bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti‐Trust? European Competition Law and Mutual Environmental Insurance*
Authors: Bennett Paul
Published: August 2010

Abstract:In this paper I argue that competition law risks undermining institutional incentives toward higher corporate environmental performance. Firms are increasingly expected to influence the environmental standards of companies they invest in, lend to, or insure. This may be jeopardized if they are competing for those businesses, particularly in markets with information asymmetries. I examine the environmental implications of market competition, competition between regulators, and the particular case of insurance markets in which insurers fulfill both a market and a quasi‐regulatory role. The core of the paper concerns an ongoing dispute between the European Commission and a group of mutual, non‐profit‐making marine insurers known as Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Clubs, into which shipowners pool their environmental and other third‐party liabilities. The Clubs try to allocate costs fairly so that the “polluter pays,” providing an incentive to minimize risk. Fourteen of these Clubs, containing about 90 percent of the world's merchant fleet, enter into a further scale of mutuality by collectively reinsuring one another. Mutuality at both scales, they claim, is dependent upon them not competing for members by setting unfairly low rates. The European Commission argues, in turn, that this agreement contravenes European competition law. Through an analysis of this case I demonstrate a potential conflict between competition law and “private” environmental regulation. I conclude by discussing the consequences of drawing disciplinary boundaries between policy areas and questioning the conceptualization of the economy which underpins competition law.
Coffee Labor Regimes and Deforestation on a Brazilian Frontier, 1915–1965*
Authors: Brannstrom Christian
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In this paper I analyze the relationship between coffee labor relations and deforestation in São Paulo state, Brazil, using new empirical data from judicial archives and a microeconomic approach stressing transaction costs. Contractual planting, sharecropping, and mixed wage–piece rate schemes encouraged rapid conversion of forest and woodland (Cerradão) to coffee by a wide range of landowners. Factors of labor quality, costly supervision, information asymmetries, and risk shaped the labor relations that speeded the creation of coffee groves. Tensions existed within labor relations schemes regarding usufruct, debt, and the definition of work. The findings suggest that greater attention should be given to the particular nature of labor arrangements in affecting environmental resource use.
The “End of Geography” in Financial Services? Local Embeddedness and Territorialization in the Interest Rate Swaps Industry*
Authors: Agnes Pierre
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This paper provides evidence that the globalization of financial services has not undermined the importance of local embeddedness in world financial centers, among global banks. Using qualitative data from interviews with senior bankers in the interest rate swaps (derivatives) industry in Australia, in this paper I demonstrate the importance of spatial relationships and processes of local embeddedness in the production of swaps. Local embeddedness is attributable to the rapid exchange of financial information in formal dealing networks that serve as central information sources, enabling dealers to formulate a “market feel” that influences their dealing strategies. Information interpretation and decision making in dealing processes and specialist financial labor provide the foundations for the product‐based learning orientation of swaps dealing. Dealing networks are underpinned by social relationships, requiring face‐to‐face interaction that is facilitated by spatial proximity. Although the global swaps industry is dominated by multinational banks, the centrality of these embedded networks impedes globalization in interest rate swaps dealing. The global swaps industry comprises an international network of highly localized but interconnected operations based in world financial centers.
The Firm or the Region: What Determines the Innovation Behavior of European Firms?
Authors: Sternberg Rolf , Arndt Olaf
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This paper examines the determinants of innovation behavior in European firms that are predominantly small and medium in size. The aim is to assess the absolute as well as the relative impact on innovation behavior of firm‐specific (i.e., internal) factors on the one hand and region‐specific characteristics on the other. Two hypotheses are advanced and tested. The first is that—contrary in part to some recent literature on regional and national innovation systems—firm‐specific determinants of innovation are more important than either region‐specific or external factors. The second hypothesis is that in high‐tech regions dominated by a small number of very large firms the innovation behavior of the smaller firms is more strongly influenced by regional factors than by factors internal to the firm. Whereas the first hypothesis is confirmed by the empirical results presented here, the second is not. Because firm‐level innovation determinants are of great importance in the European regions investigated in this study, we suggest that local innovation policy should focus more on the specific needs of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular regions than on improving regional conditions for innovation in general. The analysis is mainly based on data from the European Regional Innovation Survey (ERIS) and includes information from more than 8,000 interviews with manufacturing firms, service firms, and research institutions in 11 European regions. The logit analyses reported in this paper used data from some 1,800 manufacturing firms.
The Competitive Foundations of Localized Learning and Innovation: The Case of Women's Garment Production in New York City*
Authors: Rantisi Norma M.
Published: August 2010

Abstract:This article considers the relevance of the “local” for firm learning in New York City's Garment District. By documenting the design innovation process in the district's women's wear industry and the ways in which designers draw on the district's specialized services and institutions to assist in the process, the article examines how a localized agglomeration or “cluster” facilitates the development of shared conventions and practices. It also shows how the district confers benefits on firms in indirect ways. Since apparel manufacturers operate in a U.S. regulatory framework that inhibits cooperation, the Garment District's support institutions serve as production intermediaries, providing firms with a means to monitor and observe rival firms' performances and solutions. As such, the case of the Garment District poses interesting challenges to the prevailing conceptions of the “local” as a site for cooperation and suggests the need to rethink the relevance of competition for learning and innovation.
Power Relations, Industrial Clusters, and Regional Transformations: Pan‐European Integration and Outward Processing in the Slovak Clothing Industry
Authors: Smith Adrian
Published: August 2010

Abstract:Since the late 1980s the East European clothing sector has witnessed a dramatic transformation. Driven by increasing costs in Western Europe, Western clothing retailers and buyers have increasingly outsourced production to lower‐cost regions of postcommunist Eastern Europe. One consequence of these changes has been a dramatic growth of clothing producers in Eastern Europe, locked into supply relations with Western buyers while simultaneously involved in dense networks of relations between firms in regional clusters. This article focuses on the form that power relations take, which knit together pan‐European supply linkages and regional clusters of clothing firms in Slovakia. In drawing on a weak form of actor‐network theory and an understanding of capitalist commodity production, the article explores the uneven nature of these power relations, as well as their fluidity at three levels. First, attention is given to relations between Slovak firms and Western buyers that largely involve a tenuous form of price competitiveness, which is simultaneously under threat from lower‐cost production zones elsewhere. Second, the variant power relations between producers in regional clusters of clothing firms in Slovakia are explored. Production flexibilities have been built through a network of locally agglomerated workshop production units and domestic home‐based workers to whom work is outsourced when required. Third, the implications of these forms of outsourcing are explored in relation to workplace and wage‐level pressures. The article therefore suggests the importance of understanding dynamic and fluid power relations in the economic geography of regional clusters and the globalization of outsourcing in the clothing sector.
Theorizing Economic Geographies of Asia
Authors: Yeung Henry Wai‐chung , Lin George C. S.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Economic geographies of Asia are highly fascinating, not the least because Asia has increasingly emerged as a significant economic player in all spheres of global competition: production, consumption, and circulation. This dynamic mosaic of economic landscapes in Asia was further complicated during the 1997–1998 economic crisis and thereafter. While some aspects of these economic geographies of Asia have already received research attention, many complex economic geographic processes in Asia have been undertheorized in the literature. This agenda‐setting article makes two critical observations. First, the theorization of dynamic economic changes in Asia needs to be more critical of economic geography theories developed elsewhere in the Anglo‐American context. The Asian case may significantly challenge existing theories in economic geography. Second, certain geographic processes in Asia require fundamentally new approaches to theorization that may contribute to the development of broader theories in economic geography. The economic dynamism of Asia has provided a useful site for the development of theory and empirical understanding in contemporary economic geography. To support our arguments and observations, we discuss the situatedness and specificity of influential theories of economic geography and offer some constructive suggestions for an intellectual agenda for developing new theories in economic geography.
Regional Institutional Convergence? Reflections from the Baltimore Waterfront
Authors: Hall Peter V.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This article discusses the process of institutional change across regions in response to structural economic, social, political, and technological change. It accepts as a starting point the assertion that institutional differences between regions account, at least in part, for differences in regional development outcomes. This assertion raises the question of whether institutions in different locales will converge or diverge over time. The article explores this question through a case study of institutional changes associated with the process of containerization at the Port of Baltimore. Despite considerable pressure for convergent change in various formal institutions, specifically with respect to port pricing and terminal leasing policies, important elements of a common‐user approach to the operation of the port were maintained. This particular trajectory of institutional change is reflective of both the local political economy and the role of public officials in deliberating over formal institutional choices in the face of considerable uncertainty. The evidence supports a notion of institutional transformation in which regional institutional diversity, albeit in new forms, is maintained.
Producing and Consuming Chemicals: The Moral Economy of the American Lawn
Authors: Robbins Paul , Sharp Julie T.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The burgeoning application of fertilizers and pesticides to residential lawns, which has begun to offset the gains made in reducing the use of chemicals in agriculture, represents a serious environmental hazard in the United States and elsewhere. Increased use and purchase occur specifically among a sector of consumers who explicitly and disproportionately acknowledge the risks associated with chemical deposition, moreover, and who express concern about the quality of water and human health. What drives the production of monocultural lawns in a period when environmental consciousness has encouraged “green” household action (e.g., recycling)? And why does the production of chemical externalities occur among individuals who claim to be concerned about community, family, and environment? In this article, we explore the interactions that condition and characterize the growth of intensive residential yard management in the United States. We argue that the peculiar growth and expansion of the moral economy of the lawn is the product of a threefold process in which (1) the lawn‐chemical industry has implemented new and innovative styles of marketing that (2) help to produce an association of community, family, and environmental health with intensive turf‐grass aesthetics and (3) reflect an increasing local demand by consumers for authentic experiences of community, family, and connection to the nonhuman biological world through meaningful work.
Australian Trade Unions and the Politics of Scale: Reconstructing the Spatiality of Industrial Relations
Authors: Sadler David , Fagan Bob
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In this article, we explore responses of trade unions to the reconfiguration of the Australian industrial relations system in the 1990s. We argue that a major characteristic of these changes is the way in which they were socially constructed as necessary imperatives of globalization and new modes of production. Our interpretation focuses on the importance of geographic scale. We contend that a relational sense of scale is consistent with an analysis of the situatedness of labor practices and that Australia has witnessed a particularly striking use of “globalization” as political narrative. We then detail key features of the new industrial relations environment in Australia that have transformed a system that was once exceptional in its degree of nationally centralized negotiation and collective bargaining. The implications of two important confrontations related to the 1996 Workplace Relations Act are explored in detail: the conflicts between transnational mining giant Rio Tinto and the mineworkers' union over reform in the Australian coal industry and the waterfront dispute over working practices and relations in Australian ports. In conclusion, we draw out some of the broader lessons from these events in the context of rescaling processes.
State Policy, Economic Crisis, Gender, and Family Ties: Determinants of Family Remittances to Cuba
Authors: Blue Sarah A.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This article advances the argument that changing economic conditions in the home country act as an important determinant for sending remittances. Research on the determinants of remittances has tended to focus on the characteristics of the sending population. In the case of Cuba, disproportionate attention is paid to political disincentives to send remittances and not enough to changing state policy and the growing economic demand for remittances in that country. Using empirical data gathered from households in Havana, this article tests the importance of economic conditions in the home country, political ideology, the relationship of the sender to the receiver, the length of time away from home, and gender as determinants for remittances. Migration during an economic crisis, having immediate relatives in the home country, and female gender positively influenced remittance behavior for Cuban emigrants. Visits to the home country, especially for migrants who had left decades earlier, were found to be critical for reestablishing family connections and increasing remittances. No support was found for political disincentives as a major determinant of remittance sending to Cuba.
The Political Construction of Agro‐Food Liberalization in East Asia: Lessons from the Restructuring of Japanese Dairy Provisioning
Authors: Pritchard Bill , Curtis Rebecca
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This article asserts the significance of national‐scale processes in the global restructuring of agro‐food systems, especially in East Asia. Using an analysis of the recent restructuring in Japanese dairy provisioning, it documents how this trade remains orchestrated by government‐commercial institutions that are organized and regulated to serve domestic agrarian interests. In the context of international disagreement on the future of the liberalization of agricultural trade, the implications of this study are that models of contemporary Asia Pacific agro‐food restructuring should emphasize the ongoing importance of national institutions within the organization of trade, rather than assume prematurely the reality of a neoliberal marketplace.
Uneven Geographies of Organizational Practice: Explaining the Cross‐National Transfer and Diffusion of ISO 9000
Authors: Neumayer Eric , Perkins Richard
Published: August 2010

Abstract: There is growing recognition that organizational innovations can have a major influence on the geography of economic activity. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms and geographic preconditions underlying their diffusion, particularly at the global level. In this article, we test a series of hypotheses about the conditions under which organizations are most likely to adopt ISO 9000, the internationally recognized set of standards for quality management, using panel data for 130 countries from 1995 to 2001. Our findings support the idea that transnational networks that connect different countries at the international level provide conduits for the cross‐national transfer of new organizational practices. Thus, exports to the European Union, local involvement of transnational corporations (TNCs), European colonial ties, and the availability of telecommunications all emerge as statistically significant determinants of ISO adoptions. Our findings also underscore the importance of national environmental conditions in influencing the receptiveness of organizations to new practices. A low regulatory burden, a high share of manufacturing activity, high rates of secondary school enrollment, and low levels of productivity are positively correlated with the number of ISO 9000 certificates. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for current debates about the mechanisms, preconditions, and scales of organizational transfer, diffusion, and convergence.
Evolution in Economic Geography: Institutions, Political Economy, and Adaptation
Authors: MacKinnon Danny , Cumbers Andrew , Pike Andy , Birch Kean , McMaster Robert
Published: August 2010

abstract

Economic geography has, over the past decade or so, drawn upon ideas from evolutionary economics in trying to understand processes of regional growth and change. Recently, some researchers have sought to delimit and develop an “evolutionary economic geography” (EEG), aiming to create a more systematic theoretical framework for research. This article provides a sympathetic critique and elaboration of this emergent EEG but takes issue with some aspects of its characterization in recent programmatic statements. While acknowledging that EEG is an evolving and pluralist project, we are concerned that the reliance on certain theoretical frameworks that are imported from evolutionary economics and complexity science threatens to isolate it from other approaches in economic geography, limiting the opportunities for cross‐fertilization. In response, the article seeks to develop a social and pluralist conception of institutions and social agency in EEG, drawing upon the writings of leading institutional economists, and to link evolutionary concepts to political economy approaches, arguing that the evolution of the economic landscape must be related to processes of capital accumulation and uneven development. As such, we favor the use of evolutionary and institutional concepts within a geographical political economy approach, rather than the construction of some kind of theoretically separate EEG—evolution in economic geography, not an evolutionary economic geography.
Some Notes on Institutions in Evolutionary Economic Geography
Authors: Boschma Ron , Frenken Koen
Published: August 2010

abstract

Within the evolutionary economic geography framework, the role of institutions deserves more explicit attention. We argue that territorial institutions are to be viewed as orthogonal to organizational routines since each territory is characterized by a variety of routines and a single firm can apply its routines in different territorial contexts. It is therefore meaningful to distinguish between institutional economic geography and evolutionary economic geography as theirexplanansis different. Yet the two approaches can be combined in a dynamic framework in which institutions coevolve with organizational routines, particularly in emerging industries. Furthermore, integrating the evolutionary and institutional approach allows one to analyze the spatial diffusion of organizational routines that mediate conflicts among social groups, in particular, those between employers and employees. An evolutionary economic geography advocates an empirical research program, both qualitative and quantitative, that can address the relative importance of organizational routines and territorial institutions for regional development.
The Impact of Regional Age Structure on Entrepreneurship
Authors: Bönte Werner , Falck Oliver , Heblich Stephan
Published: August 2010

abstract

Empirical studies based on individual data have found an inverse U‐shaped relationship between age and the decision to start a business. Other studies have shown that becoming an entrepreneur is a regional event, with potential entrepreneurs benefiting from their local networks. This article links both strands of literature by introducing age‐specific peer effects. Using changes in the age distribution of the population of western German regions over time, we found—in accordance with microlevel analyses—an inverse U‐shaped relationship between the regional age structure and start‐up activity in a region. Moreover, our findings suggest that the age‐specific likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur changes with the size of the age cohort, pointing to the existence of age‐specific peer effects.
Centrality and Creativity: Does Richard Florida's Creative Class Offer New Insights into Urban Hierarchy?
Authors: Lorenzen Mark , Andersen Kristina Vaarst
Published: August 2010

abstract

To provide new insights into urban hierarchy, this article brings together one of economic geography's oldest and most well‐established notions with one of its newest and most disputed notions: Christäller's centrality and Florida's creative class. Using a novel original database, the article compares the distribution of the general population and the creative class across 444 city regions in 8 European countries. It finds that the two groups are both distributed according to the rank‐size rule, but exhibit different distinct phases with different slopes. The article argues that the two distributions are different because market thresholds for creative services and jobs are lower than thresholds for less specialized services and jobs. The article hence concludes that centrality exerts a strong influence upon urban hierarchies of creativity and that the study of creative urban city hierarchies yields new insights into the problem of centrality.
Metabolic syndrome associated with habitual indulgence and dietary behavior in middle‐aged health‐care professionals
Authors: Wan Chu‐Jen , Lin Li‐Yun , Yu Tung‐Hsi , Sheu Wayne H‐H
Published: August 2010

Aims/Introduction:  Few studies, especially in Asia, have examined the relevance between metabolic syndrome (MetS), habitual indulgence and dietary behaviors in health‐care professionals. The present study evaluates metabolic syndrome rate and its association with habitual indulgence (coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarette smoking) and diet behavior in health‐care professionals.

Materials and Methods:  Information was collected from 514 health‐care professionals (147 men, 367 women) who underwent routine physical examinations at a medical center in central Taiwan.

Results:  Mean age was 48 ± 5 years for men and 45 ± 4 years for women. Mean body mass index was 25.2 ± 4.0 kg/m2 for men and 22.5 ± 3.4 kg/m2 for women. The age‐adjusted MetS rate among subjects was 24.8–11.7% in men and 7.8–5.4% in women, using two different definitions, respectively. The MetS rate among those who occasionally or frequently consumed tea was higher than among those who never consumed tea (P < 0.05). Although the proportion of subjects who had MetS differed among those with differing alcohol drinking habits (never, quit and current; P < 0.05), a posteriori comparisons showed no significant differences between the two groups. Compared with those who had never smoked, the rate was higher in former smokers and current smokers (P < 0.001). No significant association with coffee consumption was found. People with MetS often consumed sweetened beverages (P < 0.05), rarely read nutrition labels and seldom consumed dairy products.

Conclusions:  Health‐care professionals who regularly consume tea, smoke, frequently have sweetened drinks, rarely read nutrition labels or rarely consume dairy products are at higher risk of suffering from MetS. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040‐1124.2010.00055.x, 2010)
Using physics to investigate blood flow in arteries: A case study for premed students
Authors: Waxman Michael A.
Published: August 2010

Concepts from magnetism, hydrodynamics, and electrical circuits are used to investigate blood circulation and motivate premed students in their physics studies.
Galerkin approach to approximate solutions of some nonlinear oscillator equations
Authors: Anderson D. , Desaix M. , Lisak M. , Rasch J.
Published: August 2010

An analysis based on the Galerkin method is given of some nonlinear oscillator equations that have been analyzed by several other methods, including harmonic balance and direct variational methods. The present analysis is shown to provide simple yet accurate approximate solutions of these nonlinear equations and illustrates the usefulness and the power of the Galerkin method.
The quantum mechanics of electric conduction in crystals
Authors: Olsen Raina J. , Vignale Giovanni
Published: August 2010

We introduce a model of electrons incident on a one-dimensional periodic potential and show that conduction is a result of the interference of different parts of an electron wave that bounce multiple times through a series of potentials, ultimately being transmitted or reflected. Simple iterative equations are derived that determine the transmission and reflection coefficients of a periodic system. We find that total reflection of the electron occurs in certain energy ranges, as well as ranges of energy within which complete transmission can occur. The energy ranges in which transmission occurs are equivalent to the conduction bands traditionally found using Bloch’s theorem. These equations are solved numerically, allowing a concrete demonstration of conduction. The disordered case is also addressed.
An Outlook on Microalgal Biofuels
Authors: Wijffels René H. , Barbosa Maria J.
Published: August 2010

Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels. The productivity of these photosynthetic microorganisms in converting carbon dioxide into carbon-rich lipids, only a step or two away from biodiesel, greatly exceeds that of agricultural oleaginous crops, without competing for arable land. Worldwide, research and demonstration programs are being carried out to develop the technology needed to expand algal lipid production from a craft to a major industrial process. Although microalgae are not yet produced at large scale for bulk applications, recent advances—particularly in the methods of systems biology, genetic engineering, and biorefining—present opportunities to develop this process in a sustainable and economical way within the next 10 to 15 years.
Challenges in Scaling Up Biofuels Infrastructure
Authors: Richard Tom L.
Published: August 2010

Rapid growth in demand for lignocellulosic bioenergy will require major changes in supply chain infrastructure. Even with densification and preprocessing, transport volumes by mid-century are likely to exceed the combined capacity of current agricultural and energy supply chains, including grain, petroleum, and coal. Efficient supply chains can be achieved through decentralized conversion processes that facilitate local sourcing, satellite preprocessing and densification for long-distance transport, and business models that reward biomass growers both nearby and afar. Integrated systems that are cost-effective and energy-efficient will require new ways of thinking about agriculture, energy infrastructure, and rural economic development. Implementing these integrated systems will require innovation and investment in novel technologies, efficient value chains, and socioeconomic and policy frameworks; all are needed to support an expanded biofuels infrastructure that can meet the challenges of scale.
In-Plane Resistivity Anisotropy in an Underdoped Iron Arsenide Superconductor
Authors: Chu Jiun-Haw , Analytis James G. , De Greve Kristiaan , McMahon Peter L. , Islam Zahirul , Yamamoto Yoshihisa , Fisher Ian R.
Published: August 2010

De-Twinning a Superconductor

Insight into the mechanism of electrical transport in a solid can often be gained by measuring its resistivity along different spatial directions. However, iron-based superconductors form numerous twin boundaries where two different orientations of a crystal meet, and so the measured resistivity along any in-plane direction will be averaged over these orientations.

Chu
et al.

(p.
824
) were able to “de-twin” the compound Ba(Fe

1−
x

Co

x

)
2
As
2
, enabling unambiguous measurements of its normal-state resistivity along the in-plane lattice axes. Differences were observed in the resistivity values along the two axes, which suggests that the breaking of the symmetry of the lattice and electron subsystems occur simultaneously.
Concentrating on Solar Electricity and Fuels
Authors: Roeb Martin , Müller-Steinhagen Hans
Published: August 2010

Thermal energy from mirror arrays that focus solar radiation not only generates electricity but also could be used to synthesize fuels from water and carbon dioxide.
Three-Dimensional, Flexible Nanoscale Field-Effect Transistors as Localized Bioprobes
Authors: Tian Bozhi , Cohen-Karni Tzahi , Qing Quan , Duan Xiaojie , Xie Ping , Lieber Charles M.
Published: August 2010

Nanoprobes of Cell Potential

Direct electrical measurements of cell potentials usually face design compromises. Microelectrodes probe within the cytosol of cells but have a minimum size (hundreds of nanometers in width) for obtaining useful signals. Nanoscale field effect transistors (FETs) can have an active probe size of only tens of nanometers but generally allow only the outer cell potential to be measured.

Tian
et al.

(p.
830
) fabricated nanowires in which kinks could be introduced to create a sharp probe tip pointing away from the fabrication substrate. Coating the tip with a phospholipid bilayer allowed the probe to be inserted through the membranes of beating cardiac cells, where it could be used to follow temporal changes in cell potential.
β-Catenin Balances Immunity
Authors: Mellman Ira , Clausen Björn E.
Published: August 2010

Dendritic cells can limit responses to self antigens by activating the Wnt signaling pathway.
Structure and Dynamics of Ecological Networks
Authors: Bascompte Jordi
Published: August 2010

Understanding the architecture of species relationships may help predict how ecosystems respond to change.
The Carbon Dioxide Exchange
Authors: Reich Peter B.
Published: August 2010

Understanding how carbon dioxide cycles between land and atmosphere is key to developing better climate models.
Yellow Fever Mosquito Shows Up in Northern Europe
Authors: Enserink Martin
Published: August 2010

In the latest display of mosquitoes' predilection for modern travel, entomologists have found a small colony of the tropical species
Aedes aegypti
—also known as the yellow fever mosquito—in the Netherlands.
Tracing Evolution's Recent Fingerprints
Authors: Gibbons Ann
Published: August 2010

The once-stalled hunt for the genes that helped humans adapt to new climates, diseases, and diets is exposing how evolution works.
Plasma Concentration of Malaria Parasite-Derived Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Uncomplicated Malaria Patients Correlates with Parasitemia and Disease Severity
Authors: Han Cong , Lin Yahui , Shan Guangliang , Zhang Zaixing , Sun Xiaodong , Wang Zhensheng , Wei Chunyan , Deng Yan , Zhang Lianhui , Bu Lingyi , Shao Dingding , Wang Heng
Published: August 2010

Host macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of malaria infections. Several
Plasmodium
parasite-derived MIFs were identified to have the potential to regulate host immune response. However, the role of
Plasmodium
MIFs in the immunopathogenesis of malaria infection and the relationships between these mediators and inflammatory cytokines remained unclear. In this study, we have investigated two
Plasmodium
MIFs in peripheral blood of uncomplicated malaria patients and analyzed their correlations with several major factors during malaria infection. We found that both
Plasmodium falciparum
MIF (PfMIF) and
Plasmodium vivax
MIF (PvMIF) levels in patients were positively correlated with parasitemia, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-10 (IL-10), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 but were not correlated with transforming growth factor β1 and IL-12. Of interest was that the PvMIF level was positively correlated with host body temperature and human MIF (HuMIF) concentrations. Moreover, multiple stepwise regression analysis also showed that parasitemia, IL-10, and HuMIF expression were significant predictors of
Plasmodium
MIF production. In addition, during antimalarial drug treatment, the decreasing of
Plasmodium
MIF concentrations was followed by parasitemia in most patients. Our results suggested that the
Plasmodium
MIF circulating level reflects the level of parasitemia and thus was closely correlated with disease severity in uncomplicated malaria. Therefore, this factor has the potential to be a promising disease predictor and is applicable in clinical diagnosis.
Erythema Nodosum and Bilateral Breast Abscesses Due to
Salmonella enterica
Serotype Poona
Authors: Al Benwan Khalifa , Al Mulla Ahmed , Izumiya Hidemasa , Albert M. John
Published: August 2010

A woman presented with erythema nodosum followed by bilateral breast abscesses without a gastrointestinal manifestation, due to a rare serotype of
Salmonella
, namely,
Salmonella enterica
serotype Poona. This is the first reported case of erythema nodosum presumably associated with
Salmonella
infection without a gastrointestinal manifestation.
Complex Febrile Seizures Followed by Complete Recovery in an Infant with High-Titer 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
Authors: O'Leary Mandy F. , Chappell James D. , Stratton Charles W. , Cronin Robert M. , Taylor Mary B. , Tang Yi-Wei
Published: August 2010

We describe a 2009 H1N1 virus infection with a high viral load in a previously healthy infant who presented with complex febrile seizures and improved on oseltamivir without neurologic sequelae. Febrile seizures may be a complication in young children experiencing infection with high viral loads of 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.
Comparison of Two Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Methods and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis for Differentiating Highly Clonal Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
Isolates
Authors: Holmes A. , Edwards G. F. , Girvan E. K. , Hannant W. , Danial J. , Fitzgerald J. R. , Templeton K. E.
Published: August 2010

In the United Kingdom, EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16 account for the majority (∼90%) of nosocomial methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) infections. Currently, the standard typing technique, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), is laborious and insufficient for discriminating between closely related subtypes of EMRSA-15 and -16. The objective of the present study was to compare the usefulness of multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat fingerprinting (MLVF) and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) with PFGE for subtyping these highly clonal MRSA lineages. A panel of 85 MRSA isolates (41 EMRSA-15, 20 EMRSA-16, and 24 MRSA isolates with diverse PFGE patterns) was investigated. In addition, a further 29 EMRSA-15s with identical PFGE patterns from two geographically linked but epidemiologically distinct outbreaks and several sporadic cases were analyzed. PFGE, MLVF, and MLVA resolved 66 (Simpson's index of diversity [SID] = 0.984), 51 (SID = 0.95), and 42 (SID = 0.881) types, respectively, among the 85 MRSA isolates. MLVF was more discriminatory than MLVA for EMRSA-15 and -16 strains, but both methods had comparable discriminatory powers for distinguishing isolates in the group containing diverse PFGE types. MLVF was comparable to PFGE for resolving the EMRSA-15s but had a lower discriminatory power for the EMRSA-16s. MLVF and MLVA resolved the 29 isolates with identical PFGE patterns into seven and six subtypes, respectively. Importantly, both assays indicated that the two geographically related outbreaks were caused by distinct subtypes of EMRSA-15. Taken together, the data suggest that both methods are suitable for identifying and tracking specific subtypes of otherwise-indistinguishable MRSA. However, due to its greater discriminatory power, MLVF would be the most suitable alternative to PFGE for hospital outbreak investigations.
Rapid Molecular Identification of Pathogenic Yeasts by Pyrosequencing Analysis of 35 Nucleotides of Internal Transcribed Spacer 2
Authors: Borman Andrew M. , Linton Christopher J. , Oliver Debra , Palmer Michael D. , Szekely Adrien , Johnson Elizabeth M.
Published: August 2010

Rapid identification of yeast species isolates from clinical samples is particularly important given their innately variable antifungal susceptibility profiles. Here, we have evaluated the utility of pyrosequencing analysis of a portion of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2) for identification of pathogenic yeasts. A total of 477 clinical isolates encompassing 43 different fungal species were subjected to pyrosequencing analysis in a strictly blinded study. The molecular identifications produced by pyrosequencing were compared with those obtained using conventional biochemical tests (AUXACOLOR2) and following PCR amplification and sequencing of the D1-D2 portion of the nuclear 28S large rRNA gene. More than 98% (469/477) of isolates encompassing 40 of the 43 fungal species tested were correctly identified by pyrosequencing of only 35 bp of ITS2. Moreover, BLAST searches of the public synchronized databases with the ITS2 pyrosequencing signature sequences revealed that there was only minimal sequence redundancy in the ITS2 under analysis. In all cases, the pyrosequencing signature sequences were unique to the yeast species (or species complex) under investigation. Finally, when pyrosequencing was combined with the Whatman FTA paper technology for the rapid extraction of fungal genomic DNA, molecular identification could be accomplished within 6 h from the time of starting from pure cultures.
Comparison of Midturbinate Flocked-Swab Specimens with Nasopharyngeal Aspirates for Detection of Respiratory Viruses in Children by the Direct Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Authors: Faden Howard
Published: August 2010

Paired nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) and midturbinate flocked-swab specimens from 153 children with respiratory symptoms were examined by the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) technique. Seventy-four infants (49%) had a viral infection documented by DFA. The flocked-swab specimens had 93% sensitivity and 96.7% agreement with the NPA specimens, with a kappa coefficient of 93.4% (95% confidence interval, 0.877, 0.991).
Characterization of Essential Domains and Plasticity of the Classical Swine Fever Virus Core Protein
Authors: Riedel Christiane , Lamp Benjamin , Heimann Manuela , Rümenapf Till
Published: August 2010

Pestiviruses are pathogens of cloven-hoofed animals, belonging to the
Flaviviridae
. The pestiviral particle consists of a lipid membrane containing the three envelope glycoproteins E
rns
, E1, and E2 and a nucleocapsid of unknown symmetry, which is composed of the Core protein and the viral positive-sense RNA genome. The positively charged pestiviral Core protein consists of 86 to 89 amino acids. To analyze the organization of essential domains, N- and C-terminal truncations, as well as internal deletions, were introduced into the Core coding sequence in the context of an infectious cDNA clone of classical swine fever virus strain Alfort. Amino acids 179 to 180, 194 to 198, and 208 to 212 proved to be of special importance for the generation of progeny virus. The results of transcomplementation of a series of C-terminally truncated Core molecules indicate the importance of Ala
255
at the C terminus. The plasticity of Core protein was examined by the construction of concatemeric arrays of Core coding regions and the insertion of up to three yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) genes between two Core genes. Even a Core fusion protein with more than 10-fold-increased molecular mass was integrated into the viral particle and supported the production of infectious progeny virus. The unexpected plasticity of Core protein brings into question the formation of a regular icosahedric particle and supports the idea of a histone-like protein-RNA interaction. All viruses with a duplicated Core gene were unstable and reverted to the wild-type sequence. Interestingly, a nonviable YFP-Core construct was rescued by a mutation within the C-terminal domain of the nonstructural protein NS3.
The African Swine Fever Virus DP71L Protein Recruits the Protein Phosphatase 1 Catalytic Subunit To Dephosphorylate eIF2α and Inhibits CHOP Induction but Is Dispensable for These Activities during Virus Infection
Authors: Zhang Fuquan , Moon Alice , Childs Kay , Goodbourn Stephen , Dixon Linda K.
Published: August 2010

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) DP71L protein is present in all isolates as either a short form of 70 to 72 amino acids or a long form of about 184 amino acids, and both of these share sequence similarity to the C-terminal domain of the herpes simplex virus ICP34.5 protein and cellular protein GADD34. In the present study we expressed DP71L in different mammalian cells and demonstrated that DP71L causes dephosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) in resting cells and during chemical-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and acts to enhance expression of cotransfected reporter genes. We showed that DP71L binds to all the three isoforms (α, β, and γ) of the protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1c) and acts by recruiting PP1c to eIF2α. We also showed that DP71L inhibits the induction of ATF4 and its downstream target, CHOP. We investigated the eIF2α phosphorylation status and induction of CHOP in porcine macrophages infected by two ASFV field isolates, Malawi Lil20/1 and Benin 97/1, and two DP71L deletion mutants, MalawiΔNL and E70ΔNL. Our results showed that deletion of the DP71L gene did not cause an increase in the level of eIF2α phosphorylation or induction of CHOP, indicating that DP71L is not the only factor required by the virus to control the phosphorylation level of eIF2α during infection. We therefore hypothesize that ASFV has other mechanisms to prevent the eIF2α phosphorylation and the subsequent protein synthesis inhibition.
Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals a Mechanism for a Prefibrotic Phenotype in STAT1 Knockout Mice during Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection
Authors: Zornetzer Gregory A. , Frieman Matthew B. , Rosenzweig Elizabeth , Korth Marcus J. , Page Carly , Baric Ralph S. , Katze Michael G.
Published: August 2010

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection can cause the development of severe end-stage lung disease characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis. The mechanisms by which pulmonary lesions and fibrosis are generated during SARS-CoV infection are not known. Using high-throughput mRNA profiling, we examined the transcriptional response of wild-type (WT), type I interferon receptor knockout (IFNAR1
−/−
), and STAT1 knockout (STAT1
−/−
) mice infected with a recombinant mouse-adapted SARS-CoV (rMA15) to better understand the contribution of specific gene expression changes to disease progression. Despite a deletion of the type I interferon receptor, strong expression of interferon-stimulated genes was observed in the lungs of IFNAR1
−/−
mice, contributing to clearance of the virus. In contrast, STAT1
−/−
mice exhibited a defect in the expression of interferon-stimulated genes and were unable to clear the infection, resulting in a lethal outcome. STAT1
−/−
mice exhibited dysregulation of T-cell and macrophage differentiation, leading to a T
H
2-biased immune response and the development of alternatively activated macrophages that mediate a profibrotic environment within the lung. We propose that a combination of impaired viral clearance and T-cell/macrophage dysregulation causes the formation of prefibrotic lesions in the lungs of rMA15-infected STAT1
−/−
mice.
Genotype-Specific Neutralization and Protection by Antibodies against Dengue Virus Type 3
Authors: Brien James D. , Austin S. Kyle , Sukupolvi-Petty Soila , O'Brien Katie M. , Johnson Syd , Fremont Daved H. , Diamond Michael S.
Published: August 2010

Dengue viruses (DENV) comprise a family of related positive-strand RNA viruses that infect up to 100 million people annually. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or therapy to prevent infection or diminish disease severity. Protection against DENV is associated with the development of neutralizing antibodies that recognize the viral envelope (E) protein. Here, with the goal of identifying monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that can function as postexposure therapy, we generated a panel of 82 new MAbs against DENV-3, including 24 highly neutralizing MAbs. Using yeast surface display, we localized the epitopes of the most strongly neutralizing MAbs to the lateral ridge of domain III (DIII) of the DENV type 3 (DENV-3) E protein. While several MAbs functioned prophylactically to prevent DENV-3-induced lethality in a stringent intracranial-challenge model of mice, only three MAbs exhibited therapeutic activity against a homologous strain when administered 2 days after infection. Remarkably, no MAb in our panel protected prophylactically against challenge by a strain from a heterologous DENV-3 genotype. Consistent with this, no single MAb neutralized efficiently the nine different DENV-3 strains used in this study, likely because of the sequence variation in DIII within and between genotypes. Our studies suggest that strain diversity may limit the efficacy of MAb therapy or tetravalent vaccines against DENV, as neutralization potency generally correlated with a narrowed genotype specificity.