bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between the Methyl-Erythritol Phosphate Pathway Leading to Emission of Volatile Isoprenoids and Abscisic Acid Content in Leaves
Authors: Barta Csengele , Loreto Francesco
Published: June 2006

It was investigated whether the methyl-erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway that generates volatile isoprenoids and carotenoids also produces foliar abscisic acid (ABA) and controls stomatal opening. When the MEP pathway was blocked by fosmidomycin and volatile isoprenoid emission was largely suppressed, leaf ABA content decreased to about 50% and leaf stomatal conductance increased significantly. No effect of fosmidomycin was seen in leaves with constitutively high rates of stomatal conductance and in plant species with low foliar ABA concentration. In all other cases, isoprene emission was directly associated with foliar ABA, but ABA reduction upon MEP pathway inhibition was also observed in plant species that do not emit isoprenoids. Stomatal closure causing a midday depression of photosynthesis was also associated with a concurrent increase of isoprene emission and ABA content. It is suggested that the MEP pathway generates a labile pool of ABA that responds rapidly to environmental changes. This pool also regulates stomatal conductance, possibly when coping with frequent changes of water availability. MEP pathway inhibition by leaf darkening, and its down-regulation by exposure to elevated CO2, was also associated with a reduction of foliar ABA content. However, stomatal conductance was reduced, indicating that stomatal aperture is not regulated by the MEP-dependent foliar ABA pool, under these specific cases.
A Novel Arsenate Reductase from the Arsenic Hyperaccumulating Fern Pteris vittata
Authors: Ellis Danielle R. , Gumaelius Luke , Indriolo Emily , Pickering Ingrid J. , Banks Jo Ann , Salt David E.
Published: June 2006

Pteris vittata sporophytes hyperaccumulate arsenic to 1% to 2% of their dry weight. Like the sporophyte, the gametophyte was found to reduce arsenate [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)] and store arsenic as free As(III). Here, we report the isolation of an arsenate reductase gene (PvACR2) from gametophytes that can suppress the arsenate sensitivity and arsenic hyperaccumulation phenotypes of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) lacking the arsenate reductase gene ScACR2. Recombinant PvACR2 protein has in vitro arsenate reductase activity similar to ScACR2. While PvACR2 and ScACR2 have sequence similarities to the CDC25 protein tyrosine phosphatases, they lack phosphatase activity. In contrast, Arath;CDC25, an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) homolog of PvACR2 was found to have both arsenate reductase and phosphatase activities. To our knowledge, PvACR2 is the first reported plant arsenate reductase that lacks phosphatase activity. CDC25 protein tyrosine phosphatases and arsenate reductases have a conserved HCX5R motif that defines the active site. PvACR2 is unique in that the arginine of this motif, previously shown to be essential for phosphatase and reductase activity, is replaced with a serine. Steady-state levels of PvACR2 expression in gametophytes were found to be similar in the absence and presence of arsenate, while total arsenate reductase activity in P. vittata gametophytes was found to be constitutive and unaffected by arsenate, consistent with other known metal hyperaccumulation mechanisms in plants. The unusual active site of PvACR2 and the arsenate reductase activities of cell-free extracts correlate with the ability of P. vittata to hyperaccumulate arsenite, suggesting that PvACR2 may play an important role in this process.
TheArabidopsisRoot Hair Cell Wall Formation Mutantlrx1Is Suppressed by Mutations in theRHM1Gene Encoding a UDP-L-Rhamnose Synthase
Authors: Diet Anouck , Link Bruce , Seifert Georg J. , Schellenberg Barbara , Wagner Ulrich , Pauly Markus , Reiter Wolf-Dieter , Ringli Christoph
Published: June 2006

Cell and cell wall growth are mutually dependent processes that must be tightly coordinated and controlled. LRR-extensin1 (LRX1) of Arabidopsis thaliana is a potential regulator of cell wall development, consisting of an N-terminal leucine-rich repeat domain and a C-terminal extensin-like domain typical for structural cell wall proteins. LRX1 is expressed in root hairs, and lrx1 mutant plants develop distorted root hairs that often swell, branch, or collapse. The aberrant cell wall structures found in lrx1 mutants point toward a function of LRX1 during the establishment of the extracellular matrix. To identify genes that are involved in an LRX1-dependent developmental pathway, a suppressor screen was performed on the lrx1 mutant, and two independent rol1 (for repressor of lrx1) alleles were isolated. ROL1 is allelic to Rhamnose Biosynthesis1, which codes for a protein involved in the biosynthesis of rhamnose, a major monosaccharide component of pectin. The rol1 mutations modify the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan I and, for one allele, rhamnogalacturonan II. Furthermore, the rol1 mutations cause a change in the expression of a number of cell wall–related genes. Thus, the lrx1 mutant phenotype is likely to be suppressed by changes in pectic polysaccharides or other cell wall components.
Cellulose Binding Domains of a Phytophthora Cell Wall Protein Are Novel Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns
Authors: Gaulin Elodie , Dramé Nani , Lafitte Claude , Torto-Alalibo Trudy , Martinez Yves , Ameline-Torregrosa Carine , Khatib Moustafa , Mazarguil Honoré , Villalba-Mateos François , Kamoun Sophien , Mazars Christian , Dumas Bernard , Bottin Arnaud , Esquerré-Tugayé Marie-Thérèse , Rickauer Martina
Published: June 2006

The cellulose binding elicitor lectin (CBEL) from Phytophthora parasitica nicotianae contains two cellulose binding domains (CBDs) belonging to the Carbohydrate Binding Module1 family, which is found almost exclusively in fungi. The mechanism by which CBEL is perceived by the host plant remains unknown. The role of CBDs in eliciting activity was investigated using modified versions of the protein produced in Escherichia coli or synthesized in planta through the potato virus X expression system. Recombinant CBEL produced by E. coli elicited necrotic lesions and defense gene expression when injected into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves. CBEL production in planta induced necrosis. Site-directed mutagenesis on aromatic amino acid residues located within the CBDs as well as leaf infiltration assays using mutated and truncated recombinant proteins confirmed the importance of intact CBDs to induce defense responses. Tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana leaf infiltration assays using synthetic peptides showed that the CBDs of CBEL are essential and sufficient to stimulate defense responses. Moreover, CBEL elicits a transient variation of cytosolic calcium levels in tobacco cells but not in protoplasts. These results define CBDs as a novel class of molecular patterns in oomycetes that are targeted by the innate immune system of plants and might act through interaction with the cell wall.
A Comprehensive Structure–Function Analysis ofArabidopsisSNI1 Defines Essential Regions and Transcriptional Repressor Activity
Authors: Mosher Rebecca A. , Durrant Wendy E. , Wang Dong , Song Junqi , Dong Xinnian
Published: June 2006

The expression of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants involves the upregulation of many Pathogenesis-Related (PR) genes, which work in concert to confer resistance to a broad spectrum of pathogens. Because SAR is a costly process, SAR-associated transcription must be tightly regulated. Arabidopsis thaliana SNI1 (for Suppressor of NPR1, Inducible) is a negative regulator of SAR required to dampen the basal expression of PR genes. Whole genome transcriptional profiling showed that in the sni1 mutant, Nonexpresser of PR genes (NPR1)–dependent benzothiadiazole S-methylester–responsive genes were specifically derepressed. Interestingly, SNI1 also repressed transcription when expressed in yeast, suggesting that it functions as an active transcriptional repressor through a highly conserved mechanism. Chromatin immunoprecipitation indicated that histone modification may be involved in SNI1-mediated repression. Sequence comparison with orthologs in other plant species and a saturating NAAIRS-scanning mutagenesis of SNI1 identified regions in SNI1 that are required for its activity. The structural similarity of SNI1 to Armadillo repeat proteins implies that SNI1 may form a scaffold for interaction with proteins that modulate transcription.
Restoring Equity or Introducing Bias? A Contingency Model of Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Programs1
Authors: Linton Larissa L. , Christiansen Neil D.
Published: June 2006

We developed a model to explain how an individual's attitude toward the group targeted by affirmative action impacts support for the program. In this model, attitude toward the targeted group influences the extent to which an individual perceives discrimination to be responsible for workforce disparities. Perceived discrimination affects fairness judgments of affirmative action programs with the effect contingent on the extent to which the remedy involves preferential treatment. To test this, participants were told about the selection system in a company in which minorities were underrepresented. Participants evaluated the extent to which they believed that discrimination occurs in the hiring process and 3 possible remedies. Results supported attitudes toward the targeted minority group as an antecedent of perceived discrimination and found that the amount of perceived discrimination was negatively related to fairness judgments of opportunity enhancement programs, but positively related to evaluations of programs that involved preferential treatment. Fairness judgments were positively related to support for all 3 affirmative action programs.
Social Dominance Orientation, Gender, and Increasing Educational Exposure1
Authors: Sidanius Jim , Sinclair Stacey , Pratto Felicia
Published: June 2006

Using a large panel sample of undergraduates, we measured the social dominance orientation (SDO) scores of men and women once a year across a 4½‐year period. Employing repeated‐measures ANOVAs, we found that, even after controlling for the character of students' academic majors (hierarchy enhancing or hierarchy attenuating), males showed significantly higher SDO scores than did females across the entire college career. The data are discussed in terms of the invariance hypothesis within social dominance theory.
The Role of Perceived Demographic Dissimilarity and Interaction in Customer‐Service Satisfaction1
Authors: Cunningham George B. , Sagas Michael
Published: June 2006

The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of perceived demographic dissimilarity and interaction on customer‐service satisfaction. Data were collected from 301 spectators at a professional men's tennis tournament. Results indicate that perceived demographic dissimilarity was negatively associated with customer service satisfaction. Further, this relationship was moderated by the amount of interaction between the employee and customer, such that the negative relationship was strongest when interaction was high. Results are discussed in terms of the theoretical implications related to relational demography and practical implications in terms of the “business case” for diversity.
Prior Attitudes, Salient Value Similarity, and Dimensionality: Toward an Integrative Model of Trust in Risk Regulation1
Authors: Poortinga Wouter , Pidgeon Nick F.
Published: June 2006

Although it is widely recognized that trust plays an important role in people's responses to various risks, there is still considerable conceptual disagreement about the different aspects of trust. There are at least 3 different approaches to trust: (a) dimensional, (b) salient value similarity, and (c) associationist. Three British datasets on genetically modified food were used to test the plausibility of a causal model that integrates these approaches. It appears that value similarity can be predicted by a combination of prior attitudes and perceived attitudes of the other, and that value similarity precedes other important trust judgments. The study suggests that various risk‐relevant judgments are expressions of a more general attitude toward genetically modified food, and raises questions about the usefulness of detailed modelling.
The Role of Death Qualification in Venirepersons' Attitudes Toward the Insanity Defense1
Authors: Butler Brooke , Wasserman Adina W.
Published: June 2006

Three hundred venirepersons from the 12th Judicial Circuit in Florida completed a booklet of stimulus materials that contained the following: one question that specified participants' level of support for the death penalty; one Witt death‐qualification question; a case scenario that included a summary of the guilt and penalty phases of a capital case; verdict and sentencing preferences; a 16‐item measure that required participants to rate their receptiveness to the insanity defense on a 6‐point Likert scale; and standard demographic questions. Results indicated that death‐qualified venirepersons, when compared to excludables, were more likely to endorse certain insanity myths, find the defendant guilty, and sentence the defendant to death. Legal implications are discussed.
Inequality and Determinants of Earnings in Malaysia, 1984–1997*
Authors: Milanovic Branko
Published: June 2006

Using three large nationally‐representative Malaysian Household Income Surveys from 1984, 1989 and 1997, the present paper examines inequality and determinants of earnings. During the period 1984–1997, Malaysia's real per capita GDP increased by approximately 70percent, the participation rates for both men and women went up among all age groups, and the average number of years of schooling increased by 1.2years. There was a significant relative wage improvement among the bottom deciles. The rate of return to an additional year of schooling remained high (at 10percent), despite the huge increase in the supply of the highly educated. The stable overall rate, however, masks an increased rate of return on women's education, and a decreased rate for men. Wage discrimination against women amounts to 16–20percent, and the bias has increased in 1997. The pro‐Chinese earning ethnic bias is estimated at 31percent.
PTSD and psychological distress in Icelandic parents of chronically ill children: Does social support have an effect on parental distress?
Authors: GUD̄MUNDSDÓTTIR HULDA SOLRUN , ELKLIT ASK , GUD̄MUNDSDÓTTIR DRIFA BJÖRK
Published: June 2006

The purpose of the study was to investigate psychological distress and the prevalence of PTSD among Icelandic parents of chronically ill children, and the potential effects of social support on distress, at two points in time. The Impact on Family scale (IFS), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC), the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and the Crisis Support Scale (CSS) were completed by 105 parents of children with various diseases (69 mothers and 36 fathers). Despite the heterogeneity of the sample in terms of disease type, PTSD was present in 13.2% of the parents and an additional 28.6% had subclinical PTSD. Time since diagnosis, length of hospitalizations and disease‐related daily care predicted 40% of the HTQ total score.
A Norwegian adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire: Factor structure, reliability, validity and norms
Authors: PALLESEN STÅLE , NORDHUS INGER HILDE , CARLSTEDT BERIT , THAYER JULIAN F. , JOHNSEN TOM BACKER
Published: June 2006

A Norwegian version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) was administered to 304 undergraduate students together with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). The PSWQ was also administered to a community sample comprising 879 subjects, together with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI). Structural equation modeling showed that a three‐factor solution of the PSWQ gave the best goodness of fit. The Norwegian version of the PSWQ demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity in both samples. Females scored higher than males on PSWQ.
Work‐related stress and well‐being: The roles of direct action coping and palliative coping
Authors: FORTES‐FERREIRA LINA , PEIRÓ JOSÉ M. , GONZÁLEZ‐MORALES M. GLORIA , MARTÍN ISABEL
Published: June 2006

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the roles of direct action coping and palliative coping in the relationship between work stressors and psychological well‐being, as well as their possible interactions, in a sample of 464 bank employees. Hierarchical regression analyses showed main effects of direct action coping on well‐being. Palliative coping predicts higher levels of psychological distress. Contrary to what was expected, the interactions between work stressors and direct action coping were not significant. Palliative coping interacted with work stressors when predicting psychosomatic complaints. The interaction between the two types of coping was significant on psychosomatic complaints and psychological distress, but not on job satisfaction. The paper discusses theoretical and practical implications of these results, in order to design intervention strategies to prevent and manage job stress.
Streamlining and Privatization Prices in the Telecommunications Industry
Authors: CHONG ALBERTO , GALDO VIRGILIO
Published: June 2006

We study the link between state‐owned restructuring before privatization and privatization sales prices for the telecommunications industry. We use new data to cover 84 telecommunications privatizations, which account for nearly 80% of the sector in terms of value. We focus on streamlining policies and regulatory issues prior to privatization and find that, while most labour streamlining measures have no bearing on privatization prices, the presence of a regulatory agency prior to privatization does impact on prices, especially if such an agency was set up well before the sale took place.
Unit‐Consistent Decomposable Inequality Measures
Authors: ZHENG BUHONG
Published: June 2006

This paper introduces a new axiom—the unit consistency axiom—into inequality measurement. This new axiom requires the ordinal inequality rankings (rather than the cardinal indices) to be unaffected when incomes are expressed in different units. I argue that unit consistency is an indispensable axiom for the measurement of income inequality. When unit consistency is combined with decomposability, I show that the unit‐consistent decomposable class of inequality measures is a two‐parameter extension of the one‐parameter generalized entropy class. The extended class accommodates a variety of value judgments and includes different types of inequality measures.
Technology Clusters versus Industry Clusters: Resources, Networks, and Regional Advantages
Authors: JOHN CARON H. , POUDER RICHARD W.
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT  The tendency of firms to cluster within a region has been observed for quite some time. However, it is only over the past two decades that business researchers have focused much attention on clusters, particularly in terms of their entrepreneurial and innovative characteristics and potential. At the same time, regional developers around the world have put much effort in promoting the formation of clusters. A gap in such efforts is an understanding of the differences among types of clusters. This article draws a distinction between two generic types of clusters: technology‐based and industry‐focused. Using the resource‐based view as the organizing framework, we argue that the two generic cluster types create very different regional resource profiles over time, accumulating resources in a different manner, cultivating different capabilities, and deriving different sources of regional advantage. As concluded in the study, these differences are likely to have implications for firms located in the regions as well as for economic developers and public policy officials charged with developing cluster strategies.
The Dynamics of Industrial Concentration in the Regions of the European Union
Authors: EZCURRA ROBERTO , PASCUAL EDRO , RAPÚN MANUEL
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT  The spatial distribution of manufacturing in the regions of the European Union over the period 1977–1999 is examined in this article, using a series of nonparametric instruments proposed within the framework of the economic growth literature. These enable us to overcome some of the methodological limitations of the studies of this issue that have appeared to date. The results obtained reveal an increase in geographic concentration in most industrial activities during the whole of the period considered, the relevance of which has been especially important coinciding with the progress made in the economic integration process currently underway in Europe. Indeed, the empirical evidence presented in this respect suggests that this trend will continue in the future. Additionally, the observed degree of intrasectoral mobility is relatively low. Nevertheless, these findings reveal that the probability of further growth or decline in a given sector within a particular region is greater in those areas with an intermediate presence of the sector in question.
The Dynamic Firm–Territory Nexus of Taiwanese Informatics Industry Investments in China
Authors: HSU JINN‐YUH
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT This article explores the transformation of industrial systems in transborder investments made by Taiwanese information technology investors in China. It asks how cross‐border firms would operate in these new territories. The study found that, by and large, Taiwanese investors chose to respond strategically to the tensions in different ways at different stages. At first, regarding China as a land of cheap labor and land, they relocated the Taiwanese industrial system in such a way as to avoid disturbing the hosting regions. The situation changed as China’s market emerged confidently and opened gradually to foreign investors after the mid‐1990s. Exploring this huge new market in China provided a mandate for Taiwanese investors to prosper. They opened up their firm boundaries and added new departments of research, development, and marketing. They developed from being merely export subcontractors to producing their own brand‐name goods. In the most recent stage, Taiwanese investors have created networks to tap into local resources to support new activities. Echoing Yeung (2005) in a recent issue of this journal, this article argues that new investments change the developmental trajectories of the host regions and, at the same time, the regions imbued the incoming firms with their own regional stamp. From this perspective, location and localization decisions by cross‐strait firms may be regarded as geographically sensitive strategies whereby firms, as reflexive agents, protect and reinforce their competence through the evolution of a firm–territory nexus.
Transaction Costs, Agglomeration Economies, and Industrial Location: A Comment
Authors: DE VRIES PIET , HOSPERS GERT‐JAN
Published: June 2006

ABSTRACT  This article comments on a recent contribution by Wood and Parr to Growth and Change. Wood and Parr apply the institutional–economic approach to agglomeration issues. After a sketch of the conceptual background, the present article discusses some concepts introduced by Wood and Parr, such as “transaction space” and the alleged relationship between space homogeneity and transaction cost. This is followed by critical remarks from the very same institutional–economic point of view. In the article, the conclusion is drawn that some limitations should be taken into account when applying the institutional perspective to agglomeration economics.
Interrogating social work: Philippine social work and human rights under martial law
Authors: Yu Nilan G.
Published: June 2006

This article examines Philippine social work under martial law. The article begins with an account of the assault on human rights under the Marcos regime. It then outlines the response of the mainstream professional community to the challenges under martial law and the implications for contemporary social work practice.
Context‐contingent decision‐making in child protection practice
Authors: McConnell David , Llewellyn Gwynnyth , Ferronato Luisa
Published: June 2006

Research on child protection practice has been concerned mainly with the problem of the maltreating parent. System philosophies and processes and the influences on these, while addressed by some authors, have not received the attention they deserve. Understanding the ways in which child protection practices are constructed offers insights into the equitable or otherwise application of these processes to different groups of parents within our communities. In the study reported here we examine how child protection workers make decisions about removing children and subsequently initiating court proceedings. By focusing our analysis on a particularly vulnerable group of parents, those with intellectual disability, we highlight the ways in which child protection workers carry out their legislative mandate to keep children safe.
Urban community in China: service, participation and development
Authors: Xu Qingwen , Chow Julian C.
Published: June 2006

With the rapid urbanisation and population growth in the cities, the People's Republic of China has recognised the importance of community development based on an ever‐increasing demand for social services. In 1994, the Chinese government adopted community service as an alternative way of providing the supplemental safety net in urban areas. Along with this top‐down approach, resident‐initiated activities, participation and grassroots organisations at the community level are growing at an incredible pace. Using a case study, this study explores the context and aspects of community services, participation and community development in a Chinese urban community. Results indicate that China's reformed market economy and welfare system presses ordinary urban people to reconnect to the local community to ensure welfare security and quality of life. Community participation in China has rediscovered the path of community development and re‐interpreted the top‐down and bottom‐up approaches in the context of community services.
Lithuania's children's policy in the period of transition
Authors: Kabašinskaitė Dalė , Bak Maren
Published: June 2006

The article investigates the welfare regime of the free Lithuanian Republic from the perspective of children's policy. The main principles of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – child protection, child provision and child participation – serve as indicators for the level of child orientation. The article analyses legal and institutional issues related to the implementation of the Convention in Lithuania in the first decade of Independence 1990–2001. Furthermore, it compares Lithuanian policy with the three welfare regimes identified by Esping‐Andersen. Our results indicate that Lithuanian policy shows a low level of child orientation and that the Lithuanian welfare regime does not correspond to any of the welfare regimes in Esping‐Andersen's typology. Lithuania still shows traits from the former Soviet regime. The new liberal extreme market orientation is not modified by social support institutions, and is combined with conservative ideologies on women and family.
The emergence of social assistance in China
Authors: Leung Joe C.B.
Published: June 2006

This article outlines the development of China's social assistance programme, including its design, implementation and trends. The Chinese government has given high priority to the establishment and institutionalisation of this programme. To have an effective social assistance programme in the context of an increasingly pluralistic society, China is facing the profoundly challenging task of designing a coherent and over‐arching social protection system that would cover retirement, medical care, unemployment and poverty alleviation.
Malaria and technological networks: medical geography in the Pontine Marshes, Italy, in the 1930s
Authors: CAPROTTI FEDERICO
Published: June 2006

This paper examines the struggle against malaria undertaken by the fascist regime in the Pontine Marshes, south of Rome, and relates it to discourses of domination of nature on the one hand, and modernization and civilization through technological networks such as health and medical networks on the other. The marshes’‘first nature’ is described first of all, focusing on malaria and the difficulty of making an impact on marsh biology before the fascist enterprise and before the large‐scale employment of modern technology for the subjugation, channelling and development of the marshes. Secondly, the paper focuses on the organization of medical anti‐malaria networks in the marshes during the years immediately preceding and during the fascist period (1922–43). Thirdly, the ‘second nature’ produced in the marshes following the land reclamation and anti‐malaria projects is examined, and an assessment is provided of the fascist anti‐malaria project in the marshes.
Responding to the coffee crisis: a pilot study of farmers’ adaptations in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras
Authors: EAKIN HALLIE , TUCKER CATHERINE , CASTELLANOS EDWIN
Published: June 2006

This article explores the impacts of market shocks and institutional change on smallholder livelihoods, and the challenge of adaptation in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The rapid decline in coffee prices since the dissolution of the International Coffee Agreement in 1989 has had widespread and profound impacts across coffee‐producing regions. The data collected in the three case studies of this project confirm the severity of the impact, particularly in the Mexican and Guatemalan communities. They also illustrate the importance of the historical relationship between farmers and public institutions in defining farmers’ perception of risk, their awareness of the nature of the changes they face, and thus the flexibility of their responses to present and future uncertainty. The project's findings indicate that the existence and development of local networks among farmers, service providers and information sources may be critical for facilitating adaptation, particularly in the context of economic liberalization and globalized agriculture.
Airline networks and the international diffusion of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
Authors: BOWEN JOHN T , LAROE CHRISTIAN
Published: June 2006

In fewer than four months in 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spread from China to 25 countries and Taiwan, becoming the first new, easily transmissible infectious disease of the twenty‐first century. The role of air transport in the diffusion of the disease became obvious early in the crisis; to assess that role more carefully, this study relates the spatial‐temporal pattern of the SARS outbreak to a measure of airline network accessibility. Specifically, the accessibility from those countries that were infected by SARS, beginning with China, to other countries was measured using airline schedules. The country‐pair accessibility measure, along with other country‐level factors relevant to the disease, were tested as determinants of the speed with which SARS arrived in infected countries as well as its failure to arrive in most countries. The analyses indicate that airline network accessibility was an especially influential variable but also that the importance of this variable diminished in the latter weeks of the outbreak. The latter finding is partly attributable to public health measures, particularly health screening in airports. The timing and geography of those measures are reviewed using data from media reports and interim World Health Organization (WHO) documents during the outbreak. The uneven effort to curtail the international diffusion of SARS suggests further planning is needed to develop a concerted response to contain future epidemics.
Neoliberalism, environmentalism, and agricultural restructuring in Morocco
Authors: DAVIS DIANA K
Published: June 2006

Neoliberal restructuring in Morocco has been taking place for over twenty years. Beginning with a decade of structural adjustment, from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, parts of the public sector have been privatized, state services such as health care and education reduced, tariffs lowered and exports heavily promoted. In the dryland agricultural areas, a declensionist colonial environmental narrative has been appropriated to help justify and implement the neoliberal goals of land privatization and the intensification of agricultural production in the name of environmental protection. This paper contributes to areas of growing interest for geographers through an analysis of the underexplored relationship between neoliberalism and environmentalism, in the form of questionable environmental narratives, in Morocco. Land degradation in the dryland agricultural areas of Morocco is commonly blamed on overgrazing by local pastoralists despite existing documentation that suggests instead that ploughing of marginal lands and over‐irrigation are the primary drivers of land degradation in the region. The deployment of this colonial environmental narrative of ‘native improvidence’ has facilitated an expansion of state power over collective rangelands under neoliberalism at the same time that government involvement has decreased in other sectors. The effects of neoliberalism in Morocco have been complex and thus the paper argues that current neoliberal reforms such as the Morocco–US free trade agreement need to be scrutinized carefully to prevent a further exacerbation of poverty as well as to prevent further land degradation in these areas.
Family Firm Performance: Further Evidence
Authors: Lee Jim
Published: June 2006

This article empirically investigates the competitiveness and stability of family-owned firms relative to firms owned by diverse shareholders. Founding families are present in about one-third of the S&P 500—the sample of this study. Data gathered over the 1992—2002 period confirm that family firms tend to experience higher employment and revenue growth over time and are more profitable. Regression analysis also supports that firm performance improves when founding family members are involved in management. Although evidence on the relative stability in employment among family firms over the long run is tenuous, data from the most recent recession support the role that founding families play in maintaining employment stability during temporary market downturns.
Measuring Success in Family Businesses: The Concept of Configurational Fit
Authors: Hienerth Christoph , Kessler Alexander
Published: June 2006

The problems associated with measuring success in small businesses are primarily caused by a lack of comparable data due to the ambiguity of “success” and by subjective biases. Success evaluation is dominated by the estimates of business owners, who tend to overestimate overall success and internal strengths. However, reliable success measurement instruments would be useful for small business owners/managers as well as small business policymakers. The main purposes of this article are to compare various measures of success, to explore the differences in their outcomes, and to analyze whether a model of success measurement using configurational fit can be used to overcome subjective biases. The study is based on a recent survey of 103 small family-owned businesses in the eastern Austrian border region. Our analysis of the data confirmed the existence of the measurement problems mentioned above. Although some individual indicators show significant biases as well as effects due to company age, size, and industry, the aggregated indicator based on the concept of configurational fit seems to be an appropriate means of overcoming most of these drawbacks.
Ownership Preferences, Competitive Heterogeneity, and Family-Controlled Businesses
Authors: Hoopes David G. , Miller Danny
Published: June 2006

This article models ownership concentration, owner preferences, and competitive advantage. It argues that ownership structure and owner preferences can give rise to resources and capabilities that increase firm profits. The model is then used to explain how successful family-controlled businesses (FCBs) differ from firms with less concentrated ownership and less successful FCBs. Because of their ownership concentration and reduced monitoring costs, many FCBs will have a resource surplus. That surplus and the tendency toward long-term investment among some FCBs create unique competitive opportunities under conditions we specify.
Self-aligned via and trench for metal contact in III-V semiconductor devices
Authors: Zheng Jun Fei , Demir Hilmi Volkan , Sabnis Vijit A. , Fidaner Onur , Harris James S. , Miller David A. B.
Published: June 2006

A semiconductor processing method for the formation of self-aligned via and trench structures in III-V semiconductor devices (in particular, on InP platform) is presented, together with fabrication results. As a template for such self-aligned via and trench formations in a surrounding polymer layer on a semiconductor device, we make use of a sacrificial layer that consists of either a SiO2 dielectric hard mask layer deposited on the device layers or a sacrificial semiconductor layer grown on top of the device epitaxial layers (e.g., InP on an InGaAs etch stop), both laid down on the device layers before patterning the device geometry. During the semiconductor device etching, the sacrificial layer is kept as a part of the patterned structures and is, therefore, perfectly self-aligned. By selectively removing the sacrificial layer surrounded by the polymer that is etched back within the thickness of the sacrificial layer, an opening such as a via and a trench is formed perfectly self-aligned on the device top area in the place of the sacrificial layer. This process yields a pristine semiconductor surface for metal contacts and fully utilizes the contact area available on the device top, no matter how small the device area is. This approach thus provides as low an Ohmic contact resistance as possible upon filling the via and the trench with metal deposition. The additional use of a thin Si3N4 protecting layer surrounding the device sidewalls improves the robustness of the process without any undesired impact on the device electrical passivation (or on the optical mode characteristics if the device also includes a waveguide). This method offers metal contacts scalable to the device size, being limited only by the feasible device size itself. This method is also applicable to the fabrication of other III-V based integrated devices.
Fabrication of magnesium-doped gallium nitride nanorods and microphotoluminescence characteristics
Authors: Lai Fang-I , Kuo S. Y. , Chang Y. H. , Huang H. W. , Chang C. W. , Yu C. C. , Lin C. F. , Kuo H. C. , Wang S. C.
Published: June 2006

High density magnesium (Mg)-doped gallium nitride (GaN) nanorods were fabricated by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching technique from the epitaxial film. Under the fixed Cl2∕Ar flow rate of 10∕25SCCM (SCCM denotes cubic centimeter per minute at STP) and inductively coupled plasma/bias power of 200∕200W, the nanorods were fabricated with a density of 108–1010cm2 and dimension of 20–100nm by varying the chamber pressure from 10to30mTorr. A large blueshift was observed in the photoluminescence (PL) peak energy of Mg-doped GaN nanorods under HeCd laser (325nm) excitation. The PL spectra of nanorods show a typical donor-acceptor-pair emission around 3.0eV with a large blueshift compared to the Mg-doped GaN film. The blueshift energy increases from 8to67meV as the excitation intensity varies from 12to56kW∕cm2. Possible reasons causing the power dependence of spectral shift in the PL emission energy are discussed.
Characterizing field emission from individual carbon nanotubes at small distances
Authors: Hii King-Fu , Ryan Vallance R. , Chikkamaranahalli Sumanth B. , Pinar Mengüç M. , Rao Apparao M.
Published: June 2006

This article demonstrates the characterization of field emission from individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) attached to a tungsten tip, when the separation distance s between the anode and tip of the CNT (cathode) is less than 15μm. The separation distance is adjusted with a nanopositioning stage after establishing a datum by detecting the anode surface with the CNT tip. Our separation distance s differs by the height h of the CNT from the distance d that is often measured between the planar anode and the planar substrate of an emitting cathode. Consequently, the electric field at the tip of the CNT is modeled by F=λV∕s, where λ is our field amplification factor, rather than by F=γV∕d, where γ is the more conventional field enhancement factor. Twenty-four sets of current-voltage I(V) data were measured from an individual multiwall CNT at separation distances s between 1.4 and 13.5μm. A nonlinear curve-fitting algorithm extracted Fowler-Nordheim (FN) parameters from each set of I(V) data, rather than conventional extraction from the FN plots. The turn-on voltage Vto (to emit 1nA) as a function of the separation distance followed an empirical power relation Vto=asb, and the field amplification factor λ empirically followed the relation λ=λ∞s∕(s+h)+1. This experimental characterization is an improvement over other techniques since the gap is controlled more precisely over a larger range, the electric field at the CNT tip is not disturbed by other CNTs, and the anode is flat to within a few nanometers.
Neutron irradiation effects in undoped n-AlGaN
Authors: Polyakov A. Y. , Smirnov N. B. , Govorkov A. V. , Markov A. V. , Kolin N. G. , Boiko V. M. , Merkurisov D. I. , Pearton S. J.
Published: June 2006

The effect of fast neutron (energy >0.1MeV) irradiation on electrical properties and deep level spectra of undoped n-AlGaN films with Al mole fraction x=0.4 are presented. In virgin samples, the properties are strongly influenced by deep traps at Ec−0.25eV present in high concentrations (∼2.5×1018cm−3). Neutron irradiation with doses higher than 1015cm−2 leads to compensation of these centers with a removal rate of about 500cm−1. After neutron irradiation with high dose of 1.7×1017cm−2 the samples become resistive (>104Ωcm), with the Fermi level pinned by new centers near Ec−0.35eV introduced by irradiation with a rate of about 10cm−1. The neutron irradiation also gives rise to an increase of the concentration of deep hole traps with activation energy of 1eV.
Annealing effect on the surface plasmon resonance absorption of a Ti–SiO2 nanoparticle composite
Authors: Zhao J. P. , Chen Z. Y. , Cai X. J. , Rabalais J. W.
Published: June 2006

The annealing effects on the surface plasmon resonance induced absorption band of a Ti–SiO2 nanoparticle composite have been reported. Low energy ion implantation followed by thermal annealing is found to improve the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption of Ti nanoparticles, a result that is different from substrate heating during implantation. The SPR absorption becomes distinguishable when the temperature is greater than 200°C and reaches its maximum at ∼600°C. The intensity decreases significantly at higher temperatures due to high temperature enhanced diffusion which lowers the local Ti concentration and the possible formation of titanium oxides and silicides. A blueshift of the SPR absorption induced by annealing is also observed.
Progress in the physical modeling of carrier illumination
Authors: Dortu Fabian , Clarysse Trudo , Loo Roger , Pawlak Bartek , Delhougne Romain , Vandervorst Wilfried
Published: June 2006

Carrier illumination is an optical, fast, and nondestructive technique for an ultrashallow complementary metal oxide semiconductor structure characterization based on the measurement of differential probe laser reflectivity changes, which originate from refractive index variations induced by excess carriers generated by a second modulated pump laser. By changing the pump laser power it is possible to influence the depth of the main internal reflection and thus to sense the shape of the underlying electrically active profile. The extraction of the latter is, however, critically dependent on our in-depth physical understanding of the underlying processes. In this work, recent progress will be discussed with respect to the improved physical modeling of the generation-recombination processes (SRH, Auger, indirect phonon absorption, and free carrier absorption), mobilities, impact of temperature (heating by the lasers), and influence of slow surface state traps (time dependent behavior). In order to quantify the contribution of each parameter in the power curves (representing the probe reflectivity signal versus the pump power), three-dimensional axisymmetric numerical device simulations have been performed. These simulations will be compared to experimental data for a variety of structures (bulk material and chemical vapor deposition grown layers).
Towards nondestructive carrier depth profiling
Authors: Clarysse T. , Vandervorst W. , Bakshi M. , Nicolaides L. , Salnik A. , Opsal J.
Published: June 2006

As indicated by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) (http://public.itrs.net/), obtaining accurate information on the electrically active dopant profile for sub-30nm structures is a key issue. Presently, however, there is no conventional destructive (probe based) technique available satisfying the ITRS targeted depth (3%) and carrier level (5%–10%) reproducibility and accuracy. In this work, we explore the promising capabilities of a nondestructive photomodulated reflectance technique, based on the local detection of variations in the reflectivity of the sample due to thermal and plasma (excess carrier) effects as can be generated by a modulated pump laser such as in the therma-probe (TP) system. Experimental data obtained on chemical vapor deposition grown layers will be discussed with respect to junction depth and active dopant (carrier) level sensitivity. A methodology to decouple the junction depth and peak carrier concentration information for unknown samples based on the conventionally available TP signals will be presented. Also simulations and theoretical insights relating to the methodology will be discussed.
Photoelectron spectroscopic analysis of Hf-silicate/SiO2∕Si stacks deposited by atomic layer chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Kim Jaehyun , Yong Kijung
Published: June 2006

Hf-silicate/SiO2 bilayers were grown on Si(100) by atomic layer chemical vapor deposition. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images of Hf-silicate/SiO2∕Si samples showed very flat interfaces and uniform amorphous characteristics. Unlike Hf-silicate/Si samples, Hf-rich silicate phases or Hf-silicide dislocations were not observed in Hf-silicate/SiO2∕Si samples. The valence band offset (ΔEV) was increased from 3.26 (Hf-silicate) to 4.23eV (SiO2 buffer layer). These SiO2 buffer layer effects were strongly related to the decrease of leakage current in Hf-silicate/SiO2 films compared to Hf-silicate films.
Quantum size effect of valence band plasmon energies in Si and SnOx nanoparticles
Authors: Nienhaus H. , Kravets V. , Koutouzov S. , Meier C. , Lorke A. , Wiggers H. , Kennedy M. K. , Kruis F. E.
Published: June 2006

Spherical Si and SnOx nanoparticles in the size range between 3 and 30nm have been synthesized by microwave induced decomposition of silane and gas phase condensation, respectively. They are deposited on thin metal films and investigated by electron microscopy, Auger electron, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. An analysis of the surface composition and stoichiometry reveals that the Si particles are covered with a native oxide of less than 1nm. The energy loss spectra show features corresponding to electronic excitations in the nanoparticles due to valence band plasmons, interband transitions, and core-level ionizations. The plasmon energies are found to increase with decreasing particle diameter d as d−1.17 for Si and d−0.83 for SnOx. These energy shifts are related to the change of the dielectric band gap energy of the semiconductor due to quantum size effects.