bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lipid damage during frozen storage of Gadiform species captured in different seasons
Authors: Aubourg Santiago P. , Lago Hugo , Sayar Noel , González Roi
Published: June 2007

Quality loss of two gadiform fish species (blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou; hake, Merluccius merluccius) during frozen storage (–30 and –10 °C; up to 12 months) was studied. For this, hydrolytic (formation of free fatty acids, FFA) and oxidative (conjugated dienes, peroxide and interaction compound formation) lipid damage were analysed. For both species, individual fishes captured in two different trials (May and November) were considered. Increasing (p <0.05) lipid hydrolysis and oxidation (peroxide and interaction compound formation) were observed for all kinds of samples throughout the frozen storage. Interaction compound detection by fluorescence analysis showed the best correlation values with storage time. Some higher (p <0.05) hydrolysis development could be observed in hake captured in May than in its counterpart from the November trial, while frozen blue whiting did not provide definite differences for FFA formation between both trials. Concerning peroxide formation, higher (p <0.05) values were obtained for individual blue whiting and hake captured in November when compared to their corresponding May fish for both frozen storage conditions. Interaction compound formation was also found to be higher (p <0.05) for November hake fish than for its counterpart captured in May, while blue whiting did not provide definite differences between trials.
Earthquake‐resistant structural design through energy demand and capacity
Authors: Surahman Adang
Published: June 2007

An energy‐based earthquake‐resistant structural design method is proposed. The proposed method uses specific input energy spectra, modal or time‐history analyses, and energy distribution among structural members. For a given member strength and stiffness, a relationship between the energy attributable to damage absorbed by a member and its cumulative ductility demand can be determined. Member strength, stiffness and energy capacity are design parameters which are simultaneously used in the design. The method can avoid soft‐storey design. The damage is measured based on a cumulative basis considering earthquake magnitude, frequency, and duration. Tests have been carried out to determine energy absorbing capacities of various structural components. More efforts are needed to make the energy‐based earthquake‐resistant structural design practical, but ssimple formulations for this method are possible. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combination of interference cancellation with channel estimation for OFDM transmission over mobile radio channels
Authors: Nguyen Van Duc , Kuchenbecker Hans‐Peter , Yoon Seokho , Choo Hyunseung
Published: June 2007

This paper proposes a new method, which combines interference cancellation with channel estimation for an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system in the case of insufficient guard interval (GI) length. To avoid the problem of causing additional errors of conventional cancellers in the presence of strong additive noise, the proposed cancellation scheme uses the channel state information (CSI) and the so‐called remodulation technique to reproduce the interference distortions. Then, these distortions in both the received pilot symbols and the data symbols are iteratively cancelled. Consequently, the channel estimation as well as the data equalisation performances are iteratively enhanced. In the range of high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), the proposed scheme improves significantly the performance of the system. It does not cause any additional errors to the received signal, when the system suffers from very low SNR. In comparison to the case of sufficient GI length, the required SNR can be reduced by 0.5 dB to achieve the same symbol error rate (SER). Moreover, the spectral efficiency of the system can be increased, because the GI length is allowed to be insufficient. The proposed method is applicable to future OFDM‐based wireless local area networks (WLANs). Copyright © 2007 John & Sons, Ltd.
IB‐DFE receivers with space diversity for CP‐assisted DS‐CDMA and MC‐CDMA systems
Authors: Dinis Rui , Silva Paulo , Gusmão António
Published: June 2007

Multi‐Carrier Code Division Multiple Access (MC‐CDMA), currently regarded as a promising multiple access scheme for broadband communications, is known to combine the advantages of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)‐based, Cyclic Prefix (CP)‐assisted block transmission with those of CDMA systems. Recently, it was recognised that DS‐CDMA (Direct Sequence) implementations can also take advantage of the benefits of the CP‐assisted block transmission approach, therefore enabling an efficient use of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)‐based, chip level Frequency‐Domain Equalisation (FDE) techniques. When employing a linear FDE with both MC‐CDMA and DS‐CDMA, the FDE coefficients can be optimised under the Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE) criterion, so as to avoid significant noise enhancement. The residual interference levels can be very high, especially for fully loaded scenarios, since the FDE/MMSE does not perform a perfect channel inversion.

This paper deals with CP‐assisted DS‐CDMA systems and MC‐CDMA systems with frequency‐domain spreading. We consider the use of Iterative Block Decision Feedback Equalisation (IB‐DFE) FDE techniques as an alternative to conventional, linear FDE techniques, and derive the appropriate IB‐DFE parameters in a receiver diversity context. Our performance results show that IB‐DFE techniques with moderate complexity allow significant performance gains in both systems, with bit error rate (BER) that can be close to the single‐code matched filter bound (MFB) (especially for the CP‐assisted DS‐CDMA alternative), even with full code usage. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons. Ltd.
Antimicrobial effect of vapours of geraniol, (R)‐(–)‐linalool, terpineol, γ‐terpinene and 1,8‐cineole on airborne microbes using an airwasher
Authors: Sato Kei , Krist Sabine , Buchbauer Gerhard
Published: June 2007

Five selected compounds, geraniol, (R)‐(–)‐linalool, terpineol, γ‐terpinene and 1,8‐cineole, were tested for their influence on airborne microbes when vaporized with an air washer. Terpineol and 1,8‐cineole showed the highest antimicrobial activities. The average reduction of germ count was 68% and 64%, respectively. Although γ‐terpinene gave the lowest result among the compounds investigated, the average reduction of germ count was still 40%. When water without volatile compounds was sprayed, the colony forming units increased. These results show the positive effect of selected aroma compounds on the reduction of microbes in the room. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Music to enhance the work environment
Authors: O'neill Donald M.
Published: June 2007

Programmed music reduces fatigue and boredom that is common to many kinds of work environment; the principles and the results of such music programming are described here.
Charting the difficulties to the top: A study of executive mobility patterns
Authors: Jennings Eugene Emerson
Published: June 2007

It is odd with all the emphasis today on developing managerial personnel that little effort is given to discovering who is progressing and regressing and at what rates.
Handling employee complaints and grievances
Authors: Trotta Maurice S.
Published: June 2007

Preventing grievances by being alert to problems is the most efficient way of handling grievances.
Challenge to personnel: A story of change and growth
Authors: Bobbe Richard A.
Published: June 2007

An overburdened 2‐man Personnel Department helped a small company start a one‐year program of change that encouraged managers to attack problems that once looked too big.
What have the universities done for business management?
Authors: Urwick Lyndall
Published: June 2007

Do managers resist close study of their jobs in the same way line‐workers have resisted time studies? Why is so little known about what the manager really does? Who is to blame for the lack of progress since the days of Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management?
Human resource management and the energy crisis: An ostrich posture?
Authors: Patten Thomas H.
Published: June 2007

The energy crisis is going to change our assumptions about employment policies—much more so than we've admitted to ourselves. Let's face up to it.
Multi‐ethnic corporations and inter‐ethnic conflict
Authors: Raizada Vishist K. Vaid
Published: June 2007

Dealing with conflict is likely to become an increasingly important problem as more multinational corporations integrate multiethnic constituencies.
Key human resource strategies in an organization downturn
Authors: Perry Lee Tom , Perry Lee Tom
Published: June 2007

Increasingly often, executives are being called upon to manage organizations through downturns. Of critical importance to the long‐term health of a firm is how its employees are treated during these stressful periods. Human resource strategies must minimize the loss of key personnel needed for organizational survival and turnaround. The purpose of this article is to discuss why key employees leave organizations following a downturn. We propose two reasons: Either employees abandon a sinking ship or upon considering a lack of career opportunities, they take well‐timed exits. Then, by considering individual career issues that arise from an organization downturn, ways to counteract ill‐timed employee exit are identified. These human resource strategies either reduce organizational uncertainty or increase career opportunity.
On the importance of a generalist conception of human resource management: A cross‐national look
Authors: Evans Paul A. L.
Published: June 2007

What is human resource management? The term risks becoming devalued if it is associated with particular approaches to the management of people, to labor relations, or to the development of the personnel function. These aspects of HRM have to be seen in context—indeed, HRM is best viewed as the management of organizational context, as “governance.” This is the challenge for general management, supported by personnel generalists.
Strategies for adapting to high rates of employee turnover
Authors: Mowday Richard T.
Published: June 2007

For many organizations facing high rates of employee turnover, strategies for increasing employee retention may not be practical because employees leave for reasons beyond the control of management or the costs of reducing turnover exceed the benefits to be derived. In this situation managers need to consider strategies that can minimize or buffer the organization from the negative consequences that often follow from turnover. Strategies organizations can use to adapt to uncontrollably high employee turnover rates are presented in this article. In addition, suggestions are made for how managers should make choices among the alternative strategies.
Executive stress: A ten‐country comparison
Authors: Cooper Cary L.
Published: June 2007

In recent years, many companies have become conscious of the dire effects of excessive managerial stress on the performance of the organization, as well as on the health of their executives. Moreover, the so called “boss's disease” was long considered strictly a phenomenon of the affluent, industrialized Western world. The results of this investigation, however, reveal that the spectre of executive stress is not only taking on critical dimensions for companies in developing countries (in terms of mental well being and job satisfaction) but that its incidence is worrying, especially in newly industrialized Japan. The pressures on managers to perform in a climate of rapid sociological, technological, and economic change in emerging countries such as Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt, and Singapore, as well as Japan, are beginning to produce negative effects. Executives in all five countries show a higher incidence of mental stress symptoms and job dissatisfaction than their counterparts from other highly industrialized countries surveyed, e.g., the United States, Sweden, and West Germany.
The basis for the professional's resistance to managerial control
Authors: Raelin Joseph A.
Published: June 2007

Observing that organizational professionals view themselves as employees of special status, resulting among other things in their demand for autonomy, Raelin digs down into the basis for their difficulty integrating into organizations. After examining the peculiarities of their education and early socialization experiences, he relates five features of professional life which, based on his ongoing research and consulting work, predispose professionals to resist managerial control.
The historical roots of the democratic challenge to authoritarian management
Authors: Gomberg William
Published: June 2007

Democracy is among the most misused words in our vocabulary and one of the most evanescent and slippery operational concepts. Sadly, although it should not come as a surprise, theory and reality often fail to mesh. This article provides an historical perspective on the participative management movement, based on the works of such theorists as Trist, Chandler, Taylor, and Fayol among others. It takes a critical look at the real problem facing managers today: How do we accommodate efficiency with democracy in a world where economic giants are subverting historical political sovereignties?
Professional autonomy as a basis of conflict in an organization
Authors: Marcus Alfred A.
Published: June 2007

Needed cutbacks in government and industry can lead to a situation where professionals have to operate where their autonomy is limited. How do they cope? Responses may include: “dubious” practice, the development and use of “simplified decision‐rules,” “whistle‐blowing,” reformism, and retreatism. Management can institutionalize a code‐of‐action that draws on the positive responses of the reformers and “decision simplifiers” and in this way better accommodate the need for both efficiency and professional integrity.
Managing customers as human resources in service organizations
Authors: Bowen David E.
Published: June 2007

On‐site service encounters blur the organizational boundary between employees and customers. The strategic trade‐offs involved in having customers on‐site, and the HRM practices that can influence the satisfaction and performance of customers within the organization, are described. Central points include the HRM practices that foster a climate for service and that provide customers the role clarity, ability, and motivation they require to contribute to service production and delivery.
Implementing manufacturing innovations: Critical choices of structure and staffing roles
Authors: Kazanjian Robert K. , Drazin Robert
Published: June 2007

The implementation of manufacturing process innovations is explored through a case study that focuses on the steps taken to develop and implement a successful proprietary, computer‐based parts planning process by a firm in the aerospace industry. The issues of the case are analyzed using a conceptual framework that considers successful implementation to be a function of the nature of the innovation, the appropriate configuration of organizational structure, and the existence of a constellation of critical staffing roles. Implications for human resource management are discussed as well.
Retirement policies for the 21st century
Authors: Rosen Benson , Jerdee Thomas H.
Published: June 2007

As we rapidly approach the 21st century, current human resource management policies emphasizing early retirement may prove shortsighted. Changing demographics and projected labor shortages in certain critical occupations may require a reversal of present early retirement policies. This article reports the views of a national sample of 897 executives on work and retirement. We report their reactions to pressures for early retirement, their responses to proposed incentives to delay retirmeent, and finally, their planned post retirement activities. Their responses have important implications for revising human resource policies in the years ahead.
Strategic human resource management and firm effectiveness in industries experiencing decline
Authors: Cook Deborah Smith , Ferris Gerald R.
Published: June 2007

Unstable economic conditions, in conjunction with other external and internal influences, have prompted attempts to understand the nature of organizational decline. While a number of issues have been carefully considered in recent theory and research, little effort has been made to consider the implications of human resource management practices for firms in declining industries. The present study examined human resource practices in three industries that experienced decline, and investigated the relationship of organizational performance with effective human resource management.
Britain's Training Problems: The Search for a Strategic Human Resources Management Approach
Authors: Sparrow Paul R. , Pettigrew Andrew M.
Published: June 2007

This paper examines the roots of Britain's training problem, drawing links with long‐standing industrial decline and lack of competitiveness. It is argued that training has considerable strategic importance in this context, but major attitudinal and structural obstacles are restricting the ability of British management to implement the necessary changes in their human resource management. A major research program in the UK aimed at understanding and facilitating strategic change and human resource management is described in detail.
Demise of “permanent employment” in Japan
Authors: Befu Harumi , Cernosia Christine
Published: June 2007

The increasing volatility of industrial business cycles is forcing Japanese companies to institute a variety of human resource management methods which are eroding the principle of permanent employment. The transition from permanent employment to more flexible employment practices reviewed here is an example of how human resources can be managed to maximize a firm's competitiveness and effectiveness.
Organizational environment and business strategy: Parallel versus conflicting influences on human resource strategy in the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Bamberger Peter , Phillips Bruce
Published: June 2007

While much attention in recent years has been focused on the issue of human resource strategy, little research has been conducted on the degree to which the various forces helping to shape human resource strategy exert parallel or conflicting influences. In this article, business environment and strategy influences on corporate human resource strategies in the pharmaceutical industry are examined. In particular, data derived from corporate annual reports are used to generate a grounded theory of where, when, and why environmental influences on human resource strategy may be more or less consistent with business strategy influences across a number of human resource strategy dimensions.
Identification of values relevant to business research
Authors: McDonald Paul , Gandz Jeffrey
Published: June 2007

In the face of increasing global competition, Human Resource (HR) professionals have been charged with ensuring that their organizations' human assets are adding the maximum value to products and services. One way to do this is to make an effective match between individual values and those that the organization espouses and requires. This article suggests that advances in maximizing human assets are being impeded because HR professionals lack a meaningful vocabulary with which to discuss values. Lists or taxonomies of values currently in the literature (Allport, G. W., Vernon, P. E., & Lindzey, G. (1960). A study of values. Boston: Houghton Mifflin; England, G. W. (1967). The manager and his values: An international perspective from the United States, Japan, Korea, India, and Australia. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger; Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. New York: The Free Press) are not framed in the common language of contemporary business. This article presents an alternative list of values derived from interviews with representatives from the business community including senior HR managers and executive recruitment professionals. The implications of this empirically derived list of value statements for the management of human resources are discussed, including the integration of HR and strategic functions and applications within traditional HR practices.
Coming unstuck? In search of the “corporate glue” in an international professional service firm
Authors: Ferner Anthony , Edwards Paul , Sisson Keith
Published: June 2007

Much has been made of “networks” and corporate “culture” as sources of cohesion in increasingly loosely structured international firms. But how strong is the “corporate glue”? Using a case study of human resource management (HRM) in an international accounting firm, this article shows that growth and internationalization may themselves weaken the corporate glue, just as the need for global integration of activities increases. The resulting stresses lead to a greater emphasis on formal bureaucratic structures and processes, further calling into question the role of traditional culture. Alternative strategies for managing these tensions are proposed. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Resource link: Re‐establishing the employment relationship in an era of downsizing
Authors: Sugalski Thomas D. , Manzo Louis S. , Meadows Jim L.
Published: June 2007

This article examines AT&T's efforts to deal with force management issues by developing Resource Linksm, an internal service unit that uses payroll management employees to help meet the variable work force needs of AT&T. Resource Link is discussed in terms of its contributions to increasing employment stability, improved learning, better governance, and helping to renew the psychological contract between employees and employers. The paper calls for future research in four major areas: skills development, teamwork, reward systems, and career management. It also addresses the potential applicability of this type of program to other firms. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Willingness to relocate internationally
Authors: Brett Jeanne M. , Stroh Linda K.
Published: June 2007

This study used a sample of 405 managers and their spouses from twenty Fortune 500 multinational corporations to document the availability of American managers for international assignments. Aside from their spouses' feelings about international relocation, managers' willingness to relocate internationally was also predicted by their own attitudes about moving in general and their willingness to relocate domestically. Implications for human resource policy suggest that corporations must increasingly focus on human resource policies targeted toward the spouse. Results suggested that monitoring managers' intentions to relocate will enhance the organization's ability to adequately staff international sites with experienced managers. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Performance management in a changing context: Monsanto pioneers a competency‐based, developmental approach
Authors: Jones Thomas W.
Published: June 2007

Because performance management systems fail in today's lean economic climate, the Monsanto Company developed the Performance Enhancement Process (PEP) to manage the context in which performance occurs, rather than the performance itself. PEP serves as a catalyst for organizational clarity and creates a tangible link between human resources and business. By implementing PEP, Monsanto decided to shift its emphasis from performance management to employee development, simplifying‐goal setting and transforming the supervisor's role from evaluator to coach. To gauge PEP's effectiveness, the Company initiated a system of 360‐degree feedback to monitor progress and to ensure continuous development. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Strengthening executive decision making
Authors: McLaughlin David J.
Published: June 2007

Although decisions determine corporate fates, executives don't always know how to make the best choices. The author examines today's dissatisfaction with corporate decision making, reviews how it can deteriorate as the pace of change increases, and offers five comprehensive strategies for improving the decision making process. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Which executive human resource management practices for the top management team are associated with higher firm performance?
Authors: Martell Kathryn , Carroll Stephen J.
Published: June 2007

There is growing awareness of the importance and role of the top management team (TMT). Little is known about how this group of executives should be treated from a human resource management (HRM) perspective since most research and writing on human resource management practices have focused on lower level personnel. A unique study of top management teams in specific firms affiliated with Fortune 500 companies is described which examined the relationship of 18 Executive Human Resource Management (EHRM) practices to a measure of organizational performance. A number of those were found to be associated with higher firm performance. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The impact of children on women managers' career behavior and organizational commitment
Authors: Korabik Karen , Rosin Hazel M.
Published: June 2007

Having children has been assumed to reduce womens' organizational commitment and involvement in their work and increase their likelihood of turnover. This assumption was examined by comparing 169 women MBAs who had children with 191 who did not on the basis of their responses to a survey. After controlling for differences in age, experience and work status, results showed no differences in met expectations, turnover intentions, commitment, satisfaction, job characteristics, or perceptions of progress. However, women with children scored lower on job involvement and reported fewer work hours. While parenting demands may affect these variables, they may not necessarily affect work‐related attitudes, professional attainment, attachment to the job, or commitment to the organization. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Overexpression of ErbB2 in the exocrine pancreas induces an inflammatory response but not increased proliferation
Authors: Algül Hana , Wagner Martin , Lesina Marina , Schmid Roland M.
Published: June 2007

Tyrosine kinase receptors such as members of the epidermal growth factor receptor family and their respective ligands are frequently overexpressed in pancreatic cancer as well as in chronic pancreatitis. In this study, the role of ErbB2 in the exocrine pancreas was examined by ectopic overexpression under the control of the proximal rat elastase promoter. Three independent transgenic mouse lines overexpressing ErbB2 were established by pronuclear injection. Pancreatic mRNA and protein levels were analyzed by real time PCR, immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analysis, RAS activity by using a specific immunoprecipitation assay and various kinase activities by phosphospecific antibodies. Overexpression of ErbB2 in the exocrine pancreas resulted in increased RAS activity and downstream activation of ERK1/2, but not in transgenic increased proliferation of acinar and ductal cells. At later timepoints, some mice showed focal areas of acinar cell damage with upregulated mRNA levels for Cyclin D1 and p16INK4a. Despite the increased mRNA level, cyclin D1 protein levels were downregulated. We observed areas of focal infiltrations with inflammatory cells interspersed in the exocrine pancreas. NF‐κB activity was induced in transgenic acinar cells compared with controls contributing to high levels of chemokine and cytokine gene expression such as CCR‐1 and CCL3. These data suggest that overexpression of ErbB2 in acinar cells leads to increased RAS activity without cell cycle progression and mediates inflammation via NF‐κB. We conclude that the biological response of ErbB2/RAS signaling depends highly on cellular context. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel approach for detecting global epigenetic alterations associated with tumor cell aneuploidy
Authors: Habano Wataru , Sugai Tamotsu , Jiao Yu‐Fei , Nakamura Shin‐Ichi
Published: June 2007

Although aneuploidy is commonly observed in human cancers, the molecular mechanism underlying aneuploidization remains unclear. We used multiploid cancer model that had diploid and aneuploid cancer cells within the same cancerous tissue and attempted to detect specific epigenetic alterations associated with tumor cell aneuploidy. Thirty‐four multiploid colorectal cancers were subjected to crypt isolation and cell sorting, and paired diploid and aneuploid cancer cells were separated from each cancerous tissue. A methylated CpG island amplification provided a considerable number of CpG sequences that showed different methylation status between the above 2 cell populations. BLAST homology search revealed 24 different candidates (11 hypermethylated and 13 hypomethylated) from these sequences. The putative promoter sequence of the SALL4 (sal‐like 4, a human homolog to Drosophila spalt) gene was particularly more frequently hypermethylated in aneuploid cells (62%) than diploid ones (35%) in the 34 multiploid cancers. Moreover, such hypermethylation occurred more often in aneuploid cancers (8 of 16, 50%) than diploid cancers (3 of 18, 17%). In combination with demethylation study on cultured cells, these results implied a possible association between epigenetic silencing of SALL4 and tumor cell aneuploidy. SALL4 may be one of important key players that act as “caretakers” for chromosomal stability. Our new approach is a powerful tool for the global identification of such key players. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Survival of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in relation to human papillomavirus infection: Review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Ragin Camille C. R. , Taioli Emanuela
Published: June 2007

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), especially of the oropharynx, with highest distribution in the tonsils. HPV infection has been associated with improved outcome, although not all the studies show consistent results. The reason for this is not clear. We reviewed all published articles and conducted a meta‐analysis on the overall relationship between HPV infection and overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) in HNSCC. Patients with HPV‐positive HNSCC had a lower risk of dying (meta HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.7–1.0), and a lower risk of recurrence (meta HR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.5–0.8) than HPV‐negative HNSCC patients. Site‐specific analyses show that patients with HPV‐positive oropharyngeal tumours had a 28% reduced risk of death (meta HR: 0.72, 95%CI: 0.5–1.0) in comparison to patients with HPV‐negative oropharyngeal tumours. Similar observations were made for DFS (meta HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.4–0.7). There was no difference in OS between HPV‐positive and negative non‐oropharyngeal patients. The observed improved OS and DFS for HPV‐positive HNSCC patients is specific to the oropharynx; these tumours may have a distinct etiology from those tumours in non‐oropharyngeal sites. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gene therapy using ets‐1 transcription factor decoy for peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer
Authors: Taniguchi Hirokazu , Fujiwara Yoshiyuki , Doki Yuichiro , Sugita Yurika , Sohma Itsuro , Miyata Hiroshi , Takiguchi Shuji , Yasuda Takushi , Tomita Naruya , Morishita Ryuichi , Monden Morito
Published: June 2007

The ets‐1 transcription factor plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and tissue remodeling. Aberrant ets‐1 expression correlates with aggressive tumor behavior and poorer prognosis in patients with various malignancies. This study evaluated the efficacy of double‐stranded decoy oligonucleotides targeting ets‐1‐binding cis elements for the suppression of ets‐1 in treatment of a peritoneal dissemination model of gastric cancer. In vitro, MTT assay was performed to evaluate the effect of the ets‐1 decoy on cell growth. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was performed to determine ets‐1 activity. In vivo, the effect of the ets‐1 decoy was investigated in the peritoneal dissemination nude mice model. Disseminated nodules were analyzed immunohistochemically. Ets‐1 decoy, but not scrambled decoy, significantly inhibited cell growth in 2 gastric cancer cell lines, which showed overexpression of ets‐1 protein by inhibiting the binding activity of ets‐1. In the peritoneal dissemination model, the ets‐1 decoy significantly suppressed the disseminated nodules, and tended to prolong the survival rate. PCNA index, microvessel density and VEGF expression were also reduced in peritoneal tumors treated with ets‐1 decoy. Intraperitoneal injection of ets‐1 decoy inhibited peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer in a nude mice model. The results indicate that the decoy strategy for ets‐1 offers a promising therapy for patients with incurable peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer, most of which show overexpression of ets‐1 protein. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An irrigation management model for a multi‐cropping and multi‐pattern setting
Authors: Ricketts Dwight D. , Rudra Ramesh P. , Gharabaghi Bahram
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a user‐friendly tool for water budgeting and forecasting for multi‐plot fields to optimise the area under production. This tool will help the farmer in managing available water, ensuring that all the crops can be irrigated daily to meet current evapotranspiration demands. The “micro‐management” model is universal in application and facilitates the generation of additional information with alteration of the requisite parameter values and/or algorithms. The model is suited for increased degrees of management and operational challenges that are faced by irrigation systems serving fields, which are comprised of multi‐tenureship, and cropping patterns. Illustration of the model is carried out on small undulating landholdings in Beacon, Jamaica where multi‐cropping is being proposed with limited water supply. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple myeloma: A prototypic disease model for the characterization and therapeutic targeting of interactions between tumor cells and their local microenvironment
Authors: Mitsiades Constantine S. , Mitsiades Nicholas S. , Richardson Paul G. , Munshi Nikhil C. , Anderson Kenneth C.
Published: June 2007

The interaction between tumor cells and the local milieu where are homing has recently become the focus of extensive research in a broad range of malignancies. Among them, multiple myeloma (MM) is now recognized as a prototypical tumor model for the characterization of these interactions. This is due not only to the propensity of MM cells to target the skeleton and form lytic bone lesions, but because interactions of MM cells with normal cells of the bone milieu can attenuate the anti‐tumor activity of conventional therapies, such as glucocorticoids and standard cytotoxic agents, including alkylators. Herein, we highlight the recent advances in our understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms of interactions between MM cells and their milieu. Particular emphasis is placed on the interface between MM cells and normal cell compartments of the BM, especially bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), and on the development of a series of new classes of therapeutic agents, including the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, thalidomide and lenalidomide, which counteract specific aspects of those MM–BM interactions. The significant clinical activity of these novel therapies has not only led to a new era in the therapeutic management of this disease, but also underscored the importance of comprehensively characterizing the role of the local microenvironment in the pathophysiology of human neoplasias. J. Cell. Biochem. 101: 950–968, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanotransduction from the ECM to the genome: Are the pieces now in place?
Authors: Gieni Randall S. , Hendzel Michael J
Published: June 2007

A multitude of biochemical signaling processes have been characterized that affect gene expression and cellular activity. However, living cells often need to integrate biochemical signals with mechanical information from their microenvironment as they respond. In fact, the signals received by shape alone can dictate cell fate. This mechanotrasduction of information is powerful, eliciting proliferation, differentiation, or apoptosis in a manner dependent upon the extent of physical deformation. The cells internal “prestressed” structure and its “hardwired” interaction with the extra‐cellular matrix (ECM) appear to confer this ability to filter biochemical signals and decide between divergent cell functions influenced by the nature of signals from the mechanical environment. In some instances mechanical signaling through the tissue microenvironment has been shown to be dominant over genomic defects, imparting a normal phenotype on cells that otherwise have transforming genetic lesions. This mechanical control of phenotype is postulated to have a central role in embryogenesis, tissue physiology as well as the pathology of a wide variety of diseases, including cancer. We will briefly review studies showing physical continuity between the external cellular microenvironment and the interior of the cell nucleus. Newly characterized structures, termed nuclear envelope lamina spanning complexes (NELSC), and their interactions will be described as part of a model for mechanical transduction of extracellular cues from the ECM to the genome. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1964–1987, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synergistic induction of osteopontin by aldosterone and inflammatory cytokines in mesangial cells
Authors: Gauer Stefan , Hauser Ingeborg A. , Obermüller Nicholas , Holzmann Yvonne , Geiger Helmut , Goppelt‐Struebe Margarete
Published: June 2007

Hypertensive nephrosclerosis is characterized by activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system in combination with an inflammatory response characterized by an infiltration of T‐cells and mononuclear cells, which release proinflammatory cytokines like IL‐1β/TNFα. In various models of experimental hypertensive disease the chemokine osteopontin (OPN) enhances further leukocyte infiltration. Therefore, we investigated the induction of OPN expression in renal mesangial cells (MCs) by aldosterone and the inflammatory cytokines IL‐1β/TNFα. Incubation with aldosterone resulted in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent increase in OPN mRNA and protein. OPN mRNA expression followed a biphasic time course with an early increase between 4 and 8 h and the second phase starting at 14 h. The early phase was independent of protein synthesis, indicating a direct effect of aldosterone. Aldosterone‐mediated induction of OPN was prevented by spironolactone, indicative of a receptor‐mediated aldosterone effect. The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) was identified in MCs by RT‐PCR and immunoprecipitation, and shown to interact with a putative aldosterone‐response element of the OPN promoter. The proinflammatory cytokines IL‐1β and TNFα only marginally affected OPN expression in MCs. However, coincubation of aldosterone and the cytokines synergistically increased OPN mRNA and protein levels. Since the synergistic effect on OPN mRNA was inhibited by diphenyleneiodonium, we assume an involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We conclude that the chemokine OPN is a target gene of aldosterone in renal MCs, which is activated via the MR, and that proinflammatory cytokines enhance aldosterone‐dependent OPN expression. In vivo, this may result in further leukocyte infiltration aggravating hypertensive nephrosclerosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 615–623, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interleukin‐4 antagonizes oncostatin M and transforming growth factor beta‐induced responses in articular chondrocytes
Authors: El Mabrouk Mohammed , Qureshi Hamid Yaqoob , Li Wen Qing , Sylvester Judith , Zafarullah Muhammad
Published: June 2007

Oncostatin M (OSM) stimulates cartilage degradation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by inducing matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and aggrecanases (ADAMTS; a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif). Transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β1) induces cartilage repair in joints but in excessive amounts, promotes inflammation. OSM and TGF‐β1 also induce tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐3 (TIMP‐3), an important natural inhibitor of MMPs, aggrecanases, and tumor necrosis factor alpha converting enzyme (TACE), the principal proteases involved in arthritic inflammation and cartilage degradation. We studied cartilage protective mechanisms of the antiinflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐4 (IL‐4). IL‐4 strongly (MMP‐13 and TIMP‐3) or minimally (ADAMTS‐4) suppressed OSM‐induced gene expression in chondrocytes. IL‐4 did not affect OSM‐stimulated phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERKs), protein 38 (p38), c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) and Stat1. Lack of additional suppression with their inhibitors suggested that MMP‐13, ADAMTS‐4, and TIMP‐3 inhibition was independent of these mediators. IL‐4 also downregulated TGF‐β1‐induced TIMP‐3 gene expression, Smad2, and JNK phosphorylation. Additional suppression of TIMP‐3 RNA by JNK inhibitor suggests JNK implication. The cartilage protective effects of IL‐4 in animal models of arthritis may be due to its inhibition of MMPs and ADAMTS‐4 expression. However, suppression of TIMP‐3 suggests caution for using IL‐4 as a cartilage protective therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 588–597, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The stem cell hypothesis in head and neck cancer
Authors: Graziano A. , d'Aquino R. , Tirino V. , Desiderio V. , Rossi A. , Pirozzi G.
Published: June 2007

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are tumoral cells which have stem features such as self‐renewal, high migration capacity, drug resistance, high proliferation abilities. In the last 10 years the pathological meaning and the existence of CSCs have been matter of discussion and a large number of articles have been published about the role that these cells play in the development and maintenance of the tumors. Head and neck squamous‐cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide: early diagnosis of high‐risk premalignant lesions are high priorities for reducing deaths due to head and neck cancer. In the last years the CSCs hypothesis has been faced also for head and neck cancer, with the aim of a better comprehension of the tumor biology and an early diagnosis. The evidence that the development of a tumor comes from a small number of cells with stem‐like characteristic, could bring too to the identification of therapies against these cellular target, fundamental for maintenance and progression of the lesion. Here, a literature review has been reported about the detection of supposed CSCs in head and neck cancer. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 408–412, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel hormone “receptors”
Authors: Nemere Ilka , Hintze Korry
Published: June 2007

Our concepts of hormone receptors have, until recently, been narrowly defined. In the last few years, an increasing number of reports identify novel proteins, such as enzymes, acting as receptors. In this review we cover the novel receptors for the hormones atrial naturetic hormone, enterostatin, hepcidin, thyroid hormones, estradiol, progesterone, and the vitamin D metabolites 1,25(OH)2D3 and 24,25(OH)2D3. J. Cell. Biochem. 103: 401–407, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
New all‐atom force field for molecular dynamics simulation of an AlPO4‐34 molecular sieve
Authors: Praprotnik Matej , Hočevar Stanko , Hodošček Milan , Penca Matej , Janežič Dušanka
Published: June 2007

A force field of the triclinic framework of AlPO4‐34, important in methanol–hydrocarbon conversion reactions, was developed using an empirical potential function. Molecular dynamics simulation of an AlPO4‐34 triclinic framework segment of 1216 atoms, containing the template molecules isopropylamine and water, was performed with explicit consideration of atomic charges. The average RMS difference between instantaneous positions of the framework atoms during 1 ns simulation and their positions in the structure determined from single crystal X‐ray diffraction was calculated, and the average structure of the flexible framework was determined. The computed Debye‐Waller factors and simulated FTIR spectra are in good agreement with the experimental data. The new force field permits detailed molecular dynamics simulations of flexible, charged aluminophosphate molecular sieves which should lead to a better understanding of the catalytic processes and the crucial role played by templating molecules. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008
Every finite solvable group with a unique element of order two, except the quaternion group, has a symmetric sequencing
Authors: Anderson B. A. , Ihrig E. C.
Published: June 2007

All finite solvable groups that have symmetric sequencings are characterized. LetGbe a finite solvable group. It is shown thatGhas a symmetric sequencing if and only ifGhas a unique element of order two and is not the quaternion group. All finite groups with a unique element of order two such that the order of the group is not divisible by three are solvable and thus, except for the quaternion group, have symmetric sequencings. A crucial step used in the proof of these facts is a construction showing that if a finite groupHhas a normal subgroupCof odd order such thatH/Cadmits a 2‐sequencing, thenHadmits a 2‐sequencing. The results of this article can be viewed as generalizing a theorem of Gordon about Abelian groups and as extending the idea of a starter, suitably modified, to a large class of groups of even order by showing the existence of the required object. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The use of hill‐climbing to construct orthogonal steiner triple systems
Authors: Gibbons Peter B. , Mathon Rudolf
Published: June 2007

In a related article, Colbourn, Gibbons, Mathon, Mullin, and Rosa [7] have shown that a pair of orthogonal Steiner triple systems exists for all v ≡ 1, 3 (mod 6), v ≥ 7 and v ≠ 9. This result is based on the construction of a finite set of pairs of orthogonal Steiner triple systems followed by the application of recursive constructions to settle the remaining undecided cases. In this article we report on the computational aspects of that investigation, and in particular the remarkable success of the hill‐climbing method. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A symmetric 2‐(160, 54, 18) design
Authors: Spence Edward , Tonchev Vladimir D. , van Trung Tran
Published: June 2007

We give a construction for a symmetric 2‐(160, 54, 18) design that effectively uses the incidence matrix of the design of the hyperplanes in PG(3, 3) as a tactical decomposition. This is the first design ever found with these parameters. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Embedding directed and undirected partial cycle systems of index λ > 1
Authors: Lindner C. C. , Rodger C. A.
Published: June 2007

Recent results have found small embeddings for partial m‐cycle systems of order n with λ= 1. However, if λ> 1 then the best known techniques produce embeddings that are often quadratic functions of both m and n and linear functions of λ. In this article we obtain embeddings for partial m‐cycle systems of order n, and of partial directed m‐cycle systems, for all values of m. These embeddings are independent of λ and linear in both n and m. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.