bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conceptualising and responding to self‐neglect: the challenges for adult safeguarding
Authors: Braye Suzy , Orr David , Preston‐Shoot Michael
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The research reported here aims to scope the concept of self‐neglect as it is explored in the literature and interpreted in practice by professionals involved in adult safeguarding.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken included a systematic search and thematic analysis of English‐language literature on self‐neglect, workshops with UK‐based adult safeguarding leads and practitioners from social services, police and health services, and scrutiny of Safeguarding Adults Boards' documentation.

Findings

The concept of self‐neglect is complex with contrasting definitions and aetiology, accompanied by debates on the principles that guide intervention. Decision‐making capacity is a key pivot upon which professional responses to self‐neglect turn. Intervention in self‐neglect requires careful exploration in the context of principles of personalisation, choice, control, and empowerment that underpin policy in adult social care and safeguarding.

Research limitations/implications

As a conceptual scoping review, this study seeks to establish broad themes of use to practitioners working with self‐neglect. It thus does not carry out a full quality review of the literature identified and discussed, but serves as a base for this to be done in future.

Practical implications

Assessment in self‐neglect should consider the influence of a number of possible causative factors, and intervention must balance respect for autonomy on the one hand and a perceived duty to preserve health and wellbeing on the other.

Originality/value

This article summarises and critically analyses the emerging key features of evidence‐informed practice in the challenging field of self‐neglect.
Critical decisions and questions regarding serious case reviews – ideas from North West England
Authors: Flynn Margaret , Keywood Kirsty , Williams Shirley
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Serious case reviews (SCRs) are one means of learning the lessons arising from adverse, salient incidents and tragedies. Adult Safeguarding Boards in England are expected to have an SCR policy and procedure, to commission SCRs, to abstract and act on the learning, and to monitor the resulting action plans.

Design/methodology/approach

Since SCRs reflect a wide range of processes, the authors undertook a general review, drawing on their experiences of conducting and contributing to SCRs. They chose to pose sets of question‐prompts regarding the commissioning process, the management of the process, the appointment of a chair and author, the terms of reference, information‐sharing, confidentiality, involving relatives and making findings public. The compliance of the process with human rights legislation is also considered.

Findings

Whilst the authors acknowledge the responsibility of organisations to promote continuous and cumulative professional learning, they do not promote SCRs as the sole means of learning about the ways in which professionals and agencies work together to safeguard adults at risk of abuse.

Originality/value

The paper challenges the perception that SCR can be streamlined, structured, codified, and constrained.
An analysis of failed takeover attempts and merger cancellations
Authors: Neuhauser Karyn L. , Davidson Wallace N. , Glascock John L.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to analyze the differences between merger cancellations and three types of takeover failures: failures that are associated with targeted share repurchases (greenmail), failures in which the sole bidder simply withdraws the offer, and failures that are accompanied by a general share repurchase (buyback).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses event study methods and regression analysis.

Findings

The paper observes negative target stock price reactions around all types of takeover failures and merger cancellations. However, the cumulative effect of takeover attempts is positive, suggesting that even unsuccessful tender offers generate permanent gains to target firm shareholders, while the cumulative effect of canceled mergers is negative. Furthermore, the market reaction to greenmail‐induced takeover failure announcements is no worse than that of voluntary withdrawals, suggesting that greenmail may play an efficient role in mitigating the effects of takeover bid withdrawals. Finally, while bidder wealth is destroyed in takeover failures, the effect of merger cancellations on bidders is considerably more devastating.

Originality/value

The paper provides evidence of negative stock price reactions to all forms of merger failure. The paper also shows that the cumulative effect of all types of takeover failures is still positive: suggesting that being put into play is still beneficial overall but that canceled mergers destroy value for both targets and bidders. The paper shows that the market reaction to greenmail‐induced failure announcements is no worse than other forms of failure. Finally, while there is an immediate downturn in target prices around a failure, the negative outcome is more severe for the bidders. Thus, the market sees that there was something useful about the anticipated change in corporate control, which was lost when it failed to be completed.
Family ownership and firm performance: evidence from Taiwanese firms
Authors: Shyu Jonchi
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Using the panel data of 465 Taiwanese listed companies and taking into consideration endogeneity issues this paper aims to examine the influence of family ownership on firm performances.

Design/methodology/approach

The use of a panel data set encompassing a five‐year period enables one to examine both cross‐sectional and within‐firm variations in the relationships between family ownership and firm performances. The paper also uses a simultaneous equation system to account for the endogeneity between family ownership and firm performances, and apply the quadratic equations to identify the percentage of family ownership that maximizes firm performance.

Findings

When either a profitability indicator (ROA) or a valuation indicator (Tobin's Q) is applied, the empirical results show that family ownership positively affects firm performance. The results also show that the profitability of a firm (ROA) first increases and then decreases with family ownership. In other words, when families have more than 30 per cent control of the firm, the potential for entrenchment and poor performance becomes greater.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to examine the relationships between family ownership and firm performances, while simultaneously addressing the issue of endogeneity and identifying the optimal level of family ownership in Taiwanese firms. The finding that family ownership positively affects firm performance elucidates why a family firm is one of the most important business development models in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the finding that the percentage of family ownership should not exceed 30 per cent to avoid the occurrence of poor performance also suggests that excessive family shareholdings may not be necessarily healthy for a family firm in Taiwan.
Empowering rural consumers in emerging markets
Authors: Samuel Craig C. , Douglas Susan P.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Rural consumers in emerging market countries are among the largest and fastest growing segments of the world's population. The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing's role in tapping potential in rural areas and suggest how firms can help potential consumers develop their purchasing power, thus creating a situation that benefits both consumers and the firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on information on company web sites (of both multinationals and emerging market firms) and other published information regarding these firms' activities in emerging markets. This was supplemented by personal interviews conducted with marketing executives in India.

Findings

It is found that marketing strategy must be developed de novo as strategies adopted in developed markets are not adapted to rural market conditions. This must be based on a thorough understanding of consumers, particularly their multiple roles as producers and consumers. In addition, firms need to focus on finding ways to empower consumers and enhance their ability to consume, by integrating them into the value delivery system. Finally, distribution is the key element in the marketing mix and firms must spend considerably more time focusing on infrastructure development and expanding distribution to ensure product availability.

Practical implications

The paper identifies key strategic imperatives that need to be considered by firms from developed countries in designing successful strategies to reach and tap the vast potential of rural consumers in emerging markets.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on the role marketing can play in improving consumer income levels in rural areas of emerging market economies by integrating them into the value chain and enhancing their ability to consume.
Learning from a failed ERP implementation: a case study research
Authors: Venugopal C. , Suryaprakasa Rao K.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects failing to meet user expectations is a cause for concern as it often leads to considerable time and money losses. The purpose of this paper is to understand the causal factors for such failures in the Indian context.

Design/methodology/approach

A scientific case study research methodology was followed. The unit of analysis: a failed ERP project followed by a successful one in the same organization. Data were collected through interviews, observation and study of archival documents. Analysis was methodical and validated through a triangulation approach.

Findings

The results suggest that it is the manner in which key critical success factors (CSFs) such as top management support are operationalized; good project management; a smaller scope and a hybrid approach of integrating the legacy system with the ERP that facilitates adoption and leads to a succesful implementation.

Research limitations/implications

The study extends the work of earlier researchers in a new market – India. It identifies important constructs, composites of existing CSFs, which future research could measure asex antepredictors of ERP project success.

Practical implications

The authors offer several guidelines related to the role of top management, the importance of simplicity of scope, change management steps – all of which would help implementation teams better manage projects.

Originality/value

The two case methodology of a failed implementation followed by a successful one in the same organization is unique, in the Indian context. This is the closest to a controlled experiment one can have in case study research. The findings pave the way for the development of predictive instruments of ERP project outcomes.
What does the owner‐manager want and get out of the business?
Authors: Sjögrén Helena , Puumalainen Kaisu , Syrjä Pasi
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The paper seeks to explain the differences in drawings (e.g. owner‐manager dividends and salary) strategies among small business managers to show that owner‐managers' personal work values impact on the strategic choices of firms. It also examines the relationships between owner‐managers' work values and the amount of dividends the entrepreneurs take out of the business in order to follow the chosen strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper contributes to the existing knowledge of entrepreneurship and small business management. Legal constraints and strategic motivations are essential to drawings strategy. The paper analyses the owner‐managers' work‐related values as a potential determinant of the drawings strategy. The empirical data used to test the hypotheses were drawn from a mail survey and financial statements. The final drawings strategy scales were formed with the help of exploratory factor analysis.

Findings

The findings provided evidence that work values are related to drawings strategy factors, and the factors reflect entrepreneurs' attitudes to drawings taken out of the business. However, the authors could not find any relationship between the drawings strategy and how entrepreneurs behave when they actually take dividends.

Practical implications

The findings of this research surprisingly provided evidence that entrepreneurs are unaware of the peremptory provisions of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. When entrepreneurs decide on the amount of dividends, tax legislation clearly dominates their decision making. This could lead to a situation where the entrepreneur takes more dividends than the solvency test of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act allows.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing knowledge of entrepreneurship and small business management.
How do controllers and managers interpret budget targets?
Authors: Kihn Lili‐Anne
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to further our understanding of how and why interpretations of budget targets differ from one person to another even in the same business unit.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study research approach is adopted, involving a review and analysis of the literature and interviews conducted among controllers and managers of a highly successful business unit.

Findings

Both the theoretical and empirical results suggest that organizational budgetary processes do not provide a similar understanding of budget targets for each person. While some shared interpretations are evident, individual‐level variations occur in the personal and subjective meanings that controllers and managers give to budget targets in their own consciousness, situationality and corporeality. A personal historical basis for understanding may impact a manager's interpretation of budget targets, but the interpretations can also be dynamic and change over time.

Research limitations/implications

The study is both facilitated and limited by its basic assumptions and approaches, and the findings may be most relevant to companies with similar profiles. Nevertheless, the study furthers our understanding of the characteristics of controllers and managers and their perception of the meaning of this important feature of accounting in practice.

Practical implications

It could be highly useful to jointly discuss the intended primary purposes and nature of organizational budget targets. Otherwise, people may understand targets in different and perhaps even contradictory ways, which could in turn impair the functioning of control systems.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to current budgeting research in that it interprets individual‐level differences.
Sustainability reporting and reputation risk management: an Australian case study
Authors: Hogan Janine , Lodhia Sumit
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which a leading Australian public company uses sustainability reporting to respond to reputation risk arising from proposed regulation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a case study approach and both qualitative and quantitative methods of content analysis. The qualitative component is based on a framework of reputation conceptualisations and image restoration strategies adopted from existing literature.

Findings

The key findings of this paper are that the concept of reputation risk management (RRM) could assist in understanding what motivates sustainability reporting, and how proposed regulation could lead to a decrease in the quantity but increase in the quality of sustainability reporting. In addition, “honesty” is revealed as a potential RRM strategy.

Originality/value

The paper extends existing research on the RRM thesis by studying an Australian case of a reputation‐damaging event over a number of reporting years, examining a range of sustainability reporting media, and adding a quantitative aspect to an otherwise qualitative research framework.
Stock prices and exchange rate dynamics in selected African countries: a bivariate analysis
Authors: Adjasi Charles K.D. , Biekpe Nicholas B. , Osei Kofi A.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the relationship between stock prices and exchange rate movement in seven African countries.

Design/methodology/approach

It uses vector autoregressive (VAR) cointegration and impulse response analysis to determine the long‐ and short‐run linkages between stock prices and exchange rates.

Findings

Cointegration analyses indicate a long‐run relationship between stock prices and the exchange rate in Tunisia, where exchange rate depreciation drives down stock prices. A short‐run error‐correction model also shows similar results. Impulse response analyses for other countries show that stock returns in Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius and Nigeria reduce when induced by exchange rate shocks but increase in Egypt and South Africa. Shocks induced by either stock prices or the exchange rate are more protracted in Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius and Nigeria than in South Africa and Egypt.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies on Africa which tests for long‐run dynamics and impulse response shock dynamics within a VAR framework. Again unlike other studies it also concentrates on more countries in the sample.
The investor behavior and futures market volatility
Authors: Wang Yun , Hua Renhai , Zhang Zongcheng
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the futures volatility could affect the investor behavior and what trading strategy different investors could adopt when they meet different information conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study introduces a two‐period overlapping generation model (OLG) model into the future market and set the investor behavior model based on the future contract price, which can also be extended to complete and incomplete information. It provides the equilibrium solution and uses cuprum tick data in SHFE to conduct the empirical analysis.

Findings

The two‐period OLG model based on the future market is consistent with the practical situation; second, the sufficient information investors such as institutional adopt reversal trading patterns generally; last, the insufficient information investors such as individual investors adopt momentum trading patterns in general.

Research limitations/implications

Investor trading behavior is always an important issue in the behavioral finance and market supervision, but the related research is scarce.

Practical implications

The conclusion shows that the investors' behavior in Chinese future market is different from the Chinese stock market.

Originality/value

This study empirically analyzes and verifies the different types of trading strategies investors could; investors such as institutional ones adopt reversal trading patterns generally; while investors such as individual investors adopt momentum trading patterns in general.
The relationship between childhood depressive symptoms and problem alcohol use in early adolescence: findings from a large longitudinal population‐based study
Authors: Saraceno Luca , Heron Jon , Munafò Marcus , Craddock Nick , van den Bree Marianne B. M.
Published: September 2011

Aims  Depressive symptomatology can increase risk of development of alcohol problems in young people. Tension reduction and family interactional theories may explain the relationship between depression and problematic alcohol use in youth. This study addresses the nature of the longitudinal relationship between these two behaviours. The available literature is currently inconclusive about whether there are gender differences in these relationships; this is also examined.

Design  The association between childhood depressive behaviours and adolescence problematic alcohol use was examined using ordered logistic regression models. Evidence of gender differences and the impact of relevant covariates on these relations were examined. Missing data were imputed using a Multiple Imputation by Chained Equation (MICE) approach.

Settings  The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a large UK population‐based birth cohort.

Participants  A total of 4220 British boys and girls.

Measurements  Depressive symptomatology was assessed in childhood (mean age = 10.6, SD = 0.2) using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Problematic alcohol use was assessed from several questions queried in adolescence (mean age = 13.8, SD = 0.2).

Findings  Childhood depressive symptoms were associated with increased risk of problematic alcohol use in early adolescence for girls [odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, P = 0.016] but not boys. This association for girls weakened (OR = 1.12, P = 0.058) when a priori selected covariates were taken into account, particularly the family and greater social environment.

Conclusions  Problematic alcohol use in girls (but not boys) is associated with prior depressive symptoms. This association may be attributable to several family and social environment factors, suggesting that a family interactional theoretical model may explain these findings.
Global Incorporation and Local Conflict: Sierra Leonean Mining Regions
Authors: Akiwumi Fenda A.
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  This paper draws upon a world‐system core–periphery framework to examine the nature and causes of persistent low‐level conflict in Sierra Leonean mining regions. Conflict is endemic because of asymmetrical power relations between global core‐state corporations and peripheral weak‐state Sierra Leone, which are mirrored locally within its mining regions. Structural constraints inherent in these relationships generate and sustain socioeconomic, cultural and environmental inequities. The paper reveals the complex web of micropolitics in the mining locale core‐periphery microcosm involving a weak state, exploitative corporations and oppressive traditional social hierarchies. The findings are relevant to effective policy making and conflict resolution.
Adopting a Target Perspective in Undocumented Immigrants Research
Authors: Lee I‐Ching
Published: September 2011

This collection raises concerns over whether restrictive U.S. immigration policies are necessary and just. In addition to such concerns, I argue that more studies of a target perspective are needed in order to reveal undocumented immigrants’ experiences and voices. By adopting a target perspective in undocumented immigrants research, the implicit assumption of restrictive U.S. immigration policies may be questioned, and divergent ways of dealing with illegal immigration and assisting undocumented immigrants may be proposed.
Nonbinding Voting for Shareholder Proposals
Authors: LEVIT DORON , MALENKO NADYA
Published: September 2011

Shareholder proposals are a common form of shareholder activism. Voting for shareholder proposals, however, is nonbinding since management has the authority to reject the proposal even if it received majority support from shareholders. We analyze whether nonbinding voting is an effective mechanism for conveying shareholder expectations. We show that, unlike binding voting, nonbinding voting generally fails to convey shareholder views when manager and shareholder interests are not aligned. Surprisingly, the presence of an activist investor who can discipline the manager may enhance the advisory role of nonbinding voting only if conflicts of interest between shareholders and the activist are substantial.
Overconfidence and Early‐Life Experiences: The Effect of Managerial Traits on Corporate Financial Policies
Authors: MALMENDIER ULRIKE , TATE GEOFFREY , YAN JON
Published: September 2011

We show that measurable managerial characteristics have significant explanatory power for corporate financing decisions. First, managers who believe that their firm is undervalued view external financing as overpriced, especially equity financing. Such overconfident managers use less external finance and, conditional on accessing external capital, issue less equity than their peers. Second, CEOs who grew up during the Great Depression are averse to debt and lean excessively on internal finance. Third, CEOs with military experience pursue more aggressive policies, including heightened leverage. Complementary measures of CEO traits based on press portrayals confirm the results.
Overconfidence, Compensation Contracts, and Capital Budgeting
Authors: GERVAIS SIMON , HEATON J. B. , ODEAN TERRANCE
Published: September 2011

A risk‐averse manager's overconfidence makes him less conservative. As a result, it is cheaper for firms to motivate him to pursue valuable risky projects. When compensation endogenously adjusts to reflect outside opportunities, moderate levels of overconfidence lead firms to offer the manager flatter compensation contracts that make him better off. Overconfident managers are also more attractive to firms than their rational counterparts because overconfidence commits them to exert effort to learn about projects. Still, too much overconfidence is detrimental to the manager since it leads him to accept highly convex compensation contracts that expose him to excessive risk.
Are Incentive Contracts Rigged by Powerful CEOs?
Authors: MORSE ADAIR , NANDA VIKRAM , SERU AMIT
Published: September 2011

We argue that some powerful CEOs induce boards to shift the weight on performance measures toward the better performing measures, thereby rigging incentive pay. A simple model formalizes this intuition and gives an explicit structural form on the rigged incentive portion of CEO wage function. Using U.S. data, we find support for the model's predictions: rigging accounts for at least 10% of the compensation to performance sensitivity and it increases with CEO human capital and firm volatility. Moreover, a firm with rigged incentive pay that is one standard deviation above the mean faces a subsequent decrease of 4.8% in firm value and 7.5% in operating return on assets.
Fabrication and Electrical Properties of Sol–Gel‐Derived 0.63Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3–0.37PbTiO3 Thin Films
Authors: Liu Longdong , Zuo Ruzhong
Published: September 2011

High Curie‐temperature 0.63Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3–0.37PbTiO3 (BMT–PT) ferroelectric thin films with a morphotropic phase boundary composition were successfully fabricated on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by sol–gel spin‐coating method. The effect of annealing temperatures on the structure and electrical properties of BMT–PT thin films was explored. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images indicate that the film annealed at 675°C for 30 min has a relatively dense and uniform microstructure and a thickness of about 375 nm, together with optimal dielectric and ferroelectric properties of remnant polarization 17.8 μC/cm2, coercive field 75 kV/cm, dielectric permittivity 1477, and loss tangent 0.07 at 1 kHz. The results indicate that the BMT–PT thin film has potential applications in high‐temperature ferroelectric devices.
The Expansion of Health Houses and Fertility Outcomes in Rural Iran
Authors: Modrek Sepideh , Ghobadi Negar
Published: September 2011

Iran experienced a dramatic decline in fertility from 1984 to 2001, which was most rapid in rural areas. Although many attribute the decline to the government's active participation in providing family planning services, most services were provided after the initial fertility decline that took place after 1984. We assess the extent to which timing of exposure to basic healthcare is related to fertility outcomes. We estimate the association between a woman's age of exposure to a health house (clinic) and number of children, using the 2001 Iranian Household Expenditure and Income Survey and the 2006 Iranian Census, and the location and dates of operation for each rural health house. We also look at the probability of a woman's giving birth one year after a clinic opened in her village. We use Poisson and logistic multivariate regressions and we control for individual, household, and village characteristics. Exposure to a health house in a woman's most fertile years (20–34) is associated with an 18 percent decrease in number of children ever born relative to those exposed after age 40. This negative association gets progressively stronger as length of exposure increases. Our findings suggest that early exposure to health services in rural areas contributed to Iran's fertility decline.
Women's Experiences with Legal Abortion in Mexico City: A Qualitative Study
Authors: van Dijk Marieke G. , Arellano Mendoza Luis Jorge , Arangure Peraza Ana Gabriela , Toriz Prado Aldo Alberto , Krumholz Abigail , Yam Eileen A.
Published: September 2011

In April 2007, elective first‐trimester abortion was legalized in Mexico City. As of June 2011, more than 60,000 women from Mexico City and other Mexican states have obtained legal abortions in the city's public hospitals and health centers, with private facilities providing additional abortion services. This study examines women's experiences of abortion services in one public and two private clinic settings in 2008. Twenty‐five in‐depth interviews were conducted: 15 with women who obtained abortions in a public health center and 10 who obtained the procedure at either of two private clinics. Participants were highly satisfied with services at both public and private sites, although some had to go to more than one site before receiving services. None expressed doubts about their decision to have an abortion, and they felt unanimously that they were treated with respect. Furthermore, participants were pleased with the counseling they received and most accepted a contraceptive method after the procedure.
Experiences and Opinions of Health‐Care Professionals Regarding Legal Abortion in Mexico City: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Contreras Xipatl , van Dijk Marieke G. , Sanchez Tahilin , Smith Patricio Sanhueza
Published: September 2011

This study examines the experiences and opinions of health‐care professionals after the legalization of abortion in Mexico City in 2007. Sixty‐four semistructured interviews were conducted between 1 December 2007 and 16 July 2008 with staff affiliated with abortion programs in 12 hospitals and 1 health center, including obstetricians/gynecologists, nurses, social workers, key decisionmakers at the Ministry of Health, and others. Findings suggest that program implementation was difficult because of the lack of personnel, space, and resources; a great number of conscientious objectors; and the enormous influx of women seeking services, which resulted in a work overload for participating professionals. The professionals interviewed indicate that the program improved significantly over time. They generally agree that legal abortion should be offered, despite serious concerns about repeat abortions. They recommend improving family planning campaigns and post‐procedure contraceptive use, and they encourage the opening of primary health‐care facilities dedicated to providing abortion services.
Abortion in Latin America: Changes in Practice, Growing Conflict, and Recent Policy Developments
Authors: Kulczycki Andrzej
Published: September 2011

Latin America is undergoing profound social, economic, political, demographic, and epidemiologic change. Reproductive health indicators have generally improved over the past two decades, but most pregnancies are still unintended and more than 4 million are terminated annually. Clandestine abortions necessitated by restrictive legal and social structures cause more than 1,000 deaths and 500,000 hospitalizations per year, primarily among poor and marginalized women. Abortions are becoming safer and less frequent, however, as a consequence of increased modern contraceptive use, misoprostol adoption, emergency contraception availability, and postabortion care provision, notwithstanding many impediments to these changes. Advocacy and conflict over abortion have grown. The contested policy shifts include Mexico City's 2007 legalization of first‐trimester abortion. Drawing on numerous sources of evidence, this article provides a regional analysis of the rapidly changing practice and context of abortion in Latin America, and examines emerging issues, legal and policy developments, and contrasting country situations.
MODELING SOLID–LIQUID EXTRACTION KINETICS OF TRANS‐RESVERATROL AND TRANS‐ε‐VINIFERIN FROM GRAPE CANE
Authors: KARACABEY ERKAN , BAYINDIRLI LEVENT , ARTIK NEVZAT , MAZZA GIUSEPPE
Published: September 2011

Solid–liquid extraction of resveratrol and viniferin from grape cane samples was described by using first‐order kinetic model, Peleg's model, two‐site kinetic model and modified Gompertz equation. Goodness of fits of the models were evaluated by comparing the adjusted determination coefficient and root mean square error and mean percentage error values. Although the two‐site kinetic model with four parameters described the data better, Peleg's model, with only two parameters, could explain the data with a slight loss of goodness of fit. The modified Gompertz equation showed the worst performance for describing the solid–liquid extraction of stilbenes.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The present study introduces the comparison of well‐known models applied to explain extraction kinetic of stilbene compounds of grape cane and to determine the best model with its justifications. Mathematical models provide information about the system and/or process to which they are applied. In design and/or process application stages, any information about that process and/or system has crucial importance because in the decision stages, this know‐how helps the designers and researchers find the best design parameters and the most effective process conditions to optimize purposes. Mathematical models are accepted as the most economical ways for these purposes.
Unraveling the Glioma Epigenome—From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets
Authors: Malzkorn Bastian , Wolter Marietta , Riemenschneider Markus J. , Reifenberger Guido
Published: September 2011

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression by DNA methylation and histone modification is frequently altered in human cancers including gliomas, the most common primary brain tumors. In diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial gliomas, epigenetic changes often present as aberrant hypermethylation of 5′‐cytosine‐guanine (CpG)‐rich regulatory sequences in a large variety of genes, a phenomenon referred to as glioma CpG island methylator phenotype (G‐CIMP). G‐CIMP is particularly common but not restricted to gliomas with isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) or 2 (IDH2) mutation. Recent studies provided a mechanistic link between these genetic mutations and the associated widespread epigenetic modifications. Specifically, 2‐hydroxyglutarate, the oncometabolite produced by mutant IDH1 and IDH2 proteins, has been shown to function as a competitive inhibitor of various α‐ketoglutarate (α‐KG)‐dependent dioxygenases, including histone demethylases and members of the ten‐eleven‐translocation (TET) family of 5‐methylcytosine (5mC) hydroxylases. In this review article, we briefly address (i) the basic principles of epigenetic control of gene expression; (ii) the most important methods to analyze focal and global epigenetic alterations in cells and tissues; and (iii) the involvement of epigenetic alterations in the molecular pathogenesis of gliomas. Moreover, we discuss the promising roles of epigenetic alterations as molecular diagnostic markers and novel therapeutic targets, and highlight future perspectives toward unraveling the “glioma epigenome.”
Social Constructionism and Supervision: Experiences of AAMFT Supervisors and Supervised Therapists
Authors: Hair Heather J. , Fine Marshall
Published: September 2011

A phenomenological research process was used to investigate the supervision experience for supervisors and therapists when supervisors use a social constructionist perspective. Participants of the one‐to‐one interviews were six AAMFT Approved Supervisors and six therapists providing counseling to individuals, couples and families. The findings suggest supervisors were committed to their self‐identified supervision philosophy and intentionally sought out congruence between epistemology and practice. The shared experience of therapists indicates they associated desirable supervision experiences with their supervisors’ social constructionist perspective. Our findings also indicated that supervisors’ and therapists’ understanding of social constructionism included the more controversial concepts of agency and extra‐discursiveness. This research has taken an empirical step in the direction of understanding what the social constructionist supervision experience is like for supervisors and therapists. Our findings suggest a linkage between epistemology and supervision practice and a satisfaction with the supervision process.
Endothelial dysfunction in rat mesenteric artery after regional cardiac ischaemia–reperfusion
Authors: Zhao Ming , He Xi , Wier W. Gil , Zhang Hong‐Li , Zhao Mei , Yu Xiao‐Jiang , Zang Wei‐Jin
Published: September 2011

In most previous studies, ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R)‐induced vascular injury referred to injury in the tissue or blood vessel that was directly subjected to I/R. However, less attention has been focused on remote vascular injury that might be caused by cardiac I/R. In the present study, we aimed to assess whether cardiac I/R could affect vasoconstriction and vasodilatation in mesenteric arteries from Sprague–Dawley rats. Left anterior descending coronary arteries from adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were occluded (60 min) and then reperfused (120 min). Changes in haemodynamic parameters indicated that this procedure caused evident cardiac dysfunction. In mesenteric arteries isolated from the animals, cardiac I/R significantly increased the maximal contractions in response to KCl, 5‐hydroxytryptamine, phenylephrine and U46619 and decreased the maximal relaxation in response to acetylcholine, but not to sodium nitroprusside, compared with sham‐operated animals. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor l‐NAME abolished differences of contractile responses to phenylephrine between sham‐operated and I/R rats. The antioxidant N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine reversed the impairment of acetylcholine‐stimulated vasodilatation induced by regional cardiac I/R. However, l‐NAME caused a similar degree of inhibition of acetylcholine‐stimulated relaxation in mesenteric arteries from sham‐operated and I/R rats. Electron microscopy revealed that mesenteric arterial endothelial structure was degraded in the I/R group and that N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine treatment prevented this structural damage. In conclusion, regional cardiac I/R caused by transient occlusion and reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery results in peripheral vascular endothelial dysfunction.
Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Supports the Presence of Host-Adapted Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Typhimurium Strains in the British Garden Bird Population
Authors: Lawson Becki , Hughes Laura A. , Peters Tansy , de Pinna Elizabeth , John Shinto K. , Macgregor Shaheed K. , Cunningham Andrew A.
Published: September 2011

Salmonellosis is a frequently diagnosed infectious disease of passerine birds in garden habitats within Great Britain with potential implications for human and domestic animal health. Postmortem examinations were performed on 1,477 garden bird carcasses of circa 50 species from England and Wales, 1999 to 2007 inclusive. Salmonellosis was confirmed in 263 adult birds of 10 passerine species in this 11-year longitudinal study. A subset of 124 fully biotyped
Salmonella enterica
subsp.
enterica
serovar Typhimurium isolates was examined using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to investigate the hypothesis that these strains are host adapted and to determine whether this molecular technique offers greater resolution in understanding the epidemiology of
Salmonella
Typhimurium infection than phage typing alone. For the two most common phage types, definitive type (DT) 40 and DT56v, which together accounted for 97% (120/124) of isolates, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis groupings closely correlated with phage type with remarkably few exceptions. A high degree of genetic similarity (>90%) was observed within and between the two most common pulsed-field gel electrophoresis groups. No clustering or variation was found in the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis groupings by bird species, year, or geographical region beyond that revealed by phage typing. These findings support the hypothesis that there are currently two host-adapted
Salmonella
phage types,
S
. Typhimurium DT40 and DT56v, circulating widely in British garden birds and that the reservoir of infection is maintained within wild bird populations. Large-scale multilocus sequence typing studies are required to further investigate the epidemiology of this infection.
Isolation and Characterization of a Psychropiezophilic Alphaproteobacterium
Authors: Eloe Emiley A. , Malfatti Francesca , Gutierrez Jennifer , Hardy Kevin , Schmidt Wilford E. , Pogliano Kit , Pogliano Joe , Azam Farooq , Bartlett Douglas H.
Published: September 2011

Cultivated psychropiezophilic (low-temperature- and high-pressure-adapted) bacteria are currently restricted to phylogenetically narrow groupings capable of growth under nutrient-replete conditions, limiting current knowledge of the extant functional attributes and evolutionary constraints of diverse microorganisms inhabiting the cold, deep ocean. This study documents the isolation of a deep-sea bacterium following dilution-to-extinction cultivation using a natural seawater medium at high hydrostatic pressure and low temperature. To our knowledge, this isolate, designated PRT1, is the slowest-growing (minimal doubling time, 36 h) and lowest cell density-producing (maximal densities of 5.0 × 10
6
cells ml
−1
) piezophile yet obtained. Optimal growth was at 80 MPa, correlating with the depth of capture (8,350 m), and 10°C, with average cell sizes of 1.46 μm in length and 0.59 μm in width. Through detailed growth studies, we provide further evidence for the temperature-pressure dependence of the growth rate for deep-ocean bacteria. PRT1 was phylogenetically placed within the
Roseobacter
clade, a bacterial lineage known for widespread geographic distribution and assorted lifestyle strategies in the marine environment. Additionally, the gene transfer agent (GTA)
g5
capsid protein gene was amplified from PRT1, indicating a potential mechanism for increased genetic diversification through horizontal gene transfer within the hadopelagic environment. This study provides a phylogenetically novel isolate for future investigations of high-pressure adaptation, expands the known physiological traits of cultivated members of the
Roseobacter
lineage, and demonstrates the feasibility of cultivating novel microbial members from the deep ocean using natural seawater.
Metabolome Remodeling during the Acidogenic-Solventogenic Transition in Clostridium acetobutylicum
Authors: Amador-Noguez Daniel , Brasg Ian A. , Feng Xiao-Jiang , Roquet Nathaniel , Rabinowitz Joshua D.
Published: September 2011

The fermentation carried out by the biofuel producer
Clostridium acetobutylicum
is characterized by two distinct phases. Acidogenesis occurs during exponential growth and involves the rapid production of acids (acetate and butyrate). Solventogenesis initiates as cell growth slows down and involves the production of solvents (butanol, acetone, and ethanol). Using metabolomics, isotope tracers, and quantitative flux modeling, we have mapped the metabolic changes associated with the acidogenic-solventogenic transition. We observed a remarkably ordered series of metabolite concentration changes, involving almost all of the 114 measured metabolites, as the fermentation progresses from acidogenesis to solventogenesis. The intracellular levels of highly abundant amino acids and upper glycolytic intermediates decrease sharply during this transition. NAD(P)H and nucleotide triphosphates levels also decrease during solventogenesis, while low-energy nucleotides accumulate. These changes in metabolite concentrations are accompanied by large changes in intracellular metabolic fluxes. During solventogenesis, carbon flux into amino acids, as well as flux from pyruvate (the last metabolite in glycolysis) into oxaloacetate, decreases by more than 10-fold. This redirects carbon into acetyl coenzyme A, which cascades into solventogenesis. In addition, the electron-consuming reductive tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is shutdown, while the electron-producing oxidative (clockwise) right side of the TCA cycle remains active. Thus, the solventogenic transition involves global remodeling of metabolism to redirect resources (carbon and reducing power) from biomass production into solvent production.
4,6-α-Glucanotransferase, a Novel Enzyme That Structurally and Functionally Provides an Evolutionary Link between Glycoside Hydrolase Enzyme Families 13 and 70
Authors: Kralj Slavko , Grijpstra Pieter , van Leeuwen Sander S. , Leemhuis Hans , Dobruchowska Justyna M. , van der Kaaij Rachel M. , Malik Amarila , Oetari Ariyanti , Kamerling Johannis P. , Dijkhuizen Lubbert
Published: September 2011

Lactobacillus reuteri
121 uses the glucosyltransferase A (GTFA) enzyme to convert sucrose into large amounts of the α-
d
-glucan reuteran, an exopolysaccharide. Upstream of
gtfA
lies another putative glucansucrase gene, designated
gtfB
. Previously, we have shown that the purified recombinant GTFB protein/enzyme is inactive with sucrose. Various homologs of
gtfB
are present in other
Lactobacillus
strains, including the
L. reuteri
type strain, DSM 20016, the genome sequence of which is available. Here we report that GTFB is a novel α-glucanotransferase enzyme with disproportionating (cleaving α1→4 and synthesizing α1→6 and α1→4 glycosidic linkages) and α1→6 polymerizing types of activity on maltotetraose and larger maltooligosaccharide substrates (in short, it is a 4,6-α-glucanotransferase). Characterization of the types of compounds synthesized from maltoheptaose by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), methylation analysis, and 1-dimensional
1
H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed that only linear products were made and that with increasing degrees of polymerization (DP), more α1→6 glycosidic linkages were introduced into the final products, ranging from 18% in the incubation mixture to 33% in an enriched fraction. In view of its primary structure, GTFB clearly is a member of the glycoside hydrolase 70 (GH70) family, comprising enzymes with a permuted (β/α)
8
barrel that use sucrose to synthesize α-
d
-glucan polymers. The GTFB enzyme reaction and product specificities, however, are novel for the GH70 family, resembling those of the GH13 α-amylase type of enzymes in using maltooligosaccharides as substrates but differing in introducing a series of α1→6 glycosidic linkages into linear oligosaccharide products. We conclude that GTFB represents a novel evolutionary intermediate between the GH13 and GH70 enzyme families, and we speculate about its origin.