bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Church‐based Credit Cooperatives in Germany
Authors: Machauer Achim , Schiereck Dirk
Published: June 2004

Abstract The traditional business focus of credit co‐operatives is locally oriented and business success is explained by the efficient way to induce monitoring of borrowers. Church‐based credit co‐operatives in Germany are not that locally oriented but were extraordinary successful over the last decades. First, this analysis describes the special characteristics of church‐based institutions compared to other credit co‐operatives. This part is based on a historical backward glance, an analysis of annual reports and a survey on their business policy. Second, we discuss the special characteristics of church‐based credit co‐operatives to explain the business success in a broader context and to understand the perspectives of credit co‐operative banking beyond the local orientation.
An Application of Extended Analysis for Ranked Data with Ties
Authors: Brockhoff P.B. , Best D.J. , Rayner J.C.W.
Published: June 2004

Standard analysis for ranks from two‐way layout data with ties or for 'rank transformed' data with ties can be extended to allow market research to make better comparisons between products. In addition to detecting product average ranks effects, the new analysis allows detection of significant nonlinear effects, umbrella effects, linear contrasts and differences in distributions. The paper presents market research results comparing three types of french fries. There are no differences, according to the standard Friedman analysis. However significant nonlinear effects are found using the new analysis, which give the manufacturer important information.
Issues Related to Sports Gambling
Authors: Insley Robin , Mok Lucia , Swartz Tim
Published: June 2004

This paper looks at various issues that are of interest to the sports gambler. First, an expression is obtained for the distribution of the final bankroll using fixed wagers with a specified initial bankroll. Second, fixed percentage wagers are considered where the Kelly method is extended to the case of simultaneous bets placed at various odds; a computational algorithm is presented to obtain the Kelly fractions. Finally, the paper considers the problem of determining whether a gambling system is profitable based on the historical results of bets placed at various odds.
Ecological Bias: Use of Maximum‐Entropy Approximations
Authors: Cressie Noel , Richardson Sylvia , Jaussent Isabelle
Published: June 2004

The focus of geographical studies in epidemiology has recently moved towards looking for effects of exposures based on data taken at local levels of aggregation (i.e. small areas). This paper investigates how regression coefficients measuring covariate effects at the point level are modified under aggregation. Changing the level of aggregation can lead to completely different conclusions about exposure–effect relationships, a phenomenon often referred to as ecological bias. With partial knowledge of the within‐area distribution of the exposure variable, the notion of maximum entropy can be used to approximate that part of the distribution that is unknown. From the approximation, an expression for the ecological bias is obtained; simulations and an example show that the maximum‐entropy approximation is often better than other commonly used approximations.
Estimating the First‐ and Second‐Order Parameters of a Heavy‐Tailed Distribution
Authors: Peng Liang , Qi Yongcheng
Published: June 2004

This paper suggests censored maximum likelihood estimators for the first‐ and second‐order parameters of a heavy‐tailed distribution by incorporating the second‐order regular variation into the censored likelihood function. This approach is different from the bias‐reduced maximum likelihood method proposed by Feuerverger and Hall in 1999. The paper derives the joint asymptotic limit for the first‐ and second‐order parameters under a weaker assumption. The paper also demonstrates through a simulation study that the suggested estimator for the first‐order parameter is better than the estimator proposed by Feuerverger and Hall although these two estimators have the same asymptotic variances.
New Explicit Examples of Fixed Points of Poisson Shot Noise Transforms
Authors: Iksanov Aleksander M. , Kim Che Soong
Published: June 2004

The main objective of this paper is to establish a close relation between the fixed points of Poisson shot noise transforms and perpetuities of a special type. With this relation it is shown that the gamma distributions, the generalized positive Linnik distributions, and the S2 distributions are fixed points of Poisson shot noise transforms. The paper also proves that log‐convexity of the response functions is not needed for non‐negative Poisson shot noise distributions to be self‐decomposable. Finally, the problems of existence and uniqueness of the above mentioned perpetuities are investigated.
X‐Efficiency and Productivity Change in Australian Banking
Authors: Neal Penny
Published: June 2004

This paper investigates X‐efficiency and productivity change in Australian banking between 1995 and 1999 using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist productivity indexes. It differs from earlier studies by examining efficiency by bank type, and finds that regional banks are less efficient than other bank types. The study concludes that diseconomies of scale set in very early and hence are not a sufficient basis on which to allow mergers between large banks to proceed. Total factor productivity in the banking sector was found to have increased by an average annual 7.6 per cent between 1995 and 1999. All of the productivity increase was due to technological advance shifting out the frontier. The banking sector's performance was less efficient relative to the frontier in 1999 than it had been in 1995.
Outbound Business Travel Depends on Business Returns: Australian Evidence
Authors: Collins Darrian , Tisdell Clem
Published: June 2004

In an earlier note,Collins and Tisdell (2002b) explored the possibility of a long‐run relationship between Australian business returns and international business travel. Using annual data they found that such a relationship exists. The purpose of this study is to further examine this relationship using quarterly data for the time frame 1974:1 to 1999:4. In addition, previous studies on international business travel have offered some but not strong evidence for the existence of a positive relationship between the level of international business travel and real GDP of the origin country. This study suggests that the aggregate return on business investments is a better predictor of international business travel than GDP. The Engle‐Granger and Johansen's maximum‐likelihood cointegration procedures are used to show a long‐term relationship exists between Australian outbound business travel and Australian business returns, but not with Real Australian GDP. Reasons for this relationship are discussed.
THE HIGH‐WATER MARK: THE SITING OF MEGALITHIC TOMBS ON THE SWEDISH ISLAND OF TJÖRN
Authors: BRADLEY RICHARD , PHILLIPS TIM
Published: June 2004

Summary.  In 1977 Grahame Clark suggested that the siting of megalithic tombs along the west coast of Scandinavia reflected the distribution of productive fishing grounds. Unlike the situation in other parts of Europe, these monuments were not associated with agriculture. Opinions have varied over the last quarter century, but enough is now known about changes of sea‐level for his interpretation to be investigated on the ground. There seems to have been considerable diversity. On the large island of Örust some of the tombs located near to the sea appear to be associated with small natural enclosures defined by rock outcrops and may have been associated with grazing land. On the neighbouring island of Tjörn, however, the tombs were associated with small islands and important sea channels. During the Bronze Age the same areas included carvings of ships. Recent fieldwork in western Norway suggests that such locations were especially important in a maritime economy.
PIGS FOR THE GODS: BURNT ANIMAL SACRIFICES AS EMBODIED RITUALS AT A MYCENAEAN SANCTUARY
Authors: HAMILAKIS YANNIS , KONSOLAKI ELENI
Published: June 2004

Summary. The archaeology of animal sacrifice has attracted considerable attention, although discussions on the meanings and social effects of the practice in different contexts are rather under‐developed. In the Aegean, classical antiquity has provided abundant literary, zooarchaeological and iconographic evidence (and has inspired some excellent studies) but it has also overshadowed discussion on sacrifice in other periods. Until recently, it was assumed that burnt animal sacrifices (i.e. the ritual burning of bones or parts of the carcass, often taken to be offerings to the deities) were absent from the pre‐classical contexts. Recent studies have shown this not to be the case. This article reports and discusses evidence for burnt animal sacrifices from the sanctuary of Ayios Konstantinos at Methana, north‐east Peloponnese. It constitutes the first, zooarchaeologically verified such evidence from a sanctuary context. The main sacrificial animals seem to have been juvenile pigs, which were transported as whole carcasses into the main cultic room; non‐meaty parts were selected for burning whereas their meaty parts were first consumed by humans and then thrown into the fire (some neonatal pigs may have been thrown into the fire whole). The article integrates zooarchaeological, other contextual, and comparative archaeological evidence and explores the social roles and meanings of sacrifice in the Mycenaean context and more broadly. It is suggested that, rather than focusing on possible continuities of the practice through to the classical period (an issue which remains ambiguous), sacrifice should be meaningfully discussed within the broader framework of the archaeology of feasting, and more generally food consumption, as a socially important, sensory embodied experience. The evidence from Ayios Konstantinos may reveal a hitherto eluding phenomenon: small‐scale, sacrificial‐feasting ritual in a religious context, conferring cosmological and ideological powers on few individuals, through the participation in an intense, embodied, transcendental experience.
Daily Life: A Pre‐Service Art Teacher Educator and Her Work
Authors: Galbraith Lynn
Published: June 2004

This paper reports on a case study of the daily life of an art teacher educator. It examines the intellectual, moral, emotional, and physical undercurrents of this work and how these qualities are reflected within the daily context of the pre‐service university — or college‐level classroom environment. To date, few research studies have examined the daily practices of university or college‐level faculty members who prepare art teachers and how these faculty members go about their jobs. The author spent an academic term as a participant observer and researcher in the art teacher educator's secondary art education methods course. Examples and narratives from this study are forwarded, as well as a discussion on the importance of this form of inquiry for art teacher education today.
The Doctorate in Fine Art: The Importance of Exemplars to the Research Culture
Authors: Macleod Katy , Holdridge Lin
Published: June 2004

The doctorate in Fine Art has had a troubled history in the UK. Although there are growing numbers of doctorates being undertaken and over forty institutions which offer doctoral study, there is still little understanding of this research culture. There is a developing literature, but it remains curiously focused on research methods and protocols rather than on establishing the character of the culture through what is being produced by doctoral students. Macleod and Holdridge have produced an AHRB‐funded study of selected exemplars of doctoral submissions. The study seeks to make both a practical and strategic intervention in the ongoing ‘making/writing’, ‘theory/practice’ debate. It also seeks to clearly demonstrate how artist researchers have dealt with the academic requirements of the PhD and how the production of a substantial written text (generally 30,000 words plus) showing a keen knowledge and criticality of the subject field has been achieved. The exemplars demonstrate both the distinctive and the normative character of the PhD in Fine Art. However, the underpinning empirical research for the study (1996 —) has also demonstrated the critical independence of such exemplars within the broader field of academic research. Through a brief analysis of three doctoral submissions selected from the study, the paper seeks to draw out some of the more important findings and their implications for the developing research culture.
An Informetric Investigation into the Potential for Change in Belgian Art Education at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Maaswinkel Peter
Published: June 2004

The beginning of the twentieth century was a period of pedagogical enthusiasm and renewal in the field of education. Based on a list of articles concerning art education published in Belgian periodicals between 1903 and 1923, the author undertakes an analysis of the title words in order to study how the subject was able to evolve.

For this purpose, the pertinent title words are grouped into content categories. It can be seen that these content categories demonstrate specificity compared to other periods. The specificity of the subject at a given moment implies that the transformation of the subject consists of the emergence, the decline or the exchange of categories, which can also be demonstrated. The connections of these variations to historical facts are substantiated. It can therefore be stated that these variations represent the historical evolution of the subject.

However, such emergence, decline and exchange of categories is only possible on condition that each category is able to vary independently of the others. This is shown by an autonomy index as well as by an 2‐test.

Thus, art education did not drop from the sky as a ready‐to‐teach school subject. Art education is always what the people make of it, which makes reflection on what it could be or has to be so important at any given moment too.
Intradiscal Thermal Annuloplasty for Discogenic Pain: An Outcome Study
Authors: Mekhail Nagy , Kapural Leonardo
Published: June 2004

Objectives:  Published studies of intradiscal thermal annuloplasty (IDTA) have shown at most 50% pain relief as an improved outcome with little focus on functional improvement in the treatment of discogenic pain. Previous studies have used a number of criteria for patient selection including low back pain unresponsive to conservative care, no compressive radiculopathy, positive provocative discography and absence of previous surgery at the same symptomatic level. The purpose of present study is to examine the hypothesis that additional inclusion criteria for patient selection such as disc height, absence of degenerative disc disease (DDD) in untreated discs, absence of herniated nucleus pulposus or lumbar canal stenosis may improve the outcome of treatment.

Methods:  In this prospective case‐series study additional criteria of patient selection were introduced, namely disc height of at least 50%, no lumbar canal stenosis, one or two levels of DDD, no evidence of nucleus pulposus herniation on magnetic resonance image. Thirty‐four patients were enrolled in the study and 32 of them were followed over a period of 12 months. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and seven activities of daily living (ADLs) were followed and reported on a scale from 0 to 10.

Results:  Sustained decrease of the VAS pain scores was observed from 3 to 12 months following IDTA. ADLs improved in all patients between 3 and 12 months post‐treatment. Patients in the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) group had a higher VAS score but showed the same level of improvement in ADLs as compared to commercial insurance or self‐pay patients. In the non‐BWC patient group an average VAS pain score decrease of more than 6 points on a 10‐point scale was reported at 6 to 12 months following IDTA.

Conclusions:  We found dramatic improvement of pain scores and ADLs following IDTA when strict patient selection was applied. We believe that IDTA is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for discogenic pain in properly selected patients.
Managing Chronic‐Pain Patients in the New Millennium: Clinical Basis and Regulatory Viewpoint from Texas, U.S.A.
Authors: Mehendale Anand W. , Patrick Donald , Goldman Mark
Published: June 2004

Abstract:  Chronic pain is a very significant health care problem. It is estimated that 9% of the US adult population suffers from moderate to severe noncancer‐related pain. It is very difficult to objectively and quantitatively measure a patient's pain and response to treatment. This routinely results in under or overtreatment of pain in these patients. The authors’ goal is to provide physicians with practical recommendations and guidelines for the treatment of the chronic‐pain patient. This article also summarizes the neurobiology of pain and contrasts acute vs. chronic pain, and it explores the complex interplay between the physical manifestations of chronic pain and its emotional ramifications. In addition, this article offers clinician guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of chronic pain; treatment recommendations based on the current neurobiological understanding of pain; and numerous guidelines and position statements published by various physician associations, physician licensing boards, and local, state, and federal laws. A “Patient Pain Management Contract” and “Pain Treatment Functional Outcome Scale” are exhibited.
The Decrease in FlaA Observed in a
flaB
Mutant of
Borrelia burgdorferi
Occurs Posttranscriptionally
Authors: Motaleb M. A. , Sal Melanie S. , Charon Nyles W.
Published: June 2004

The Lyme disease bacterium
Borrelia burgdorferi
is a motile spirochete with a flat-wave morphology. The periplasmic flagella, which are situated between the outer membrane sheath and cell cylinder, are essential for both the cell's wavy shape and motility. Here we focus on the structure and regulation of its periplasmic flagella. Previous studies have suggested that the periplasmic flagella consist of a polymer of the major filament protein FlaB and a minor protein, FlaA. We used immunoprecipitation methodology to present further evidence that FlaA is indeed a flagellar protein. In addition, in contrast to FlaA of the spirochete
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae
,
B. burgdorferi
FlaA did not impact the overall helical shape of the periplasmic flagella. We have previously shown that
B. burgdorferi
lacks the sigma factor-dependent cascade control of motility gene transcription found in other bacteria. To begin to understand motility gene regulation in
B. burgdorferi
, we examined the effects of an insertion mutation in
flaB
on the amounts of proteins encoded by motility genes. Of several motility gene-encoded proteins examined, only the amount of FlaA was decreased in the
flaB
mutant; it was 13% compared to the wild-type amount. Real-time reverse transcriptase PCR analysis indicated that this inhibition was not the result of a decrease in
flaA
mRNA. In addition, protein stability analysis suggested that FlaA was turned over in the
flaB
mutant. Our results indicate that the lack of FlaB negatively influences the amount of FlaA found in the cell and that this effect is at the level of either translational control or protein turnover.
Characterization and Functional Analysis of thepoxBGene, Which Encodes Pyruvate Oxidase inLactobacillus plantarum
Authors: Lorquet Frédérique , Goffin Philippe , Muscariello Lidia , Baudry Jean-Bernard , Ladero Victor , Sacco Margherita , Kleerebezem Michiel , Hols Pascal
Published: June 2004

The pyruvate oxidase gene (poxB) fromLactobacillus plantarumLp80 was cloned and characterized. Northern blot and primer extension analyses revealed that transcription ofpoxBis monocistronic and under the control of a vegetative promoter.poxBmRNA expression was strongly induced by aeration and was repressed by glucose. Moreover, Northern blotting performed at different stages of growth showed thatpoxBexpression is maximal in the early stationary phase when glucose is exhausted. Primer extension and in vivo footprint analyses revealed that glucose repression ofpoxBis mediated by CcpA binding to thecresite identified in the promoter region. The functional role of the PoxB enzyme was studied by using gene overexpression and knockout in order to evaluate its implications for acetate production. Constitutive overproduction of PoxB inL. plantarumrevealed the predominant role of pyruvate oxidase in the control of acetate production under aerobic conditions. The ΔpoxBmutant strain exhibited a moderate (20 to 25%) decrease in acetate production when it was grown on glucose as the carbon source, and residual pyruvate oxidase activity that was between 20 and 85% of the wild-type activity was observed with glucose limitation (0.2% glucose). In contrast, when the organism was grown on maltose, thepoxBmutation resulted in a large (60 to 80%) decrease in acetate production. In agreement with the latter observation, the level of residual pyruvate oxidase activity with maltose limitation (0.2% maltose) was less than 10% of the wild-type level of activity.
The Type III Secreted Protein BopD in
Bordetella bronchiseptica
Is Complexed with BopB for Pore Formation on the Host Plasma Membrane
Authors: Nogawa Hisashi , Kuwae Asaomi , Matsuzawa Takeshi , Abe Akio
Published: June 2004

The cytotoxicity of
Bordetella bronchiseptica
to infected cells is known to be dependent on a
B
.
bronchiseptica
type III secretion system. Although BopB, BopN, BopD, and Bsp22 have been identified as type III secreted proteins, these proteins remain to be characterized. In this study, in order to clarify the function of BopD during
Bordetella
infection, a BopD mutant was generated. Although secretion of BopD into the culture supernatant was completely abolished by the
bopD
mutation, the secretion of other type III secreted proteins was not affected by this mutation. It has been reported that severe cytotoxicity, including cell detachment from the substrata, and release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into the supernatant are induced in L2 cells by wild-type
B
.
bronchiseptica
infection, and these phenotypes are dependent on the type III secretion system. In contrast, neither cell detachment nor LDH release was induced in L2 cells infected with the BopD mutant. Furthermore, the hemolytic activity of the BopD mutant was greatly impaired compared with that of the wild-type strain. On the basis of the results of coimmunoprecipitation assays with anti-BopB antibodies, we conclude that BopD has the ability to associate with BopB. Finally, we show that the BopD-BopB complex is responsible for the pore formation in the host plasma membrane that functions as the conduit for the transition of effector proteins into host cells.
Genetic Characterization of a Multicomponent Signal Transduction System Controlling the Expression of Cable Pili in
Burkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Tomich Mladen , Mohr Christian D.
Published: June 2004

Cable pili are peritrichous organelles expressed by certain strains of
Burkholderia cenocepacia
, believed to facilitate colonization of the lower respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis patients. The
B. cenocepacia cblBACDS
operon encodes the structural and accessory proteins required for the assembly of cable pili, as well as a gene designated
cblS
, predicted to encode a hybrid sensor kinase protein of bacterial two-component signal transduction systems. In this study we report the identification of two additional genes, designated
cblT
and
cblR
, predicted to encode a second hybrid sensor kinase and a response regulator, respectively. Analyses of the deduced amino acid sequences of the
cblS
and
cblT
gene products revealed that both putative sensor kinases have transmitter and receiver domains and that the
cblT
gene product has an additional C-terminal HPt domain. Mutagenesis of the
cblS
,
cblT
, or
cblR
gene led to a block in expression of CblA, the major pilin subunit, and a severe decrease in
cblA
transcript abundance. Using transcriptional fusion analyses, the decrease in the abundance of the
cblA
transcript in the
cblS
,
cblT
, and
cblR
mutants was shown to be due to a block in transcription from the
cblB
-proximal promoter, located upstream of the
cblBACDS
operon. Furthermore, ectopic expression of either
cblS
or
cblR
in wild-type
B. cenocepacia
strain BC7 led to a significant increase, while ectopic expression of
cblT
resulted in a dramatic decrease, in abundance of the CblA major pilin and the
cblA
transcript. Our results demonstrate that the
B. cenocepacia cblS
,
cblT
, and
cblR
genes are essential for cable pilus expression and that their effect is exerted at the level of transcription of the
cblBACDS
operon. These findings are consistent with the proposed function of the
cblSTR
gene products as a multicomponent signal transduction pathway controlling the expression of cable pilus biosynthetic genes in
B. cenocepacia
.
Expression Analysis of a Highly Adherent and Cytotoxic Small Colony Variant of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Isolated from a Lung of a Patient with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: von Götz Franz , Häussler Susanne , Jordan Doris , Saravanamuthu Senthil Selvan , Wehmhöner Dirk , Strüßmann André , Lauber Joerg , Attree Ina , Buer Jan , Tümmler Burkhard , Steinmetz Ivo
Published: June 2004

The heterogeneous environment of the lung of the cystic fibrosis (CF) patient gives rise to
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
small colony variants (SCVs) with increased antibiotic resistance, autoaggregative growth behavior, and an enhanced ability to form biofilms. In this study, oligonucleotide DNA microarrays were used to perform a genome-wide expression study of autoaggregative and highly adherent
P. aeruginosa
SCV 20265 isolated from a CF patient's lung in comparison with its clonal wild type and a revertant generated in vitro from the SCV population. Most strikingly, SCV 20265 showed a pronounced upregulation of the type III protein secretion system (TTSS) and the respective effector proteins. This differential expression was shown to be biologically meaningful, as SCV 20265 and other hyperpiliated and autoaggregative SCVs with increased TTSS expression were significantly more cytotoxic for macrophages in vitro and were more virulent in a mouse model of respiratory tract infection than the wild type. The observed cytotoxicity and virulence of SCV 20265 required
exsA
, an important transcriptional activator of the TTSS. Thus, the prevailing assumption that
P. aeruginosa
is subject to selection towards reduced cytotoxicity and attenuated virulence during chronic CF lung infection might not apply to all clonal variants.
The Arginine Regulatory Protein Mediates Repression by Arginine of the Operons Encoding Glutamate Synthase and Anabolic Glutamate Dehydrogenase in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Hashim Shehab , Kwon Dong-Hyeon , Abdelal Ahmed , Lu Chung-Dar
Published: June 2004

The arginine regulatory protein of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, ArgR, is essential for induction of operons that encode enzymes of the arginine succinyltransferase (AST) pathway, which is the primary route for arginine utilization by this organism under aerobic conditions. ArgR also induces the operon that encodes a catabolic NAD
+
-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), which converts
l
-glutamate, the product of the AST pathway, in α-ketoglutarate. The studies reported here show that ArgR also participates in the regulation of other enzymes of glutamate metabolism. Exogenous arginine repressed the specific activities of glutamate synthase (GltBD) and anabolic NADP-dependent GDH (GdhA) in cell extracts of strain PAO1, and this repression was abolished in an
argR
mutant. The promoter regions of the
gltBD
operon, which encodes GltBD, and the
gdhA
gene, which encodes GdhA, were identified by primer extension experiments. Measurements of β-galactosidase expression from
gltB
::
lacZ
and
gdhA
::
lacZ
translational fusions confirmed the role of ArgR in mediating arginine repression. Gel retardation assays demonstrated the binding of homogeneous ArgR to DNA fragments carrying the regulatory regions for the
gltBD
and
gdhA
genes. DNase I footprinting experiments showed that ArgR protects DNA sequences in the control regions for these genes that are homologous to the consensus sequence of the ArgR binding site. In silica analysis of genomic information for
P
.
fluorescens
,
P
.
putida
, and
P
.
stutzeri
suggests that the findings reported here regarding ArgR regulation of operons that encode enzymes of glutamate biosynthesis in
P
.
aeruginosa
likely apply to other pseudomonads.
Transcriptome Analysis of the ArgR Regulon inPseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Lu Chung-Dar , Yang Zhe , Li Wei
Published: June 2004

Arginine metabolism in pseudomonads with multiple catabolic pathways for its utilization as carbon and nitrogen sources is of particular interest as the model system to study control of metabolic integration. We performed transcriptome analyses to identify genes controlled by the arginine regulatory protein ArgR and to better understand arginine metabolic pathways ofP.aeruginosa. We compared gene expression in wild-type strain PAO1 with that inargRmutant strain PAO501 grown in glutamate minimal medium in the presence and absence of arginine. Ten putative transcriptional units of 28 genes were inducible by ArgR and arginine, including all known ArgR-regulated operons under aerobic conditions. The newly identified genes include the putativeadcABoperon, which encodes a catabolic arginine decarboxylase and an antiporter protein, and PA0328, which encodes a hypothetical fusion protein of a peptidase and a type IV autotransporter. Also identified as members of the arginine network are the following solute transport systems: PA1971 (braZ) for branched-chain amino acids permease; PA2042 for a putative sodium:serine symporter; PA3934, which belongs to the family of small oligopeptide transporters; and PA5152-5155, which encodes components of an ABC transporter for a putative opine uptake system. The effect of arginine on the expression of these genes was confirmed bylacZfusion studies and by DNA binding studies with purified ArgR. Only five transcriptional units of nine genes were qualified as repressible by ArgR and arginine, with three operons (argF,carAB, andargG) in arginine biosynthesis and two operons (gltBDandgdhA) in glutamate biosynthesis. These results indicate that ArgR is important in control of arginine and glutamate metabolism and that arginine and ArgR may have a redundant effect in inducing the uptake systems of certain compounds.
Consequences of a Deletion in
dspA
on Transcript Accumulation in
Synechocystis
sp. Strain PCC6803
Authors: Tu Chao-Jung , Shrager Jeffrey , Burnap Robert L. , Postier Bradley L. , Grossman Arthur R.
Published: June 2004

A sensor histidine kinase of
Synechococcus
sp. strain PCC7942, designated
nblS
, was previously identified and shown to be critical for the acclimation of cells to high-light and nutrient limitation conditions and to influence the expression of a number of light-responsive genes. The
nblS
orthologue in
Synechocystis
sp. strain PCC6803 is designated
dspA
(also called
hik33
). We have generated a
dspA
null mutant and analyzed global gene expression in both the mutant and wild-type strains under high- and low-light conditions. The mutant is aberrant for the expression of many genes encoding proteins critical for photosynthesis, phosphate and carbon acquisition, and the amelioration of stress conditions. Furthermore, transcripts from a number of genes normally detected only during exposure of wild-type cells to high-light conditions become partially constitutive in the low-light-grown
dspA
mutant. Other genes for which transcripts decline upon exposure of wild-type cells to high light are already lower in the mutant during growth in low light. These results suggest that DspA may influence gene expression in both a positive and a negative manner and that the
dspA
mutant behaves as if it were experiencing stress conditions (e.g., high-light exposure) even when maintained at near-optimal growth conditions for wild-type cells. This is discussed with respect to the importance of DspA for regulating the responses of the cell to environmental cues.
Structural Basis for Iron Binding and Release by a Novel Class of Periplasmic Iron-Binding Proteins Found in Gram-Negative Pathogens
Authors: Shouldice Stephen R. , Skene Robert J. , Dougan Douglas R. , Snell Gyorgy , McRee Duncan E. , Schryvers Anthony B. , Tari Leslie W.
Published: June 2004

We have determined the 1.35- and 1.45-Å structures, respectively, of closed and open iron-loaded forms of
Mannheimia haemolytica
ferric ion-binding protein A.
M
.
haemolytica
is the causative agent in the economically important and fatal disease of cattle termed shipping fever. The periplasmic iron-binding protein of this gram-negative bacterium, which has homologous counterparts in many other pathogenic species, performs a key role in iron acquisition from mammalian host serum iron transport proteins and is essential for the survival of the pathogen within the host. The ferric (Fe
3+
) ion in the closed structure is bound by a novel asymmetric constellation of four ligands, including a synergistic carbonate anion. The open structure is ligated by three tyrosyl residues and a dynamically disordered solvent-exposed anion. Our results clearly implicate the synergistic anion as the primary mediator of global protein conformation and provide detailed insights into the molecular mechanisms of iron binding and release in the periplasm.
Spreading Factors of
Mycoplasma alligatoris
, a Flesh-Eating Mycoplasma
Authors: Brown D. R. , Zacher L. A. , Farmerie W. G.
Published: June 2004

Mycoplasma alligatoris
causes lethal invasive disease of alligators and caimans. A homolog of the
nagH
gene, encoding a hyaluronidase secreted by
Clostridium perfringens
, and a
C
.
perfringens
hyaluronidase
nagI
or
nagK
pseudogene were discovered in the
M
.
alligatoris
genome. The
nagH
gene was detected by PCR in the closest relative of
M
.
alligatoris
,
Mycoplasma crocodyli
, but not in 40 other species representing the
Mycoplasma hominis
,
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
, and
Spiroplasma
phylogenetic clusters. The hyaluronidase activity in the cellular fraction of
M
.
alligatoris
and
M
.
crocodyli
SP4 broth cultures was equivalent to 10
−16
U of
Streptomyces hyalurolyticus
hyaluronidase CFU
−1
. Negligible activity was present in the cell-free supernatant fraction. No chondroitinase activity was detected. There is also a novel homolog of the
nanI
gene, which encodes a sialidase secreted by
C
.
perfringens
, in the
M
.
alligatoris
genome. The signature YRIP and SXDXGXTW motifs and catalytic residues of the clostridial sialidase are conserved in the mycoplasmal gene, but the leader sequence necessary for its secretion by
C
.
perfringens
is absent. The gene was not detected by PCR in any other mycoplasma. Potent cell-associated sialidase activity was present in
M
.
alligatoris
colonies on agar but not in the cell-free supernatants of broth cultures or in
M
.
crocodyli
. The presence of hyaluronidase and sialidase in
M
.
alligatoris
is consistent with the rapid invasiveness and necrotizing effects of this organism, and the lack of sialidase in
M
.
crocodyli
is consistent with its comparatively attenuated virulence. This genetic and biochemical evidence suggests that the spreading factors hyaluronidase and sialidase, a combination unprecedented in mycoplasmas, are the basis of the virulence of
M
.
alligatoris
.
Mutational Analysis of Transmembrane Regions 3 and 4 of SecY, a Central Component of Protein Translocase
Authors: Mori Hiroyuki , Shimokawa Naomi , Satoh Yasunari , Ito Koreaki
Published: June 2004

The SecYEG heterotrimeric membrane protein complex functions as a channel for protein translocation across the
Escherichia coli
cytoplasmic membrane. SecY is the central subunit of the SecYEG complex and contains 10 transmembrane segments (TM1 to TM10). Previous mutation studies suggested that TM3 and TM4 are particularly important for SecY function. To further characterize TM3 and TM4, we introduced a series of cysteine-scanning mutations into these segments. With one exception (an unstable product), all the mutant proteins complemented the cold-sensitive growth defect of the
secY39
mutant. A combination of this
secY
mutation and the
secG
deletion resulted in synthetic lethality, and the TM3 and TM4 SecY cysteine substitution mutations were examined for their ability to complement this lethality. Although they were all positive for complementation, some of the complemented cells exhibited significant retardation of protein export. The substitution-sensitive residues in TM3 can be aligned to one side of the alpha-helix, and those in TM4 revealed a tendency for residues closer to the cytosolic side of the membrane to be more severely affected. Disulfide cross-linking experiments identified a specific contact point for TM3 and SecG TM2 as well as for TM4 and SecG TM1. Thus, although TM3 and TM4 do not contain any single residue that is absolutely required, they include functionally important helix surfaces and specific contact points with SecG. These results are discussed in light of the structural information available for the SecY complex.
Intragenomic Heterogeneity and Intergenomic Recombination among Haloarchaeal rRNA Genes
Authors: Boucher Yan , Douady Christophe J. , Sharma Adrian K. , Kamekura Masahiro , Doolittle W. Ford
Published: June 2004

More than one copy of rRNA operons, which code for both the small-subunit (SSU) and large-subunit (LSU) rRNA, are often found in prokaryotes. It is generally assumed that all rRNA operons within a single cell are almost identical. A notable exception is the extremely halophilic archaeal genus
Haloarcula
, most species of which are known to harbor highly divergent rRNA operons that differ at ∼5% of the nucleotide positions in the SSU gene and at 1 to 2% of the nucleotide positions in the LSU gene. We report that such intragenomic heterogeneity is not unique to
Haloarcula
, as high levels of intragenomic sequence variation have been observed for the SSU genes of two other genera of extreme halophiles,
Halosimplex
and
Natrinema
. To investigate this in detail, the two rRNA operons of
Halosimplex carlsbadense
and the four operons of
Natrinema
sp. strain XA3-1 were cloned and completely sequenced. The SSU and LSU genes of
H. carlsbadense
show the highest levels of intragenomic heterogeneity observed so far in archaea (6.7 and 2.6%). The operons of
Natrinema
sp. strain XA3-1 have additional unusual characteristics, such as identical internal transcribed spacers, while one of four SSU genes is 5% divergent and all LSU genes differ from each other by 0.9 to 1.9%. The heterogeneity among the
Natrinema
sp. strain XA3-1 LSU genes is localized in hot spots, and one of these regions is shown to be the result of a recombination event with a distantly related halophile. This is the first example of interspecies recombination between rRNA genes in archaea, and the recombination occurred over one of the largest phylogenetic distances ever reported for such an event. We suggest that intragenomic heterogeneity of rRNA operons is an ancient and stable trait in several lineages of the
Halobacteriales
. The impact of this phenomenon on the taxonomy of extremely halophilic archaea is discussed.
Involvement of the SppA1 Peptidase in Acclimation to Saturating Light Intensities in
Synechocystis
sp. Strain PCC 6803
Authors: Pojidaeva E. , Zinchenko V. , Shestakov S. V. , Sokolenko A.
Published: June 2004

The
sll1703
gene, encoding an
Arabidopsis
homologue of the thylakoid membrane-associated SppA peptidase, was inactivated by interposon mutagenesis in
Synechocystis
sp. strain PCC 6803. Upon acclimation from a light intensity of 50 to 150 μE m
−2
s
−1
, the mutant preserved most of its phycobilisome content, whereas the wild-type strain developed a bleaching phenotype due to the loss of about 40% of its phycobiliproteins. Using in vivo and in vitro experiments, we demonstrate that the
ΔsppA1
strain does not undergo the cleavage of the L
R
33
and L
CM
99
linker proteins that develops in the wild type exposed to increasing light intensities. We conclude that a major contribution to light acclimation under a moderate light regime in cyanobacteria originates from an SppA1-mediated cleavage of phycobilisome linker proteins. Together with changes in gene expression of the major phycobiliproteins, it contributes an additional mechanism aimed at reducing the content in phycobilisome antennae upon acclimation to a higher light intensity.
The
Escherichia coli tppB
(
ydgR
) Gene Represents a New Class of OmpR-Regulated Genes
Authors: Goh Ee-Been , Siino Dominic F. , Igo Michele M.
Published: June 2004

The EnvZ/OmpR two-component regulatory system plays a critical role in the
Escherichia coli
stress response. In this study, we examined the expression of a new OmpR-regulated gene,
ydgR
. Our results indicate that
ydgR
is equivalent to the
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium
tppB
gene and represents a new class of OmpR-regulated genes.
Microarray Analysis and Functional Characterization of the Nitrosative Stress Response in Nonmucoid and Mucoid
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Firoved Aaron M. , Wood Simon R. , Ornatowski Wojciech , Deretic Vojo , Timmins Graham S.
Published: June 2004

The type strain of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, PAO1, showed great upregulation of many nitrosative defense genes upon treatment with
S-
nitrosoglutathione, while the mucoid strain PAO578II showed no further upregulation above its constitutive upregulation of
nor
and
fhp
. NO
·
consumption however, showed that both strains mount functional, protein synthesis-dependent NO
·
-consumptive responses.
Multiple Social Roles and Well-Being
Authors: Nordenmark Mikael
Published: June 2004

In general, Western societies believe that people should engage in a multitude of social activities and develop multiple social roles. The assumption is that having multiple roles is beneficial to the individual. However, it also means that life is more complex and that people have to handle sometimes conflicting demands. Earlier research on the effects of multiple roles on individual well-being has not provided a clear picture, some results supporting the role stress theory and some the role expansion theory. This article tests empirically the relevance of the role stress theory and the role expansion theory by analysing whether having multiple social roles in general decreases or increases individual well-being. The results are based on a panel study of nearly 9000 randomly selected Swedes. The conclusion is that both number of social roles and any increase in social roles are negatively correlated with the risk of suffering from insomnia and a lingering illness, and the risk of being on regular medication for a lingering illness. These findings indicate that having multiple social roles increases individual well-being; the results therefore support the role expansion theory.
Sectors, Agents and Rationale
Authors: Lin Ka
Published: June 2004

The widely held assumption that the welfare society model is superseding the welfare state model has restructured the common view of the future of social policy all around the world. This study brings local issues into focus with an investigation of the applicability of the welfare society model in the Scandinavian context. The study first examines the strength of the various welfare agents sector by sector to define the sectoral rationale, and second it seeks to reveal the system rationale of the Scandinavian welfare state by using the perspective of private-public interplay. The basic argument is that the public sector-led structure of welfare provision prevents non-public agents from realizing their full potential. The far-reaching institutional integration of the private and public spheres leaves little room for voluntary (welfare) agents to operate; the weak sense of reciprocality, combined with a strong notion of welfare right, still renders normative support for a system of state welfare. These conditions will surely vitiate the high hopes that some hold for the welfare society model in Scandinavia.
The Past in the Present
Authors: Eyerman Ron
Published: June 2004

The aim of this article is to outline a theory cultural trauma, with reference to slavery and the formation of an African American identity. With this in mind, the concepts ‘collective memory’ and ‘collective identity’ are discussed and linked with a theory of intellectual generations. It is proposed that the notion of an ‘African American’ emerged as part of the efforts of a generation of black intellectuals to come to grips with their, individual and collective, rejection by American society after being promised full integration following the end of the Civil War (1861-5). Slavery, not so much as experience, but as a form of memory, was a focal point of reference in this process.
Generations and Value Orientations
Authors: Cavalli Alessandro
Published: June 2004

The first part of this article deals with the uses of the concept of generation in the historical and social sciences. Following Mannheim’s approach, generations are conceived as produced by the differential impact of socio-cultural change on different age cohorts. The concept of “crucial event” in the biography of individuals is discussed in the light of developmental social psychology. Specific attention is devoted to the methodological problems in researching generations. The second part is devoted to the literature on political generations and to answering the question of whether and how 1989 and 11 September 2001 are producing generational phenomena in contemporary advanced countries.
The New Intellectuals in Iran
Authors: Khosrokhavar Farhad
Published: June 2004

For a long time intellectuals in Iran have been at the crossroads of two distinct sources of influence: Western thought and Shiite thought. These two traditions began to exert their contradictory influence from the end of the 19th century onwards. The Islamic revolution was the result of a social movement and an intellectual trend, resulting in the renewal of Islamic thought exposed to Western Marxist and Third-worldist ideas. Since then, three generations of intellectuals have been active. There has been a divergent new intellectual trend since the beginning of the 1990s in which the second and the third generations question the legitimacy of the radical Islamic thought of the first generation in the name of civil society and a tolerant Islam. The main topic of this article is the interaction between these three generations and the advent of a new group, made up of journalists who belong to the second and third generations.
L’héritage Chrétien De L’Europe Occidentale: Qu’en Ont Fait Les Nouvelles Générations?
Authors: Bréchon Pierre
Published: June 2004

The Christian legacy of Europe appears first in the large and globalizationresistant gap which distinguishes European countries of Catholic culture from those of Protestant culture. By analysing the European Values Survey data, the author then shows the ways in which this legacy varies from one generation to another: the older generations remain more deeply influenced by the Christian system than the younger ones. By comparing the 1981, 1990 and 1999 data by cohorts, the author points out the complexity of evolutions: with the replacement of generations, religion very often seems to be of decreasing relevance, but the young recompose elements of religiosity in forms that are often loose, far from the great narratives and dogmas of institutions. Thus only minorities build an entire system of attitudes strongly influenced by a religious or anti-religious identity. The increase in loose religious identities among the majority has not led to the dulling of conviction among the minorities.