bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conflict management between and within teams for trusting relationships and performance in China
Authors: Hempel Paul S. , Zhang Zhi‐Xue , Tjosvold Dean
Published: May 2008

Trusting relationships are increasingly considered vital for making teams productive. We propose that cooperative management of conflict can help team members to be convinced that their teammates are trustworthy. Results from 102 organizations in China support the theorizing that how teams to manage conflict with each other affects within‐team conflict management. Specifically, cooperative conflict between teams helps teams to manage their internal conflicts cooperatively that strengthens trust that in turn facilitates team performance. Results provide support for managing conflict cooperatively as a foundation for trusting, productive relationships in China as well as in the West. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quality changes in mixtures of hydrogenated and non‐hydrogenated oils during frying
Authors: Li Yungsheng , Ngadi Michael , Oluka Sylvester
Published: May 2008

BACKGROUND: There is a need for frying oils with reduced trans fatty acid content and increased oxidative stability. This study was conducted to measure and compare frying oil quality parameters, namely colour, viscosity, free fatty acid (FFA) content and dielectric property, and to investigate changes in properties of mixtures of fully hydrogenated and non‐hydrogenated canola oils during deep‐fat frying of chicken nuggets. Proportions of hydrogenated oil to non‐hydrogenated oil used in the study were 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%. Chicken nuggets were fried at 190 °C. The relationships among quality parameters, frying time and oil type were investigated.

RESULTS: Frying time and oil type had significant effects on all properties. First‐order kinetic equations were used to represent changes in colour, viscosity and FFA content. The rates of change of viscosity and FFA content were higher in non‐hydrogenated oil, whereas the rates of change of colour were similar in the different oils. Increasing the level of hydrogenated oil in the mixture resulted in only slight changes in quality parameters.

CONCLUSION: Quality parameters, namely colour, viscosity, FFA content and dielectric property, of frying oil are significantly affected by frying time and hydrogenation level. Frying oil quality and stability can be adjusted by mixing hydrogenated and non‐hydrogenated oils. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Control of anthracnose rot and quality deterioration in loquat fruit with methyl jasmonate
Authors: Cao Shifeng , Zheng Yonghua , Yang Zhenfeng , Tang Shuangshuang , Jin Peng
Published: May 2008

BACKGROUND: Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) fruit has a short shelf‐life, mainly due to fungal decay. Current control of postharvest disease of the fruit is mainly dependent on fungicides. However, because of the increasing consumer concern over food safety, there is an urgent need to search for effective alternatives to control disease. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in controlling anthracnose rot caused by Colletotrichum acutatum and maintaining quality of loquat fruit.

RESULTS: Loquat fruit were treated with 10 µmol L−1 MeJA and wound inoculated with C. acutatum spore suspension of 1.0 × 105 spores mL−1 24 h after treatment, and then stored at 20 °C for 6 days. The percentage of infected wounds showing decay symptom was reduced from 54.4% to 16.7% and the lesion diameter was reduced from 7.26 mm to 4.00 mm by MeJA treatment on the 4th day after inoculation. MeJA treatment induced higher activities of two defense‐related enzymes—chitinase and β‐1,3‐glucanase—during 6 days storage. Meanwhile, the treatment inhibited increases in fruit firmness and internal browning index, and maintained higher extractable juice rate and total soluble solids and titratable acidity contents, thereby delaying the development of flesh leatheriness.

CONCLUSION: MeJA treatment effectively inhibited anthracnose rot and maintained quality in loquat fruit. Inhibition of the disease was mainly because of resistance induced in loquat fruit by MeJA. A postharvest application of MeJA could be an alternative to chemical fungicides for control of postharvest disease in loquat fruit. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Transgenic rice expresses an antigenic lipoprotein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Yiu Jinn‐Chin , Tseng Menq‐Jiau , Yang Chiou‐Ying , Liu Cheng‐Wei , Lai Yu‐Shen , Kuo Chun‐Teh , Liu Hsin‐Hsuan
Published: May 2008

BACKGROUND: The use of transgenic plants as new antigen‐delivery systems for subunit vaccines has been increasingly explored. We herein report progress toward a rice‐based vaccine against Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

RESULTS: Two expression cassettes, pKrAgnH and pKcAgnH, containing the lipoprotein gene of N. gonorrhoeae (Ag473) under the control of the tobacco Rubisco small subunit (rbcS) promoter or the CaMV 35S promoter, respectively, were constructed and introduced into rice (Oryzy sativa L.) by Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. Eleven independent transgenic lines were regenerated, integration of the Ag473 gene was confirmed by PCR and specific transcripts of the expected molecular size were detected by RT‐PCR. Expression of the putative polypeptide encoded by the Ag473 gene was detected by immunoassay with specific antibodies. ELISA and western blot revealed that the Ag473 protein was expressed and accumulated in both leaf and seed tissues of transgenic rice plants. Some transgenic lines expressed Ag473 up to 0.5% of the total soluble protein. Moreover, the immunogenicity of the expressed protein was tested in a mouse model and the results showed that specific antibodies were elicited in mice immunised intraperitoneally with protein extracts from transgenic rice plants.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using transgenic rice as a bioreactor for N. gonorrhoeae vaccine development. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Fat reduction in emulsion sausage using an enzyme‐modified potato starch
Authors: Liu Huaiwei , Xiong Youling L. , Jiang Lianzhou , Kong Baohua
Published: May 2008

BACKGROUND: A heat‐stable amylase‐modified potato starch (MPS) was prepared and used as a fat replacer in reduced‐fat emulsion sausages. The effects of fat level (50, 150 and 300 g kg−1) and MPS addition (20 and 40 g kg−1) on energy, colour, sensory, and textural properties of emulsion sausages were investigated.

RESULTS: The addition of 20 or 40 g kg−1 of MPS in reduced‐fat sausage (50–150 g kg−1 fat) reduced total energy (15.1–49.4%), increased lightness, but lowered redness of the products (P < 0.05). The 150 g kg−1 or 50 g kg−1 fat sausages containing 20 g kg−1 MPS had a similar hardness to the 300 g kg−1 fat control (P > 0.05). Sensory evaluation indicated that the presence of MPS in reduced‐fat sausages increased (P < 0.05) the product's tenderness.

CONCLUSION: Overall, the 150 g kg−1 fat emulsion sausages with 20 g kg−1 MPS were comparable to the 300 g kg−1 fat control sausage in colour, texture profile, and sensory properties, but was lower in energy, suggesting that the MPS can be used as a potential fat replacer in sausage products. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Experience of a large series of mastoscopic axillary lymph node dissection
Authors: Chengyu Luo , Jian Zhang , Xiaoxin Ji , Hua Lin , Qi Yang , Chen Guan
Published: May 2008

Background

Minimally invasive and functional therapy represents an inevitable trend in breast surgery. Improved visualization during mastoscopic axillary lymph node dissection (MALND) realizes a clear exposure of axillary anatomy, but it differs from a general laparoscopic operation. There are some challenges in technique itself which need to be noted. Detailed understanding of the elaborate operative technique, familiarity with the axillary anatomy and accurate adherence to procedure are main elements for successful MALND. Based on our experience of MALND, we have identified several points that are essential in ensuring successful MALND.

Materials and Methods

Five hundred twenty‐two patients underwent MALND. The special instruments, axillary anatomic landmarks and operative steps were illuminated.

Results

Mean operative time was 39.2 min (range 20–156 min). Operative bleeding was minimal. A mean of 13.4 (range 4–38) lymph nodes were harvested. No intra or post‐operation‐related complication occurred. No axillary tumor relapse or trocar tumor implantation was identified during follow‐up.

Conclusions

MALND can be performed with great convenience and safety with adherence to suitable procedures. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;98:89–93. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The prevalence of and risk factors for four or more metastatic axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients undergoing sentinel node biopsy
Authors: Leidenius M. , Vaalavirta L. , Heikkilä P. , von Smitten K. , Salmenkivi K.
Published: May 2008

Background

Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for having four or more positive axillary lymph nodes among breast cancer patients undergoing sentinel node (SN) biopsy.

Patients and Methods

Between February 2005 and July 2007, 1,062 breast cancer patients with the clinical tumour size not larger than 3 cm underwent SN biopsy and axillary clearance (AC), when SN was positive. These patients were identified in a prospectively collected database.

Results

Four or more positive axillary nodes were detected in 68 patients representing 6% of the entire study population and 16% of the 436 node positive cases. Features regarded as predictive for a very low risk included (1) T1a or T1b tumours, (2) grade I tumours, (3) tumours with a favourable subtype, that is mucinous, tubular or medullary breast cancer, (4) no nodal macrometastases and (5) SN ratio lower than 0.5.

Conclusions

Only few patients with T1a–b tumours or grade 1 tumours, as well as those with minimal involvement of the sentinel nodes have four or more positive axillary lymph nodes. However, these risk factors can be definitely assessed only after surgery, decreasing their value in the clinical decision making. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;98:21–26. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time of flight versus ion trap MS coupled to CE to analyse intact proteins
Authors: Erny Guillaume L. , León Carlos , Marina Maria Luisa , Cifuentes Alejandro
Published: May 2008

In this work, two different CE‐MS instruments, namely, CE‐ESI‐IT‐MS and CE‐ESI‐TOF‐MS, applied to analyse intact proteins from complex samples are investigated. The aim of this work was to compare both instruments in terms of LOD, number of proteins detected, and precision and repeatability in the determination of the protein relative molecular mass. Results show that although CE‐ESI‐IT‐MS provides cleaner MS spectra of intact proteins, CE‐ESI‐TOF‐MS allows the identification of a higher number of proteins from complex matrices in an easier way. Performance in terms of peak area reproducibility, LOD and precision in the determination of the molecular mass were similar for both instruments. The usefulness of the optimised CE‐ESI‐IT‐MS and CE‐ESI‐TOF‐MS conditions was demonstrated by studying the zein‐proteins composition of three natural maize lines and their corresponding transgenic lines, showing no significant differences.
Kinetics of Miniemulsion Polymerization of Styrene in the Presence of Organoclays
Authors: Tong Zhaohui , Deng Yulin
Published: May 2008

The impacts of nanoclays on the miniemulsion polymerization kinetics of styrene were studied. It was found that both RP and the fractional conversion decreased upon increasing the organoclay content in the miniemulsion system. In the presence of nanoclay the molecular weight of polystyrene nanoclay composite is lower and the particle size polydispersity of the final composite latex is greater than that of pure styrene miniemulsion polymerization. The effect of the nanoclays is mainly caused by the destabilization of the miniemulsion by the organoclay particles. The increase in the monomer viscosity and the decrease in the diffusion rate of the monomer and the living polymer inside the monomer droplet also accounts for the reduction in the polymerization rate.

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Enhanced Mechanical Performance of Self‐Bundled Electrospun Fiber Yarns via Post‐Treatments
Authors: Wang Xuefen , Zhang Kai , Zhu Meifang , Hsiao Benjamin S. , Chu Benjamin
Published: May 2008

A new route to high‐performance electrospun polymer fibers was developed using a self‐bundling electrospinning technique combined with post‐treatments such as stretching and annealing under conditions similar to those used for conventional fibers. Self‐bundled electrospun PAN fiber yarns were characterized by SEM, mechanical tests, polarized FT‐IR spectroscopy and WAXD. The obtained results revealed that the PAN nanofiber yarns possessed enhanced alignment, a higher degree of crystallinity and higher molecular orientation after treatments, resulting in a remarkable improvement in mechanical performance, approaching the strength value of the corresponding conventional fibers.

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Direct Observation of Alkyl Chain Interdigitation in Conjugated Polyquarterthiophene Self‐Organized on Graphite Surfaces
Authors: Keg Peisi , Lohani Anup , Fichou Denis , Lam Yeng Ming , Wu Yiliang , Ong Beng S. , Mhaisalkar Subodh G.
Published: May 2008

A solution processible polymer—poly(3,3‴‐didodecylquaterthiophene) (PQT‐12) is investigated at the liquid/solid interface using the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Two‐dimensional ordered films made up of self‐assembled domains, with dimensions of 100 nm × 50 nm adsorbed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) were formed. These domains consist of parallel lamellar polymer chains, with the alkyl chains forming interdigitated structures, along with U‐shaped and closed ring segments of the polymer chains. A polymer chain packing model is proposed herein, which attempts to propose a correlation between the packing of long chains and charge mobilities. These STM results could help in understanding the relationship between the extended conjugation and molecular organization of the PQT‐12 chains.

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Polymersome/Silica Capsules by ‘Click’‐Chemistry
Authors: Binder Wolfgang H. , Sachsenhofer Robert
Published: May 2008

Polyisobutylene/poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymers (PIBn‐PEOm) with variable block‐lengths (n = 40, 75; m = 31, 52) have been prepared by a combination of living polymerization cationic methods and azide/alkyne ‘click’ chemistry. Allyl‐telechelic PIBs are transformed into the respective telechelic PIB‐azides (PIB‐N3) by a quantitative procedure. Coupling of the PIB‐N3 to acetylene‐telechelic PEO‐polymers is then quantitatively achieved by a CuI‐mediated cycloaddition reaction. The resulting diblock copolymers reveal lamellar structures in solution at concentrations up to 35 wt.‐%, whereas polymersomes are formed at lower concentrations. The resulting polymersomes can be silicified under inclusion of nanoparticles to generate micrometer‐sized, multifunctional capsules with a silica shell.

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Effects of garlic on platelet biochemistry and physiology
Authors: Rahman Khalid
Published: May 2008

Increased platelet aggregation plays a significant role in the aetiology of cardiovascular disease, and is complex involving multiple mechanisms. On platelet activation, there is a transient increase in free cytoplasmic calcium (Ca2+), thromboxane A2 generation, and the activation of the fibrinogen receptor GPIIb/IIIa. Other modulators are also involved in platelet aggregation and include lipoxygenase metabolites, protein kinase C, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic guanine monophosphate (cGMP) and nitric oxide (NO). Garlic is reported to prevent cardiovascular disease by multiple effects, one of which is the inhibition of platelet aggregation and its ability to do this has been extensively investigated in vitro, however, in vivo studies are limited. In vitro studies indicate that garlic prevents inhibition of platelet aggregation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase activity and thus thromboxane A2 formation, by suppressing mobilization of intraplatelet Ca2+, and by increasing levels of cAMP and cGMP. Garlic also displays strong antioxidant properties and activates nitric oxide synthase (NOS), leading to an increase in platelet‐derived NO. It can also interact directly with the GPIIb/IIIa receptors, thus reducing the ability of platelets to bind to fibrinogen. It is concluded that garlic inhibits platelet aggregation by multiple mechanisms and may have a role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
In vitro fermentability of human milk oligosaccharides by several strains of bifidobacteria
Authors: Ward Robert E. , Niñonuevo Milady , Mills David A. , Lebrilla Carlito B. , German J. Bruce
Published: May 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the catabolism and fermentation of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) by individual strains of bifidobacteria. Oligosaccharides were isolated from a pooled sample of human milk using solid‐phase extraction, and then added to a growth medium as the sole source of fermentable carbohydrate. Of five strains of bifidobacteria tested (Bifidobacterium longum biovar infantis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum biovar longum, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium adolescentis), B. longum bv. infantis grew better, achieving triple the cell density then the other strains. B. bifidum did not reach a high cell density, yet generated free sialic acid, fucose and N‐acetylglucosamine in the media, suggesting some capacity for HMO degradation. Thin layer chromatography profiles of spent fermentation broth suggests substantial degradation of oligosaccharides by B. longum bv. infantis, moderate degradation by B. bifidum and little degradation by other strains. While all strains were able to individually ferment two monosaccharide constituents of HMO, glucose and galactose, only B. longum bv. infantis and B. breve were able to ferment glucosamine, fucose and sialic acid. These results suggest that as a potential prebiotic, HMO may selectively promote the growth of certain bifidobacteria strains, and their catabolism may result in free monosaccharides in the colonic lumen.
Dietary docosahexaenoic acid‐rich diacylglycerols ameliorate hepatic steatosis and alter hepatic gene expressions in C57BL/6J‐Lepob/ob mice
Authors: Kim Hye‐Jin , Lee Ki‐Teak , Park Yong Bok , Jeon Seon‐Min , Choi Myung‐Sook
Published: May 2008

We examined the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)‐enriched structured lipids‐diacylglycerol (SL‐DG), which were synthesized using soybean oil (SO) and algae oil (AO), on hepatic lipid metabolism and the mRNA expression of genes involved in hepatic steatosis of C57BL/6J‐Lepob/ob compared to the SL‐triacylglycerol (TG). The animals were fed a high‐fat (10% lard and 10% test oils) and high‐cholesterol (0.2% cholesterol) diet for 12 weeks. Mice fed SL‐DG showed a lower total white adipose tissue weight and plasma triglyceride concentration than the SO group. Reduction of hepatic triglyceride content in the SL‐DG group was related with the suppression of hepatic enzyme activities for fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis along with fecal triglyceride excretion compared to the SL‐TG. SL‐DG also lowered hepatic cholesterol levels by suppressing cholesterol regulating enzyme activity compared to the SO group. Moreover, SL‐DG lowered the mRNA expressions of sterol regulatory element binding protein‐1 and its target genes than TG‐form oils (SO, AO and SL‐TG) in the liver. Thus, the current results suggest that DHA‐enriched SL‐DG oil used in this study is beneficial for ameliorating hepatic steatosis in obese animal model by improving hepatic fatty acid and cholesterol metabolic enzyme activity and their gene expression.
Selenium attenuates pro‐inflammatory gene expression in macrophages
Authors: Vunta Hema , Belda Benjamin J. , Arner Ryan J. , Channa Reddy C. , Vanden Heuvel John P. , Sandeep Prabhu K.
Published: May 2008

Selenium (Se) is an important element required for the optimal functioning of the immune system. Particularly in macrophages, which play a pivotal role in immune regulation, Se acts as a major antioxidant in the form of selenoproteins to mitigate the cytotoxic effects of reactive oxygen species. Here we describe the role of Se as an anti‐inflammatory agent and its effect on the macrophage signal transduction pathways elicited by bacterial endotoxin, LPS. Our studies demonstrate that supplementation of Se to macrophages (Se‐deficient) leads to a significant decrease in the LPS‐induced expression of two important pro‐inflammatory genes, cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) via the inhibition of MAP kinase pathways. Furthermore, Se‐deficiency in mice exacerbated the LPS‐mediated infiltration of macrophages into the lungs suggesting that Se status is a crucial host factor that regulates inflammation. In summary, our results indicate that Se plays an important role as an anti‐inflammatory agent by tightly regulating the expression of pro‐inflammatory genes in immune cells.
3‐Phenylethynyl phthalimide end‐capped imide oligomers and the cured polymers
Authors: Liu Yanfeng , Wang Zhen , Yang Huili , Gao Lianxun , Li Gao , Ding Mengxian
Published: May 2008

In the past decades, 4‐phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride (4‐PEPA) has been the most important endcapper used for thermoset polyimide. As the isomer of4‐PEPA, 3‐phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride (3‐PEPA) has attracted our interest. In this article, 3‐PEPA was synthesized and a comparative study with 4‐PEPA on curing temperature, curing rate, thermal and mechanical properties of oligomers and cured polymers was presented. The new phenylethynyl endcapped model compound, N‐phenyl‐3‐phenylethynyl phthalimide, was synthesized and characterized. The molecular structure of model compound was determined via single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and the thermal curing process was investigated by Fourier transform infrared. Differential scanning calorimetry clearly showed that the model compound from 3‐PEPA had about 20 °C higher curing onset and peak temperature than the 4‐PEPA analog. This result was further proved by the dynamic rheological analysis that the temperature of minimum viscosity for oligomers end‐capped with 3‐PEPA was above 20 °C higher than that of the corresponding 4‐PEPA endcapped oligomers with the same calculated number average molecular weight. The cured polymer from 3‐PEPA displayed slightly higher thermal oxidative stability than those from 4‐PEPA by thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal curing kinetics of 3‐PEPA endcapped oligomer (OI‐5) and 4‐PEPA endcapped oligomer (OI‐6) fitted a first‐order rate law quite well and revealed a similar rate acceleration trend. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4227–4235, 2008
Are prostate biopsies mandatory in patients with prostate‐specific antigen increase during intravesical immuno‐ or chemotherapy for superficial bladder cancer?
Authors: Beltrami Paolo , Ruggera Lorenzo , Cazzoletti Lucia , Schiavone Dionisio , Zattoni Filiberto
Published: May 2008

Background

Aim of this study was to evaluate if there was a significant association between intravesical immuno‐ or chemotherapy and the increase of PSA serum level. It could be important to avoid useless prostate biopsies.

Methods

PSA values were determined in 106 male patients who had undergone intravesical immuno‐ (77 cases) or chemotherapy (29 cases) from 2001 to 2005. Blood samples were obtained before and after the induction course of instillation therapy and at 3, 6, and 12 months during the maintenance course.

Results

41.6% of patients at the end of the BCG induction course and 45.5% at 3 months from the beginning of the immunotherapy showed a clinically and statistically significant increase of PSA that returned to the baseline levels within 12 months. Prostate biopsies, performed in 10 patients during BCG therapy, showed inflammatory pictures in 9 cases and a prostate cancer in 1 patient with persistently elevated PSA at 12 months. In 1 case a prostate cancer was histologically found following radical cistectomy for disease progression. A statistically but not clinically significant difference of PSA level was registered in patients treated with chemotherapy.

Conclusions

Our results confirm that a statistically and clinically significant PSA increase is registered during immunotherapy but not during chemotherapy. PSA elevation in patients treated with intravesical BCG is self‐limited and prostate biopsies are not mandatory in these patients and could be delayed at 12 months, while monitoring PSA. On the other side, prostate biopsies are mandatory in patients with PSA abnormal elevation during chemotherapy. Prostate 68: 1241–1247, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Very high crystalline quality of thick 4H‐SiC epilayers grown from methyltrichlorosilane (MTS)
Authors: Pedersen H. , Leone S. , Henry A. , Darakchieva V. , Carlsson P. , Gällström A. , Janzén E.
Published: May 2008

200 µm thick 4H‐SiC epilayers have been grown by chloride‐based chemical‐vapor deposition using methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) as single precursor. The very high crystalline quality of the grown epilayer is demonstrated by high resolution X‐Ray Diffraction rocking curve with a full‐width‐half‐maximum value of only 9 arcsec. The high quality of the epilayer is further shown by low temperature photoluminescence showing strong free exciton and nitrogen bound exciton lines. The very high crystalline quality achieved for the thick epilayer grown in just two hours at 1600 °C suggests that MTS is a suitable precursor molecule for SiC bulk growth. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Lab technicians and high school student interns—Who is scaffolding whom?: On forms of emergent expertise
Authors: Hsu Pei‐Ling , Roth Wolff‐Michael
Published: May 2008

Apprenticeship and the associated support mechanism of scaffolding have received considerable interest by educational researchers as ways of inducting students into science. Most studies treat scaffolding as a one‐way process, where the expert supports the development of the novice. However, if social processes generally and conversations specifically are dialogical in nature then we would expect to observe two‐way processes. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of an ethnographic study of high school students' internships in a scientific laboratory. Data were collected through observation, fieldnotes, and videotaping. Drawing on discursive psychology and conversation analysis, we find that laboratory technicians and students draw on different forms of discursive strategies to articulate knowledgeability while transacting with each other. We put forth the notion of emergent expertise to describe new forms of expertise that are not a property of individuals but rather the product of collective transactions. Our study illustrates the importance of opportunities generated in the internship for both old‐timers and newcomers to bring about knowledgeability. This study implies a rethinking of the role of the expert and the notion of scaffolding, which puts more emphasis on the transactional process rather than on learners as recipients. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 93:1–25, 2009
Is heterogeneity of catchability in capture–recapture studies a mere sampling artifact or a biologically relevant feature of the population?
Authors: Crespin Laurent , Choquet Rémi , Lima Mauricio , Merritt Joseph , Pradel Roger
Published: May 2008

The heterogeneity of catchability (HC) among the individuals encountered during a capture–recapture study has long been regarded as a liability. However, heterogeneous capture probabilities may reflect interesting but hidden features of the population, such as social status. The difficulty is to distinguish between this intrinsic heterogeneity and the extrinsic heterogeneity induced by the study itself. So far, population ecologists have not been able to distinguish between these two sources of variation in capture heterogeneity because, in the presence of heterogeneity of capture in the data, they have frequently used a too simple approach. This traditional approach, which consists of incorporating two common sources of lack of fit (transience and trap‐dependence), does not directly model the HC and thus cannot investigate its biological meaning. In this context, we propose, for open populations, to directly model the HC by employing multievent models. Multievent models make it possible to break HC into two classes of catchability viewed as uncertain states. With the introduction of a coefficient of heterogeneity to model proportional probabilities of capture over time in the two classes, our approach allows the investigation of HC in a parsimonious way. In this paper, we apply both this new approach and the traditional approach to a long‐term data set of male deer mice Peromyscus maniculatus. We then compare 13 candidate models separately for each approach. Our results indicate that the new approach is superior to the traditional approach.
Consumer acceptance of nutrigenomics-based personalised nutrition
Authors: Ronteltap A. , van Trijp J. C. M. , Renes R. J.
Published: May 2008

Nutrigenomics is a new and promising development in nutritional science which aims to understand the fundamental molecular processes affected by foods. Despite general agreement on its promise for better understanding diet–health relationships, less consensus exists among experts on the potential of spin-offs aimed at the consumer such as personalised nutrition. Research into consumer acceptance of such applications is scarce. The present study develops a set of key hypotheses on public acceptance of personalised nutrition and tests these in a representative sample of Dutch consumers. An innovative consumer research methodology is used in which consumers evaluate short films which are systematically varied scenarios for the future of personalised nutrition. Consumer evaluations of these films, which are pre-tested in a pilot study, allow a formal test of how consumer perceptions of personalised nutrition drive consumer acceptance and through which fundamental psychological processes these effects are mediated. Public acceptance is enhanced if consumers can make their genetic profile available free at their own choice, if the actual spin-off products provide a clearly recognisable advantage to the consumer, and are easy to implement into the daily routine. Consumers prefer communication on nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition by expert stakeholders to be univocal and aimed at building support with consumers and their direct environments for this intriguing new development. Additionally, an exploratory segmentation analysis indicated that people have different focal points in their preferences for alternative scenarios of personalised nutrition. The insights obtained from the present study provide guidance for the successful further development of nutrigenomics and its applications.
Use of metabolic control analysis in lactation biology
Authors: WRIGHT T. C. , CANT J. P. , MCBRIDE B. W.
Published: May 2008

Sensitivity analysis is routinely carried out in the evaluation of simulation models to identify the degree to which parameters influence model outputs. This type of sensitivity analysis is much less frequently applied to real systems, but a technique called metabolic control analysis (MCA) was developed in the 1970s for the purpose of experimentally identifying the degree to which individual enzymes in a metabolic pathway influence flux through the pathway. MCA is applied to the results of inhibition, activation or genetic manipulation of enzymatic steps in a biochemical pathway. Flux control coefficients for each enzyme are defined as the fractional change in steady-state flux through the entire pathway for an infinitesimal change in the activity of that one enzyme. The sum of control coefficients in a linear, non-branching pathway is equal to one. It is a common finding in MCA that the control, or sensitivity, is distributed over multiple enzymes and not in a single rate-limiting enzyme. The fundamental principles of MCA are reviewed and an overview of experimental methods to measure control coefficients is provided, with the objective of introducing this approach to the fields of agricultural biochemistry and modelling, where it is little known. The application of MCA to the study of glucose metabolism and fatty acid synthesis in bovine mammary tissue are reviewed. The analyses indicated that mammary hexokinase activity exerts more control than transmembrane transport of glucose over lactose synthesis, and that control of cytosolic fatty acid synthesis is shared between acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase, contrary to the widely held view that acetyl CoA carboxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme. It is suggested that MCA could be a valuable aid in the integration of proteomic and metabolomic data with metabolic flux measurements to engineer desired changes in the composition of milk from dairy animals.
The Changes of Chinese Labor Policy and Labor Legislation in the Context of Market Transition
Authors: Ngok Kinglun
Published: May 2008

This article examines the changes to and relations between labor policy and labor legislation in the context of China's market transition with a focus on the 1994 Labor Law and the 2007 Labor Contract Law. The initial impetus to labor policy change came from the unemployment crisis at the end of the 1970s and the early 1980s. Since then, the state has relaxed its control over labor mobility and job allocation. The last two decades of the last century witnessed the most important changes in China's labor policy, that is, the replacement of lifelong employment with contract-based employment and the replacement of government job assignment with the labor market. Such changes indicate the paradigmatic shifts of China's labor policy in the reform era. Under the new labor policy paradigm, the role of law has been strengthened in governing labor relations and other labor-related affairs. Within the policy context of promoting economic growth while maintaining social stability, both policy and law are coordinated and complementary in stabilizing labor relations and protecting labor rights. Given the socioeconomic circumstances and the underdevelopment of the rule of law in China, policy is still important during the period of market transition.
Ziyou (Freedom), Occupational Choice, and Labor: Bangbang in Chongqing, People's Republic of China
Authors: Zhang Xia
Published: May 2008

This paper aims to examine the complicated processes and dynamics of rural migrant workers' occupation choice in post-Mao China among a specific migrant population, the bangbang (porters or carriers) in the city of Chongqing in southwest China. By employing ethnographic data from my year-long anthropological field research among bangbang and following the Foucauldian concept of governmentality, this paper explores the question of whether neoliberalism alone deliberately and vehemently transforms these laborers into self-reliant subjects. It argues that for rural migrants, the discourse on ziyou (freedom), as promoted by the state, plays a significant role in facilitating the migrants' subject formation, transforming them into self-reliant and enterprising laborers even as it makes them vulnerable to fierce exploitation. At the same time, bangbang turn this neoliberal rationality around and use it in their struggle for the security and aid refused to them by the state because it externalizes the “technologies of the self.” Bangbang internalize neoliberal techniques of governance that are framed as ziyou (freedom), not from social responsibility or patriotism but from disappointment with and distrust of the state.
Solidarność in Łódź: An Interview with Zbigniew Marcin Kowalewski
Authors: Phelps Christopher
Published: May 2008

After serving as an organizer for the independent labor union Solidarity (“Solidarność”) during Poland's 1980–81 upsurge, Zbigniew Marcin Kowalewski was elected to the union's regional leadership in Łódź in 1981. Poland's most populous city after Warsaw, Łódź grew rapidly in the late nineteenth century after a torrent of foreign capital investment. Known as the “Manchester of Poland” because of its concentration of textile manufacturing, the city and its mills were the setting for The Promised Land, the story of a German, a Jew, and a Pole seeking to make their fortune in the brutal new world of industrial capitalism, as told in the 1899 realist novel by Władysław Reymont and the 1975 film by director Andrzej Wajda. The Łódź working class has a militant history dating to the strikes of May 1892, when, as Tamara Deutscher writes, “more than two hundred rioting textile workers were cut down by Cossacks.”
Kneeling at the Altar of (Il)-Liberalism: The Politics of Ideas, Job Loss, and Union Weakness in East Central Europe
Authors: Vanhuysse Pieter
Published: May 2008

As East Central Europe is fast approaching the end of its second decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, new studies of postcommunist politics and society can increasingly benefit from a longer historical perspective. We can now replace the “history of the present” lens that was typical of much research in the highly volatile 1990s with accounts that more extensively compare the most fundamental trends emerging from the decades before and after 1989–1990. In this spirit, both books under review make substantive and historically well-informed contributions to our understanding of the politics of work and workers in Central and Eastern Europe. In The Defeat of Solidarity, David Ost develops a gripping account of the progressive and interlinked defeats of labor interests and liberal democratic politics in Poland from the 1980s up to the present day. In Constructing Unemployment, Phineas Baxandall offers a theory of the political meaning of unemployment, applied mainly to the case of Hungary from the late 1940s until the end of the 1990s.
Homogenized models for filtration and for acoustic wave propagation in thermo-elastic porous media
Authors: MEIRMANOV A.
Published: May 2008

A system of differential equations describing the joint motion of thermo-elastic porous body and slightly compressible viscous thermofluid occupying pore space is considered. Although the problem is correct in an appropriate functional space, it is very hard to tackle due to the fact that its main differential equations involve non-smooth oscillatory coefficients, both big and small, under the differentiation operators. The rigorous justification under various conditions imposed on physical parameters is fulfilled for homogenization procedures as the dimensionless size of the pores tends to zero, while the porous body is geometrically periodic. As a result, we derive Biot's system of equations of thermo-poroelasticity, a similar system, consisting of anisotropic Lamé equations for a thermoelastic solid coupled with acoustic equations for a thermofluid, Darcy's system of filtration, or acoustic equations for a thermofluid, according to ratios between physical parameters. The proofs are based on Nguetseng's two-scale convergence method of homogenization in periodic structures.
Formation and Early Growth of IFSEM
Authors: Fisher Robert M
Published: May 2008

The International Federation of Societies for Electron Microscopy (IFSEM) was established in the mid-1950s out of a postwar desire to foster communications and collaboration among electron microscopists around the world and, to some extent, in response to growing recognition of the need for formal endorsement of an expanding calendar of meetings featuring foreign speakers and soliciting attendance from the rapidly swelling international community of electron microscopists. The present oversight function, pertaining to the scientific program, adequacy of the budgets, capacity of the facilities, and special amenities of the setting, came later. It must be said that the international ”Olympic Committee” system has worked well with an admirable string of successful meetings and no major problems. This short account deals primarily with the early IFSEM period. Developments during the middle and more recent IFSEM years have been described in a joint publication by Arvid Maunsbach and Gareth Thomas (1996)—both past Presidents of IFSEM. A subsequent account of the present structure, membership, and functions of IFSEM will also appear in a later issue of the Journal.
Energy-Dispersive Spectrometry from Then until Now: A Chronology of Innovation
Authors: Friel John J , Mott Richard B
Published: May 2008

As part of the Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS) symposium marking 30 years of energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), this article reviews many innovations in the field over those years. Innovations that added a capability previously not available to the microanalyst are chosen for further description. Included are innovations in both X-ray microanalysis and digital imaging using the EDS analyzer.
Low-Voltage Energy-Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis of Bulk Biological Materials
Authors: Echlin Patrick
Published: May 2008

Low-voltage energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis has a number of distinct advantages for measuring the concentration of light elements (Z = 11−20) in a largely organic matrix. Between 10 and 4 kV, there is a 50-fold decrease in the size of the incident beam-specimen interaction volume which enables discrete subcel-lular compartments to be analyzed. Experiments with mineral and organic samples of known chemical composition show that two of the most widely used analytical algorithms are capable of providing quantitative data at accelerating voltages as low as 5 kV. This technique is used at 5 kV to analyze frozen hydrated fracture faces of leaves of the tea plant which are known to contain aluminium. Higher levels of aluminium are found in the cell walls and are associated with increased levels of silicon and magnesium. The advantages and disadvantages of the experimental approach are discussed in relation to analysis carried out at higher voltages.
Standardless Quantitative Electron-Excited X-ray Microanalysis by Energy-Dispersive Spectrometry: What Is Its Proper Role?
Authors: Newbury Dale E
Published: May 2008

Electron beam X-ray microanalysis with semiconductor energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) performed with standards and calculated matrix corrections can yield quantitative results with a distribution such that 95% of analyses fall within ±5% relative for major and minor constituents. Standardless methods substitute calculations for the standard intensities, based either on physical models of X-ray generation and propagation (first principles) or on mathematical fits to remotely measured standards (fitted standards). Error distributions have been measured for three different standardless analysis procedures with a suite of microanalysis standards including metal alloys, glasses, minerals, ceramics, and stoichiometric compounds. For the first-principles standardless procedure, the error distribution placed 95% of analyses within ±50% relative, whereas for two commercial fitted standards procedures, the error distributions placed 95% of analyses within ±25% relative. The implication of these error distributions for the accuracy of analytical results is considered, and recommendations for the use of standardless analysis are given.
Statistical Considerations in Microanalysis by Energy-Dispersive Spectrometry
Authors: Lifshin Eric , Doganaksoy Necip , Sirois Jane , Gauvin Raynald
Published: May 2008

X-ray counting statistics plays a key role in establishing confidence limits in composition determination by X-ray microanalysis. The process starts with measurements of intensity on one or more samples and standards as well as related background determinations. Since each individual measurement is subject to variability associated with counting statistics, it is necessary to combine all of the counting variability according to established mathematical procedures. The next step is to apply propagation of error calculations to equations for quantitative analysis and determine confidence limits in reported composition. Similar concepts can also be applied to trace element determination. This approach can then be combined with spectral simulation modeling, making it possible to predict detectability limits without additional measurements.
Measuring Performance of Energy-Dispersive X-ray Systems
Authors: Statham Peter J
Published: May 2008

As Si(Li) detector technology has matured, many of the fundamental problems have been addressed in the competition among manufacturers and there is now an expectation, implied by many textbooks, that all energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) detectors are made and will perform in the same way. Although there has been some convergence in Si(Li) systems and these are still the most common, manufacturing recipes still differ and there are many alternative EDX devices, such as microcalorimeters and room temperature detectors, that have both advantages and disadvantages over Si(Li). Rather than emphasizing differences in technologies, performance measures should reveal benefits relevant to the intended application. The instrument is inevitably going to be a “black box” of integrated components; this article reviews some of the methods that have been applied and introduces some new techniques that can be used to assess performance without resorting to complex software or sophisticated mathematical algorithms. Sensitivity, resolution, artefacts, and stability are discussed with particular application to compositional analysis using electron beam excitation of X-rays in the 100-eV to 10-keV energy region.
Superconducting Tunnel Junction Array Development for High-Resolution Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy
Authors: Friedrich S , Mears CA , Nideröst B , Hiller LJ , Frank M , Labov SE , Barfknecht AT , Cramer SP
Published: May 2008

Cryogenic energy-dispersive X-ray detectors are being developed because of their superior energy resolution (10 eV FWHM for keV X-rays) compared to that achieved in semiconductor energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) systems. So far, their range of application is limited because of their comparably small size and low count rate. We present data on the development of superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector arrays to address both of these issues. A single STJ detector has a resolution of around 10 eV below 1 keV and can be operated at count rates of the order 10,000 counts/sec. We show that the simultaneous operation of several STJ detectors does not dimish their energy resolution significantly, and it increases the detector area and the maximum count rate by a factor given by the total number of independent channels.
Cryopreservation of shoot tips of endangered Hayachine-usuyukiso ( Leontopodium hayachinense (Takeda) Hara et Kitam.) using a vitrification protocol
Authors: Tanaka Daisuke , Niino Takao , Tsuchiya Yoshiko , Shirata Kazuto , Uemura Matsuo
Published: May 2008

Hayachine-usuyukiso (Leontopodium hayachinense) is an alpine plant native to Mt Hayachine. This unique chrysanthemum is listed as an endangered plant by the Department of Conservation, Iwate Prefecture, and as a threatened plant by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. We successfully cryopreserved the shoot tips fromin vitro-grownL. hayachinenseshoots using a vitrification protocol. Cold-hardened shoot tips were excised and pre-cultured on a solidified Murashige–Skoog medium containing 0.3 M sucrose for 1 d at 5°C. The shoot tips were then treated with loading solution for 20 min at 25°C, dehydrated in plant vitrification solution 2 for 120 min at 25°C and immersed in liquid nitrogen. The survival rate of the vitrified shoot tips was 63.3% after 30 d of regrowth. This protocol appears to be a promising technique for the cryopreservation ofin vitro-grown shoots of this endangered plant.