bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A monoclonal antibody to beta 1 integrin (CD29) stimulates VLA-dependent adherence of leukocytes to human umbilical vein endothelial cells and matrix components.
Authors: Kovach N L , Carlos T M , Yee E , Harlan J M
Published: May 2004

The leukocyte beta 1 integrin receptor very late activation antigen-4 (VLA-4) (alpha 4 beta 1, CD49d/CD29) binds to vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expressed on cytokine-activated endothelium. A mAb designated 8A2 was identified that stimulated the binding of U937 cells to CHO cells transfected with VCAM-1 cDNA but not endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule or CD4 cDNA. mAb 8A2 also rapidly stimulated the adherence of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) to VCAM-1-transfected CHO cells or recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells. mAb 8A2-stimulated binding of PBL was inhibited by mAbs to VLA-4 or VCAM-1. Surface expression of VLA-4 was not altered by mAb 8A2 treatment and monovalent Fab fragments of mAb 8A2 were active. Immunoprecipitation studies reveal that mAb 8A2 recognizes beta 1-subunit (CD29) of integrin receptors. In contrast to mAbs directed to VLA-4 alpha-subunit (alpha 4, CD49d), mAb 8A2 did not induce homotypic aggregation of PBL. Additionally, mAb 8A2 stimulated adherence of PBL and hematopoietic cell lines to purified matrix components laminin and fibronectin. This binding was blocked by mAbs to the VLA alpha-subunits alpha 6 (CD49f), or alpha 5 (CD49e) and alpha 4 (CD49d), respectively. We conclude that mAb 8A2 modulates the affinity of VLA-4 and other leukocyte beta 1 integrins, and should prove useful in studying the regulation of beta 1 integrin function.
Leishmania promastigotes require opsonic complement to bind to the human leukocyte integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18).
Authors: Mosser D M , Springer T A , Diamond M S
Published: May 2004

Previous reports have suggested that Leishmania spp. interact with macrophages by binding to Mac-1 (CD1 1b/CD18), a member of the leukocyte integrin family. To better define this interaction, we tested the ability of leishmania promastigotes to bind to purified leukocyte integrins and to cloned integrins expressed in COS cells. We show that leishmania promastigotes bind to cellular or purified Mac-1 but not lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 in a specific, dose-dependent manner that requires the presence of serum. Binding is inhibited with specific monoclonal antibodies to Mac-1. In the absence of complement opsonization, three different species of leishmania tested fail to bind directly to any of the three leukocyte integrins. We show that binding to Mac-1 requires the third component of complement (C3). Organisms incubated in heat-inactivated serum or serum that has been immunologically depleted of C3 fail to bind to Mac-1. Because the addition of purified C3 to C3-depleted serum restores leishmania binding to Mac-1, we suggest that parasites gain entry into macrophages by fixing complement and subverting a well-characterized adhesive interaction in the immune system between Mac-1 and iC3b.
A cell surface chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, immunologically related to CD44, is involved in type I collagen-mediated melanoma cell motility and invasion.
Authors: Faassen A E , Schrager J A , Klein D J , Oegema T R , Couchman J R , McCarthy J B
Published: May 2004

The metastatic spread of tumor cells occurs through a complex series of events, one of which involves the adhesion of tumor cells to extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Multiple interactions between cell surface receptors of an adherent tumor cell and the surrounding ECM contribute to cell motility and invasion. The current studies evaluate the role of a cell surface chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) in the adhesion, motility, and invasive behavior of a highly metastatic mouse melanoma cell line (K1735 M4) on type I collagen matrices. By blocking mouse melanoma cell production of CSPG with p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xylopyranoside (beta-D-xyloside), a compound that uncouples chondroitin sulfate from CSPG core protein synthesis, we observed a corresponding decrease in melanoma cell motility on type I collagen and invasive behavior into type I collagen gels. Melanoma cell motility on type I collagen could also be inhibited by removing cell surface chondroitin sulfate with chondroitinase. In contrast, type I collagen-mediated melanoma cell adhesion and spreading were not affected by either beta-D-xyloside or chondroitinase treatments. These results suggest that mouse melanoma CSPG is not a primary cell adhesion receptor, but may play a role in melanoma cell motility and invasion at the level of cellular translocation. Furthermore, purified mouse melanoma cell surface CSPG was shown, by affinity chromatography and in solid phase binding assays, to bind to type I collagen and this interaction was shown to be mediated, at least in part, by chondroitin sulfate. Additionally we have determined that mouse melanoma CSPG is composed of a 110-kD core protein that is recognized by anti-CD44 antibodies on Western blots. Collectively, our data suggests that interactions between a cell surface CD44-related CSPG and type I collagen in the ECM may play an important role in mouse melanoma cell motility and invasion, and that the chondroitin sulfate portion of the proteoglycan seems to be a critical component in mediating this effect.
A novel secretory tumor necrosis factor-inducible protein (TSG-6) is a member of the family of hyaluronate binding proteins, closely related to the adhesion receptor CD44.
Authors: Lee T H , Wisniewski H G , Vilcek J
Published: May 2004

TSG-6 cDNA was isolated by differential screening of a lambda cDNA library prepared from tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-treated human diploid FS-4 fibroblasts. We show that TSG-6 mRNA was not detectable in untreated cells, but became readily induced by TNF in normal human fibroblast lines and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In contrast, TSG-6 mRNA was undetectable in either control or TNF-treated human vascular endothelial cells and a variety of tumor-derived or virus-transformed cell lines. The sequence of full-length TSG-6 cDNA revealed one major open reading frame predicting a polypeptide of 277 amino acids, including a typical cleavable signal peptide. The NH2-terminal half of the predicted TSG-6 protein sequence shows a significant homology with a region implicated in hyaluronate binding, present in cartilage link protein, proteoglycan core proteins, and the adhesion receptor CD44. The most extensive sequence homology exists between the predicted TSG-6 protein and CD44. Western blot analysis with an antiserum raised against a TSG-6 fusion protein detected a 39-kD glycoprotein in the supernatants of TNF-treated FS-4 cells and of cells transfected with TSG-6 cDNA. Binding of the TSG-6 protein to hyaluronate was demonstrated by coprecipitation. Our data indicate that the inflammatory cytokine (TNF or IL-1)-inducible, secretory TSG-6 protein is a novel member of the family of hyaluronate binding proteins, possibly involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions during inflammation and tumorigenesis.
Library weblogs
Authors: Clyde Laurel A.
Published: June 2004

A total of 55 weblogs maintained by libraries were identified in late 2003 using Internet search engines and directories. The weblogs were studied using content analysis techniques. Library weblogs were found in just three countries, with the majority being in the USA. Public and academic libraries were more likely to have a weblog than other types of libraries. The most common aim or purpose was to provide news, information and links to Internet resources for library users. Few provided interactive facilities, and when provided, there was little evidence that the facilities were used to any extent. Only one‐fifth of the weblogs had been updated within the past day and only half within the previous week. Less than half provided an RSS feed. Given the small number of library weblogs in the study, the question of “why so few?” is discussed. Finally, the article addresses the implications of the findings for library managers.
From servicescape to “cyberscape”
Authors: Williams Russell , Dargel Miriam
Published: June 2004

Following Bitner's well‐known “servicescape” model, the propensity of physical surroundings to facilitate organisational as well as marketing goals is now well researched. Their importance is, in general, more important in service settings because of the unique characteristics of services, particularly their intangibility and perishability, the inseparability of production and consumption, and heterogeneity in delivery quality. E‐businesses, whether offering products or services, ultimately share many service characteristics. For example, the benefits consumed are often not solely in the products purchased, which could have been purchased elsewhere, but rather in the intangible benefits of interaction with the website, i.e. saved time, convenience, and a reduced risk of dissatisfaction with an enhanced availability of information. This paper adapts Bitner's model to encounters in “cyberspace”, where the key characteristics of the service “product” are still present, with the result that, just as in the physical setting, stimuli may be planned and designed to engender approach behaviour. In so doing, it borrows from the motivational psychology construct of “flow”, a metaphor for optimal experiences.
Constructing futures in new attractors
Authors: Murray Peter J. , Kitchen Philip J.
Published: June 2004

This paper provides an introduction to three key concepts derived from chaos theory, with practical examples of each, which the authors believe can offer marketers an enriched understanding of the process by which they set out to construct an alternative future. A central tenet of chaos theory is that the future is inherently unpredictable in detail, but can be predicted in broad terms: what appears to be random (e.g. the unexpected results of a new marketing strategy) may turn out to be determined by a phenomenon known as an attractor. Marketing managers are setting out to “construct a future”. The broad outcomes of their actions may be predictable in general terms, but the path by which their organisations reach those outcomes, and the detailed stages through which they pass, are not – however sound their conventional marketing planning may be. Practising marketing managers may understandably have reservations about transferring concepts which have not yet been fully tested in the natural sciences, where they have their origin, into marketing planning. Nevertheless, many are not in fact unique to chaos theory. Therefore, they are used here as a metaphor, to encourage managers to take a different view of the strategic issues facing their organisations, and to question the conventional wisdom that executive action can be taken on the basis of extensive rational analysis, in the expectation that it will achieve predetermined objectives. This paper thereby offers novel insights into the process of redefining markets and the opportunities that they provide. The attractor metaphor holds out a number of challenges for innovative marketers, as well as some cautionary lessons.
Toward modeling the predictors of managerial career success: does gender matter?
Authors: Eddleston Kimberly A. , Baldridge David C. , Veiga John F.
Published: June 2004

Although research has uncovered important predictors of managerial career success, the causal relationships between these predictors has not been fully explored. Accordingly, we propose and test a model that establishes a link between individual differences, salient career‐related beliefs, career enhancing outcomes and managerial career success. Using path analysis, we found that education and career impatience directly affected willingness to relocate and perceived marketability, which in turn led to more promotions offered and greater exposure to powerful networks. Finally, the number of promotions offered directly affected management level, which in turn affected compensation level. With respect to gender differences, we found that beliefs regarding the efficacy of mentoring positively influenced a woman's sense of marketability, and like her male counterpart, exposure to powerful networks. However, we also found that for women managers, unlike men, such exposure did not affect the number of promotions they were offered.
Professionalism and organizational citizenship behavior
Authors: Cohen Aaron , Kol Yardena
Published: June 2004

Two alternative models were proposed to test whether the relationship between dimensions of professionalism (profession as referent, sense of calling, autonomy) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) was direct or mediated by variables representing justice perceptions (distributive justice, interactional justice, and formal procedures). Respondents were 1,035 registered nurses in four public hospitals in northern Israel. Supervisors in each medical unit at the hospitals provided the data on OCB for the employees. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the data strongly supported the mediated model, namely, the relationship between professionalism and OCB was mediated by variables representing justice in the workplace. The mediated effect was stronger for Jewish nurses than for non‐Jewish nurses and for nurses with an academic education in comparison to nurses with a non‐academic education. Several implications are drawn for the continuing examination of OCB.
A study of the relationship between emotional intelligence and performance in UK call centres
Authors: Higgs Malcolm
Published: June 2004

Within business the organisational concept of call centres has developed rapidly. Within the UK the use and development of these centres has grown at a significant rate over the last decade. The economic benefits of this organisational concept have been threatened by the nature of the work and operating environment leading to high levels of attrition with associated recruitment, training and loss of productivity costs. As a result much effort has been focused on recruitment criteria and selection processes. In reviewing the criteria it is clear that many overlap with elements from within the concept of emotional intelligence (EI). This research note reports a study designed to explore the relationship between the EI of call centre agents (using the EIQ measure developed by Dulewicz and Higgs, and ratings of their performance. A sample of 289 agents from three organisations was studied. Results included a strong relationship between overall EI and individual performance, as well as between several EI elements from the model and performance. Furthermore, a relationship between age and performance was established along with a number of gender differences. The practical implications of these findings are discussed along with the study limitations. Further areas for research are identified including differences between agents in reaction and proactive roles and relationships to more direct measures of agent attrition.
Management accounting practices in selected Asian countries
Authors: Sulaiman Maliah bt. , Nazli Nik Ahmad Nik , Alwi Norhayati
Published: June 2004

Traditional management accounting techniques such as standard costing and variance analysis, traditional budgeting and cost volume profit analysis are said to be less useful in the present manufacturing environment. To succeed in the present dynamic business environment, tools or strategies such as JIT, ABC, TQM, process re‐engineering, life cycle assessment and target costing would greatly enhance the ability of corporations to meet global competition. Through a literature review, this study examines the extent to which traditional and contemporary management accounting tools are being used in four Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, China and India. Overall, the evidence reviewed suggests that the use of contemporary management accounting tools is lacking in the four countries. The use of traditional management accounting techniques remains strong. The paper concludes with various recommendations for future research, the most important of which is the need for future studies to be grounded in theory.
A conceptual risk framework for internal auditing in e‐commerce
Authors: Pathak Jagdish
Published: June 2004

Auditors provide high assurance to executives amidst information and database risk. A framework is provided for auditors within cyber entities. The categories of e‐commerce, business‐to‐business, business‐to‐customers and mobile commerce use different core technologies. The common factor remains unchanged from the auditors' perception, i.e. risk and its potential to harm the integrity and accuracy of the data and decisions based thereon. E‐commerce requires audit to identify risks and show their impact on the information system. The American Institute of CPAs and Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants jointly offer seals of assurance at Web and system levels. The limitations of these certifications are important for an auditor since they are set by these accounting bodies. The role and functions of an auditor are beyond those of the assurance approval auditors. Organizational decision‐making processes depend on segments of information bases, whereas these assurance providers audit a limited amount related to their interest.
Strategies for improving the reliability of solder joints on power semiconductor devices
Authors: Lu Guo‐Quan , Liu Xingsheng , Wen Sihua , Noel Calata Jesus , Bai John G.
Published: June 2004

In this paper, some strategies taken to improve the reliability of solder joints on power devices in single device and multi‐chip packages are presented. A strategy for improving solder joint reliability by adjusting solder joint geometry, underfilling and utilization of flexible substrates is discussed with emphasis on triple‐stacked solder joints that resemble the shape of an hourglass. The hourglass shape relocates the highest inelastic strain away from the weaker interface with the chip to the bulk region of the joint, while the underfill provides a load transfer from the joints. Thermal cycling data show significant improvements in reliability when these techniques are used. The design, testing and finite‐element analyses of an interconnection structure, termed the Dimple‐Array Interconnect, for improving the solder joint reliability is also presented.
Failure analysis of lead‐free solder joints for high‐density packages
Authors: Lau John , Shangguan Dongkai , Castello Todd , Horsley Rob , Smetana Joe , Hoo Nick , Dauksher Walter , Love Dave , Menis Irv , Sullivan Bob
Published: June 2004

Failure analyses of the lead‐free and SnPb solder joints of high‐density packages such as the plastic ball grid array and the ceramic column grid array soldered on SnCu hot‐air solder levelling electroless nickel‐immersion gold or NiAu, and organic solderability preservative Entek printed circuit boards are presented. Emphasis is placed on determining the failure locations, failure modes, and intermetallic compound composition for these high‐density packages' solder joints after they have been through 7,500 cycles of temperature cycling. The present results will be compared with those obtained from temperature cycling and finite element analysis.
Engaging in the disablement process over space and time: narratives of persons with multiple sclerosis in Ottawa, Canada
Authors: Driedger S. Michelle , Crooks Valorie A. , Bennett David
Published: June 2004

This article presents an interpretive analysis of the narratives of 15 men and women who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Relatively little is known about how people who are affected by MS cope with the challenges posed by social and physical barriers in their environment. Our research investigates two objectives: (1) to explore how those who have developed MS cope with their disease and resulting impairments, both in terms of the bodily experiences of becoming a chronically ill person and in terms of how they cope with changing relationships, changing identities and challenges in their physical environment; and (2) how they engage in the process of disablement over time and space as a result of these changing social and spatial relationships. We argue that the physical body and its social placings in public and private spaces are intertwined and both affect experiences of health, ability, impairment, disability and chronic illness. We further argue that these relationships are experienced across time and space, and in place, as people who have developed a chronic illness, such as MS, engage in, with and through the process of disablement. This article demonstrates the need for researchers to pay more attention to the role and significance of the simultaneity of space, place and time in shaping the experiences of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, as it has been shown that these variables played a significant role in regulating the everyday experiences of this study's respondents.
Non‐destructive sources of DNA used to genotype honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens
Authors: Gregory Pamela G. , Rinderer Thomas E.
Published: May 2004

We describe a method for genotyping honey bee queens Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), using biological materials that are normally cast off during development (larval and pupal exuviae), or can be removed without apparent damage to queen longevity or acceptability to workers (wing clippings). Highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were successfully amplified from DNA from all of these sources, although with differing degrees of success. DNA was extracted using a simple Chelex 100® boiling procedure. Four microsatellite primers were used to amplify the DNA, and the PCR products were visualized on an ALFexpress Automated Sequencer. Genotypes created from these sources were consistent with those originating from tarsal tissue. Successful retrieval and amplification of DNA from the exuviae from immature queens allows potential breeding individuals to be genotyped and selected before they become adults. This procedure may therefore have value as DNA marker‐assisted breeding programs are developed for honey bees.
Effect of Bt corn leaf suspension on food consumption by Chilo partellus and life history parameters of its parasitoid Cotesia flavipes under laboratory conditions
Authors: Prütz G. , Dettner K.
Published: May 2004

Laboratory scale experiments were conducted in order to assess the potential effect of Bacillus thuringiensis‐corn leaf material on the parasitized herbivore Chilo partellus Swinhoe (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and on its parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Food consumption and relative consumption rate of parasitized hosts exposed to Bt‐corn leaf‐material were strongly reduced compared to the control. The number of hosts allowing parasitoid larvae to complete their development was also reduced in the Bt group. Moreover, the fresh weight of parasitoid pupae and the dry weight of parasitoid adults was lower than in the control. Only in the Bt group, were strong negative correlations found between food intake by the host, and the number of parasitoid cocoons. Strong positive correlations were also only found in the Bt group, between food intake and parasitoid development time. As effects of Bt on the oviposition behaviour of C. flavipes could be excluded, differences between the Bt group and the control could only be due to the effect of Bt toxin on the parasitoid larva developing inside the host. Whenever food consumption can be measured, the methods used in this study are proposed as a model for future risk assessments on different types of insect‐resistant transgenic plants, herbivores, parasitoids, and predators.
The effect of photoperiod on walking, feeding, and oviposition in the western flower thrips
Authors: Whittaker Mark S. , Kirk William D. J.
Published: May 2004

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a major pest in glasshouses, where light and photoperiod are often manipulated to grow crops. The effect of five photoperiods (L0:D24, L6:D18, L12:D12, L18:D6, and L24:D0) on the behaviour of adult females was investigated in the laboratory at 25 °C. The amount of walking, pollen consumption, and oviposition all increased with increasing photophase. The three behaviours occurred at a low rate in continuous darkness, and are therefore not exclusively diurnal. Three out of 16 thrips (19%) showed weakly rhythmic walking activity in continuous darkness, with an average circadian period of 25.3 ± 1.5 h. It is proposed that the length of the photophase determines the amount of nutrient intake, which in turn determines oviposition rate and thus affects population increase.
Oviposition preference of Anthocoris nemorum and A. nemoralis for apple and pear
Authors: Sigsgaard Lene
Published: May 2004

Anthocoris nemorum L. and Anthocoris nemoralis Fabricius (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) are important predators of insect pests in pome fruit. Females insert their eggs in leaf tissue. The females’ choice of oviposition site is important for the subsequent distribution of nymphs on host plants. Oviposition preference for apple and pear leaves was tested in the laboratory in four experiments (experiments 1–4). In three experiments it was tested whether simulated insect damage to leaves (experiments 5 and 6) or the presence of prey (experiment 7) influenced oviposition preference. The effect of the presence of prey was only tested for A. nemorum on apple leaves. There was a highly significant anthocorid species × plant interaction for the number of eggs laid on apple and pear leaves. Anthocoris nemorum laid more eggs on apple than on pear leaves, while A. nemoralis preferred pear. Anthocoris nemorum's preference for apple increased over the 6‐week period in which experiments 1–4 were performed, from 66% to 91% eggs laid on apple leaves. No change over time in preference was found for A. nemoralis. Across experiments 1–4, the majority of A. nemorum eggs were laid near leaf margins, whereas eggs of A. nemoralis were more commonly found in the leaf centre, 5 mm or more from the margin, with a highly significant leaf region × species interaction. There was no significant difference in preference for leaf side between A. nemorum and A. nemoralis, but there was a highly significant plant × leaf side × experiment interaction. Thus, more eggs were laid on the ventral than on the dorsal side of pear leaves in experiment 4, while significantly more eggs were laid on the dorsal side of apple leaves in experiments 3 and 4. Choice tests between damaged and healthy leaves showed that A. nemorum laid significantly more eggs on the damaged leaves, while A. nemoralis preferred healthy leaves. Anthocoris nemorum showed a near‐significant preference for ovipositing on leaves with eggs of Operophtera brumata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). The oviposition preferences found correspond to the natural distribution of these predators in apple and pear orchards. The preference of A. nemorum for leaf margins, and of A. nemoralis for the leaf centre as an oviposition site, supports earlier observations. A preference for leaf side for oviposition site has not been reported earlier. Preference for damaged leaves could help A. nemorum to locate prey in a field situation.
Expression of the peroxidase gene promoter (Shpx6b) from Stylosanthes humilis in transgenic plants during insect attack
Authors: Perera Modika R. , Jones Michael G.K.
Published: May 2004

Inducible promoters are important in regulating the expression of resistance genes when plants are attacked by insects or pathogens. Evaluation of the Shpx6b peroxidase promoter from the tropical forage legume Stylosanthes humilis[Curtis MD, Rae AL, Rusu AG, Harrison SJ & Manners JM (1997) A peroxidase gene promoter induced by phytopathogens and methyl jasmonates in transgenic plants. Molecular Plant Microbial Interactions 10: 326–338] in transgenic tobacco plants Nicotiana tabacum L. (Solanaceae) demonstrated that this promoter could drive expression of both the β‐glucuronidase (GUS uidA gene of E. coli) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes in leaf tissues during attack by chewing insects – larvae of potato tuber moth (PTM) Phthorimaea operculella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and sucking insects – green peach aphids Myzus persicae Sulzer (Homoptera: Aphididae). Strong GUS expression was present in tissues next to cells damaged by PTM larvae 24 h after infestation. With aphid infestation, GUS expression was limited to sites of feeding, and was observed 48 h after infestation. The expression of GFP mirrored that of GUS expression for both treatments, but was normally detected 48 h after infestation. Similarly, the exogenous application of methyl jasmonate (MeJa) induced GUS uniformly across leaf tissue, and mechanical wounding activated GUS expression at wound sites, similar to PTM larvae. GFP expression was observed 48 h after treatment, and for mechanical wounding GFP was localised in a manner similar to PTM damage. For MeJa treatment, GFP expression was more pronounced in cells around the midrib, and it was not uniformly induced across the leaf tissue. GUS reporter gene levels were also assayed to quantify expression, and the results were consistent with the observed histological patterns of expression. The results presented here show that the Shpx6b promoter switches on the expression of linked genes after damage by insect herbivores, and could be useful in regulating the expression of heterologous genes for insect and/or pathogen resistance in transgenic plants.
Human Capital and Stock Returns: Is the Value Premium an Approximation for Return on Human Capital?
Authors: Hansson Bo
Published: May 2004

This study, using a direct measure of the wage growth rate within firms, examines the value premium in relation to human capital. The results suggest that the dispersion in wage growth in value and growth stocks explains a large portion of the differences in stock returns. It appears that value stocks are less exposed to shocks in rents to human capital. Differences in labor force characteristics among value and growth stocks also proved to be an important factor in determining both the impact of future changes in labor income growth rate and firm value. The present findings are understood to mean that the ability of investors to forecast the dispersion in wage growth in firms is limited.
Corporate Acquisitions and the Operating Performance of Malaysian Companies
Authors: Rahman R. Abdul , Limmack R.J.
Published: May 2004

We report improvements in long run operating performance for a sample of Malaysian companies that made acquisitions over the period 1988–1992. As the sample selected consists of acquisitions of private target companies, the analysis allows us to focus on the possibility of changes arising from non‐disciplinary sources. The reported improvements do not appear to have been achieved by sacrificing the long‐term viability of the combined firms in pursuit of shortterm objectives. However, as the target companies in the current study were previously privately‐owned businesses, researchers and policy makers should be wary before generalising from these results.
Who Is Publishing? An Analysis of Finance Research Productivity in the European Region
Authors: Chan Kam C. , Chen Carl R. , Steiner Thomas L.
Published: May 2004

This study ranks the research productivity in finance across European universities and researchers using a set of 15 finance journals during the decade of the 1990s. A total of 219 universities are ranked. During the sample period from 1990 to 1999, UK universities dominate the top‐20 ranking. However, the UK ’s dominance is significantly reduced when the Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, a UKbased journal, is excluded from the analysis. Other non‐UK European universities gain further ground when only the top‐4 journals are used to measure ranking. Our analysis also shows that a majority of the top 20 European universities have made significant progress in research productivity over the period 1990–99. Additionally, we compare the top European universities to those in North America. The top European university, London Business School, compares to the 24th and 25th ranked North American universities for the period from 1990 to 1999; it compares to the 15th and 16th ranked North American universities for the more recent sub‐period from 1995 to 1999. The top researcher is Henri Servaes from London Business School.
The Designation and Removal of Trustee Stock Status: Wealth Effects
Authors: Ding David K. , Low Angie
Published: May 2004

This study investigates the impact of trustee stock status announcements on shareholders’ wealth in Singapore. An event study methodology is used to ascertain the abnormal returns around the announcement day. The results show that there is a positive and permanent wealth effect on trustee stocks resulting from designation announcements. Conversely, when trustee stocks lose their status, the significant negative abnormal returns suggest that shareholders’ wealth is adversely affected. This reaction, however, appears to be a temporary phenomenon and is not simply a mirror image of designation announcements. The differences in the underlying regulatory structures partially explain the findings.
Stability, Asymmetry and Seasonality of Fund Performance: An Analysis of Australian Multi‐sector Managed Funds
Authors: Holmes Kathryn A. , Faff Robert W.
Published: May 2004

Using a sample of Australian Multi‐sector trusts we examine selectivity and market timing performance and extend the analysis to include the relatively new measure of volatility timing. This is of particular relevance to our data set, as high levels of volatility persistence are prevalent in Australia. In addition we consider the stability, asymmetry and seasonality of the various performance and risk measures. A survivorship adjustment procedure is also employed in order to assess the impact of survivorship on selectivity, market timing and volatility timing performance.
Toward a General Sociological Theory of the Economy
Authors: Turner Jonathan H.
Published: May 2004

In the spirit of Gerhard Lenski's macro-level analysis of stratification and societal evolution, a theory of the economy is presented. Like Lenski's work, this theory emphasizes population and power as they interact with production and distribution dynamics. Macro-level social organization in general, and economic processes in particular, are viewed as driven by the forces of population, power, production, and distribution. For each force, a theoretical proposition is presented. Forces are all implicated in each other; the resulting set of principles provides a view of how production and distribution, as the core of an economy, are embedded in population and power processes, and vice versa. The end result is a more general macro-level theory that captures the spirit and substance of Lenski's models of societal organization.
Extending Lenski's Schema to Hold up Both Halves of the Sky—A Theory-Guided Way of Conceptualizing Agrarian Societies that Illuminates a Puzzle about Gender Stratification
Authors: Blumberg Rae Lesser
Published: May 2004

This paper suggests that Lenski's classification of agrarian societies into simple versus advanced, based on the use of iron in the latter, obscures important variations in the gender division of labor and the level of gender stratification. In particular, his categories lump the gender egalitarian irrigated rice societies of Southeast Asia with the great majority of agrarian societies, which are strongly patriarchal. Based on my general theory of gender stratification and experience coding and analyzing gender stratification in the ethnographic databases and fieldwork in 39 countries worldwide, I propose a three-category alternative. First, agrarian societies are divided according to the technological criterion of irrigation into dry (rain-fed) and wet (irrigated rice) categories. This distinguishes two gender divisions of labor: a male farming system in dry agrarian and an “everybody works” system in labor-intensive rice cultivation, in which women are important in production. Second, irrigated rice societies are divided into patri-oriented-male advantage and those neutral to positive for women, based on the nature of the kinship system. This distinguishes the gender egalitarian Southeast Asian wet rice societies from the highly gender stratified majority of irrigated rice societies. Furthermore, these distinctions in gender equality are predicted by my gender stratification theory.
The Ecological-Evolutionary Typology of Human Societies and the Evolution of Social Inequality
Authors: Nielsen FrançLois
Published: May 2004

Gerhard Lenski's ecological-evolutionary typology of human societies, based on the level of technology of a society and the nature of its physical environment, is a powerful predictor of various dimensions of social inequality. Analysis of comparative data shows that while some dimensions of the stratification system (such as measures of social complexity) exhibit a monotonic trend of increasing inequality with level of technology from the hunting-and-gathering to the agrarian type, others (such as measures of freedom and sexual inequality among males) exhibit a pattern of “agrarian reversal” in which inequality increases from the hunting-and-gathering to the advanced horticultural type but then declines with the agrarian type. Theoretical and empirical implications of the agrarian reversal pattern for the study of social inequality are discussed.

I am grateful to Bernice McNair Barnett and Gehard Lenski for comments and to Patrick Nolan for advice on coding societal type.
Learning from James: Lessons about Policy and Practice for Schools' Special Provision in the Area of Literacy Difficulties
Authors: Wearmouth Janice
Published: May 2004

Janice Wearmouth is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Language Studies at the Open University in the UK. She has many years' experience of teaching and research in mainstream secondary schools and of developing and leading postgraduate development courses for teachers in the area of special and inclusive education. In this article, she argues that successive Governments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have adopted policies in relation to special educational provision that are essentially technicist in character. These policies proceed from assumptions that are made about the clear and unproblematic nature of the issues and the responses that need to be made. In this model, difficulties in learning can be ‘fixed’ by selecting the most appropriate ‘tool’ in the most efficient and cost‐effective way. The current focus on competency‐based teacher education can be seen as a corollary of this approach.

Drawing upon a personal account of the experience of having difficulties in literacy acquisition, this article presents a contrary view. Janice Wearmouth argues that the area of special educational needs in schools, including literacy difficulties, is fraught with uncertainty and conflicting viewpoints. Given this complex situation, the technicist responses of recent Governments in the UK seem inappropriate and inadequate, Janice Wearmouth suggests. She proposes that practice in relation to special educational needs in general, and literacy difficulties in particular, can be most effectively understood from the perspective of a reflective practitioner. Her article closes with a call for practitioner professional development to be reconceptualised in these terms.
What Works for us – Boys' Views of Their Experiences in a Former List D School
Authors: Smith Mark , McKay Euan , Chakrabarti Mono
Published: May 2004

This article reports boys' experiences of life in a former residential school. The authors are all based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Mark Smith, who was a practitioner and manager in child and youth care settings in Scotland for many years, is currently course director of the MSc in Advanced Residential Child Care. Euan McKay is a research fellow in the Quality in Education Centre and has research interests in school self‐evaluation, parental involvement and provision for ‘looked after’ children. Mono Chakrabarti, who has published across a range of areas, including residential child care, is emeritus professor of social work. Their article reveals some fascinating and unusual perspectives.

Residential schools from the approved, or, in Scotland, List D tradition, have rarely been seen as a placement of choice by the social work profession within which they have been located over the past 30 years. Despite this, there is some evidence to suggest that the experience of such provision can be a positive one for the children and young people who attend the schools. Drawing upon a wider evaluation of a residential education and care establishment which has recently extended the range of services it offers, this article considers pupils' views of their placement experiences. Their identification of what they consider to be important to life in the centre yields some surprising insights. Mark Smith, Euan McKay and Mono Chakrabarti use the pupils' comments about structure and routine, relationships with adults, school activities and family contact to generate a provocative commentary on the provision of residential care and education services.
General Education Teachers in the United Arab Emirates and Their Acceptance of the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities
Authors: Alghazo Emad M. , Naggar Gaad Eman El.
Published: May 2004

In this article, Dr Emad M. Alghazo and Dr Eman El. Naggar Gaad, both assistant professors at the Department of Special Education in the United Arab Emirates University, report on their research into the attitudes of mainstream teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. The research took place in the Emirate of Abu‐Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and set out to explore the extent to which general education teachers there accept the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. The research process incorporated a questionnaire survey, analysed quantitatively, and a series of interviews with teachers to follow up on a range of issues. The analysis of the results takes account of a number of variables, including the gender of the respondents; number of years' experience as a teacher; and type of learner disability. Emad Alghazo and Eman Naggar Gaad report that there is more work to be done on the development of an ‘inclusion culture’ among teachers in the United Arab Emirates. They close their article by making a series of recommendations for future practice focusing on initial teacher education, continuing professional development and attitudinal change.
Conducting Evaluation and Research with and for ‘Disaffected’ Students: Practical and Methodological Issues
Authors: Wellington Jerry , Cole Pam
Published: May 2004

In the late 1990s, the Department for Education and Employment in England set out to motivate and engage teenage students who were said to be ‘disaffected’ with the traditional school curriculum. Jerry Wellington, Professor of Education at the University of Sheffield, and Pam Cole, research fellow in the University of Sheffield School of Education, were asked to evaluate one of the 21 projects that were set up across the country. The pupils involved were partially disapplied from the National Curriculum in order to follow a work‐related scheme set up by two schools, a Chamber of Commerce and a local Learning and Skills Council.

In this article, Jerry Wellington and Pam Cole explore some of the difficulties that accompany evaluation, and particularly a review of the impact of interventions involving so‐called ‘disaffected’ pupils. They describe some of the practical and methodological difficulties faced in such an evaluation, as well as highlighting the positive aspects of the task. They reflect on a range of unforeseen and unpredictable dilemmas that faced them in this work, and note some of the interesting significant strengths that developed from the project. At the end of their article, Jerry Wellington and Pam Cole summarise what they have learned from the evolving methodology of this evaluation and present a case for increased levels of collaboration, between practitioners and researchers and between professionals and pupils, in future projects of this kind.
Treatment of isolated central nervous system relapse in high‐risk lymphoid malignancy with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and extended intrathecal therapy
Authors: Nagatoshi Yoshihisa , Kawano Yoshifumi , Nagayama Jun , Okamura Jun
Published: June 2004

We performed allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) with an extended period of post‐transplant intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy for five patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma who had relapsed in the central nervous system either in the very early phase or more than twice. Post‐transplant IT was scheduled for a total of 12 doses over 18 months. One patient was found to have subclinical leucoencephalopathy. Disease relapse occurred in one patient and the other patients remained in complete remission for 39–196 months post‐BMT. The estimated event‐free survival was 80 ± 17·9% (standard error).
Haematopoetic stem cell transplantation for refractory autoimmune cytopenia
Authors: Passweg J. R. , Rabusin M. , Musso M. , Beguin Y. , Cesaro S. , Ehninger G. , Espigado I. , Iriondo A. , Jost L. , Koza V. , Lenhoff S. , Lisukov I. , Locatelli F. , Marmont A. , Philippe P. , Pilatrino C. , Quartier P. , Stary J. , Veys P. , Vormoor J. , Wahlin A. , Zintl F. , Bocelli‐Tyndall C. , Tyndall A. , Gratwohl A. ,   Autoimmune Disease Working Party of the EBMT
Published: June 2004

This study describes the outcome of patients receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to treat severe refractory autoimmune cytopenia. The registry of the European Group of Blood and Marrow Transplantation holds data on 36 patients receiving 38 transplants, the first transplant was autologous for 27 and allogeneic for nine patients. Patients had autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (autologous: 5; allogeneic: 2), Evans's syndrome (autologous: 2; allogeneic: 5); immune thrombocytopenia (autologous: 12), pure red cell aplasia (autologous: 4; allogeneic: 1), pure white cell aplasia (autologous: 1; allogeneic 1), or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (autologous: 3). Patients had longstanding disease having failed multiple prior treatments. Among 26 evaluable patients mobilized for autologous HSCT, three died of treatment‐related causes, one died of disease progression, seven were non‐responders, six patients had transient responses and nine had continuous partial or complete remission. Of the seven evaluable patients receiving allogeneic HSCT, one died of treatment‐related complications, one with transient response died of progressive disease and five had a continuous response. Autologous and allogeneic HSCT may induce a response in a subset of patients with autoimmune cytopenia of long duration albeit at the price of considerable toxicity.