bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some important factors underlying ethical decisions of Middle‐Eastern marketers
Authors: Mullin Marta Janet K. , Singhapakdi Anusorn , Attia Ashraf , Vitell Scott J.
Published: March 2004

This study analyzes the marketing ethics decision‐making process of Middle‐Eastern marketers. In particular, it examines the relative influences of ethical perceptions, perceived importance of ethics, and age on ethical intentions of marketers in the Middle East. A self‐administered questionnaire was used as the data collection technique for this study. Perception of ethical problem and ethical intention were operationalized by means of two marketing ethics scenarios. Age of respondents was measured directly and perceived importance of ethics was measured by a scale that has been used a number of times in the literature. Convenience samples of marketers from three Middle‐Eastern countries, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, were used in this study. The survey results generally indicate that a perceived ethical problem is a positive factor of a Middle‐Eastern marketer's ethical intention, as hypothesized. The results also support the hypothesis regarding the influence of perceived importance of ethics, that Middle‐Eastern marketers who perceive ethics to be important are more likely to have an ethical intention than Middle‐Eastern marketers who do not perceive ethics to be important. The research hypothesis regarding the influence of age, however, is not supported. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Understanding project costs and building costs
Authors: McCarthy Rick
Published: March 2004

An early estimate of the potential costs of building a new library is an essential part of the construction planning process. Historical data detailing construction costs for buildings are widely available, but effective use of these data requires an understanding of the difference between “project cost” and “building costs”. Knowledge of the techniques employed to turn generic cost information into data for a specific project is equally important. This article offers some basic information in square foot estimating and will help planners increase the accuracy of pre‐design estimates of project costs.
Information quest
Authors: Maxymuk John
Published: March 2004

Looks at the lessons to be learned from the failure of Questia, formed in 1999, which claimed to offer a revolutionary on‐line research service for college students, providing access to the full texts of hundreds of thousands of books, journals, and periodicals. However, the expected numbers of subscribers did not materialise; probably because students have access to university libraries’ full text databases and effective Internet search engines.
Embedding privacy in IT applications development
Authors: Gritzalis Dimitris A.
Published: March 2004

A considerable research stream in information systems security has elaborated several propositions as to how privacy and anonymity can be protected, the most prominent of which make use of encryption and digital signing. Since privacy protection is a persistent topic in most electronically performed activities, the icreasing popularity of Internet has driven researchers to approach privacy protection in a holistic way. As a result, privacy‐enhancing technologies have been put forth, aiming at protecting users against privacy and anonymity threats and vulnerabilities. Nowadays, that privacy protection has to be incorporated in most IT applications is one of the least controversial statements. This paper describes Privacy Protector, a technological means for enhancing privacy in an IT application development process. Privacy Protector comprises of a set of software services that have been built upon generic, privacy‐focused user requirements. The paper also describes an API that can be used for incorporating Privacy Protector in the development framework of an IT application.
Role of trust in e‐business success
Authors: Srinivasan S.
Published: March 2004

Success of an e‐business rests on many factors. One of the important contributors is trust. Trust is something that an e‐business must strive to achieve over a period of time. Acquiring customer trust depends on many things that an e‐business controls. However, customer's trust as such is not under the control of the e‐business. Some contributing factors for gaining customer trust are: appeal of the Web site, product or service offerings, branding, quality of service and trusted seals. Trust can be viewed from many angles such as transaction, information content, product, technology and institution. This paper analyses the role of trust from the transaction perspective and highlights the things that an e‐business could do for building customer trust.
On biometrics‐based authentication and identification from a privacy‐protection perspective
Authors: Zorkadis V. , Donos P.
Published: March 2004

Biometric techniques, such as fingerprint verification, iris or face recognition, retina analysis and hand‐written signature verification, are increasingly becoming basic elements of authentication and identification systems. However, any human physiological or behavioural traits serving as biometric characteristics are personal data protected by privacy protection legislation. To address related issues, this paper examines these classes of biometrics according to data protection principles, purpose, proportionality and security, provided in international legislation. This analysis leads to the desired properties of biometric systems in the form of functional and non‐functional requirements, in order to support developers minimising the risk of being non‐compliant to privacy protection legislation, and to increase user acceptance.
Linking pre‐ and post‐merger identities through the concept of career
Authors: Millward Lynne , Kyriakidou Olympia
Published: March 2004

This paper looks at the challenges to identity at both individual and organizational levels of analysis, posed specifically by merger‐induced change. Merger‐induced change can seriously challenge processes of identification, by disrupting cognitive alignments and emotional attachments. An extensive literature review reveals that maintaining continuity of identity from pre‐ to post‐merger is critical to successful cognitive and emotional adjustment to transformational change. Maintaining continuity is a multi‐dimensional consideration contingent not just on issues of content (image, meaning) but at a more fundamental level of identity process (maintaining distinctiveness, esteem and efficacy). It is argued, therefore, that one way in which subjective permanence can be assured is to actively manage individual careers. The literature consistently shows that for many employees, the new investment criterion (on which their contribution to an organization is predicated) is “opportunities for development”. This could be said to hold a key to maintaining and/or forging “relational” relationships in contemporary organizations. So long as employees feel that they are “developing” (e.g. learning new transferable skills, acquiring important knowledge, gaining personal credibility and confidence) and thereby increasing their employability, organisations can, to some extent, overcome employee concerns about future job insecurity by facilitating “subjective security” by furnishing maximum personal potential. In so doing, the organization can secure the human investment it needs to succeed in financial terms.
Cynicism and disengagement among devalued employee groups: the need to ASPIRe
Authors: O'Brien Anne T. , Alexander Haslam S. , Jetten Jolanda , Humphrey Louise , O'Sullivan Lucy , Postmes Tom , Eggins Rachael , Reynolds Katherine J.
Published: March 2004

Despite a renewed interest in processes which help organizations to harness social capital, it is apparent that practical efforts to achieve this rarely focus on employees who are members of low status groups. In large part this is because such employees tend to be skeptical of, and to resist, engagement in intervention programs on the basis of previous adverse experience regarding the benefits achieved and lack of trust. This paper presents evidence that, among hospital staff, work groups who felt they were devalued displayed higher levels of cynicism regarding the potential efficacy of a stress intervention program. Within the organization, devalued groups were characterized by lower levels of organizational identification and members of these groups reported under‐utilization of their skills by the organization. Thus, there is evidence that organizations are failing to realize the social capital of specific groups. The ASPIRe model of organizational development is discussed as an appropriate vehicle to provide devalued groups with genuine opportunities for development and empowerment. To the extent that such a program receives genuine institutional support, we argue that it has the potential to unlock key enclaves of social capital that tend otherwise to be overlooked.
Transforming careers:from linear to multidirectional career paths
Authors: Baruch Yehuda
Published: March 2004

Within the dynamic nature of labour markets, career systems have witnessed major changes in recent decades. This paper presents several career perspectives, to manifest a trend in career systems and their meaning and implications for individuals, organizations and society. This trend may be portrayed as a transition from what may be labelled “linear career system” into a “multidirectional career system”. Possible explanations to the phenomenon are presented, with suggested ideas for analysing and learning from the trend. The last section of the paper presents the academic career model as a prospective role model for future career systems, suggested as an intriguing idea and food for thought. Such a mental exercise of examining alternative career models, different from the traditional concept of careers, may be useful for both theory development and managerial practice.
Agency problems and debt financing: leadership structure effects
Authors: Fosberg Richard H.
Published: March 2004

In previous research, Friend and Hasbrouck theorized that managerial insiders (officers and directors) have a personal incentive to cause the firm to use less than the optimal amount of debt in its capital structure. They suggested this occurs because officers and directors have a large proportion of their personal wealth invested in the firm in the form of common stock holdings and firm‐specific human capital. This makes managerial insiders reluctant to use the optimal amount of debt financing for the firm because of the additional bankruptcy risk higher levels of debt engender. I test FH’s theory and find evidence that supports it. Specifically, the amount of debt in our sample firms’ capital structures declines as the percentage of the firm’s common stock held by the CEO and other officers and directors increases. A direct relationship is found between blockholder share ownership and our sample firms’ debt/equity ratio. This suggests that monitoring by blockholders is effective in controlling the suboptimal debt usage agency problem. Further, for any given level of blockholder share ownership, the greater the number of blockholders a firm has the less effective blockholders are in raising the amount of debt in the firm’s capital structure. Lastly, some weak evidence was found suggesting that a dual leadership structure was effective in increasing the amount of debt in a firm’s capital structure.
Lipid dynamics in the viperine snake, Natrix maura, from the Ebro Delta (NE Spain)
Authors: Santos Xavier , A. Llorente Gustavo
Published: March 2004

Body reserves play a major role in several aspects of vertebrate biology. Accurate identification and quantification of body reserves constitute a useful contribution to the better understanding of the energetic costs of reproduction and the implication of food availability in life history traits of organisms. In this study, lipid content in fat bodies, liver and muscle of the viperine snake (Natrix maura) were measured along an active season. Samples were collected monthly from a natural population of the Ebro Delta Natural Park (NE Spain). This methodology pointed out that lipids stored in fat bodies were the main energetic source during reproduction. In addition, lipids stored in liver appeared to be critical for vitellogenesis, while lipids stored in muscle turned out to be a supplementary energetic resource to fuel reproductive effort. Relationships between changes in body reserves and prey availability in canals of the Ebro Delta were also considered. In males, lipid reserves presented a positive correlation with food availability. On the contrary, lipid reserves in female viperine snakes decreased during vitellogenesis even though food availability increased in this period, which suggests a quick transfer of body lipids to clutch. In April, when rice fields of the Ebro Delta were dry and aquatic prey was scarce for viperine snakes, males and females presented a lower lipid content in fat bodies, liver and muscle than they did in other months, showing a clear link between prey availability and body reserves during food shortage. Thus, patterns of variation in fat levels indicated that Natrix maura is a capital breeder since it acquires resources in advance and stores them until they are invested during the reproductive period. Nevertheless, the shortage in April forces Natrix maura to turn into a facultative income breeder to fuel vitellogenesis. Finally, fat reserves in body components were compared with an estimate of body condition calculated by the residuals from the regression of body mass on body length. In male viperine snakes, the estimate of body condition was correlated with fat levels, revealing that this index is useful to measure condition in living individuals. On the contrary, body condition in females was not correlated with fat levels, which suggests that it is not appropriate to infer condition in female viperine snakes since it depends on the reproductive status of the individuals.
Antioxidants and condition‐dependence of arrival date in a migratory passerine
Authors: Ninni Paola , De Lope Florentino , Saino Nicola , Haussy Claudy , Møller Anders Pape
Published: March 2004

Early arrival at the breeding area after spring migration determines several fitness benefits to migratory birds, including an early start of reproduction and a greater seasonal reproductive success. Environmental conditions determine the onset of migration at the population level, while physiological costs associated with migration and imposed on individuals determine the level of asynchrony in the pattern of arrival. These costs include several physiological changes, suppression of immune response, and an increased risk of oxidation by production of free radicals due to energetically expensive activities. According to the condition‐dependent hypothesis of arrival date, only healthy individuals in prime condition can afford to arrive and thus reproduce early in the season.

We investigated condition‐dependence of arrival date in male barn swallow (Hirundo rusticaL.), a migratory passerine, in two years that differed in environmental condition, and the role of carotenoids in mediating arrival date. We show that male tail length, the main secondary sexual character, body condition, and hematocrit were negatively correlated with arrival date in the first year, indicating better quality of early arriving males. In the second year, better environmental conditions advanced arrival of the entire population by weeks. In this season we could show no relationship between arrival and tail length or body condition. Moreover, a lower value of sedimentation rate and a brighter colour of the red throat feathers indicated better health status of the population. Arrival date is a condition‐dependent character in barn swallows, since we found high repeatability of arrival date, lower values of carotenoids in blood and a lower depletion of carotenoids in blood shortly after arrival in early arriving males. This suggests that early arriving males either use fewer antioxidants for free radical scavenging, or they have differential access to antioxidants.
Patterns in the species–environment relationship depend on both scale and choice of response variables
Authors: A. Cushman Samuel , McGarigal Kevin
Published: March 2004

Multi‐scale investigations of species–environment relationships are an important tool in ecological research. The scale at which independent and dependent variables are measured, and how they are coded for analysis, can strongly influence the relationships that are discovered. However, little is known about how the coding of the dependent variable set influences community‐level analyses. In this study, we used canonical correspondence analysis to quantify species–environment relationships between environmental factors collected at three spatial scales and the structure of a forest bird community in the Oregon coast range. The main question in our analysis was how coding the bird data as abundance versus presence/absence affected the nature and strength of observed relationships. As we expected, the structure of the bird community was better described overall using abundance data than it was using presence/absence data. However, individual species and life‐history groups appeared to exhibit different species–environment relationships in abundance versus presence/absence data. In particular, common species with a high frequency of occurrence among sample points exhibited a stronger ‘abundance’ signature, whereas uncommon species with a low frequency of occurrence exhibited a stronger ‘presence/absence’ signature. In addition, the apparent importance of plot‐level factors in explaining the variation in the bird community was greater for abundance data, whereas patch and landscape factors were more important in the presence/absence data. Thus, conclusions about the relative importance of factors at different scales is largely contingent on the way in which the species‐response data are coded for analysis. For communities as a whole, and for individual species within them, the strength and nature of species–environment relationships can differ dramatically between analyses using presence/absence versus abundance data.
Context and connectivity in plant metapopulations and landscape mosaics: does the matrix matter?
Authors: Murphy Helen T. , Lovett‐Doust Jon
Published: March 2004

Recent reviews of evidence for plant metapopulation prevalence in nature have concluded that most species appear not to be arranged as metapopulations – hence other frameworks may be necessary for understanding large‐scale, regional dynamics in plants. Separate but related paradigms from the disciplines of landscape ecology and metapopulation ecology exist for understanding patterns of regional population variation. The major models of both paradigms assume a binary landscape mosaic composed of “suitable habitat” and background “matrix.” An important distinction between the two approaches is that metapopulation models essentially ignore features of the matrix. A binary approach to the landscape seems inappropriate for plants for several reasons. First, plants probably do not have a binary perception of the landscape, but rather respond to gradients of resource quality. Thus properties of patches, or the matrix per se, may be less important than the nature of the landscape mosaic, in particular as this is reflected in terms of connectivity. Secondly, many plants rely on a range of other agents for dispersal of pollen and seed, all of which are also affected by their environment in terms of connectivity. Furthermore the various components of the mosaic, including physical, spatial and functional elements can significantly influence plant movements. We review important effects of the matrix – via composition and configuration of habitat patches, extent of edges, patterns of land use, etc., upon plant populations.

We describe evidence supporting a general integration of metapopulation and landscape ecological approaches for understanding regional dynamics in plants, emphasizing notions of connectivity (traditionally measured in very different ways by metapopulation and landscape ecologists), and context, an emerging concept describing components of variability in the landscape from a species‐specific perspective. Finally, we describe a functional landscape mosaic approach that treats structural and functional features of the landscape and show how these interact to determine the fate of plant populations.
Phenotypic diversity and litter chemistry affect nutrient dynamics during litter decomposition in a two species mix
Authors: Madritch Michael D. , Hunter Mark D.
Published: March 2004

We have previously demonstrated that the intraspecific diversity of leaf litter can influence ecosystem functioning during litter decomposition in the field. It is unknown whether the effects of phenotypic diversity persist when litter from an additional species is present. We used laboratory microcosms to determine whether the intraspecific diversity effects of turkey oak leaf litter on nutrient dynamics are confounded by the presence of naturally co‐occurring longleaf pine litter. We varied the phenotypic diversity of oak litter (1, 3, and 6 phenotype combinations) in the presence and absence of pine litter and measured fluxes of carbon and nitrogen over a 42‐week period. The average soil C:N ratio peaked at intermediate levels of oak phenotypic diversity and the total amount of dissolved organic carbon leached from microcosms decreased (marginally) with increasing oak phenotypic diversity. The soil carbon content, and the total amount of ammonium, nitrate, and dissolved organic carbon leached from microcosms were all influenced by initial litter chemistry. Our results suggest that the effects of phenotypic diversity can persist in the presence of another species, however specific litter chemistries (condensed and hydrolysable tannins, simple phenolics, C:N ratios) are more important than phenotypic litter diversity to most nutrient fluxes during litter decomposition.
Geographical variation in the potential of mice to constrain an ant‐seed dispersal mutualism
Authors: Fedriani J. M. , Rey P. J. , Garrido J. L. , Guitián J. , Herrera C. M. , Medrano M. , Sánchez‐Lafuente A. M. , Cerdá X.
Published: March 2004

Pre‐ and post‐dispersal Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae) seed predation by mice Apodemus sylvaticus as well as post‐dispersal seed removal by ants was studied, during two years, in six plant populations within three geographical regions (Caurel, Cazorla and Mágina) of the Iberian Peninsula. An observational approach revealed strong interregional differences in seed predation by mice during the pre‐dispersal phase, with high and similar rates of predation in Cazorla and Mágina and much lower rates in Caurel. There were also significant inter‐annual variations on pre‐dispersal seed predation by mice, while the existing habitat‐related differences (of lower magnitude) were not consistent across regions. Field experiments based on seed‐offering exclosures, showed that, despite some interregional variation, post‐dispersal seed removal by ants was consistently high through all spatial and temporal scales considered, with most seeds being removed within 48 h. Conversely, post‐dispersal seed predation by mice was highly variable among regions, being very high in Cazorla and minimal or absent in Caurel and Mágina. Interestingly, in Cazorla, in presence of mice, the number of seeds removed was rather independent of the presence/absence of ants, while under mice exclusion, it was determined by the presence/absence of ants. Conversely, in Caurel, the number of seeds removed by each remover agent (ants or mice) was independent of the presence/absence of the other agent. Thus, though uniquely in Cazorla, mice limited the number of seeds available to ants and, therefore, in this region could potentially have interfered on the development of seed traits that enable ants to efficiently harvest them. Our results support the notion that geographical variation over the Iberian Peninsula of mice seed predation may have promoted a mosaic of well‐matching and mismatching situations between H. foetidus diaspore traits and the characteristics of ant communities, which is consistent with some recent theories on the geographical structure of interactions.
Costs of induced volatile production in maize
Authors: Elena Hoballah Maria , G. Köllner Tobias , Degenhardt Jörg , C. J. Turlings Ted
Published: March 2004

Herbivore‐induced plant volatiles have been shown to serve as indirect defence signals that attract natural enemies of herbivores. Parasitoids and predators exploit these plant‐provided cues to locate their victims and several herbivores are repelled by the volatiles. Recently, benefits, in terms of plant fitness, from the action of the parasitoids were shown for a few systems. However, the cost of production of herbivore‐induced volatiles for the plant remains unknown. Here, we estimate the fitness cost of the production of induced volatiles in maize, Zea mays. Plants were treated with regurgitant of Spodoptera littoralis or with the elicitor volicitin and we measured dry weight of plant parts at specific times after treatments. After a two‐week treatment period, the dry‐weight of leaves of induced plants was lower than that of un‐induced plants, suggesting a metabolic cost for induced defence. However, maize plants seem to compensate for this loss during subsequent growth, since seed production at maturity was not different for unharmed plants and plants treated with caterpillar regurgitant. For volicitin treated plants a small but significant reduction in seed production was found. It is likely that the treatments also induced the production of other defence compounds, which will contribute to the cost. Yet, a comparison of six maize inbred lines with distinct differences in volatile emissions showed a strong correlation between the intensity of induced emissions and reduction in plant performance. An analysis of the terpenoids that accumulated in the leaves of the inbred lines revealed non‐volatilised compounds are constitutively present in maize and only the volatilised compounds are induced. Interestingly, the lines that released the largest amounts of induced volatiles also contained more of the non‐volatile terpenoids. Based on these results and results from a previous study on the benefits of attracting parasitoids, we conclude that costs of induced volatile production in plants are counterbalanced by the benefits as long as natural enemies of the herbivores are present in the environment.
A survival cost to mating in a polyandrous butterfly, Colias eurytheme
Authors: Kemp Darrell J. , Rutowski Ronald L.
Published: March 2004

Adaptations that enhance fitness in one sex may be harmful to members of the opposite sex and lead to antagonistic coevolution between the sexes. In fruit flies, for example, selection for fertilization success has rendered the male ejaculate slightly toxic to females. Here we investigated whether mating imposes a cost upon female fitness in a polyandrous pierid butterfly (Colias eurytheme) by comparing life history traits between once‐mated females and virgins. Mated females laid relatively more eggs early in their adult life, but suffered a reduction in longevity relative to virgins held under identical experimental conditions. The effect of mating on female survivorship was statistically independent of lifetime and early life fecundity. Moreover, lifetime fecundity co‐varied positively with longevity across all females, and across females within each treatment group, hence there was no phenotypic trade‐off between survival and reproduction. These results suggest that the observed longevity difference between virgin and mated females represents a true cost of mating, possibly arising from a toxic side effect of the male ejaculate. However, irrespective of this cost, virgin and mated females laid an equivalent lifetime number of eggs. Female C. eurytheme are also known to use nutrients from the male ejaculate to supplement their reproductive output, hence it is presently unclear how the observed longevity cost may have influenced the evolution of lifetime mating schedules in this polyandrous species.
The role of niche breadth, resource availability and range position on the life history of butterflies
Authors: Komonen Atte , Grapputo Alessandro , Kaitala Veijo , Kotiaho Janne S. , Päivinen Jussi
Published: March 2004

We analysed the relationship between three life history characteristics (mobility, length of flight period and body size) and niche breadth (larval host plant specificity and adult habitat breadth), resource availability (distribution and abundance of host plants) and range position (distance between the northernmost distribution record and southernmost point of Finland) of the butterfly fauna of Finland. The data is based on literature and questionnaires. Often in across species studies phylogeny may create spurious relationships between life‐history and ecological variables. We took the phylogenetic relatedness of butterfly species into account by analysing the data with phylogenetically independent contrasts (CAIC method). Butterfly mobility was positively related to the niche breadth, resource availability and range position. The length of the flight period was negatively related to the range position, indicating that the species at the northern edge of their distribution range have shorter flight period than species which are further way from the range edge. After controlling for the phylogenetic relatedness we found no significant correlations between body size and niche breadth, resource availability or range position. We suggest that the relationship between the length of the flight period and range position may arise as a consequence of lower hatching asynchrony in edge species as a result of lower environmental variance in larval growth conditions. Our results on the mobility suggest that there is selection pressure towards lower migration rate in species that have restricted niche breadth, low resource availability and in species that are on the northern edge of their geographical distribution range. In such species, selection against mobile individuals is likely to result from the decreased probability of finding another habitat patch suitable for egg laying.
Measures of stratigraphic fit to phylogeny and their sensitivity to tree size, tree shape, and scale
Authors: Pol Diego , Norell Mark A. , Siddall Mark E.
Published: March 2004

Measures of stratigraphic fit to phylogeny are analyzed to test how they are affected by the shape and size of the phylogenetic trees and by the number of stratigraphic intervals encompassed. Monte Carlo randomizations are used to investigate the sensitivity of three commonly used measures (SCI, GER and MSM*) approximating their distribution of possible values under certain conditions. All are shown to vary in different ways as parameters are varied, although MSM* seems to be the most invariant in the analyzed parameter space. These results suggest that the raw metrics should not be used for comparing the fit of different taxonomic groups or competing phylogenetic trees of the same group that differ in tree size or balance. Tree balance also affects the distributions used in significance tests based on randomization and therefore their results should not be interpreted in terms of the amount of conflict implied by a phylogenetic tree.
Myth of the molecule: DNA barcodes for species cannot replace morphology for identification and classification
Authors: Will Kipling W. , Rubinoff Daniel
Published: March 2004

So‐called DNA barcodes have recently been proposed to answer the problem of specimen identification and to quantify global biodiversity. We show that this proposition is wanting in terms of rationale, methodology and interpretation of results. In addition to falling short of all its stated goals, the method abandons the benefits of morphological studies in favor of a limited molecular identification system that would ultimately impede our understanding of biodiversity.
Ending a decade of deception: a valiant failure, a not‐so‐valiant failure, and a success story
Authors: Brooks Daniel R. , Dowling Ashley P. G. , Van Veller Marco G. P. , Hoberg Eric P.
Published: March 2004

Prior studies involving two methods, Brooks Parsimony Analysis (BPA) and TreeMap, have found BPA to be the more reliable method. Recent criticisms leveled at these studies argue that the tests were unfairly created and biased in favor of BPA. The authors of a recent critique offered new exemplars to demonstrate flaws in BPA, plus a simple fix to correct the flaws found in TreeMap. A re‐evaluation of their exemplars clearly shows that the authors' calculations are incorrect, their understanding of the methods is lacking, and that their simple fix does not work. Additional analyses using TreeMap 2.02 are run to show that TreeMap 2.02, like TreeMap 1.0, cannot adequately deal with widespread parasites, contrary to the claims of its supporters. Furthermore, the exemplars corroborate previous findings that BPA, when calculated correctly, is more reliable than TreeMap1.0 and TreeMap 2.02 and therefore the method of choice in coevolutionary and biogeographic studies.
Transformation Series as an Ideographic Character Concept
Authors: Grant Taran , Kluge Arnold G.
Published: March 2004

An ideographic concept of character is indispensable to phylogenetic inference. Hennig proposed that characters be conceptualized as “transformation series”, a proposal that is firmly grounded in evolutionary theory and consistent with the method of inferring transformation events as evidence of phylogenetic propinquity. Nevertheless, that concept is usually overlooked or rejected in favor of others based on similarity. Here we explicate Hennig's definition of character as an ideographic concept in the science of phylogenetic systematics. As transformation series, characters are historical individuals akin to species and clades. As such, the related concept of homology refers to a historical identity relation and is not equivalent to or synonymous with synapomorphy. The distinction between primary and secondary homology is dismissed on the grounds that it conflates the concept of homology with the discovery operations used to detect instances of that concept. Although concern for character dependence is generally valid, it is often misplaced, focusing on functional or developmental correlation (both of which are irrelevant in phylogenetic systematics but may be valid in other fields) instead of the historical/transformational independence relevant to phylogenetic inference. As an ideographic science concerned with concrete objects and events (i.e. individuals), intensionally and extensionally defined properties are inconsistent with the individuation of characters for phylogenetic analysis, the utility of properties being limited to communicating results and facilitating future rounds of testing.
Identification of a new mouse Cd1d2 allele
Authors: Gozalbo‐López B. , Pérez‐Rosado A. , Parra‐Cuadrado J. F. , Martínez‐Naves E.
Published: March 2004

The mouse CD1 system is formed by two closely related genes named Cd1d1 and Cd1d2. Cd1d1 encodes a molecule that presents antigens to NKT cells. The function of the Cd1d2 gene has not been elucidated. Here we described a method to analyse variations in mouse Cd1 genes. We found a new allele for Cd1d2 characterized by a point mutation, resulting in a replacement of alanine at position 176 by a valine.
High birth weight is associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DRB1*13 in full‐term infants
Authors: Aroviita P. , Partanen J. , Sistonen P. , Teramo K. , Kekomäki R.
Published: March 2004

In cord blood banking, substantial amounts of data on infants and cord blood are gathered at high cost, including birth weights and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes. As certain HLA alleles have been associated with protective host responses, it is possible that an HLA allele, or another factor linked to it, might even affect normal intrauterine growth. We explored cord blood bank data (n = 1381 infants) to elucidate whether there is an association between birth weight and HLA class II (DRB1) alleles. HLA DRB1 data were available from 1263 infants. We observed an association between birth weight and HLA DRB1*13, which was over‐represented among full‐term infants with the highest birth weights. The association remained when the birth weight was corrected for varying gestational age (relative birth weight) according to gender (P = 0.015). After correction of the P‐value for multiple comparisons, the association was not statistically significant. However, when the birth weights of all infants were analysed for the effect of DRB1*13, infants positive for HLA DRB1*13 (n = 319) were found to have higher birth weights than infants negative for this allele (n = 944; median 3690 g vs. 3650 g, respectively; P = 0.044). Although the difference in median birth weight was only 40 g, it may be considered significant because it appeared after segregation of the infants into two groups according to the single HLA class II allele group earlier associated with protection against, for example, childhood type 1 diabetes and certain infectious diseases. The present finding may thus suggest identification of a new factor affecting normal intrauterine growth.
Cloning of rat lymphocyte activation gene‐3 (Lag3; CD223) cDNA and its mRNA expression in rat tissues*
Authors: Chun T. , Cho H.‐S. , Chung Y.‐H.
Published: March 2004

Rat lymphocyte activation gene‐3 (Lag3; CD223) cDNA contains an open reading frame (1575 bp) encoding 525 amino acids. Rat Lag3 mRNA transcript was detected as a single species of approximately 2 kb from phytohemagglutinin (PHA)‐stimulated lymphocytes. Further analysis revealed that rat Lag3 mRNA was mainly expressed in lymphoid tissues.
Genotyping BoLA‐DRB3 alleles in Brazilian Dairy Gir cattle (Bos indicus) by temperature‐gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) and direct sequencing
Authors: Da Mota A. F. , Martinez M. L. , Coutinho L. L.
Published: March 2004

BoLA‐DRB3 is a gene of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in cattle. The product of the BoLA‐DRB3 gene is a beta chain of an MHC class II molecule, a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of antigen‐presenting cells (APCs). Responses of CD4+ T lymphocytes to peptides are dependent on the presentation of peptide ligands bound to class II molecules on APCs. Genotyping of the BoLA‐DRB3 gene is relatively complex due to the extensive polymorphism of this locus. Current techniques for assignment of genotypes are polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP), direct sequencing of PCR products, cloning‐sequencing, polymerase chain reaction using sequence‐specific oligonucleotide probes (PCR‐SSOP), and denaturant‐gradient gel electrophoresis. These techniques are time‐consuming, do not discriminate all possible alleles, or are not readily reproducible. The objective of this study was to genotype BoLA‐DRB3 using temperature‐gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) to separate alleles before sequencing. PCRs using 28 DNA samples from Gir Dairy cattle (a Brazilian breed of Bos indicus) were submitted to TGGE. New PCR products were generated from separated alleles, purified, and sequenced. Allele separation was possible in 21 out of 26 heterozygote samples (81%). Results indicate that two sequence reads (forward and reverse) were sufficient for accurate genotyping of BoLA‐DRB3 alleles. Separation of alleles by TGGE provides high‐throughput, reliable typing of BoLA‐DRB3, which is critical in disease association studies in cattle.
Allele‐specific binding to the −308 single nucleotide polymorphism site in the tumour necrosis factor‐alpha promoter
Authors: Baseggio L. , Bartholin L. , Chantome A. , Charlot C. , Rimokh R. , Salles G.
Published: March 2004

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) promoter region may modulate TNF‐α gene transcriptional activity by modifying the binding of transcription factors. Here we confirm that a specific DNA complex binds preferentially the variant TNF2 allele in various cell types and demonstrate that activating protein (AP)‐2, myeloid zinc finger gene 1 (MZF‐1) and Sp1 are not involved in this complex.
Transforming growth factor‐β1 genotype in sporadic breast cancer patients from India: status of enhancer, promoter, 5′‐untranslated‐region and exon‐1 polymorphisms
Authors: Saha A. , Gupta V. , Bairwa N. K. , Malhotra D. , Bamezai R.
Published: March 2004

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) is an example for a large and still‐growing family of growth factors. TGF‐β1 is known to act both as a tumour suppressor and as a stimulator of tumour progression. This study examines the relationship amongst putative enhancer, promoter, 5′‐untranslated‐region (UTR) and exon‐1 polymorphisms of the TGF‐β1 gene (region I from −1881 to −1613; region II from −1410 to −1123, and region III from −55 to +176, as per human genome organisation (HUGO) nomenclature) in 26 breast cancer patients and 97 healthy control subjects. The germline and somatic status of the four known polymorphisms was ascertained, and a significant difference was observed for the germline C/T and T/T genotype distribution between patients and controls in comparison to C/C genotypes at position −1349 (χ2 = 6.193; P = 0.009). In addition to the somatic variations observed for some of the regions studied, in 10/26 (38%) sporadic breast cancer cases, a novel somatic mutation in codon 47 of exon 1 (GenBank accession number AY059373) was also detected in tumour samples. The risk of cancer was found to be significant (OR = 4.525) for the −1349 C/T and T/T genotype background, suggesting that this genetic background may act as a risk factor for sporadic breast cancer.
Variation of HLA class II genes in the Nganasan and Ket, two aboriginal Siberian populations
Authors: Uinuk‐ool T. S. , Takezaki N. , Derbeneva O. A. , Volodko N. V. , Sukernik R. I.
Published: March 2004

Allelic frequencies at the three most polymorphic loci of the HLA class II region (DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1) were determined in the Nganasan and Ket, the remnants of the two most ancient groups in the Lower Yenisey River/Taimyr Peninsula region in northern Siberia. By single‐stranded conformational polymorphism typing, verified by sequencing, 19 HLA‐DRB1‐DQA1‐DQB1 haplotypes and 15 HLA‐DRB1, seven DQA1 and 11 DQB1 alleles were found. The most frequent alleles were DRB1*1301 (23.5%), DQA1*0103 (29.4%), *0501/03/05 (29.4%), and DQB1*0301/09 (32.4%) in the Ket, and DRB1*0901 (25%), DQA1*0301 (39.6%), and DQB1*0301/09 (37.5%) in the Nganasan. The distribution patterns and comprehensive phylogenic analysis based on the haplotype frequencies of 17 Siberian populations suggest that the founders of both the Ket and the Nganasan came from Palaeolithic populations in the Altai‐Sayan Upland.
Analysis of the CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) Δ32 polymorphism in Behçet's disease
Authors: Yang X. , Ahmad T. , Gogus F. , Wallace G. R. , Madanat W. , Kanawati C. A. , Stanford M. R. , Fortune F. , Jewell D. P. , Marshall S. E.
Published: March 2004

Chemokines are important determinants of the early inflammatory response. The CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) Δ32 variant results in a non‐functional form of the chemokine receptor, and has been implicated in a variety of immune‐mediated diseases. To investigate its role in the pathogenesis of Behçet's disease, we studied 350 patients and 519 healthy controls from three ethnic groups. While significant inter‐ethnic variation in allele frequency was observed, no association was identified with disease, even when data were stratified by the known susceptibility gene HLA‐B*51.
A review of sacral nerve stimulation for the treatment of faecal incontinence
Authors: Kenefick N. J. , Christiansen J.
Published: March 2004

Sacral nerve stimulation is an emerging surgical technique that uses chronic low‐level electrical stimulation, applied to the nerves of the sacral plexus, to produce a clinically beneficial physiological effect on the lower bowel, pelvic floor and anal canal. Faecal incontinence is common, maximal conservative therapy may improve some patients but many require surgery. Results are variable and often unsatisfactory and further options are limited, the traditional end‐point being the formation of a colostomy. Sacral nerve stimulation appears to be an alternative treatment that is successful, has low morbidity, is maintained in the medium term and associated with an improved quality of life. The technique has the advantage of a minimally invasive test procedure with high predictive value and the surgery is minor. The underlying mechanism of action although predominately neurological in nature remains to be determined. Precise patient selection is currently unclear however, results are superior to other techniques.
The effects of high field strength MRI on electrodes and pulse generator in dynamic graciloplasty
Authors: Rongen M.‐J. G. M. , Beets‐Tan R. G. H. , Backes W. H. , Baeten C. G. M. I.
Published: March 2004

Objective  Dynamic graciloplasty is a treatment for intractable faecal incontinence. A gracilis muscle is transposed around the anus and stimulated with an implanted pulse generator (IPG). This in vitro study was designed to determine the safety of MRI in patients with implanted electrodes and pulse generators for dynamic graciloplasty.

Methods  Temperatures were measured with fiberoptic probes around the devices in a cadaver model. Current was measured with an oscilloscope connected to electrodes and IPG. Movement and IPG parameter setting were observed before, during and after testing.

Results  Minor temperature increase under 1°C were observed around the electrodes. Amplitudes measured were within the range of –1 and +1 Volt. No movement or changing of IPG parameters was noted.

Conclusion  Changes noted are well within physiological ranges. Dynamic graciloplasty is not a contraindication for high field strength MRI.
Anal function following third degree tears
Authors: Mackenzie N. , Parry L. , Tasker M. , Gowland M. R. , Michie H. R. , Hobbiss J. H.
Published: March 2004

Objective  To assess the anal function of women who have suffered a third degree perineal tear during parturition.

Patients  Fifty‐three consecutive women who sustained a third degree tear, between January 1998 and March 2000, at the Princess Anne Maternity Unit, Royal Bolton Hospital were assessed.

Methods  Women were assessed at 3 months post partum using the Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Score, digital assessment of anal sphincter and endo‐anal ultrasound scan.

Results  At 3 months post partum 75% of the participants had no symptoms of anal incontinence, 18% had mild symptoms and 7% had more severe symptoms. Anal endosonography demonstrated normal anal sphincters in 66% of participants, an abnormality in the external sphincter in 29% and a defect in both sphincters in 2%. There was poor correlation between symptoms and scan defects.

Conclusion  The incidence of anal incontinence following repair of a third degree tear was not high and it is unlikely that we are missing a hidden pool of symptomatic women. No major change in management policy is required. The routine assessment of anal function in women who had sustained a third degree tear was appreciated by the women and enabled us to identify the small portion of women with significant symptoms.