinating. We believe that decentralized P2P has many distinct advantages in knowledge sharing. Moreover, referring to relevant psychological studies on human motivation, four application features for the virtual knowledge sharing community are further proposed. After being applied, each of the features is believed to have capability of motivating the members of community to share knowledge with each other.
Knowledge management benchmarks for project management
Authors: Leseure Michel J. , Brookes Naomi J.
Published: March 2004

The results of a research project dealing with knowledge management in project environments and the capability to transfer knowledge across projects teams are presented. A key distinction is made between generic project knowledge (kernel knowledge) and specific project knowledge (ephemeral knowledge). For each type of knowledge, knowledge management benchmarks are described and discussed. The empirical data used in this paper was collected from companies of various sizes operating in the manufacturing, construction and service sectors.
New spiders in Upper Cretaceous amber from New Jersey in the American Museum of Natural History (Arthropoda: Araneae)
Authors: Penney David
Published: March 2004

The oldest described fossils of the extant spider family Araneidae (Araneinae; gen. et sp. indet.), the extant genus Orchestina (Oonopidae; O. sp. indet.) and the new fossil genus Palaeosegestria (Segestriidae; P. lutzzii gen. et sp. nov.) are presented from Upper Cretaceous amber of New Jersey. The known fossil range of the extant family Araneidae is extended approximately 50 myr from the previously oldest described araneid from the Middle Eocene oil shales of the Messel pit in Hesse, Germany. The fossil range of the extant genus Orchestina is also extended 50 myr from the previously oldest described specimen in Eocene Baltic amber.
A Middle Jurassic dinosaur trackway site from Oxfordshire, UK
Authors: Day Julia J. , Norman David B. , Gale Andrew S. , Upchurch Paul , Powell H. Philip
Published: March 2004

The Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Ardley trackway site in Oxfordshire, UK is described in detail. The track site is extensive, containing over 40 more‐or‐less continuous theropod and sauropod trackways preserved together on a single bedding plane with some trackways up to 180 m in length. The trackways display reasonable preservation, with claw marks discernible. Sauropod trackways are by far the most abundant and are representative of taxa that exhibit both narrow and wide‐gauge styles of locomotion. Theropod trackways are represented by large tridactyl prints and claw impressions that display exceptionally low pace angulation values during their walking phase. One theropod trackway is unique in that it reveals a gait transition associated with a temporary increase of speed. These dinosaurs were walking over a lime‐mud firmground to hardground that was emergent, or locally very shallowly submerged. GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) data reveal that the tracks, preserved during a short time interval, trend in a north‐easterly direction. Multi‐herding behaviour is suggested for the sauropods of differing size. The discovery of this site adds significantly to our knowledge of the taxonomic composition of Middle Jurassic ecosystems. Evidence concerning locomotor styles employed by saurischian dinosaurs, footprint identification, potential trackmaker, social interactions and observations concerning estimates of Middle Jurassic faunal diversity, as well as aspects of dinosaur locomotor evolution are discussed.
Diverse fossil amoebae in German Mesozoic amber
Authors: Schmidt Alexander R. , Schönborn Wilfried , Schäfer Ursula
Published: March 2004

Fossil amoebae are very rare, although their evolutionary history extends back into the Proterozoic. The Cenomanian amber of Schliersee (southern Germany) is very rich in micro‐organisms and contains the highest diversity of fossil freshwater rhizopods (Gymnamoebia and Testacealobosia) yet discovered. Altogether seven testate amoebae and one gymnamoebian species are recorded from this Mesozoic amber. The four newly discovered taxa described in this paper can be assigned to the extant species Centropyxis delicatula, Centropyxis hirsuta, Phryganella acropodia and Phryganella paradoxa. Over 200 individuals of Phryganella paradoxa are preserved. Together with their syninclusions, the amoebae are species of limnetic or limnetic–terrestrial microcoenoses. The presence of 100‐myr‐old fossils with extant representatives suggests evolutionary stasis of these freshwater amoebae. However, not all modern testacean families have been recorded from Mesozoic limnetic habitats. Our experimental studies verify that naked and testate amoebae can be embedded in resins.
Computer reconstruction and analysis of the vermiform mollusc Acaenoplax hayae from the Herefordshire Lagerstätte (Silurian, England), and implications for molluscan phylogeny
Authors: Sutton Mark D. , Briggs Derek E. G. , Siveter David J. , Siveter Derek J.
Published: March 2004

Acaenoplax hayae is a spinose worm‐like animal from the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte of England, a deposit that preserves high‐fidelity soft‐part morphology of invertebrates in three dimensions. Specimens have been serially ground and reconstructed by computer to their three‐dimensional form. Acaenoplax bears serially repeated transverse ridges dorsally, each with an array of probably aragonitic spines inclined posteriorly. Oblique ventral lobe‐rows correspond in position to the dorsal ridges. Aragonitic dorsal valves overlie every third ridge; the penultimate valve is absent leaving a total of seven. The anterior termination is disk‐like, surrounding an antero‐medial mouth. At the posterior termination there is a cavity between the posteriormost dorsal and a posteroventral valve, from which soft‐part projections extend. Acaenoplax is interpreted as a creeping epibenthic animal that fed on sessile prey. It is an ‘aculiferan’ mollusc, combining unique autapomorphic structures with characters typical of the Polyplacophora and Aplacophora. Its morphology can be accommodated within both of the competing schemes of molluscan phylogeny, and its closest living relatives in both cases are aplacophorans. The highly serialized morphology of Acaenoplax is unique within the Mollusca, but the pattern it highlights is an attractive candidate for the primitive state of serial repetition within the phylum.
‘Last‐ditch’ use of recombinant factor VIIa in patients with massive haemorrhage is ineffective
Authors: Clark A. D. , Gordon W. C. , Walker I. D. , Tait R. C.
Published: March 2004

Background and Objectives  The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the effect of activated recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) on the natural history of massive transfusion episodes.

Materials and Methods  During 2002, outcome parameters were assessed in 50 patients transfused with more than 10 units of packed red cells. The effect of the addition of rFVIIa in 10 patients, with intractable bleeding, was then observed.

Results  Overall mortality was 20% at 24 h and 34% at 7 days. Severe coagulopathy was confirmed as a serious negative prognostic factor and occurred in 42% of patients overall, but in 70% of rFVIIa‐treated patients. Transient cessation or reduction of bleeding was noted in 60% of patients following rFVIIa infusion. However, 24‐h and 7‐day mortality rates were 40% and 70%, respectively, in this group.

Conclusions  Last‐ditch rFVIIa therapy in patients resistant to conventional treatment did not rescue these patients or significantly alter outcomes.