bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treponema putidum sp. nov., a medium-sized proteolytic spirochaete isolated from lesions of human periodontitis and acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
Authors: Wyss C. , Moter A. , Choi B.-K. , Dewhirst F. E. , Xue Yi , Schüpbach P. , Göbel U. B. , Paster B. J. , Guggenheim B.
Published: August 2004

So far, little phenotypic heterogeneity has been detected in cultured oral treponemes with trypsin-like proteolytic activity, and all have been assigned to the speciesTreponema denticola. However, comparisons of protein patterns and antigen expression in our collection of proteolytic oral treponemes occasionally identified isolates with a unique phenotype; e.g. strain OMZ 830 (=ATCC 700768), which qualified as a ‘pathogen-related oral spirochaete’ due to the presence of a ∼37 kDa protein reactive with theTreponema pallidumFlaA-specific mAb H9-2. In addition to such single isolates, a homogeneous group of seven independent strains is described that were highly motile, medium-sized, proteolytic but asaccharolytic spirochaetes and were cultured from human gingivitis, periodontitis and acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis in medium OMIZ-Pat supplemented with 1 % human serum and antibiotics. Growth of these spirochaetes in OMIZ-Pat was not dependent on, but was stimulated by, human or bovine serum. Carbohydrates were neither required nor stimulatory for growth. The protein and antigen patterns of total cell extracts of these organisms separated by SDS-PAGE were distinct from those of all previously cultured spirochaetes, with highest similarity toT. denticola. The novel spirochaete has a 2 : 4 : 2 arrangement of the periplasmic flagella, similar toT. denticola. However, the flagellin pattern as detected by immunostaining or glycan staining of Western blots readily distinguished the novel group fromT. denticola. Also, distinct from reference strains ofT. denticola, none of the novel isolates displayed sialidase or dentilisin activities, both of which are expressed by most strains ofT. denticola. Trypsin-like activity and other enzymes as detected by API ZYM test were similar to those ofT. denticola. The status of a novel species is supported by the 16S rRNA gene sequence, with 98·5 % similarity to its closest cultured relative,T. denticola. The nameTreponema putidumsp. nov. is proposed (type strain OMZ 758T=ATCC 700334T=CIP 108088T).
‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pyri’ and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’, the causal agents of apple proliferation, pear decline and European stone fruit yellows, respectively
Authors: Seemüller Erich , Schneider Bernd
Published: August 2004

Apple proliferation (AP), pear decline (PD) and European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) are among the most economically important plant diseases that are caused by phytoplasmas. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the 16S rDNA sequences of strains of each of these pathogens were identical or nearly identical. Differences between the three phytoplasmas ranged from 1·0 to 1·5 % of nucleotide positions and were thus below the recommended threshold of 2·5 % for assigning species rank to phytoplasmas under the provisional status ‘Candidatus’. However, supporting data for distinguishing the AP, PD and ESFY agents at the species level were obtained by examining other molecular markers, including the 16S–23S rDNA spacer region, protein-encoding genes and randomly cloned DNA fragments. The three phytoplasmas also differed in serological comparisons and showed clear differences in vector transmission and host-range specificity. From these results, it can be concluded that the AP, PD and ESFY phytoplasmas are coherent but discrete taxa that can be distinguished at the putative species level, for which the names ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pyri’ and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’, respectively, are proposed. Strains AP15R, PD1R and ESFY-G1R were selected as reference strains. Examination of available data on the peach yellow leaf roll (PYLR) phytoplasma, which clusters with the AP, PD and ESFY agents, confirmed previous results showing that it is related most closely to the PD pathogen. The two phytoplasmas share 99·6 % 16S rDNA sequence similarity. Significant differences were only observed in the sequence of a gene that encodes an immunodominant membrane protein. Until more information on this phytoplasma is available, it is proposed that the PYLR phytoplasma should be regarded as a subtype of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pyri’.
Clover proliferation phytoplasma: ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’
Authors: Hiruki Chuji , Wang Keri
Published: August 2004

Clover proliferation phytoplasma (CPR) is designated as the reference strain for the CP phylogenetic group or subclade, on the basis of molecular analyses of genomic DNA, the 16S rRNA gene and the 16S–23S spacer region. Other strains related to CPR include alfalfa witches'-broom (AWB), brinjal little leaf (BLL), beet leafhopper-transmitted virescence (BLTV), Illinois elm yellows (ILEY), potato witches'-broom (PWB), potato yellows (PY), tomato big bud in California (TBBc) and phytoplasmas from Fragaria multicipita (FM). Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of BLL, CPR, FM and ILEY, together with sequences from 16 other phytoplasmas that belong to the ash yellows (AshY), jujube witches'-broom (JWB) and elm yellows (EY) groups that were available in GenBank, produced a tree on which these phytoplasmas clearly clustered as a discrete group. Three subgroups have been classified on the basis of sequence homology and the collective RFLP patterns of amplified 16S rRNA genes. AWB, BLTV, PWB and TBBc are assigned to taxonomic subgroup CP-A, FM belongs to subgroup CP-B and BLL and ILEY are assigned to subgroup CP-C. Genetic heterogeneity between different isolates of AWB, CPR and PWB has been observed from heteroduplex mobility assay analysis of amplified 16S rRNA genes and the 16S–23S spacer region. Two unique signature sequences that can be utilized to distinguish the CP group from others were present. On the basis of unique properties of the DNA from clover proliferation phytoplasma, the name ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’ is proposed for the CP group.
Arenibacter certesii sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium isolated from the green alga Ulva fenestrata
Authors: Nedashkovskaya Olga I. , Kim Seung Bum , Han Suk Kyun , Lysenko Anatoly M. , Mikhailov Valery V. , Bae Kyung Sook
Published: August 2004

The taxonomic position of a novel, marine, heterotrophic, aerobic, pigmented, non-motile bacterium that was isolated from a green alga, Ulva fenestrata, inhabiting the Sea of Japan, was determined. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the strain, KMM 3941T, is a member of the genus Arenibacter. The results of DNA–DNA hybridization experiments, supported by phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, showed that the isolate represents a novel species of the genus Arenibacter, for which the name Arenibacter certesii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KMM 3941T (=KCTC 12113T=CCUG 48006T).
Veillonella montpellierensis sp. nov., a novel, anaerobic, Gram-negative coccus isolated from human clinical samples
Authors: Jumas-Bilak Estelle , Carlier Jean-Philippe , Jean-Pierre Hélène , Teyssier Corinne , Gay Bernard , Campos Josiane , Marchandin Hélène
Published: August 2004

Three strains of a hitherto unknown, Gram-negative, anaerobic coccus were isolated from human samples. At the phenotypic level, the isolates displayed all the characteristics of bacteria belonging to the genusVeillonella. Sequence analysis revealed that the three strains shared >99·5 % similarity in 16S rDNA sequence and >98·4 % similarity indnaKsequence. The three unknown strains formed a separate subclade that was clearly remote fromVeillonellaspecies of human and animal origin. Based on these results, the three strains were considered to represent a novel species within the genusVeillonella, for which the nameVeillonella montpellierensisis proposed. The type strain of the species is ADV 281.99T(=CIP 107992T=CCUG 48299T).
Robiginitalea biformata gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium in the family Flavobacteriaceae with a higher G+C content
Authors: Cho Jang-Cheon , Giovannoni Stephen J.
Published: August 2004

Two Gram-negative, chemoheterotrophic, non-motile, rust-coloured, marine strains were isolated from the western Sargasso Sea by high-throughput culturing. Characterization of the two strains by polyphasic approaches indicated that they are members of the same species. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences using three treeing algorithms revealed that the strains formed a coherent and novel genus-level lineage within the familyFlavobacteriaceae. The dominant fatty acids were branched or hydroxy acids, i15 : 0, i15 : 1 and 3-OH i17 : 0 being the most abundant. The higher DNA G+C content of the strains (55–56 mol%) clearly differentiated them from other genera of the familyFlavobacteriaceae(27–44 mol%). It is proposed, from the polyphasic evidence, that the strains be placed into a novel genus and a novel species namedRobiginitalea biformatagen. nov., sp. nov., with strain HTCC2501T(=ATCC BAA-864T=KCTC 12146T) as the type strain.
Nocardioides ganghwensis sp. nov., isolated from tidal flat sediment
Authors: Yi Hana , Chun Jongsik
Published: August 2004

A strictly aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped actinomycete strain, named JC2055T, was isolated from a sediment sample of getbol, the tidal flat of Korea. 16S rDNA analysis revealed that the getbol isolate belonged to the genus Nocardioides with the highest sequence similarity to Nocardioides aquiterrae GW-9T (95·5 %). The major menaquinone was MK-8(H4) and the predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-16 : 0 and 17 : 1ω8c. Tuberculostearic acid was absent. The G+C content of DNA was 72 mol%. Based on the morphological, physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomical data presented in this study, strain JC2055T can be readily differentiated from other validly named Nocardioides species. The name Nocardioides ganghwensis sp. nov. is proposed for the isolate. The type strain is JC2055T (=IMSNU 14028T=KCTC 9920T=JCM 12124T).
Myceligenerans xiligouense gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel hyphae-forming member of the family Promicromonosporaceae
Authors: Cui Xiaolong , Schumann Peter , Stackebrandt Erko , Kroppenstedt Reiner M. , Pukall Rüdiger , Xu Lihua , Rohde Manfred , Jiang Chenglin
Published: August 2004

Strain XLG9A10.2Twas isolated from an alkaline salt marsh soil in western China. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain XLG9A10.2Tconstitutes a distinct lineage within the familyPromicromonosporaceae, sharing 94·8–95·1 % gene similarity with members of the genusPromicromonosporaand 94·4–95·7 % similarity with those ofXylanimonasand related genera. The general colony and cell morphology of strain XLG9A10.2Tis similar to that of members ofPromicromonospora, but differs from members of the genusXylanimonasin forming a well-developed branching mycelium and production of coccoid spores. Strain XLG9A10.2Tshows the peptidoglycan type A4α(l-lys←l-thr←d-Glu), contains glucose, mannose and galactose as whole cell sugars and has MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H6) as major menaquinones, while phospholipids are phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, three unidentified phospholipids and one unidentified glycolipid. The DNA base composition is 71·9 mol% G+C. On the basis of morphological, chemotaxonomic, metabolic and phylogenetic differences from other species ofPromicromonosporaceae, a new genus and species,Myceligenerans xiligouensegen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is XLG9A10.2T(=DSM 15700T=CGMCC 1.3458T.)
Stenotrophomonas africana Drancourt et al. 1997 is a later synonym of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (Hugh 1981) Palleroni and Bradbury 1993
Authors: Coenye Tom , Vanlaere Elke , Falsen Enevold , Vandamme Peter
Published: August 2004

Type and reference strains ofStenotrophomonas maltophiliaandStenotrophomonas africanawere compared with each other and with the type strains of otherStenotrophomonasspecies, using SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins, DNA–DNA hybridization and extensive biochemical characterization.S. maltophiliaLMG 958TandS. africanaLMG 22072Thad very similar whole-cell-protein patterns and were also biochemically very similar. A DNA–DNA binding level of 70 % between both type strains confirmed thatS. africanaandS. maltophiliarepresent the same taxon. It is concluded thatS. africanais a later synonym ofS. maltophilia.
Halomonas anticariensis sp. nov., from Fuente de Piedra, a saline-wetland wildfowl reserve in Málaga, southern Spain
Authors: Martínez-Cánovas M. José , Béjar Victoria , Martínez-Checa Fernando , Quesada Emilia
Published: August 2004

ThreeHalomonasstrains, FP34, FP35Tand FP36, which were isolated from soil samples taken from Fuente de Piedra, a saline wetland in the province of Málaga in southern Spain, are described. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences show that the three isolates belong to the genusHalomonasin theγ-Proteobacteriaand form an independent genetic line. Phenotypically, they share the characteristics ofHalomonasand differ from the most closely related species,Halomonas campisalis, in the following features: they are strictly aerobic and, because of their production of exopolysaccharides, form cream-coloured, mucoid colonies; they produce phosphatase and grow within narrow pH and temperature ranges; and they are susceptible to kanamycin and streptomycin. Their G+C content varies between 60·0 and 61·4 mol%. The nameHalomonas anticariensissp. nov. is proposed for these isolates. Strain FP35T(=LMG 22089T=CECT 5854T) is the type strain. The bacterium grows best in 7·5 % (w/v) NaCl and does not require magnesium or potassium salts for growth, although they do stimulate growth somewhat when present. Its major fatty acids are 18 : 1ω7c, 16 : 0, 16 : 1ω7c, 15 : 0 iso 2-OH, 12 : 0 3-OH, 12 : 0, 10 : 0 and 19 : 0 cycloω8c. Its predominant respiratory lipoquinone is ubiquinone with nine isoprene units (Q-9).
A Large Imprinted microRNA Gene Cluster at the Mouse Dlk1-Gtl2 Domain
Authors: Seitz Hervé , Royo Hélène , Bortolin Marie-Line , Lin Shau-Ping , Ferguson-Smith Anne C. , Cavaillé Jérôme
Published: August 2004

microRNAs (or miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs (21 to 25 nucleotides) that are processed from longer hairpin RNA precursors and are believed to be involved in a wide range of developmental and cellular processes, by either repressing translation or triggering mRNA degradation (RNA interference). By using a computer-assisted approach, we have identified 46 potential miRNA genes located in the human imprinted 14q32 domain, 40 of which are organized as a large cluster. Although some of these clustered miRNA genes appear to be encoded by a single-copy DNA sequence, most of them are arranged in tandem arrays of closely related sequences. In the mouse, this miRNA gene cluster is conserved at the homologous distal 12 region. In vivo all the miRNAs that we have detected are expressed in the developing embryo (both in the head and in the trunk) and in the placenta, whereas in the adult their expression is mainly restricted to the brain. We also show that the miRNA genes are only expressed from the maternally inherited chromosome and that their imprinted expression is regulated by an intergenic germline-derived differentially methylated region (IG-DMR) located ∼200 kb upstream from the miRNA cluster. The functions of these miRNAs, which seem only conserved in mammals, are discussed both in terms of epigenetic control and gene regulation during development.
Role of Excess Inorganic Pyrophosphate in Primer-Extension Genotyping Assays
Authors: Xiao Ming , Phong Angie , Lum Kristen L. , Greene Richard A. , Buzby Philip R. , Kwok Pui-Yan
Published: August 2004

We have developed and genotyped >15,000 SNP assays by using a primer extension genotyping assay with fluorescence polarization (FP) detection. Although the 80% success rate of this assay is similar to those of other SNP genotyping assays, we wanted to determine the reasons for the failures and find ways to improve the assay. We observed that the failed assays fell into three general patterns: PCR failure, excess of heterozygous genotypes, and loss of FP signal for one of the dye labels. After analyzing several hundred failed assays, we concluded that 5% of the assays had PCR failure and had to be redesigned. We also discovered that the other two categories of failures were due to misincorporation of one of the dye-terminators during the primer extension reaction as a result of primer shortening with a reverse reaction involving inorganic pyrophosphate, and to the quenching of R110-terminator after its incorporation onto the SNP primer. The relatively slow incorporation of R110 acycloterminators by AcycloPol compounds the problem with the R110 label. In this report, we describe the source of the problems and simple ways to correct these problems by adding pyrophosphatase, using quenching as part of the analysis, and replacing R110 by Texas red as one of the dye labels. With this new protocol, we have achieved ∼95% success rate in assay development without the need for optimization.
A profile of Turkish tourism
Authors: Demir Cengiz
Published: August 2004

Tourism has been playing an important role in the Turkish economy since 1980. The year 1983 was the turning point for Turkish tourism in the national and international tourism market. Since 1980, the share of tourism receipts in relation to Turkey's gross national product and export has been increasing. In this viewpoint, the place of tourism in the Turkish economy is examined. Results show that Turkish tourism has been developing steadily.
A three‐part plan for upgrading your marketing department for new challenges
Authors: Kotler Philip
Published: August 2004

Advice to senior management on how to ready the marketing department to be a key driver of business strategy and growth. The author is the best‐known marketing expert in the US. He knows the field intimately. His hypothesis: there are three often‐overlooked key problems. The marketing department lacks effective organization. The marketing staff lacks the knowledge, tools and capabilities to make maximum use of technology. There is constant friction between marketing and other departments in the company. A company needs to learn the symptoms of these marketing department problems and prepare to take decisive action. To address these problems, a three‐step action plan is proposed.
Rapid prototyping with ceramic‐filled epoxy resin by optoforming
Authors: Augsburg Martin , Storch Sebastian , Nissen Florian , Witt Gerd
Published: August 2004

Optoforming is meant to be a potential substitution for the established Stereolithography (SLA) process. Its potential is that different ceramic‐filled photo‐curable epoxy‐resins can theoretically be used to manufacture highly loadable parts and tools. The stiffness as well as the thermal and chemical resistance of the material used (an epoxy resin named Tooling B) are higher than those of established SLA‐materials, such as SOMOS 7120. Automotive applications, in fields where the parts are directly used parts, such as lighting housings for prototype purposes, as well as tools for the veneering process in small batch production, were successfully tested. In order to enable precise and cost‐effective fabrication, optoforming has to be developed further in the field of secondary processes, such as inline‐filtration of the material and its feeding, as well as the machine software. Currently, another competitor offers a more mature process based on upgraded SLA machines, which use a ceramic‐filled epoxy‐resin also.
Investigating critical design characteristics through experimental testing of photopolymeric models
Authors: Karalekas D.
Published: August 2004

Engineering design optimisation of products and investigating the influence of various critical design parameters on their operational performance has been a complex task. Despite the recent development of sophisticated computer hardware and software tools, increasing the use of computer‐based simulation methods and virtual prototypes, the product development process could be sharply aided by the implementation of rapidly available physical models of the products' conceptual designs. Such rapid prototyping models could be used for experimental evaluation and validation purposes, where critical aspects of the product can be investigated, tested and refined. The objective of this study was to investigate the prospect, and demonstrate the ability, of obtaining engineering data through experimental testing of stereolithography built models. This paper reports on the experimental data obtained from the two application examples studied: a consumer food metal container and an engine intake port component.
Digital modelling and stereolithographic production of a Homo Erectus skull
Authors: Pérès François , Taha Farid , de Lumley Marie‐Antoinette , Cabanis Emmanuel
Published: August 2004

The National Museum of Natural History has been carrying out, over the last several years, a study of hominid fossil skulls, which have been discovered in different regions of the world. The aim of the palaeo‐anthropological study of these skulls is to reconstruct the genealogic tree of the evolution of man and to understand better, the diversity of the homo Erectus species on the different continents. Currently, digital techniques and those of rapid prototyping offer a solution to these problems by allowing the virtual or physical reconstitution of the skulls for scientific study. This paper presents this new perspective for the world of palaeontology.
Critical issues in research on real‐time knowledge management in enterprises
Authors: El Sawy Omar A. , Majchrzak Ann
Published: August 2004

This paper aims to identify and articulate critical research issues in the emerging area of real‐time knowledge management (RT‐KM) in enterprises, in order to stimulate other researchers to further pursue them. The paper creates a framework around which it identifies and examines research issues and challenges that become salient and critical when knowledge sharing and creation need to happen in near real‐time. The framework is based on two drivers: increasing the requirements to plan for quickening the action‐learning loop in the enterprise, and increasing requirements in planning for emergence. The action‐learning loop is further articulated through the “observe, orient, decide, and act” (OODA) framework that is suited to sense‐and‐respond environments. Through the framework six sets of critical research challenges are identified around RT‐KM in enterprises: challenges around managing the quality of information in RT‐KM, challenges around improving the selective and intensive aspects of managerial attention in RT‐KM, challenges around making core business processes better suited to RT‐KM, challenges around integrating multiple distributed perspectives unpredictably in RT‐KM, challenges around developing heuristics in a way that allow real‐time emergence, and challenges around effectively capturing actions and learning for later reuse in RT‐KM. The issues and challenges identified are suggestive rather than exhaustive. Based on observations from real field case studies in industry, and driven by an industry need for better RT‐KM. This paper brings together the concepts of vigilant information systems, OODA loops, and emergence and applies them through a framework to identify research issues and challenges in this new emerging area of RT‐KM.
Knowledge and performance in action
Authors: Schack Thomas
Published: August 2004

This article addresses the functional links between knowledge and performance in human activity. Starting with the evolutionary roots of knowledge and activity, it shows how the combination of adaptive behavior and knowledge storage has formed over various stages of evolution. The cognitive architecture of human actions is discussed against this background, and it is shown how knowledge is integrated into action control. Then, methodological issues in the study of action knowledge are considered, and an experimental method is presented that can be used to assess the structure of action knowledge in long‐term memory. This method is applied in studies on the relation between object knowledge and performance in mechanics and between movement knowledge and performance in high‐performance sportswomen. These studies show how experts’ knowledge systems can be assessed, and how this may contribute to the optimization of human performance. In high‐level experts, these representational frameworks were organized in a highly hierarchical tree‐like structure, were remarkably similar between individuals, and matched well the functional demands of the task. In comparison, the action representations in low‐level performers were organized less hierarchically, were more variable between persons, and were not so well in accordance with functional demands. These results support the hypothesis that voluntary actions are planned, executed, and stored in memory directly by way of representations of their anticipated perceptual effects. The method offers new possibilities to investigate knowledge structures. Based on such results it is possible to improve performance via special training‐techniques. This paper fulfils an identified research need concerning the interaction of knowledge and performance and offers new perspectives for future forms of knowledge management.
Simulation of specimen‐induced aberrations for objects with spherical and cylindrical symmetry
Authors: SCHWERTNER M. , BOOTH M. J. , WILSON T.
Published: August 2004

Wavefront aberrations caused by the refractive index structure of the specimen are known to compromise signal intensity and three‐dimensional resolution in confocal and multiphoton microscopy. However, adaptive optics can measure and correct specimen‐induced aberrations. For the design of an adaptive optics system, information on the type and amount of the aberration is required. We have previously described an interferometric set‐up capable of measuring specimen‐induced aberrations and a method for the extraction of the Zernike mode content. In this paper we have modelled specimen‐induced aberrations caused by spherical and cylindrical objects using a ray tracing method. The Zernike mode content of the wavefronts was then extracted from the simulated wavefronts and compared with experimental results. Aberrations for a simple model of an oocyte cell consisting of two spherical regions and for a model of a well‐characterized optical fibre are calculated. This simple model gave Zernike mode data that are in good agreement with experimental results.
Microscopy and microanalysis of crystalline glazes
Authors: KNOWLES K. M. , FREEMAN F. S. H. B.
Published: August 2004

Crystalline glazes on ceramic plates produced commercially in the U.K. and on ceramic pots produced commercially in Taiwan and Spain have been examined by X‐ray diffraction, conventional and polarized light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in order to identify the crystalline phases present in the glazes and to ascertain through X‐ray microanalysis the partitioning behaviour of the transition metal ions used to colour the glazes and the crystals within them. In each case examined, the macroscopic two‐dimensional spherulites within the glazes clearly seen by the naked eye were found to consist of large numbers of radially orientated acicular crystals each 5 µm or less in width embedded within the silica‐rich glaze. Energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis and X‐ray diffraction of these crystals identified these crystals as willemite, α‐Zn2SiO4. The strong [001] texture of these crystals within the glaze evident from the X‐ray diffraction patterns was consistent with polarized light microscopy observations of the willemite crystals. In addition to willemite, small iron‐doped gahnite (ZnAl2O4) crystals were found in a honey‐coloured crystalline glaze and acicular rutile (TiO2) crystals were found in the Portmeirion Pottery plates examined. Transition metal ions with a preference for tetrahedral coordination were observed to substitute for Zn2+ ions in willemite and to partition preferentially to the willemite crystals, whereas ions preferring octahedral coordination preferred to remain in the glaze.
Conformational dynamics of single molecules visualized in real time by scanning force microscopy: macromolecular mobility on a substrate surface in different vapours
Authors: GALLYAMOV M. O. , TARTSCH B. , KHOKHLOV A. R. , SHEIKO S. S. , BÖRNER H. G. , MATYJASZEWSKI K. , MÖLLER M.
Published: August 2004

We describe a technique to visualize and effect in real time motion and conformational transitions of single macromolecules. Two steps are involved. First, scanning force microscopy (SFM) was applied to detect in situ conformational transitions of single polymer molecules adsorbed on a substrate surface. Secondly, these changes were induced by controlled variations of environmental conditions in a microscope environmental chamber. In particular, we have revealed that exposure of a substrate with adsorbed macromolecules to vapours of different nature was able to increase molecular mobility and to stimulate conformational transitions of the polymer chains on the surface. Realization of SFM observation in a variable vapour environment was not as difficult as in liquid media. Variations of the vapour composition affected the oscillation dynamics of the cantilever with the scanning probe only to a small extent, and did not impede continuation of the scanning procedure. In fact, the characteristic times of the observed conformational changes were large enough (minutes to dozens of minutes) for sampling images repeatedly. Although recording of an SFM image was slow and required several minutes, we were able to visualize step‐by‐step the successive stages of the slow conformational transformation of the macromolecules adhering to the substrate, i.e. to investigate a molecular response to the environment changes in real time. Here, we studied the reversible collapse–decollapse transitions of cylindrical poly(methacrylate)‐graft‐poly(n‐butyl acrylate) brush‐like macromolecules exposed to different vapours. Single macromolecules on mica tended to assume a compacted globular conformation when exposed to the vapour of compounds, which due to their amphiphilic nature adsorb on mica and lower the surface energy of the substrate (e.g. alcohols). By contrast, the macromolecules adopted extended two‐dimensional worm‐like conformations in the vapours of compounds having high values of surface tension (such as water). In our opinion, the reason for the observed tendency was a competition in spreading on the substrate surface between the macromolecules and the co‐adsorbed vapour molecules. If the brush‐like macromolecules succeeded in the spreading, they acquired an extended conformation. Otherwise they collapsed to globuli in order to reduce the surface area per macromolecule. Thus, the enhanced mobility of synthetic macromolecules on a substrate observed in a vapour environment in combination with the possibility to manipulate the macromolecular conformation via changes in a vapour phase and the ability to visualize the transitions of the macromolecules individually, provides challenging prospects for SFM studies on the dynamics of single molecules under applied external stimuli.
Young People and Political Involvement in Northern Ireland
Authors: Whyte Jean , Schermbrucker Ian
Published: August 2004

This article reports some of the findings from the Pathways study which traced influences on the developmental pathways of adolescents and young adults in Belfast (Northern Ireland) and in Dublin (Republic of Ireland). Sample size was 130 aged 27 (66 male, 74 female) and 311 aged 17 (142 male, 169 female) most of whom had participated in earlier waves of the project at age 12. The study explored relationships between the participants' actual or intended involvement in politics and other factors, including family support, educational and occupational level, religious practice, and experience of the Troubles. The study concludes by looking at the relationship between these variables over time using a life‐course approach within the socio‐ecological model.
Mind, Language, and Epistemology: Toward a Language Socialization Paradigm for SLA
Authors: Watson‐Gegeo Karen Ann
Published: August 2004

For some time now second language acquisition (SLA) research has been hampered by unhelpful debates between the “cognitivist” and “sociocultural” camps that have generated more acrimony than useful theory. Recent developments in second generation cognitive science, first language acquisition studies, cognitive anthropology, and human development research, however, have opened the way for a new synthesis. This synthesis involves a reconsideration of mind, language, and epistemology, and a recognition that cognition originates in social interaction and is shaped by cultural and sociopolitical processes: These processes are central rather than incidental to cognitive development. Here I lay out the issues and argue for a language socialization paradigm for SLA that is consistent with and embracive of the new research.
Strategy Use by Nonnative English‐Speaking Students in an MBA Program: Not Business as Usual!
Authors: Parks Susan , Raymond Patricia M.
Published: August 2004

Despite the long‐standing interest in strategy use and language learning, little attention has been given to how social context may constrain or facilitate this use or the development of new strategies. Drawing on data from a longitudinal qualitative study, we discuss this issue in relation to the experiences of Chinese students from the People's Republic of China, who, following study in English for Academic Purposes courses, registered in a Masters in Business Administration program in a Canadian university. Specifically, we focus on how the contact with the native‐English‐speaking Canadian students mediated the Chinese students' strategy use in 3 domains: reading, class lectures, and team work. In contrast to the rather simplistic notion evoked in certain portrayals of the good language learner, strategy use as reported herein emerges as a complex, socially situated phenomenon, bound up with issues related to personal identity (Leki, 2001; Norton, 1997, 2000; Spack, 1997).
Identifying the Best Foreign Language Teachers: Teacher Standards and Professional Portfolios
Authors: Sullivan Joann Hammadou
Published: August 2004

This study explored the differing perspectives of principals and foreign language department chairs on one state's teaching standards and the use of professional teaching portfolios as part of the hiring process. A 17‐item questionnaire completed by 61 participants revealed that both groups strongly agreed with state teacher standards as accurate descriptors of good teaching. Both groups reported confidence that teaching portfolios are helpful tools for evaluating teacher candidates. Principals most wanted evidence of creativity and innovation, whereas chairs most wanted evidence of second language (L2) proficiency in a candidate's portfolio. Principals were significantly more interested in seeing evidence of communication with parents than were chairs. Both reported spending relatively little time reviewing candidates' portfolios, although chairs devoted significantly more time. The results were the same, regardless of whether the educators were from urban, suburban, or rural districts. The findings suggest that foreign language educators should continue efforts to provide guidance on foreign‐language‐appropriate versions of state teaching standards and on creation of foreign language teaching professional portfolios.
Analytical methods Of assessing the image quality associated with digital and photographic imaging systems
Authors: Thomson Grant H.
Published: August 2004

The introduction of digital cameras for aerial survey photography and use of scanners with processed aerial film present a number of technical questions concerning the way photography is to be acquired in the future. Among the questions to be addressed are the comparative metric properties of images acquired by each system and the associated image quality characteristics. The new digital camera systems will require very careful appraisal, using well‐established methods of assessing metric quality already available to survey organisations. The questions concerning image quality are more difficult to answer, as they require very specialised instrumentation if measurements are to be made directly in practice. Over the course of the past several decades a more analytical approach to assessing image quality has emerged, and one that may be used by individuals. The method is particularly effective where information on the micro‐image characteristics of products is made available by the manufacturers concerned. An outline is given of some considerations that need to be taken into account when using an analytical approach, with references given for further reading.
UNIONS AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN BRITISH WORKPLACES DURING THE 1990S: A PANEL ANALYSIS
Authors: Bryson Alex
Published: August 2004

This paper uses the 1990–1998 Workplace Industrial Relations Survey Panel to analyse the impact of unions on employment growth among private sector workplaces in Britain. The growth rate among unionised workplaces was roughly 3–4% per annum lower than among non‐unionised workplaces, ceteris paribus. The effect is not accounted for by the age of unionised workplaces, union concentration in declining industries, or organisational or technical change at workplace level. The effect remains once we account for the impact of unions on workplace survival. However, effects are only apparent where unions do not negotiate over employment and where unions have some degree of bargaining strength.
INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN GREAT BRITAIN AND ITS EFFECT ON TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY IN MANUFACTURING PLANTS, 1990–1998
Authors: Harris Richard , Robinson Catherine
Published: August 2004

Industrial policy in any economy has a number of varying and occasionally conflicting objectives, but the overarching intention of the various grants, subsidies and support schemes, arguably, must be to improve the economic performance of the plants they assist directly. However, in the absence of counterfactual evidence, whether or not assistance does improve performance is hard to establish. In this paper, we consider the impact of two UK government industrial support schemes (Regional Selective Assistance and the Small Firm Merit Awards for Research and Technology) on UK manufacturing plant level total factor productivity in an attempt to answer the question, ‘did assistance make a difference?’
BANKING LICENCES, BAILOUTS AND REGULATOR ABILITY
Authors: Morrison Alan D.
Published: August 2004

I analyse a model in which it is socially optimal for banks to manage depositor funds but in which concerns about fraud discourage depositing and justify regulation. The regulator screens bankers and decides the level of charter value which they will receive as incentive to prevent fraud. She can also encourage deposits by insuring them. The optimal policy depends upon the regulator's screening ability: high ability regulators rely upon charter value and low ability regulators rely upon deposit insurance. I relate these findings to the regulation of transition economy banks, to operational risk management, and to banking competition policy.
Chomsky versus Mead
Authors: Bergesen Albert J.
Published: August 2004

G. H. Mead's model of language and mind, while perhaps understandable at the time it was written, now seems inadequate. First, the research evidence strongly suggests that mental operations exist prior to language onset, conversation of gestures, or social interaction. Second, language is not just significant symbols; it requires syntax. Third, syntax seems to be part of our bioinheritance, that is, part of our presocial mind/brain—what Noam Chomsky has called our language faculty. Fourth, this means syntax probably is not learned nor a social construction that is internalized as a cultural template. Fifth, this suggests a basic reversal of the prevailing model of symbolic interaction, mind, language, and perhaps the self as well, although there has not been the time or space to engage that topic here. Therefore, symbolic interaction may turn out to be a more Chomskyan than Meadian process. Given the bioinheritance of our mind/brain we are able to engage in symbolic interaction; it does not appear that symbolic interaction creates our mind or the basic computational algorithms of language.
Past and Future Applications of Jasso's Justice Theory
Authors: Whitmeyer Joseph M.
Published: August 2004

Past applications of Jasso's theory of justice evaluation, including several applied tests, generally support the theory but raise questions future applications should address. These include whether the theory might predict as well or better if the good in question is something other than income and if it would predict third-party evaluations as well or better than first-party evaluations. Moreover, the theory could be used for more demanding applications: interventions, which would involve changing the situation in order to affect justice evaluations. The theory itself suggests three means of effecting such interventions.
Values and Evolutionary Psychology
Authors: Horne Christine
Published: August 2004

Scholars suggest that evolutionary psychology may provide a foundation for assumptions regarding human values. I explore this suggestion by developing two arguments regarding the permissiveness of norms regulating male and female sexual activity. The first relies on the standard rational choice assumption that people value resources, and the second relies on an assumption suggested by evolutionary psychology that actors value seeing their children successfully reach adulthood. These two assumptions produce contrasting predictions regarding sex norms. I describe the implications of these predictions for explaining cross-cultural variation and present evidence that supports the evolutionary psychology-based predictions in this context. I also suggest implications of the two approaches for explaining norms cross-nationally and within the United States. The article provides support for the utility of evolutionary psychology in developing assumptions about values.
Social Capital and the Human Psyche: Why is Social Life “Capital”?
Authors: Savage Joanne , Kanazawa Satoshi
Published: August 2004

In this article, we propose a revised definition of social capital, premised on the principles of evolutionary psychology. We define social capital as any feature of a social relationship that, directly or indirectly, confers reproductive benefits to a participant in that relationship. This definition grounds the construct of social capital in human nature by providing a basis for inferring the underlying motivations that humans may have in common, rather than leaving the matter of what humans use capital for unspoken. Discussions and empirical reviews are presented on the innateness of human sociability, sex differences in sociability, and psychological mechanisms that mediate sociability.
A minipig model of high‐fat/high‐sucrose diet‐induced diabetes and atherosclerosis
Authors: Xi Shoumin , Yin Weidong , Wang Zongbao , Kusunoki Masataka , Lian Xin , Koike Tomonari , Fan Jianglin , Zhang Qiuju
Published: August 2004

Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor of the development of atherosclerosis in humans. However, studies examining mechanisms underlying diabetes‐accelerated atherosclerosis have been limited by the lack of suitable humanoid animal models. Pigs have a cardiovascular system that is very similar to that of humans and is useful as a model for human physiology and pathophysiology. In this study, we established a new miniature pig model for studying dyslipidaemia and atherosclerosis in diabetes. Chinese Guizhou minipigs were fed a normal control diet or a high‐fat/high‐sucrose diet (HFSD) for 6 months. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), insulin and glucose were quantified at monthly intervals. The induction of insulin resistance and dysfunction of the pancreatic β‐cell were assessed by oral glucose tolerance test and insulin sensitivity test. The aortic fatty streak lesions were quantified following lipid staining with Sudan IV. During the feeding period, mild high plasma TC and TG were induced. At the end of 6 months, in HFSD‐fed animals, the adipocytes were hypertrophic, fat deposit in the liver was observed, loss of pancreatic β‐cells was observed, and the aortic fatty streak lesions were clearly present in the animals' aortas. Our study established that miniature pigs that were fed a HFSD without adding dietary cholesterol developed insulin resistance, mild diabetes and atherosclerotic lesions. HFSD‐fed miniature pigs may be good animal models for research on the treatment of diabetic dyslipidaemia complicated with atherosclerosis.
Does the cellular glycome influence the binding properties and signalling functions of siglecs in the immune system?
Authors: Avril Tony , Crocker Paul
Published: August 2004

Siglecs are a family of up to 11 transmembrane sialic acid‐binding immunoglobulin superfamily. They are mostly expressed on discrete cellular subsets of the immune system where they are thought to be involved in both adhesive and signalling functions. Each siglec has a distinct preference for both the type of sialic acid as well as its linkage to other sugars. As sialic acids are commonly found on glycoproteins and glycolipids at the cell surface, siglecs can potentially interact with these ligands both in cis (on the same cell) as well as in trans (between cells). Cis interactions with sialic acids can mask the sialic acid binding activity of siglecs and unmasking can occur after sialidase treatment or in some cases by cellular activation. We have focused on siglec‐7 as a paradigm for a new group of siglecs related to CD33 that includes siglecs‐5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Siglec‐7 is expressed on mature human natural killer (NK) cells and binds preferentially to glycans containing α2,8‐linked disialic acid. Similar to all CD33‐related siglecs, siglec‐7 has two tyrosine‐based motifs that are predicted to mediate inhibitory signalling functions. When expressed on NK cells, siglec‐7 is masked by cis interactions with sialic acids, but it can be unmasked following sialidase treatment. P815 target cells were transfected with GD3 synthase to induce expression of GD3, a simple ganglioside containing α2,8‐linked disialic acid. Expression of GD3 increased their resistance to cytotoxicity mediated by sialidase‐treated NK cell killing but had little effect on killing mediated by non sialidase‐treated cells. To investigate whether NK cells might express surface α2,8‐linked disialic acids that could explain the masked status of siglec‐7, we have analysed the binding of antibodies thought to bind specifically to this structure. By FACS analysis, we observed preferential binding to NK cells compared to other blood leucocytes including B cells, T cells and monocytes. Real time PCR has been used to investigate expression of all known α2,8‐specific sialyltransferases by NK cells and other blood leucocytes. Taken together, our findings indicate that NK cells express relatively high levels of α2,8‐linked disialic acids and that the binding specificity of siglec‐7 has become adapted to bind this structure, presumably to regulate NK‐cell activation.