bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nonacademic Careers for Political Scientists
Authors: Friedman Robert S.
Published: September 2013

We are hearing a great deal these days about a declining marketplace for our Ph.D.s. The evidence collected by the American Political Science Association and many of its sister disciplines is clear: The number of academic jobs is declining. Yet, despite reductions in graduate enrollments, the more than 110 departments of political science which grant doctorates produced over 765 Ph.D.s in 1974.

What might be done to solve the problem of this imbalance? One proposal recommends dismantling many of our doctoral programs. I have mixed feelings about this. The argument that only the most distinguished departments should continue to grant Ph.D.s, because only they produce a marketable product, is fallacious. In my experience, the most distinguished departments have no better record in placing their doctorates than those which are less distinguished. I have been involved personally in program reviews at a number of institutions of various prestige levels, and I have found that some of the “so-called” marginal programs do extremely well in placement.
Doctoral Output in Political Science-Tables for 1973–76
Authors: Peterson Walfred H.
Published: September 2013

The tables that follow together with those that appeared in the Fall, 1972 issue ofPSgive some roughly comparable data on Ph.D. output in political science for seven years. Perhaps, the most important change in the new data is the contrast between the 1975 and 1976 totals. Output fell by 77. The drop was accounted for mostly by decreases in the figures for the three sub-fields of Foreign and Cross-National Political Institutions and Behavior; International Law, Organization and Politics; and U.S. Political Institutions, Processes and Behavior.

The most important changes in the presentation between this and the earlier article are these: first, the division of former Table I into Table IA and IB, each covering only two years. This change was required by the new classification of dissertation topics that began in 1975. That year two of the earlier categories were dropped—Constitutional and Administrative Law in the United States, and Canadian Government and Politics. Three new categories were added—Methodology; Political Stability, Instability and Change; and Public Policy: Formation and Content. Three were altered in both scope and terminology—Political Theory; Foreign and Cross-National Institutions and Behavior; and U.S. Political Institutions, Processes and Behavior. Only two were unaltered-Public Administration; and International Law, Organization and Politics. Given these changes, no confident comparisons can be made between any of the sub-field categories of the present and the past, though the two unaltered categories may allow for rough comparisons.
Some Reflections on Student Participation and Representation
Authors: Bunzel John H.
Published: September 2013

The issue of student participation in departmental affairs may first come to the attention of the faculty on the day a front-page story appears in the student newspaper:

“Eighty-five concerned political science majors and minors held a meeting Wednesday to decide whether or not they wanted to have a voice in the affairs of the political science department.

There was not much debate but there was a lot of discussion in trying to decide the answers to such questions as: Do we want merely a voice on the different faculty committees? Do we want a vote on the different committees? Do we feel we should participate on all committees, including the hiring, firing and tenure committee?

It was nearly unanimously decided that the bargaining committee should strive for no less than one-half the vote on ALL committees, including the hiring, firing and tenure committee.”

Or the opening shot in the battle for “participatory democracy” may be fired by way of a mimeographed hand-out:

“The emergence of an undergraduate organization in the political science department is indicative of student recognition of and concern for problems in both the content of courses and in the processes whereby decisions in this department are made …. We do not feel that accepting advisory roles on existing committees is a satisfactory method for implementing such change. We must be the spokesmen for our own interests, and that means being our own representatives.
Strategy and Choice in the 1982 Congressional Elections
Authors: Jacobson Gary C. , Kernell Samuel
Published: September 2013

Common to both political folk wisdom and political science is the idea that the mid-term congressional election is a referendum on the performance of the current administration. The more popular a president and the more successful his policies, the better his party does at the midterm. The president's party almost invariably loses some congressional seats in off-year elections (since the Civil War the president's party has added House seats only once—in 1934—though it occasionally picks up Senate seats). But the extent of its losses varies widely (from one to 56 House seats in postwar midterms), depending, so the theory goes, on how the electorate rates the administration's performance.

The 1982 congressional elections will, in this view, be a referendum on President Reagan's administration and in particular on his economic policies, which have been the focus of political attention since inauguration day. If this is true, then economic conditions prevalent through the spring of 1982 (a potentially devastating combination of deep recession, high unemployment, and high interest rates) and Reagan's shaky support in the polls (less than 50 percent approving his performance in all Gallup surveys during the first four months of 1982), portend a Republican disaster of major proportions in the fall.

Remarkably, almost no one is seriously predicting anything of the kind. And it may indeed be a mistake to bet on enormous Republican losses—partly, we will argue, because they arenotwidely anticipated.
The Inexact Science of Congressional Redistricting
Authors: Bullock Charles S.
Published: September 2013

Incumbent politicians are understandably nervous when electoral rules are altered. In the case of the U.S. House of Representatives, members are well aware that a change in decade is accompanied by the near certainty that their own district lines will be redrawn. These incumbents know that changes resulting from the reallocation of congressional seats among states and the shift of population within states could have a shattering effect on their careers: their districts could be eliminated; they could be thrown into a district with another House incumbent; their district lines could be radically redrawn, destroying their traditional bases of support.

Incumbents' unease is transformed into serious worry by one additional fact:de jurecontrol of redistricting is out of their hands. State legislatures and governors, the Justice Department (for those states falling under the Voting Rights Act) and ultimately the courts determine the fate of incumbents.

Of course, the ostensible purpose of congressional redistricting in accordance with the decennial census is to ensure that congressional representation reflects the changes in the geographical distribution of the nation's population and thus to ensure that the members of the House from each state represent approximately the same number of citizens. Putting that principle into practice creates opportunities for the parties to increase their strength in the House but it also causes tremendous uncertainty among incumbents.

Looking at political science research on the effects of redistricting on the fortunes of incumbents, one might wonder why they worry. In 1972 I reported findings of my study on incumbents who lost their elections after redistricting.
Building Support for the ERA: A Case of “Too Much, Too Late”
Authors: Boles Janet K.
Published: September 2013

A case can be made that non-ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a classic example of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” After all, the ERA had received overwhelming support in both houses of Congress, passing by a vote of 354 to 23 in the House and 84 to 8 in the Senate. Both major political parties had repeatedly supported the ERA in their national party platforms; not until 1980 did one party (the Republican) adopt a stance of neutrality. Every President from Truman to Carter had endorsed the amendment. And, by the end of the campaign for state ratification, more than 450 organizations with a total membership of over 50 million were on record in support of the ERA. While the amendment was before Congress in 1970-72, lobbying for the ERA was heavy and well-organized, and no countervailing forces were ever mobilized in any effective way. In view of this broad base of political and public support for the amendment, and little visible opposition, a reasonable prognosis in 1972 was that it would be ratified by the required 38 states long before the original deadline of March 22, 1979, set by Congress.

However, the ratification process was far more complex than either political observers or amendment supporters recognized initially. Although an intensive lobbying effort had been waged to push the amendment through Congress, supporters naively believed that it would be quickly ratified in the absence of pre-existing state groups poised to press for passage and without major allocation of national organizations' resources.
The ERA Won—At Least in the Opinion Polls
Authors: Daniels Mark R. , Darcy Robert , Westphal Joseph W.
Published: September 2013

In 1972 it appeared that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) would be ratified quickly. Support was forthcoming from a vast array of political leaders, such as President Nixon, past presidents, governors and legislators. Both major parties made the amendment part of their platforms and did so again in 1976. An impressive list of private organizations, including the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women and many labor organizations, supported the amendment. Opposition was confined to groups of limited political effectiveness, such as the John Birch Society, George Wallace's American Independent Party and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

During the years immediately following congressional approval of the ERA in 1972, the American public strongly favored the amendment (see Table 1). In 1974, three Americans favored the ERA for every one who opposed it. Support for the ERA continued at a ratio of about two to one throughout the early ratification years. Support was widespread among all demographic groups. In 1975-76, the Gallup Poll found that even within groups where opposition to the ERA was strongest a majority supported ratification. Specifically, persons with low incomes favored it 53 percent to 31 percent and those living in small towns supported it 54 percent to 29 percent.

Only in 1980—eight years after the ERA was submitted to the states for ratification—did support dip down to its lowest level. This represented a second phase for the ERA—the 1980 presidential campaign-during which the amendment was transformed by candidate Ronald Reagan into a partisan issue and removed from the Republican platform.
An Empirical Study of Defensive Avoidance in Paranoia
Authors: Moutoussis Michael , El-Deredy Wael , Bentall Richard P.
Published: September 2013

Background: There is controversy as to whether psychological defensive avoidance is associated with paranoia. Aims: To elucidate whether “Poor-me” paranoid patients, who believe that the persecution they perceive is undeserved, show more prominent avoidance of negative thoughts about themselves than healthy and clinical controls. Method: The act of avoidance of aversive mental contents was assessed in 27 healthy controls and 48 patients with poor-me, bad-me (perceived to be deserved) or no paranoia. Defensive avoidance was assessed via established questionnaires, a novel task based on self-discrepancy theory and research-clinician ratings. Results: Participants in all groups showed substantial levels of verbal defensive avoidance. Paranoia was associated with reduced self-reported tolerance of negative mental contents (high Experiential Avoidance, EA). Contrary to our hypotheses, poor-me and bad-me patients showed similar EA. All participant groups showed similar levels of verbal defensive avoidance. Conclusion: The findings do not support an association of psychological avoidance with paranoia.
Hospitality and the Power of Divine Attraction: A Jewish Commentary on the Anglican Setting of Scriptural Reasoning
Authors: Ochs Peter
Published: September 2013

The emergence of Scriptural Reasoning (SR) as a movement and a society of scholars was made possible by the hospitality, influence and cohort of two Anglican theologians, the late Revd Daniel Hardy and Professor David Ford. In this essay, I offer a Jewish commentary on several Anglican theological dispositions that might contribute to this hospitality: among them are ‘found theology’ (as I label it), responsiveness to the powers of divine attraction, concern to repair obstructions to the healing work of the Spirit, and attentiveness to Scripture as host and source of reparative reasoning. While the primary subject of the essay is a species of Christian theology, the method of the essay emerges from a recent approach to Jewish philosophy we call ‘textual reasoning’ (TR), one of the antecedents of SR. In the style of TR, I encounter theology as a ‘disposition’, or mode of practice, displayed in particular in practices of reading and interpreting Scripture and of responding to the call of Scripture in societal action. The essay is structured as a series of brief accounts of Anglican theological dispositions, each one followed by a Jewish ‘commentary’, culminating in a sample of Anglican-Jewish dialogue as it might be overheard within a session of scriptural reasoning.
Novel directions for psychiatric diagnosis: from psychopathology to motor function to monitoring technology
Authors: Bakker P. R. , Wichers M. , van Harten P. N. , Myin-Germeys I. , Delespaul P. , van Os J.
Published: September 2013

In the light of the recent publication of the DSM-5, there is renewed debate about the relative merit of categorical diagnosis, as laid down in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic manuals. Issues such as validity, usefulness and acceptability of the diagnoses in this manual are increasingly debated. Several alternative possibilities have been suggested including: (i) the introduction of truly cross-cutting dimensional measures, that would facilitate dynamic multidimensional formulations of psychopathology, (ii) the Research Domain Criteria, that may facilitate biological research but move away from clinical symptoms, (iii) a system of personalized diagnosis based on psychopathology as a network of symptoms and contexts, and (iv) enhanced focus on motor alterations, other than catatonia, as a possible additional informative dimension of diagnosis in psychiatry, particularly as a possible marker of underlying neurodevelopmental alterations. We suggest that novel systems of diagnosis are likely to rely more on continuous monitoring of diagnostically relevant information in daily life, complementing retrospective symptom criteria in DSM and ICD. Patients and their families are likely to benefit from these projects, as novel models of diagnosis based on daily life information may be linked more strongly to treatment needs and prognosis.
Hierarchical LiFePO4 with a controllable growth of the (010) facet for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Guo Binbin , Ruan Hongcheng , Zheng Cheng , Fei Hailong , Wei Mingdeng
Published: September 2013

Hierarchically structured LiFePO4 was successfully synthesized by ionic liquid solvothermal method. These hierarchically structured LiFePO4 samples were constructed from nanostructured platelets with their (010) facets mainly exposed. To the best of our knowledge, facet control of a hierarchical LiFePO4 crystal has not been reported yet. Based on a series of experimental results, a tentative mechanism for the formation of these hierarchical structures was proposed. After these hierarchically structured LiFePO4 samples were coated with a thin carbon layer and used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, they exhibited excellent high-rate discharge capability and cycling stability. For instance, a capacity of 95% can be maintained for the LiFePO4 sample at a rate as high as 20 C, even after 1000 cycles.
Fluorescent and radiolabeled triphenylphosphonium probes for imaging mitochondria
Authors: Yuan Hushan , Cho Hoonsung , Chen Howard H. , Panagia Marcelo , Sosnovik David E. , Josephson Lee
Published: September 2013

Triphenylphosphonium-fluorochromes target mitochondria, have been 18F labeled and imaged using PET, and might serve as mitochondrial labels for the study of mitophagy.
Weather insurance as a means of supporting vulnerable agriculture, and impacts of climate change.
Authors: Nicola F. de
Published: September 2013

In recent years a growing amount of resources has been allocated for the advocacy and promotion of agricultural index insurance projects. Three factors motivated such actions: (i) agricultural production accounts for a large fraction of the economy in these countries, (ii) farmers' output largely depend on weather's realization given the agricultural technologies adopted, and (iii) covariant shocks such as weather variations remain quite uninsured. In this literature review, we report the theoretical and empirical evidence about the need and demand for these insurance products. We first discuss the potential behavioural impact of the provision of insurance. We then focus on the modalities of distributions and consider the economic and behavioural factors that are identified in the literature as constraints to the insurance diffusion.
Gabriele Vendramin’s ‘disegni divini’
Authors: Windows Peter
Published: September 2013

The drawings collection of the Venetian nobleman Gabriele Vendramin (1484–1552) is the earliest major collection that is documented. Three primary sources, the first dated 1530, make it possible to chart the evolution of the collection over the last two decades of Vendramin’s life, to identify important works which it contained, to recognize the high value attached to the drawings and to understand how they were presented and conserved. The most important source, the inventory composed between 1567 and 1569, has not previously been fully scrutinized from the point of view of the drawings. The collection included works attributed to Raphael, Jacopo and Giovanni Bellini, Mantegna, Parmigianino and Domenico Campagnola. Drawings were not the only objects Vendramin collected, or indeed the main ones. Collecting drawings was still a new activity in the early sixteenth century and evaluating Vendramin’s practices and priorities helps to illuminate this formative period.
Soil Texture Influence on Meloidogyne incognita and Thielaviopsis basicola and Their Interaction on Cotton
Authors: Jaraba J. , Rothrock C. S. , Kirkpatrick T. L. , Brye K. R.
Published: September 2013

Microplots were used to evaluate the impact of soil texture on Meloidogyne incognita, Thielaviopsis basicola, and their interaction on cotton. A native silt loam soil (48% sand) and four different artificial soil textures produced by mixing native soil with sand (53, 70, 74, and 87% sand) were studied. Each soil texture was infested with 0, 4, or 8 M. incognita eggs and 0 or 20 T. basicola chlamydospore chains per gram of soil in a factorial treatment arrangement. Plots were watered when soil moisture fell below –10 joules/kg for the first 21 days and –30 joules/kg from 22 days to harvest. Plant growth was suppressed early in the season and midseason by T. basicola. M. incognita suppressed plant growth and delayed plant development late in the season across all soil textures. Cotton yield was lower in the presence of either T. basicola or M. incognita. An interaction between M. incognita and T. basicola, which decreased plant growth and yield, occurred in 2006 when neither pathogen caused substantial plant damage. Plant growth, development, and yield were lowest in soils with >74% sand. Root colonization by T. basicola and fungal reproduction and survival decreased in soil having 87% sand. M. incognita generally caused more galling and reproduction in soils as sand content increased. Root galling severity and M. incognita reproduction were suppressed by the presence of T. basicola in soil at sand contents lower than 87%. Soil texture had a greater impact on T. basicola than on M. incognita in this study.
First Report of Leek yellow stripe virus in Garlic in Ohio
Authors: Testen A. L. , Mamiro D. P. , Meulia T. , Subedi N. , Islam M. , Baysal-Gurel F. , Miller S. A.
Published: September 2013

Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV), genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae, infects a wide range of Allium species worldwide. LYSV is one of several viruses that chronically infect garlic, Allium sativum L. The garlic virus complex, which includes LYSV, Onion yellow dwarf virus, and Garlic common latent virus, is perpetuated by asexual propagation (4) and is transmitted to clean planting material by aphids (3). This virus complex can reduce garlic bulb weight by nearly three quarters (2), and LYSV-only infections can result in approximately a one-quarter reduction in bulb weight (2). Garlic is grown as a small-scale, specialty crop in Ohio. During late May and early June 2013, garlic plants with virus-like symptoms were collected from Medina, Holmes, and Wayne counties, Ohio. Plants exhibited chlorotic streaking, foliar dieback, dwarfing, small bulbs, and cylindrical bulbs that failed to differentiate into cloves. Incidence of affected plants in the fields was up to 5% and all fields had early season aphid infestations. Flexuous rods were observed in TEM micrographs of plant sap from symptomatic leaves. Five symptomatic plants and six asymptomatic plants (from fields with symptomatic plants) were evaluated for LYSV by DAS-ELISA (Agdia, Inc., Elkhart, IN). Reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR with LYSV-specific primers LYSV-WA and LYSV-WAR (3) was performed with cDNA generated by the High Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription Kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Both foliar and bulb tissues were tested using both detection methods. Forty percent of symptomatic plants and 67% of asymptomatic plants tested positive for LYSV with both ELISA and RT-PCR. LYSV was detected in both foliar and bulb tissues, including both tissues from asymptomatic plants. Five PCR amplicons generated from both foliar and bulb tissue were sequenced and shown to share 96 to 98% maximum identity with an LYSV polyprotein gene accession in GenBank (AY842136). This provided additional support that the detected virus was LYSV. LYSV was initially difficult to detect in Ohio fields due to low disease incidence and subtle symptom development. Use of virus-tested garlic bulbs can improve yield for several years, even following viral reinfection by aphids, compared to growing garlic from chronically infected bulbs (1). However, many growers routinely save bulbs from year to year and lack access to or knowledge of virus-tested sources of garlic bulbs. Conducive conditions, chronic infections, or co-infections with other viruses enhance the severity of symptoms and yield loss (2). LYSV has previously been reported in garlic producing regions of the northwestern United States (3), and to our knowledge, this is the first report of LYSV in garlic in Ohio.

References: (1) V. Conci et al. Plant Dis. 87:1411, 2003. (2) P. Lunello et al. Plant Dis. 91:153, 2008. (3) H. Pappu et al. Plant Health Progress 10, 2008. (4) L. Parrano et al. Phytopathol. Mediterr. 51:549, 2012.
Mucilaginibacter soyangensis sp. nov., isolated from a lake
Authors: Joung Yochan , Kim Haneul , Kang Heeyoung , Lee Beom-Il , Ahn Tae-Seok , Joh Kiseong
Published: September 2013

A non-motile, yellow–orange-pigmented bacterial strain, designated HME6664T, was isolated from Lake Soyang, Republic of Korea. The major fatty acids of strain HME6664T were summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c; 44.7 %) and iso-C15 : 0 (20.2 %). The DNA G+C content was 40.8 mol%. A phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain HME6664T formed a lineage within the genus

Mucilaginibacter

. Strain HME6664T was closely related to

Mucilaginibacter ximonensis

(96.7 %),

Mucilaginibacter dorajii

(96.5 %) and

Mucilaginibacter lappiensis

(96.3 %). On the basis of the evidence presented in this study, strain HME6664T represents a novel species of the genus

Mucilaginibacter

, for which the name Mucilaginibacter soyangensis sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is HME6664T ( = KCTC 23261T = CECT 7824T).
Synergistic antibacterial efficacies of the combination of bovine lactoferrin or its hydrolysate with probiotic secretion in curbing the growth of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Chen Po-Wen , Jheng Trista Tingyun , Shyu Ching-Ling , Mao Frank Chiahung
Published: September 2013

The occurrence of multidrug-resistant or meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become an important issue in clinics. This study evaluated a combinatorial treatment approach by using the well-documented antibacterial protein apo-bovine lactoferrin (apo-bLf) or its hydrolysate and specific probiotic supernatants for controlling MRSA infection. Clinical MRSA strains were isolated from different patient specimens. Apo-bLf-hydrolysate possessed stronger anti-MRSA activity than complete bLf in that it inhibited the growth of most MRSA strains tested in vitro. Otherwise, the supernatants produced by Lactobacillus fermentum (ATCC 11739), Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum (ATCC 15707) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BCRC 17394) inhibited the growth of various MRSA strains. Further, L. fermentum or B. animalis subsp. lactis supernatant plus apo-bLf or bLf-hydrolysate led to partially synergistic to synergistic growth-inhibitory activity against MRSA strains. However, L. fermentum and not B. animalis subsp. lactis or B. longum subsp. longum was observed to resist the antibacterial activity of both apo-Lf and bLf-hydrolysate. Therefore, it is suggested that L. fermentum could be the best candidate to be used with apo-bLf or bLf-hydrolysate as a live supplement against MRSA infections.
Meningoencephalitis due to Gemella haemolysans
Authors: Galen Benjamin T. , Banach David B. , Gitman Melissa R. , Trow Terence K.
Published: September 2013

Gemella haemolysans is an uncommon but described cause of invasive disease in humans. We report a case of meningitis due to G. haemolysans that did not grow in cerebrospinal fluid culture, demonstrating a potential role for direct 16S rRNA gene PCR and sequencing in culture-negative cerebrospinal fluid when bacterial meningitis is suspected.
Bacteraemia due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying the mecC gene in a patient with urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Romero-Gómez María Pilar , Mora-Rillo Marta , Lázaro-Perona Fernando , Gómez-Gil María Rosa , Mingorance Jesús
Published: September 2013

We present a case of bacteraemia due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrying the mecC gene. The susceptibility to meticillin of Staphylococcus aureus was investigated directly from one blood culture bottle using GenomEra MRSA/SA (Abacus Diagnostica Oy) test. This test identified S. aureus but the presence of the mecA gene result was negative, and the isolate was reported as meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Susceptibility studies were done using VITEK 2 AST-P588 susceptibility cards (bioMérieux). The strain was identified as MRSA by the VITEK 2 system, although oxacillin MIC was low (0.5 µg ml−1). In view of these results, the isolate was tested for the presence of the mecC gene by a specific PCR and was verified as MRSA carrying mecC. The emergence of this new mecA homologue could have important consequences for the detection of MRSA when routine PCR methods are used as an identification method or provisional detection of MRSA, as in the case reported in this article, because S. aureus carrying the mecC gene will be wrongly diagnosed as meticillin susceptible. Negative results must be interpreted with caution and should be followed by conventional culture, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing or detection of mecC gene by a specific PCR.
A Mathematical Model for the Coreceptors SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE1 and SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE3 in BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-Mediated Signaling
Authors: van Esse Wilma , van Mourik Simon , Albrecht Catherine , van Leeuwen Jelle , de Vries Sacco
Published: September 2013

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are key regulators in plant growth and development. The main BR-perceiving receptor in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1). Seedling root growth and hypocotyl elongation can be accurately predicted using a model for BRI1 receptor activity. Genetic evidence shows that non-ligand-binding coreceptors of the SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE (SERK) family are essential for BRI1 signal transduction. A relatively simple biochemical model based on the properties of SERK loss-of-function alleles explains complex physiological responses of the BRI1-mediated BR pathway. The model uses BRI1-BR occupancy as the central estimated parameter and includes BRI1-SERK interaction based on mass action kinetics and accurately describes wild-type root growth and hypocotyl elongation. Simulation studies suggest that the SERK coreceptors primarily act to increase the magnitude of the BRI1 signal. The model predicts that only a small number of active BRI1-SERK complexes are required to carry out BR signaling at physiological ligand concentration. Finally, when calibrated with single mutants, the model predicts that roots of the serk1serk3 double mutant are almost completely brassinolide (BL) insensitive, while the double mutant hypocotyls remain sensitive. This points to residual BRI1 signaling or to a different coreceptor requirement in shoots.
A one-dimensional cadmium metal–organic chain based on a [Cd4(COO)4] secondary building unit and a flexible dicarboxylic acid ligand
Authors: Deng Yong-Kai , Yan Zhi-Hao , Sun Di
Published: September 2013

An infinite one-dimensional cadmium metal–organic chain, namelycatena-poly[aquabis(μ3-2,2′-{[1,2-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(sulfanediyl)}dibenzoato)dicadmium(II)], [Cd2(C22H16O4S2)2(H2O)]n, was synthesized by solvothermal reaction of Cd(NO3)2·4H2O and 2,2′-{[1,2-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(sulfanediyl)}dibenzoic acid (H2L). The CdIIcentres have six-coordinate CdS2O4and CdSO5geometries. Due to the flexible –CH2–S– arms, theL2−ligand adopts bothsynandanticonformations. Four CdIIcations are linked by twosyn L2−ligands to form a centrosymmetric planar tetranuclear CdIIcore, which is further extended through bonding to theanti L2−ligands to form a one-dimensional metal–organic chain. Adjacent one-dimensional chains are connected by C—H...π interactions and nonclassical C—H...O hydrogen bonds to form the resultant three-dimensional supramolecular framework.
Physician virtual community and medical decision making
Authors: Razzaque Anjum , Eldabi Tillal , Jalal-Karim Akram
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Healthcare (HC) utilizes informatics to provide its services through information technology (IT) where social network is a promising initiative to aid medical decision-making (DM) quality. Even though HC is a globally expensive investment and a complex service-oriented industry, it still suffers from quality due to frequently occurring medical errors. In order to reduce medical errors, medical DM needs to be improved. This research has participated in this effort by exploring social capital theory (SCT) within a virtual community of practice (VCoP), HC knowledge management (KM) process – knowledge sharing quality and medical DM quality.

Design/methodology/approach

– Traditional and up-to-date HC-related and non-HC-related theoretical, empirical and case study-based literature review has been thoroughly analyzed to hence support the inter-relationships between the theoretical constructs being: SCT, knowledge sharing quality and medical DM quality presented as a conceptual framework. This conceptual framework is based on propositions derived from thorough literature review theory to relate between each of the constructs.

Findings

– SCT has the potential to facilitate medical DM within a VCoP, as well as, knowledge sharing quality plays a mediating and facilitating role between SCT and medical DM quality.

Research limitations/implications

– The study has significantly focussed on SCT, which is actually part of the social sciences and anthropology discipline. In parallel, this research also analyzed the literature that pertained to the value of a VCoP to improve medical DM quality.

Practical implications

– The study's focus on SCT, knowledge sharing and medical DM; hence promotes future empirical research findings to be compared within a particular HC VC; from a case study point of view.

Originality/value

– The paper adds value to the large body of intellectual knowledge by enhancing the conception of medical DM quality to improve HC quality. Medical DM is a soft area of research. This research has introduced a new avenue on which HC quality can be improved by reducing medical errors, from the perspective of social computing and medical DM quality and the mediating role of knowledge sharing quality.
Alignment of large project management process to business strategy
Authors: Alsudiri Turki , Al-Karaghouli Wafi , Eldabi Tillal
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss in depth the factors that lead to misalignment between the project management (PM) and the business strategy by investigating four case studies in the telecommunications industry in Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

– Due to the limited research on the subject of the alignment of PM and business strategy, the methodology used in this research was a case study in depth interview.

Findings

– The paper highlights the important factors that affect the process of aligning the PM to the business strategy. The companies that have strong alignment between the business strategy and the PM show successful projects outcome while the companies that have mismatch alignment show less successful projects outcome.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper has investigated four telecommunications companies only. However, more companies will be better to compare the finding. Due to time constrains, the research has studied one project in each company. Each project was supporting one of the company's business strategies. More projects and business strategies will lead to clear picture of the alignment. Access to executives’ managers and CIO's was difficult. Several meetings were cancelled without short notice.

Practical implications

– This paper helps the companies to implement their business strategies with embedding their projects in the overall strategy. Also, helps the PM team to execute the projects in a strategic way.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the literature with a clear explanation of the concept of the alignment and provides a framework to ensure the alignment between the large PM process and the business strategy is achieved.
Implementing corporate social responsibility in English football
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Christos , Shilbury David
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to bridge the micro-macro divide by trying to integrate the micro-domain's focus on individuals (i.e. managers) with the meso-domain's and macro-domain's focus (i.e. leagues/football clubs and the socio-political environment, respectively). The examination takes place within the context of English football and in relation to the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws on data collected by 21 charitable foundation managers of the top two divisions of English football. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim from digital voice recorders and were analysed using grounded theory coding techniques.

Findings

– The study found a paradoxical context in which foundation managers make strategic decisions in an endeavour to harmonise multiple environmental and institutional “recipes”. Managers are confident that they have the capability to do so, yet realise that this capability is the result of a heavy reliance on external and internal resources. These considerations come together to create the micro-context, here identified as a dysfunctional setting, in which managers are required to make the decisions that confirm their role as managers. Therefore, multiple, and often contradictory, theoretical perspectives are in play and explain the foundation managers’ role in the implementation process.

Originality/value

– The paper moves away from mono-theoretical approaches that have been mainly used for the examination of CSR in the sporting context, and by placing its focus on the individual level of analysis illustrates the complexity of the CSR implementation process.
Food Security in Australia: Some Misplaced Enthusiasms?
Authors: Watson Alistair , Merton Eve
Published: September 2013

Previous papers in this issue of Economic Papers have dealt with some substantive issues surrounding food security. The purpose of this article was different. We provide a general commentary on other Australian agricultural policy issues where the rhetoric of food security is used to exaggerate the challenges faced and/or to support solutions to some challenges that are expensive and unrealistic. This article comprises opinion based on historical observations of the agricultural policy process in Australia and the underlying principles of mainstream agricultural economics. It does not offer detailed empirical analysis of the issues discussed. The issues discussed are irrigation in the Murray–Darling Basin, prospects for agricultural production in northern Australia, especially irrigation development, the bias in favour of further processing of agricultural products (value adding), food imports and foreign ownership, and the effects of Asian economic development on Australian agriculture and agricultural trade.
Correcting Misconceptions about Links between Water Planning and Food Security in the Murray–Darling Basin
Authors: Crase Lin , Merton Eve
Published: September 2013

Iterations of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, designed to deal with environmental degradation, have raised questions about potential trade‐offs between agricultural production and environmental amenity. Some have suggested that environmental objectives will be achieved under the Plan at the expense of food security. This argument is critically evaluated in this article. We conclude that the Plan cannot plausibly undermine local food security. Other factors, such as commodity prices, are more significant internationally. We also conclude that the current Basin Plan policy option may lead to more deleterious consequences than simple water entitlements purchased to achieve the environmental water reserve.
The Relationship Between Religious Affiliation and Returns to Human Capital for Women
Authors: Kortt Michael A. , Dollery Brian , Grant Bligh
Published: September 2013

This paper explores the relationship between wages and religious affiliation for Australian women using a human capital earnings function corrected for selectivity in labour force participation. Data drawn from the 2004, 2007, and 2010 waves of the Household Income Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) Survey were analysed for women between the age of 25 and 54. Our results indicate that women who identify as being Catholic benefit from a wage premium of 4.5 per cent relative to women who identify as being Anglican—the largest Protestant denomination in Australia—even after controlling for a range of demographic, social and economic characteristics. Potential explanations such as the attitude of women towards work and returns to education and experience do not appear to be major determinants of this wage‐differential. Thus, it appears other unobservable traits may be a key factor in explaining the observed Catholic wage premium.
Children's Sensitivity to Ulterior Motives When Evaluating Prosocial Behavior
Authors: Heyman Gail , Barner David , Heumann Jennifer , Schenck Lauren
Published: September 2013

Reasoning about ulterior motives was investigated among children ages 6–10 years (total N = 119). In each of two studies, participants were told about children who offered gifts to peers who needed help. Each giver chose to present a gift in either a public setting, which is consistent with having an ulterior motive to enhance one's reputation, or in a private setting, which is not consistent with having an ulterior motive. In each study, the 6‐ to 7‐year olds showed no evidence of understanding that the public givers might have ulterior motives, but the 8‐ to 10‐year olds rated the private givers more favorably. In , the older children were more likely than the younger children to refer to impression management when explaining their judgments of the givers. The younger children who mentioned impression management did so to justify a preference for public givers (e.g., by explaining that public givers are nicer because more of their peers will know that they are nice). Results from suggest that developmental change in children's reasoning about intentions and social outcomes contributes to their understanding of ulterior motives.
Investigation of Tank Pressurization and Pressure Control—Part I: Experimental Study
Authors: Barsi Stephen , Kassemi Mohammad
Published: September 2013

Self-pressurization and pressure control of cryogenic storage tanks have important design consequences for propellant and life support systems currently being planned for long duration space missions. During self-pressurization, the tank's liquid fill level and the heat load from the surroundings can have significant effects on the tank's thermal stratification and pressurization rate. When controlling pressure with a mixing jet, the velocity and temperature of the jet are important design parameters affecting the thermal destratification and pressure reduction time constants. In this work, a small-scale ground-based experiment was performed, as a precursor to a microgravity experiment, to investigate the effects of these variables on the pressurization and pressure control time constants in the tank and to assess the feasibility of using a forced jet mixer for reduced boil-off pressure control. Local pointwise temperature and pressure measurements, together with qualitative contours of the thermal field in the liquid, vapor, and wall region, were made to identify and characterize important self-pressurization and pressure control trends in 1 g.
Experimental Investigation of Heat Fluxes in the Vicinity of Protuberances on a Flat Plate at Hypersonic Speeds
Authors: Kumar C. S. , Reddy K. P. J.
Published: September 2013

Heat transfer rates measured in front and to the side of a protrusion on an aluminum flat plate subjected to hypersonic flow at zero angle of attack are presented for two flow enthalpies of approximately 2 MJ/kg and 4.5 MJ/kg. Experiments were conducted in the hypersonic shock tunnel (HST2) and free piston driven HST3 at a freestream Mach number of 8. Heat transfer data was obtained for different geometries of the protrusion of a height of 4 mm, which is approximately the local boundary layer thickness. Comparatively high rates of heat transfer were obtained at regions of flow circulation in the separated region, with the hottest spot generally appearing in front of the protuberance. Experimental values showed moderate agreement with existing empirical correlations at higher enthalpy but not at all for the lower enthalpy condition, although the correlations were coined at enthalpy values nearer to the lower value. Schlieren visualization was also done to investigate the flow structures qualitatively.
Numerical Simulation of Excimer Laser Cleaning of Film and Particle Contaminants
Authors: Marimuthu S. , Mhich A. , Molchan I. S. , Whitehead D. , Wang Z. B. , Mativenga P. , Li L. , Liu Z. , Grafton-Reed C. , Cheetham S. , Dilworth S.
Published: September 2013

Laser cleaning is a promising surface preparation technique for applications in high value manufacturing industries. However, understanding the effects of laser processing parameters on various types of contaminants and substrates, is vital to achieve the required cleaning efficacy and quality. In this paper, a two-dimensional transient numerical simulation was carried out to study the material ablation characteristics and substrate thermal effects in laser cleaning of aerospace alloys. Element birth and death method was employed to track the contaminant removal on the surface of the material. The result shows that contaminant ablation increases with laser power and number of pulses. The finite element method (FEM) model is capable enough to predict the optimum number of pulses and laser power required to remove various contaminants. Based on the simulation results, the mechanism of the excimer laser cleaning is proposed. Thus, the use of numerical simulation can be faster and cheaper method of establishing the optimum laser cleaning window and reducing the number of experimental tests.
Ion optical effects in a low pressure rf plasma
Authors: Oechsner Hans , Paulus Hubert
Published: September 2013

Ion optical effects in low pressure gas discharges are introduced as a novel input into low pressure plasma technology. They are based on appropriate geometrical plasma confinements which enable a control of the shape of internal density and potential distributions and, hence, the ion motion in the plasma bulk. Such effects are exemplified for an electron cyclotron wave resonance plasma in Ar at 1–5 × 10−3 millibars. The geometry of the plasma chamber is modified by a conical and a cylindrical insert. Computer simulations display spherical plasma density contours to be formed around the conical confinement. This effects an increase of the ratio of the ion currents into the conical and the cylindrical inserts which depends on the fourth power of the plasma electron temperature. A quantitative understanding of this behavior is presented. As another essential result, the shape of the internal plasma contours is found to be independent of the pressure controlled plasma parameters.