bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expansive Evolution of the TREHALOSE-6-PHOSPHATE PHOSPHATASE Gene Family in Arabidopsis
Authors: Vandesteene Lies , López-Galvis Lorena , Vanneste Kevin , Feil Regina , Maere Steven , Lammens Willem , Rolland Filip , Lunn John E. , Avonce Nelson , Beeckman Tom , Van Dijck Patrick
Published: August 2012

Trehalose is a nonreducing sugar used as a reserve carbohydrate and stress protectant in a variety of organisms. While higher plants typically do not accumulate high levels of trehalose, they encode large families of putative trehalose biosynthesis genes. Trehalose biosynthesis in plants involves a two-step reaction in which trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is synthesized from UDP-glucose and glucose-6-phosphate (catalyzed by T6P synthase [TPS]), and subsequently dephosphorylated to produce the disaccharide trehalose (catalyzed by T6P phosphatase [TPP]). In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), 11 genes encode proteins with both TPS- and TPP-like domains but only one of these (AtTPS1) appears to be an active (TPS) enzyme. In addition, plants contain a large family of smaller proteins with a conserved TPP domain. Here, we present an in-depth analysis of the 10 TPP genes and gene products in Arabidopsis (TPPA-TPPJ). Collinearity analysis revealed that all of these genes originate from whole-genome duplication events. Heterologous expression in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) showed that all encode active TPP enzymes with an essential role for some conserved residues in the catalytic domain. These results suggest that the TPP genes function in the regulation of T6P levels, with T6P emerging as a novel key regulator of growth and development in higher plants. Extensive gene expression analyses using a complete set of promoter-β-glucuronidase/green fluorescent protein reporter lines further uncovered cell- and tissue-specific expression patterns, conferring spatiotemporal control of trehalose metabolism. Consistently, phenotypic characterization of knockdown and overexpression lines of a single TPP, AtTPPG, points to unique properties of individual TPPs in Arabidopsis, and underlines the intimate connection between trehalose metabolism and abscisic acid signaling.
Perceptions of Audit Service Quality and Auditor Retention
Authors: Butcher Kym , Harrison Graeme , Ross Philip
Published: August 2012

Prior research has argued that perceptions of the breadth and quality of auditor‐sourced services relative to rival audit firms are of paramount importance to client management when making auditor retention decisions. However, the audit quality factors affecting auditor retention are under‐researched. This study examines the association between perceptions of audit service quality and auditor retention in the compulsory audit tendering context of local government in the Australian state of New South Wales. This context overcomes constraints of unlimited tenure and high costs of changing auditors in prior studies of auditor retention in voluntary tendering contexts, and has high retention rates at tender and evidence of council satisfaction with audit quality. We use a questionnaire survey of 48 audit service quality attributes drawn from the audit service quality literature and administered to finance professionals and internal auditors across all New South Wales local councils. We hypothesize a positive association between perceived audit service quality and auditor retention due to council satisfaction with audit quality. We generate factor scores to test the hypothesis in a logistic regression and find evidence that higher‐order audit quality factors of relationship (via the expertise dimension) and service qualities (via the responsiveness to client needs dimension) are associated with auditor retention, and are worthy of attention by audit firms in order to enhance client commitment and their likelihood of being retained as an incumbent auditor.
Determinants of Audit Staff Turnover: Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Chi Wuchun , Hughen Linda , Lin Chan‐Jane , Lisic Ling Lei
Published: August 2012

High employee turnover has long been a concern in the public accounting profession. Frequent hiring, training, and replacement of professional staff could have an adverse impact on audit quality. Using proprietary data from a Big Four accounting firm in Taiwan, we employ survival analysis and examine the factors that explain the turnover of entry‐level auditors. We find that female auditors are more likely to depart the accounting firm, while performance ratings, salary, and accounting background are significantly related to higher retention rates. We do not find, however, that master's degrees incrementally increase the retention rates of professional employees. These results hold after controlling for macroeconomic factors. Our evidence complements prior survey studies and suggests that gender, performance, salary, and accounting degree explain employee turnover in Taiwanese public accounting firms.
Auditor Economic Dependence and Accounting Conservatism: Evidence from a Low Litigation Risk Setting
Authors: Liao Yihsing , Chi Wuchun , Chen Yunshan
Published: August 2012

This study finds a negative relationship between an auditor's high degree of economic dependence on a client and the degree of accounting conservatism of the audited client in an environment with a low risk of litigation. We measure the economic dependence of auditors on their clients primarily through fees for non‐audit services. Our evidence suggests, however, that the negative effect on conservatism can be mitigated in firms that have higher board independence. The evidence from this study is highly relevant to the circumstances of East Asian economies, as well as to those of emerging countries in general.
Novel insights into genome plasticity in Eukaryotes: mosaic aneuploidy in Leishmania
Authors: Sterkers Yvon , Lachaud Laurence , Bourgeois Nathalie , Crobu Lucien , Bastien Patrick , Pagès Michel
Published: August 2012

Leishmania are unicellular eukaryotes that have many markedly original molecular features compared with other uni‐ or multicellular eukaryotes like yeasts or mammals. Genome plasticity in this parasite has been the subject of many publications, and has been associated with drug resistance or adaptability. Aneuploidy has been suspected by several authors and it is now confirmed using state‐of‐the‐art technologies such as high‐throughput DNA sequencing. The analysis of genome contents at the single cell level using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has brought a new light on the genome organization: within a cell population, every chromosome, in every cell, may be present in at least two ploidy states (being either monosomic, disomic or trisomic), and the chromosomal content varies greatly from cell to cell, thus generating a constitutive intra‐strain genomic heterogeneity, here termed ‘mosaic aneuploidy’. Mosaic aneuploidy deeply affects the genetics of these organisms, leading, for example, to an extreme degree of intra‐strain genomic diversity, as well as to a clearance of heterozygous cells in the population without however affecting genetic heterogeneity. Second, mosaic aneuploidy might be considered as a powerful strategy evolved by the parasite for adapting to modifications of environment conditions as well as for the emergence of drug resistance. On the whole, mosaic aneuploidy may be considered as a novel mechanism for generating phenotypic diversity driven by genomic plasticity.
ArfA recruits release factor 2 to rescue stalled ribosomes by peptidyl‐tRNA hydrolysis in Escherichia coli
Authors: Chadani Yuhei , Ito Koreaki , Kutsukake Kazuhiro , Abo Tatsuhiko
Published: August 2012

The ribosomes stalled at the end of non‐stop mRNAs must be rescued for productive cycles of cellular protein synthesis. Escherichia coli possesses at least three independent mechanisms that resolve non‐productive translation complexes (NTCs). While tmRNA (SsrA) mediates trans‐translation to terminate translation, ArfA (YhdL) and ArfB (YaeJ) induce hydrolysis of ribosome‐tethered peptidyl‐tRNAs. ArfB is a paralogue of the release factors (RFs) and directly catalyses the peptidyl‐tRNA hydrolysis within NTCs. In contrast, the mechanism of the ArfA action had remained obscure beyond its ability to bind to the ribosome. Here, we characterized the ArfA pathway of NTC resolution in vitro and identified RF2 as a factor that cooperates with ArfA to hydrolyse peptidyl‐tRNAs located in the P‐site of the stalled ribosome. This reaction required the GGQ (Gly–Gly–Gln) hydrolysis motif, but not the SPF (Ser–Pro–Phe) codon–recognition sequence, of RF2 and was stimulated by tRNAs. From these results we suggest that ArfA binds to the vacant A‐site of the stalled ribosome with possible aid from association with a tRNA, and then recruits RF2, which hydrolyses peptidyl‐tRNA in a GGQ motif‐dependent but codon‐independent manner. In support of this model, the ArfA‐RF2 pathway did not act on the SecM‐arrested ribosome, which contains an aminoacyl‐tRNA in the A‐site.
Control of archaellation in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius: unravelling of the regulation of surface structure biosynthesis in Archaea begins
Authors: Jarrell Ken F.
Published: August 2012

Archaea have a variety of surface appendages including archaella (archaeal flagella), pili, hami and cannulae. While expected to be energetically expensive to express, studies focused on the regulation of such structures are nevertheless lacking. In the current issue of Molecular Microbiology, Reimann et al. (2012) identified a two‐partner system called ArnA and ArnB in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius that interact strongly with each other and are repressors of archaella expression while also having an enhancing effect on the appearance of type IV pili. ArnA is a forkhead‐associated domain‐containing protein while ArnB is a von Willebrand domain‐containing protein. Both proteins can be phosphorylated in vitro by S. acidocaldarius protein kinases. The repression of archaella expression is dependent on dephosphorylation of the Arn proteins. Deletions of arnA or arnB resulted in increased levels of archaella operon proteins and cells that were hypermotile due to increased archaellation. Direct effects of ArnA/ArnB on transcription from fla promoters were demonstrated using arnA and arnB deletion strains but only a modest increase in transcription was demonstrated in each mutant suggesting that the repression effect observed may be due to protein–protein interactions. This paper represents a significant step forward in our understanding of archaeal surface structure biogenesis.
Altitudinal variation in egg retention and rates of embryonic development in oviparous Zootoca vivipara fits predictions from the cold‐climate model on the evolution of viviparity
Authors: Rodríguez‐Díaz T. , Braña F.
Published: August 2012

The evolution of reptilian viviparity is favoured, according to the cold‐climate hypothesis, at high latitudes or altitudes, where egg retention would entail thermal benefits for embryogenesis because of maternal thermoregulation. According to this hypothesis, and considering that viviparity would have evolved through a gradual increase in the extent of intrauterine egg retention, highland oviparous populations are expected to exhibit more advanced embryo development at oviposition than lowland populations. We tested for possible differences in the level of egg retention, embryo development time and thermal biology of oviparous Zootoca vivipara near the extreme altitudinal limits of the species distribution in the north of Spain (mean altitude for lowland populations, 235 m asl.; for highland populations, 1895 m asl.). Altitude influenced neither temperature of active lizards in the field nor temperature selected by lizards in a laboratory thermal gradient, and pregnant females selected lower temperatures in the thermal gradient than did males and nonpregnant females across altitudinal levels. Eggs from highland populations contained embryos more developed at the time of oviposition (Dufaure and Hubert's stages 33–35) than eggs of highland populations (stages 30–34) and partly because of this difference incubation time was shorter for highland embryos. When analysed for clutches from both altitudinal extremes at the same embryonic stage at oviposition (stage 33), again incubation time was shorter for highland populations, indicating genuine countergradient variation in developmental rate. Our results indicate that temperature is an environmental factor affecting the geographical distribution of different levels of egg retention in Z. vivipara, as predicted by the cold‐climate hypothesis on the evolution of viviparity.
Fecundity compensation and tolerance to a sterilizing pathogen in Daphnia
Authors: Vale P. F. , Little T. J.
Published: August 2012

Hosts are armed with several lines of defence in the battle against parasites: they may prevent the establishment of infection, reduce parasite growth once infected or persevere through mechanisms that reduce the damage caused by infection, called tolerance. Studies on tolerance in animals have focused on mortality, and sterility tolerance has not been investigated experimentally. Here, we tested for genetic variation in the multiple steps of defence when the invertebrate Daphnia magna is infected with the sterilizing bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa: anti‐infection resistance, anti‐growth resistance and the ability to tolerate sterilization once infected. When exposed to nine doses of a genetically diverse pathogen inoculum, six host genotypes varied in their average susceptibility to infection and in their parasite loads once infected. How host fecundity changed with increasing parasite loads did not vary between genotypes, indicating that there was no genetic variation for this measure of fecundity tolerance. However, genotypes differed in their level of fecundity compensation under infection, and we discuss how, by increasing host fitness without targeting parasite densities, fecundity compensation is consistent with the functional definition of tolerance. Such infection‐induced life‐history shifts are not traditionally considered to be part of the immune response, but may crucially reduce harm (in terms of fitness loss) caused by disease, and are a distinct source of selection on pathogens.
Microspatial genetic diversity of Dothistroma septosporum
Authors: Kraj W. , Kowalski T.
Published: August 2012

The distribution of genetic diversity in a local population of
Dothistroma septosporum was determined on a microspatial geographical scale. The study was conducted in a seed orchard of
Pinus nigra divided into four plots, each of 0.84 ha in area. Ninety‐two isolates were obtained from needles with red band needle blight symptoms. Molecular variance, Mantel test and autocorrelation spatial analyses were performed with the use of random amplified microsatellites markers to test the null hypothesis of a random distribution of genotypes. The groups of isolates from individual plots demonstrated small differences as regards intrapopulation variation. The mean contribution of polymorphic loci for isolate groups was almost 77%, genetic diversity 0.270, while the Shannon coefficient was 0.389. The Mantel test demonstrated a significant, positive correlation between Huff's genetic distance and geographical distance. Significant spatial genetic structure was detected with autocorrelation coefficients being significant in the first two distance classes up to about 8–12 m.
Late Permian post‐ophiolitic trondhjemites from Central Iran: a mark of subduction role in growth of Paleozoic continental crust
Authors: TORABI GHODRAT
Published: August 2012

Late Permian trondhjemites in the Anarak area occur as stocks and dykes, which cross cut the Anarak ophiolite and its overlying metasedimentary rocks, and are exposed along the northern Anarak east–west main faults. These leucocratic intrusive bodies have enclaves of all ophiolitic units and metamorphic rocks. They are composed of amphibole, plagioclase (oligoclase), quartz, zircon and muscovite. Secondary minerals are chlorite (pycnochlorite), epidote, albite, magnetite and calcite. Whole‐rock major‐ and trace‐element analyses reveal that they are characterized by high SiO
2 (67.8–71.0 wt%), Al
2
O
3 (14.9–17.1 wt%) and Na
2
O (5.3–8.6 wt%), low K
2
O (0.1–1.5 wt%; average: 0.8 wt%), low Rb/Sr ratio (0.01–0.40; average: 0.09), low Y (3–6 ppm), negative Ti, Nb and Ta anomalies, slightly negative or positive Eu anomaly, LREE enrichment and fractionated HREE. These rocks present 2 to 40 times enrichment in inclined chondrite‐normalized REE patterns. Geochemical characteristics of the Anarak trondhjemites all reflect melting of a mafic protolith at more than 10 kbar. The field evidence and whole‐rock chemistry reveal that these rocks have been crystallized from magmas derived from melting of subducted Anarak oceanic crust. This study reveals that melting of garnet amphibolite was an important element of continent formation in the study area.
A common genetic basis to the origin of the leaf economics spectrum and metabolic scaling allometry
Authors: Vasseur François , Violle Cyrille , Enquist Brian J. , Granier Christine , Vile Denis
Published: August 2012

Many facets of plant form and function are reflected in general cross‐taxa scaling relationships. Metabolic scaling theory (MST) and the leaf economics spectrum (LES) have each proposed unifying frameworks and organisational principles to understand the origin of botanical diversity. Here, we test the evolutionary assumptions ofMSTand theLESusing a cross of two genetic variants ofArabidopsis thaliana. We show that there is enough genetic variation to generate a large fraction of variation in theLESandMSTscaling functions. The progeny sharing the parental, naturally occurring, allelic combinations at two pleiotropic genes exhibited the theorised optimum ¾ allometric scaling of growth rate and intermediate leaf economics. Our findings: (1) imply that a few pleiotropic genes underlie many plant functional traits and life histories; (2) unifyMSTandLESwithin a common genetic framework and (3) suggest that observed intermediate size and longevity in natural populations originate from stabilising selection to optimise physiological trade‐offs.
The new face of development: The ‘bottom of the pyramid’ entrepreneurs (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Dolan Catherine
Published: August 2012

In recent years, ‘bottom of the pyramid’ (BoP) initiatives – from Grameen Phone Ladies and Solar Sister, to Women First and Living Goods – have captured increasing attention, not only in corporate boardrooms where the desire for untapped revenue streams looms large, but also in the arenas of development policy and practice, where entrepreneurship is celebrated as a way to repurpose ‘informal’ and/or ‘subsistence’ workers through new forms of private sector engagement. Based on fieldwork with BoP schemes in Bangladesh and South Africa, and cases drawn from other regions, this paper explores how development is outsourced through the figure of the BoP entrepreneur, the ‘poor’ woman who travels door‐to‐door delivering a range of branded manufactured goods across the ‘retail black spots’ of developing countries. These women are actively converted into entrepreneurial subjects through a set of ideological and material practices that aim to produce and hone the requisite traits of industry, market discipline and entrepreneurial distinction to succeed in global business; subject positions that can bring tangible rewards to those who successfully assume them. However, the process of outsourcing development to a reservoir of ‘informal labour’ unsettles BoP claims of ‘inclusive capitalism’, as an ethos of meritocracy and individual responsibility not only deflects the responsibility for development onto the poor themselves, but remakes their subjectivities in service to global brands.
Rural China in ruins: The rush to urbanize China's countryside is opening a moral battleground (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Lora‐Wainwright Anna
Published: August 2012

China has officially become a predominantly urban country, with over 50% of the population now registered as urban residents. Its urbanization process has been described as the most managed in human history. The Chinese government manages the building of new cities, regulates the housing of displaced people and controls squatters. As an historically poorer area, the west of China has been the target of ongoing efforts at infrastructural development. Describing urbanization as managed however masks the conflicts and contradictions involved in a process which is far from smooth. Although villagers are usually seen to be largely the powerless victims of these initiatives, it is clear that many try to take advantage of the situation, while others are unable to do so. Based on recent fieldwork and eight years of visits to one village undergoing urbanization, this article looks at the complex dynamics involved and at the moral battleground which they lay bare.
Strange powers: Conservation, science, and transparency in an indigenous political project (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Cepek Michael L.
Published: August 2012

The Cofán people of Amazonian Ecuador are important players within global movements for indigenous rights and biodiversity conservation. Scholars, non‐governmental organizations, and donor agencies laud their efforts to protect more than 430,000 hectares of forestland from an expanding colonization front, the transnational petroleum industry, and the spillover of violence from the Colombian civil war and drug trade. In this article, I examine how a set of discourses surrounding indigenous politics enable and constrain Cofán projects. In the context of an ethnographic account of Cofán political practice, I differentiate between the ‘expressive’, ‘instrumental’, and ‘obstructive’ nature of ‘conservation’, ‘science’, and ‘transparency’, respectively. More specifically, I develop three arguments: first, that the discourse of conservation serves to express deeply held conceptions of the ties between Cofán culture, Cofán territory, and Cofán politics; second, that the discourse of science functions as an instrument that Cofán activists use to ground a political‐economic exchange with outside powers; and third, that the discourse of transparency stymies Cofán collective action and is neither locally meaningful nor politically useful. By analyzing the social life of these terms and concepts in Cofán activism, I argue for a more nuanced understanding of discursive power, which always exists in tension with the cultural sensibilities and political perspectives that it supposedly transforms.
Towards new regionalism? Case study of changing regional governance in the Yangtze River Delta
Authors: Li Yi , Wu Fulong
Published: August 2012

This paper draws on a series of interviews with urban planners and government officials to examine the changing regional governance in the Yangtze River Delta. It finds that integration and collaboration are emerging and the growing economic benefits of intercity cooperation serves as a driver for local government to change from hostile competition to collaboration. Nevertheless, regional governance is far from established. Instead, regional transformations reflect the local politics of economic devolution and urban entrepreneurialism. Currently, there is no formal regional institution or coalition and the regional agenda is economic oriented and project based. Policies are formulated by individual cities rather than through multilateral negotiation between cities. The primary motive underlying the initiatives for cooperation is regional economic competitiveness rather than regional integration. Hence, the paper argues that emerging collaboration is far from being a substantial departure from inter‐jurisdiction competition in the earlier phase of regional governance.
How geographically concentrated is poverty in Fiji?
Authors: Pabon Laura , Umapathi Nithin , Waqavonovono Epeli
Published: August 2012

In this paper, we present highly disaggregated estimates of expenditure‐based poverty in Fiji using data from the 2007 national census and 2008–2009 Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Predicted poverty is estimated at provincial and tikina levels. Poverty in Fiji is marked by considerable spatial heterogeneity that cannot be gauged by the division level household survey estimates revealing pockets of poverty even within relatively well‐off regions. Predicted poverty is highest in Cakaudrove province in Northern Division. Most strikingly, we find that 50% of all the poor in Fiji are concentrated in just 6 out of 85 tikinas, namely Suva, Labasa, Ba, Naitasiri, Vuda and Nadi. This finding has important implications for efficiency of targeted poverty alleviation programmes. We also focus on squatter settlements for which poverty headcount estimates using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey are not feasible. We find these settlements have rates of poverty headcount ratio that range from 38–55% depending on the Division the squatter settlement is located in; this range is significantly higher compared with the average urban poverty estimated at 26% and raises important social policy issues for addressing urban poverty.
Port reform, South Asian migrant workers and spaces of vulnerability in Port Klang, Malaysia
Authors: Hill Douglas P.
Published: August 2012

The corporatisation of Port Klang from the mid‐1980s onwards was a significant moment in the history of Malaysia's political economy and generated considerable momentum for the changes that were to occur in this late industrialising nation under the leadership of the Barisan Nasional government. In particular, the restructuring of how labour was organised in Malaysia's most significant port became frequently cited both within and outside the country as a model for tripartite labour privatisation and the well‐managed divestment of state‐owned enterprises. However, in the past decade, the organisation of labour in the port has again changed dramatically. Migrant labour from some of the poorest parts of Asia now makes up the majority of semi‐skilled and unskilled workers. Based on fieldwork carried out during 2009 with workers from Bangladesh and Nepal who are employed in Port Klang, this paper suggested that a regulatory vacuum now exists in the port, which means foreign workers are often treated badly and have few avenues for dissent. An analysis of the changing labour regime in Port Klang over time can assist in understanding the contemporary political economy of Malaysia as well as illuminate debates about the spaces of migrant labour more broadly.
Culture, social relations and private sector development in the Thai and Vietnamese fish hatchery sectors
Authors: Belton Ben
Published: August 2012

This paper provides a comparative analysis of the social and cultural dimensions of fish hatchery development in Vietnam and Thailand. Two detailed case studies highlight the importance of a variety of culturally mediated, informal interpersonal relationships in facilitating the establishment of new hatchery enterprises. The analysis reveals that in both Vietnam and Thailand, informal relationships are extremely effective conduits for the transfer of productive technologies from public institutions to private entrepreneurs and for the subsequent development of private enterprises. It is concluded that if current policies aimed at promoting private sector development are to be more successful, they must be better tailored to the contours of specific cultural geographies in locations where they are implemented.
SCRUTINIZING PERFORMANCE: HOW ASSESSORS REACH JUDGEMENTS ABOUT PUBLIC SERVICES
Authors: NUTLEY SANDRA , LEVITT RUTH , SOLESBURY WILLIAM , MARTIN STEVE
Published: August 2012

Strengthening the accountability and improving the performance of public services is an important issue in many countries. A common response is to impose elaborate oversight or scrutiny arrangements. While we know a good deal about the formal operation of these arrangements, we know much less about the informal practices of scrutiny bodies and how they make judgements. This paper investigates scrutiny processes in three national audit bodies, three service inspectorates, and two inquiry committees in the UK. Judgement processes were analyzed along five dimensions: intuitive to analytical thinking; implicit to explicit assessment criteria; inductive and deductive methods; internal and external validity; and the principles used to make and evaluate judgements. These processes varied considerably, suggesting the need for a broader conception of the nature of and influences on scrutiny processes, which recognizes the inherent tensions in these processes and the skills required by those who engage in them.
The PRIPS study: screening battery for subjects at risk for Parkinson's disease
Authors: Berg D. , Godau J. , Seppi K. , Behnke S. , Liepelt‐Scarfone I. , Lerche S. , Stockner H. , Gaenslen A. , Mahlknecht P. , Huber H. , Srulijes K. , Klenk J. , Fassbender K. , Maetzler W. , Poewe W. ,   the PRIPS study group
Published: August 2012

Background and purpose

Screening batteries to narrow down a target‐at‐risk population are essential for trials testing neuroprotective compounds aiming to delay or prevent onset of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods

The PRIPS study focuses on early detection of incident PD in 1847 at baseline PD‐free subjects, and assessed age, male gender, positive family history, hyposmia, subtle motor impairment and enlarged substantia nigra hyperechogenicity (SN+).

Results

After 3 years follow‐up 11 subjects had developed PD. In this analysis of the secondary outcome parameters, sensitivity and specificity of baseline markers for incident PD were calculated in 1352 subjects with complete datasets (10 PD patients). The best approach for prediction of incident PD comprised three steps: (i) prescreening for age, (ii) primary screening for positive family history and/or hyposmia, and (iii) secondary screening for SN+.

Conclusion

With this approach, one out of 16 positively screened participants developed PD compared to one out of 135 in the original cohort. This corresponds to a sensitivity of 80.0%, a specificity of 90.6% and a positive predictive value of 6.1%. These values are higher than for any single screening instrument but still too low for a feasible and cost‐effective screening strategy which might require longer follow‐up intervals and application of additional instruments.
Investigating phenotypic heterogeneity in children with autism spectrum disorder: a factor mixture modeling approach
Authors: Georgiades Stelios , Szatmari Peter , Boyle Michael , Hanna Steven , Duku Eric , Zwaigenbaum Lonnie , Bryson Susan , Fombonne Eric , Volden Joanne , Mirenda Pat , Smith Isabel , Roberts Wendy , Vaillancourt Tracy , Waddell Charlotte , Bennett Teresa , Thompson Ann ,   Pathways in ASD Study Team
Published: August 2012

Background:  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by notable phenotypic heterogeneity, which is often viewed as an obstacle to the study of its etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. On the basis of empirical evidence, instead of three binary categories, the upcoming edition of the DSM 5 will use two dimensions – social communication deficits (SCD) and fixated interests and repetitive behaviors (FIRB) – for the ASD diagnostic criteria. Building on this proposed DSM 5 model, it would be useful to consider whether empirical data on the SCD and FIRB dimensions can be used within the novel methodological framework of Factor Mixture Modeling (FMM) to stratify children with ASD into more homogeneous subgroups.

Methods:  The study sample consisted of 391 newly diagnosed children (mean age 38.3 months; 330 males) with ASD. To derive subgroups, data from the Autism Diagnostic Interview‐Revised indexing SCD and FIRB were used in FMM; FMM allows the examination of continuous dimensions and latent classes (i.e., categories) using both factor analysis (FA) and latent class analysis (LCA) as part of a single analytic framework.

Results:  Competing LCA, FA, and FMM models were fit to the data. On the basis of a set of goodness‐of‐fit criteria, a ‘two‐factor/three‐class’ factor mixture model provided the overall best fit to the data. This model describes ASD using three subgroups/classes (Class 1: 34%, Class 2: 10%, Class 3: 56% of the sample) based on differential severity gradients on the SCD and FIRB symptom dimensions. In addition to having different symptom severity levels, children from these subgroups were diagnosed at different ages and were functioning at different adaptive, language, and cognitive levels.

Conclusions:  Study findings suggest that the two symptom dimensions of SCD and FIRB proposed for the DSM 5 can be used in FMM to stratify children with ASD empirically into three relatively homogeneous subgroups.
Representations of Cape Slavery in South African Literature
Authors: Johnson David
Published: August 2012

Cape slavery has been represented in South African literature during the eras of colonialism, segregation, apartheid, and post‐apartheid rule. These literary works have drawn upon the histories of Cape slavery, and have attempted by acts of the creative imagination to transform history into literature. The contingent politics of each historical period marks the literature of Cape slavery. For example, literary works on slavery produced in the apartheid era typically end with slave rebellions crushed by the white regime, whereas post‐apartheid works end with individual slave characters achieving redemption.
Lives and Wives: Understanding African Nationalism in South Africa through a Biographical Approach1
Authors: Hughes Heather
Published: August 2012

The essay poses the question, ‘What can a biographical approach tell us about the nature of early African nationalism in South Africa?’ After briefly tracing the conditions under which African nationalist organisations emerged in South Africa, it focuses on two elements of the social makeup of the nationalist movement, class and gender. It argues that the term ‘elite’ to define the class which assumed leadership of the African National Congress can be misleading in its connotations. On the latter, it argues strongly that our understanding has been stunted by stereotypes, and that a biographical approach can assist in appreciating the complexities of African middle class life, the gendered nature of nationalist politics and the intellectual role that women played in the early years of the nationalist movement in South Africa.
Group A Streptococcal Panniculitis
Authors: Villaseñor‐Park Jennifer , Davis Amy , Singh Sonia , Zuckerbraun Noel , Green Michael , Gehris Robin
Published: August 2012

Infectious panniculitis caused by group A beta‐hemolytic streptococcus is rare, especially in immunocompetent patients. Its clinical presentation is usually nonspecific, but skin biopsy may provide information on the source. We describe the case of a previously healthy 2‐year‐old girl who presented with fever, tachycardia, and diffuse erythematous skin nodule; biopsy revealed a deep lobular neutrophilic panniculitis with gram‐positive bacteria.
Fixing Europe's Democratic Deficit
Authors: SUTHERLAND PETER
Published: August 2012

Because they have failed to address the fundamental economic imbalances within Europe obscured by the single currency, each effort by European leaders so far to resolve the euro crisis has only deepened it. Without a decisive move toward fiscal and political union, accompanied by policies that push productivity and competitiveness toward convergence while closing the democratic deficit, the Eurozone will disintegrate.

To discuss the way forward, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's Council on the Future of Europe met in Rome on May 28 with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. In this section we publish the contributions from that meeting by the former European leaders, scholars and Nobel laureates who are members of the Council.
Swiss Lessons for European Federalism
Authors: KELLENBERGER JAKOB
Published: August 2012

Because they have failed to address the fundamental economic imbalances within Europe obscured by the single currency, each effort by European leaders so far to resolve the euro crisis has only deepened it. Without a decisive move toward fiscal and political union, accompanied by policies that push productivity and competitiveness toward convergence while closing the democratic deficit, the Eurozone will disintegrate.

To discuss the way forward, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's Council on the Future of Europe met in Rome on May 28 with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. In this section we publish the contributions from that meeting by the former European leaders, scholars and Nobel laureates who are members of the Council.
More Europe, Less Nationalism
Authors: GONZÁLEZ FÉLIPE
Published: August 2012

Because they have failed to address the fundamental economic imbalances within Europe obscured by the single currency, each effort by European leaders so far to resolve the euro crisis has only deepened it. Without a decisive move toward fiscal and political union, accompanied by policies that push productivity and competitiveness toward convergence while closing the democratic deficit, the Eurozone will disintegrate.

To discuss the way forward, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's Council on the Future of Europe met in Rome on May 28 with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. In this section we publish the contributions from that meeting by the former European leaders, scholars and Nobel laureates who are members of the Council.
A Global Rescue for Europe
Authors: BROWN GORDON
Published: August 2012

Because they have failed to address the fundamental economic imbalances within Europe obscured by the single currency, each effort by European leaders so far to resolve the euro crisis has only deepened it. Without a decisive move toward fiscal and political union, accompanied by policies that push productivity and competitiveness toward convergence while closing the democratic deficit, the Eurozone will disintegrate.

To discuss the way forward, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's Council on the Future of Europe met in Rome on May 28 with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. In this section we publish the contributions from that meeting by the former European leaders, scholars and Nobel laureates who are members of the Council.
This Time Europe Really is on the Brink
Authors: FERGUSON NIALL , ROUBINI NOURIEL
Published: August 2012

Because they have failed to address the fundamental economic imbalances within Europe obscured by the single currency, each effort by European leaders so far to resolve the euro crisis has only deepened it. Without a decisive move toward fiscal and political union, accompanied by policies that push productivity and competitiveness toward convergence while closing the democratic deficit, the Eurozone will disintegrate.

To discuss the way forward, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's Council on the Future of Europe met in Rome on May 28 with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. In this section we publish the contributions from that meeting by the former European leaders, scholars and Nobel laureates who are members of the Council.
Egyptian Muslims Should Embrace Secularism
Authors: GUL ABDULLAH
Published: August 2012

The revolutions of the Arab Spring are twisting and turning on a troubled course. After an uprising overthrew Mubarak last year, elections were held in June in which the Muslim Brotherhood dominated—only to have the military once again assert its authority over any new parliament and constitution. What is at stake is whether Egypt will remain a secular state like Turkey, or take on a moretheocratic bent if ruled by Islamists.

In this section, the Arab world's only Nobel laureate in science offers his views about Egypt's future. The Turkish president argues for a secularism that tolerates all religions in Egypt. The CIA's former top analyst on the Muslim world questions whether Islamist parties can deliver once in power instead of opposition.
The Effect of Administrative Burden on Bureaucratic Perception of Policies: Evidence from Election Administration
Authors: Burden Barry C. , Canon David T. , Mayer Kenneth R. , Moynihan Donald P.
Published: August 2012

This article argues that administrative burden—that is, an individual's experience of policy implementation as onerous—is an important consideration for administrators and influences their views on policy and governance options. The authors test this proposition in the policy area of election administration using a mixed‐method assessment of local election officials. They find that the perceived administrative burden of policies is associated with a preference to shift responsibilities to others, perceptions of greater flaws and lesser merit in policies that have created the burden (to the point that such judgments are demonstrably wrong), and opposition to related policy innovations.
Quantifying landscape change during the last two centuries in Białowieża Primeval Forest
Authors: Mikusinska Anna , Zawadzka Bernadetta , Samojlik Tomasz , Jędrzejewska Bogumiła , Mikusiński Grzegorz
Published: August 2012

Question

What changes in character and extent of land use have occurred during the last 200 yr in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF)? Are the landscape transformations described from the multi‐temporal analysis of historical maps coherent with vegetation changes expressed by the previous palynological analyses?

Location

Białowieża Primeval Forest, Polish–Belarusian border.

Methods

We used five historical maps (from 1793 to 1936) and one digital land‐use map (1999–2000) to quantify the landscape changes. Land‐use types according to historical maps were digitized and georeferenced. The maps were then used for both comparing the extent of cover types in each time step and analysing the nature of change through transition matrices. The sequence of changes concerning the proportion of land‐use types was then compared with classes of pollen, which were assumed to represent corresponding vegetation types.

Results

Most of the area (>70%) has been continuously covered with forest. In the period between 1793 and 1830, the forest declined, being the main donor to agricultural land and villages. In the 20th century, the trend was reversed. We found a significant correlation between the percentage of the main vegetation types derived from historical maps and the corresponding vegetation types, as indicated by pollen, with a mean time lag of 20 yr.

Conclusion

The BPF landscape has been quite stable throughout the last 200 yr, mainly due to the high continuity of forest cover. The results obtained from landscape analysis based on maps are coherent with pollen data collected in the same area.
Changes in the abundance of keystone forest floor species in response to changes of forest structure
Authors: Hedwall Per‐Ola , Brunet Jörg , Nordin Annika , Bergh Johan
Published: August 2012

Question

Does the abundance of keystone forest floor species change in response to changes in the forest structure?

Location

Sweden

Methods

We used data from theSwedishNationalForest Inventory to investigate changes in the abundance of three common species, as well as the total abundance of all understorey vascular plants (the field layer) in forests in the boreal and temperate parts ofSweden.GLMs andGAMs were used to relate species abundance and temporal changes in abundances to forest structure and forest structural change.

Results

Productivity, measured as the site index, was the most important determinant of individual species' abundance. The volume ofPicea abies, the density of tree stems and forest age were among the most important forest structural variables. We found that the dwarf shrubVaccinium myrtillus, the narrow‐leaved grasses (mainlyAvenella flexuosa) and the total field layer cover decreased in borealSweden from 1994 through 2010 and that these changes coincided with an increase in forest density and with a reduction in forest age.

Conclusions

Changes inSwedish forests to higher tree layer density and younger age appear to contribute significantly to current changes in forest floor vegetation. The use of more intensive thinning practices to reduce the total density of the forest and to increase the proportion of broad‐leaved tree species andPinus sylvestriswould favour the forest floor species in this study. Moreover, increasing forest age (i.e. the length of rotation periods) might favourV. myrtillusin particular, for which the time since disturbance is important for the recovery of pre‐disturbance abundance. However, increased thinning intensity and forest age will reduce the potential for wood production, implying a trade‐off between production of wood and maintenance of well‐developed forest floor vegetation.
What Drives China's House Prices: Marriage or Money?
Authors: Zhang Chengsi , An Guojun , Yu Xin
Published: August 2012

The high and rising house prices in China are not adequately accounted for the traditional explanations emphasizing demand‐driven or cost‐push factors. Recent published studies claim that gender imbalance increases competition among men in the marriage market, which has pushed Chinese, especially parents with a son, to buy houses as a signal of relative status in the marriage market; this marriage competition then causes high demand for houses and eventually leads to rising house prices in China. Empirical results in this paper, however, provide little support for this hypothesis and we find that a rise in the sex ratios for most age cohorts accounts for very small percentage variations in house price movements in China during 1998–2009. Further investigation suggests that excess demand driven by high monetary growth was a significant cause of the rising house prices in China during 1998–2009. Therefore, the impact of gender imbalance on house prices should not be exaggerated and monetary dynamics remains an important leading indicator for house price movements in China.
Emergence of ASEAN, China and India and the Regional Architecture
Authors: Zhang Yunling , Shen Minghui
Published: August 2012

The rise of ASEAN, China and India as economic powers is of great significance to regional as well as global economic development. Although their ascendance in the global economy will continue, they will have to go to great pains to meet the new challenges. Considering ASEAN, China and India as a group, due to their differences in economic development levels, economic structures and policy concern priorities, it is difficult for them to formulate a unified position on a range of global issues. ASEAN, China and India must foster an open, transparent and efficient regional as well as global environment. They need to cooperate in designing the architecture to ensure regional as well as global freer trade and investment and more stable finance, and to play more active roles in future global governance and rulemaking.
Toward Mutual Support: A Task Analysis of the Relational Justice Approach to Infidelity
Authors: Williams Kirstee , Galick Aimee , Knudson‐Martin Carmen , Huenergardt Douglas
Published: August 2012

Gender, culture, and power issues are intrinsic to the etiology of infidelity, but the clinical literature offers little guidance on how to work with these concerns. The Relational Justice Approach (RJA) to infidelity (Williams, Family Process, 2011, 50, 516) uniquely places gender and power issues at the heart of clinical change; however, this approach has not been systematically studied. Therefore a qualitative task analysis was utilized to understand how change occurs in RJA. The findings indicated four necessary tasks: (a) creating an equitable foundation for healing, (b) creating space for alternate gender discourse, (c) pursuing relational responsibility of powerful partner, and (d) new experience of mutual support. Therapists' attention to power dynamics that organize couple relationships, leadership in intervening in power processes, and socio‐cultural attunement to gender discourses were foundational to this work. These findings help clarify the processes by which mutual healing from the trauma of infidelity may occur and offer empirically based actions that therapists can take to facilitate mutual support.