bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Permo–Triassic Barrovian‐type metamorphism in the ultrahigh‐temperature Kontum Massif, central Vietnam: Constraints on continental collision tectonics in Southeast Asia
Authors: Nakano Nobuhiko , Osanai Yasuhito , Owada Masaaki , Hayasaka Yasutaka , Nam Tran Ngoc
Published: February 2009

The Kontum Massif in central Vietnam is composed of various metamorphic complexes including a high‐temperature southern part (Kannak and Ngoc Linh complexes) and a low‐ to medium‐temperature northern part (Kham Duc complex). The Kham Duc complex exhibits Barrovian‐type medium‐pressure metamorphism evidenced by kyanite‐ and/or staurolite‐bearing metapelites. The garnet–gedrite–kyanite gneiss, which is the focus of the present study, preserves several mineral parageneses formed during a prograde and retrograde metamorphic history: staurolite + quartz in gedrite, garnet + gedrite + kyanite in the matrix, and spinel + cordierite symplectite between gedrite and sillimanite. The calculated semiquantitative petrogenetic grid reveals peak pressure conditions of 620–650°C at 1.1–1.2 GPa and peak temperature conditions of 730–750°C at 0.7–0.8 GPa. The monazite U–Th–Pb electron microprobe ages of the garnet–gedrite–kyanite gneiss and associated gneisses yield 246 ± 3 Ma for the Kham Duc complex, which is similar to the age of the high‐ to ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphism in the adjacent Kannak and Ngoc Linh complexes of the southern Kontum Massif. The present results indicate that both the Barrovian‐type and ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphism occurred simultaneously in the Kontum Massif during an event strongly related to Permo–Triassic microcontinental collision tectonics in Asia.
Middle Permian radiolarians from Anmenkou, Chaohu, Northeastern Yangtze platform, China
Authors: Kametaka Masao , Nagai Hiromi , Zhu Sizhao , Takebe Masamichi
Published: February 2009

The biostratigraphy of the Middle Permian Gufeng Formation in the northeastern Yangtze platform is examined based on radiolarians. This study is concentrated on the Anmenkou section in the Chaohu area of Anhui Province, China. The Gufeng Formation is divided into the Phosphate Nodule‐bearing Mudstone Member (PNMM) and the Siliceous Rock Member (SRM) in ascending order. The former primarily consists of mudstone including abundant phosphate nodules, and the latter consists mainly of alternating beds of chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone, with intercalations of porous chert. Ammonoids in the mudstone of the lower PNMM are Wordian. Chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone of the SRM include abundant radiolarians with sponge spicule assemblages suggestive of the Wordian–Capitanian. Albaillellaria are predominant in the lower SRM, while Entactinaria and Spumellaria are predominant in the middle and upper SRM. These radiolarians correspond to three radiolarian assemblage zones:Pseudoalbaillella longtanensis–Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis,Follicucullus monacanthus, andFollicucullus scholasticus–Ruzhencevispongus uralicus. The assemblage of radiolarians and sponge spicule fauna suggests a depositional depth of 150–500 m. The radiolarian fauna of the Gufeng Formation is considered to be representative of the relatively shallow, tropical radiolarian fauna of the Middle Permian eastern Paleotethys.
Lower Permian glacially influenced deposits in Phuket and adjacent islands, peninsular Thailand
Authors: Ampaiwan Tianpan , Hisada Ken‐Ichiro , Charusiri Punya
Published: February 2009

It has previously been proposed that the Sibumasu block of Southeast Asia, which contains glaciomarine deposits, became detached from the Gondwana margin during the Early Permian. A combination of facies analysis and the identification of dropstones and dump structures from a Lower Permian diamictite‐bearing sequence at Phuket, Thailand, and adjacent islands suggests that the sediments originated as glaciomarine and debris‐flow deposits. The Lower Permian diamictite‐bearing sequence in the study area corresponds to the Ko Sire and Ko He Formations, both of which consist of three principal lithofacies: diamictite, sandstone, and fine‐grained facies. The low‐lying Ko Sire Formation is up to 400 m thick and is characterized by laminated mudstone; the presence of dropstones and dump structures associated with Cruziana ichnofacies indicates ice‐rafted sedimentation in a glacially influenced offshore area. The Ko Sire Formation is overlain by a diamictite sequence of the Ko He Formation (up to 400 m thick). Poorly and well‐stratified diamictites with tabular and lensoidal geometries, in combination with resedimentation textures, indicate that the diamictites within the Ko He Formation are debris‐flow deposits. The similar lithology of clasts in the diamictites and dropstones possibly suggests that the debris‐flow diamictite was presumably remobilized from pre‐existing glacial deposits. The evidence of a glacially influenced offshore environment supports a previously proposed paleogeographic interpretation in which the Sibumasu block was most likely located at the Northwest Australian margin of Gondwana.
Stress behavior from fault data sets within a transtensional zone, South Central Cordillera, Luzon, Philippines: Implications for mineral occurrences
Authors: Aurelio Mario A. , Galapon Jocelyn B. , Hizon Violet T. , Sadsad Dominic B.
Published: February 2009

The structural signature in the area between the Baguio mineral district and Ansagan, Tuba, Benguet in the South Central Cordillera, northern Luzon, Philippines, is dominated by northeast‐ to ENE‐trending faults, contained within a NNW–SSE‐trending transtensional strip. This 50‐km‐long, 25‐km‐wide elongated tectonic zone is bounded to the west by the Pugo Fault and to the east by the Tebbo Fault, both being branches of the Philippine Fault System. Detailed structural geological (particularly microtectonic) analysis of fracture and mineral vein systems indicates strong conformity with the regional structural direction. Computed extensional stress axis σ3 directions are oriented N150° on average, sub‐parallel to the strike of the bounding faults. The existence of known mineral deposits and prospects within the tectonic strip implies an intimate relationship between transtension and mineral occurrence.
Therapeutic approach to regulate innate immune response by Toll‐like receptor 4 antagonist E5564 in rats with D‐galactosamine‐induced acute severe liver injury
Authors: Kitazawa Toshiyuki , Tsujimoto Tatsuhiro , Kawaratani Hideto , Fukui Hiroshi
Published: February 2009

Background and Aims:  Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a transmembrane protein, existing mainly in macrophages, such as Kupffer cells of the liver. It plays an important role in recognizing and mediating macrophage activation and pro‐inflammatory cytokine release. Activation of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α is pivotal in the progression of liver injury. Gut‐derived endotoxin has been considered to play an important role in the development and progression of a D‐galactosamine (GalN)‐induced acute severe liver injury (ALI) model. E5564, a synthetic analog of the lipid A component of endotoxin, inhibits endotoxin‐stimulated inflammation and is under study for patients with sepsis. In this study, we seek to explore the effect of TLR4 antagonist E5564 on GalN‐induced ALI in rats.

Methods:  ALI was induced in male Wistar rats by the i.p. injection of 1 g/kg bodyweight of GalN and immediately after GalN injection they were treated with an i.v. injection of 3 mg/kg bodyweight of E5564. At 24 h after GalN injection with or without E5564, serum levels of total bilirubin (T.Bil), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and TNF‐α were analyzed. Expression levels of TNF‐α, TLR4 and CD14 mRNA in the whole liver of rats was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Results:  The i.v. injection of E5564 reduced the elevation of serum T.Bil, ALT and TNF‐α levels in rats treated with GalN. The expression level of TNF‐α mRNA in the whole liver, which was increased at 24 h after GalN injection, was also reduced by i.v. injection of E5564.

Conclusion:  TLR4 antagonist E5564 reduced GalN‐induced ALI in rats. It may contribute to the treatment of acute liver failure through blocking endotoxin‐induced TNF‐α overproduction of macrophages.
New species of the myrmecophilePolyplocotesWestwood (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) from South Australia
Authors: Bell Karen L , Philips T Keith
Published: February 2009

Six new species of the Australian myrmecophilous ptinid genusPolyplocotesare described from South Australia. Three are from the deserts of central Australia, one from the Franklin Islands in the Great Australian Bight, one from Eyre Peninsula and one from the Riverland region. Morphologically, the majority of these new species are conventionalPolyplocotes, but two are less typical. The characters uniting the genus are explored in the discussion, and comparisons are made to related genera. Although the six new species described here have not been observed in the field, the species of this genus are known to be myrmecophilous, and ant – beetle interactions similar to those seen in other spider beetles might occur between these new species and their host ants.
Genetic structure in ixodid ticks from Kangaroo Island and the South Australia mainland
Authors: Chapman Thomas W , Marando Leslee , Oorebeek Margot , Kleindorfer Sonia
Published: February 2009

We describe here a molecular genetic study designed to elucidate the ability of an ixodid tick to move within their range as well as between species or hosts. A direct match from the contiguous regions of the small rRNA subunit, control region #1, tRNA‐Ile, tRNA‐Gln and tRNA‐Met of the population studied here with previously published sequence suggests that the species is likelyIxodes hirsti. Phylogenetic analysis of tick haplotypes showed no evidence for bird‐host specialisation, and a nested clade analysis indicated a high degree of migration between our three collection sites (two sites on Kangaroo Island, and one site on mainland South Australia).
Army ant behaviour in the poneromorph hunting ant Onychomyrmex hedleyi Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae; Amblyoponinae)
Authors: Miyata Hiroki , Hirata Masanori , Azuma Noriko , Murakami Takahiro , Higashi Seigo
Published: February 2009

Onychomyrmex belongs to the phylogenetically basal ant tribe Amblyoponini but shows prototypical army ant behaviours, i.e. group predation and nomadism. In order to investigate these behaviours, Onychomyrmex hedleyi was observed in the field and in laboratory experiments. Workers of O. hedleyi would frequently hunt centipedes but rarely social insects. Workers did not dismember the victims but recruited the colony mates to conduct group retrieval. If the prey were too large or too heavy to retrieve, the entire colony moved from the bivouac site to the prey site. Although foraging on the forest floor, a colony repeated the extension and withdrawal of a raiding column, which was up to 80 cm long (mean ± SD, 41.6 ± 18.5 cm). Colonies were nomadic and the relocation distance was up to 150 cm (mean ± SD, 74.4 ± 45.0 cm). Retinues guarded a queen who moved to a new bivouac site in the early phase of relocation. Colonies were found to stay at a site statistically longer if they had come from a more distant site, and were also observed to move to a more distant site if they had spent a longer time at a particular bivouac site. The consecutive migrations did not show significant directionality.
Pyriproxyfen controls silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), biotype B (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) (SLW) better than buprofezin in bitter melons Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae)
Authors: Qureshi Mohammad S , Midmore David J , Syeda Shamsa S , Reid David J
Published: February 2009

To improve compatibility between chemical and biological controls, the use of selective insecticides such as insect growth regulators (IGRs) is crucial. In cucurbits, the use of pyriproxyfen (an IGR) has been shown by others to be an effective method of reducing the number of sap‐sucking insects, especially silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) Biotype B (SLW). Therefore, we compared pyriproxyfen and buprofezin (an IGR) with that of no treatment (control) in a bitter melon crop for the control of populations of SLW and for their effects on fruit production. Pyriproxyfen controlled SLW and tended to have heavier fruits than the control treatment and reduced the abundance of nymphs and exuvia. Buprofezin showed no evidence in controlling SLW compared with the pyriproxyfen and control treatments. Neither pyriproxyfen nor buprofezin had any effect on the number of harvested fruit or overall fruit yield, but the average weight per fruit was higher than the control treatment. Pyriproxyfen was effective in controlling whitefly populations in bitter melons, and both pyriproxyfen and buprofezin may have the potential to increase yield. Their longer‐term use may increase predation by natural enemies as they are species‐specific and could favour build up of natural enemies of SLW. Thus, the judicious use of pyriproxyfen may provide an effective alternative to broad‐spectrum insecticides in small‐scale cucurbit production.
PCR detection of pirimicarb resistance in Australian field isolates of Aphis gossypii Glover (Aphididae: Hemiptera)
Authors: McLoon Martin O , Herron Grant A
Published: February 2009

Aphis gossypii Glover (cotton aphid) is a major secondary pest of Australian cotton that readily develops resistance to the carbamate insecticide pirimicarb (Pirimor®) and to organophosphates generally. To test the pirimicarb resistance status of Australian strains of A. gossypii, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay followed by restriction enzyme assay (REA) was designed to identify the AceI polymorphism S431F known to be responsible for resistance. The method was tested against reference and 33 field strains collected over two consecutive seasons. Both methods confirmed pirimicarb resistance in two field strains, one from each cotton season, giving credence to the molecular technique described. The PCR assay proved specific for the AceI gene. This PCR REA assay has the potential to replace bioassay for the routine pirimicarb resistance monitoring in A. gossypii. With the molecular assay providing results in 48 h, compared with 4–8 weeks for bioassay, such an assay could be used before insecticide control.
Genetic and behavioural evidence for a city‐wide supercolony of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southeastern Australia
Authors: Suhr Elissa L , McKechnie Stephen W , O'Dowd Dennis J
Published: February 2009

The success of invasive ants is frequently attributed to genetic and behavioural shifts in colony structure during or after introduction. The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), a global invader, differs in colony genetic structure and behaviour between native populations in South America and introduced populations in Europe, Japan, New Zealand and North America. However, little is known about its colony structure in Australia. We investigated the genetic structure and behaviour of L. humile across Melbourne, Victoria by quantifying variation at four microsatellite loci and assaying intraspecific aggression at neighbourhood (30–200 m), fine (1–3.3 km) and regional (5–82 km) spatial scales. Hierarchical analyses across these scales revealed that most genetic variation occurred among workers within nests (∼98%). However, although low genetic differentiation occurred among workers between nests at the fine and regional scales (∼2%), negligible differentiation was detected among workers from neighbouring nests. Spatial genetic autocorrelation analysis confirmed that neighbouring nests were genetically more similar to each other. Lack of aggression within and across these scales supported the view that L. humile is unicolonial and forms a large supercolony across Melbourne. Comparisons of genetic structure of L. humile among single nests sampled from Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart and Perth with Melbourne showed no greater levels of genetic differentiation or dissimilar spatial structure, suggesting an Australia‐wide supercolony.
Population‐based epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection in Canterbury, New Zealand
Authors: Huggan P. J. , Wells J. E. , Browne M. , Richardson A. , Murdoch D. R. , Chambers S. T.
Published: February 2009

Background: Few contemporary reports describe population‐based incidence of Staphylcoccus aureus bloodstream infection (SABSI).

Aim: To describe longitudinal incidence of SABSI in a region of New Zealand with low MRSA prevalence.

Methods: Blood cultures growing S. aureus were identified from hospital laboratories between 1 July 1998 and 30 June 2006. Record linkage was used to combine information from local and national databases into a single patient event record. Information from the New Zealand census was used to determine regional incidence of disease. An address‐based measure of deprivation was used to analyse the relationship between incidence and socioeconomic status. Morbidity data were not collected.

Results: 779 patients with SABSI were identified (482/779 (62%) male, 297/779 (38%) female). The crude incidence of S. aureus bacteraemia varied between 18.5–27.3/100 000 per annum. Three of 779 isolates (0.4%) were MRSA. Two hundred and seventy‐seven of 776 (36%) patients with complete records had hospital‐acquired SABSI. One hundred and forty‐one of 778 patients (18%) died within 30 days and 235/778 (30%) died within a year. Proportional hazards survival models significantly associated age, male sex and more than 14 days of hospitalization in the year prior to index culture with adverse outcome. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with lower rates of SABSI (adjusted rate ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval: 0.56–0.98, P= 0.007 after adjustment for age and sex, and comparing the highest and lowest deprivation quintiles).

Conclusion: Population factors significantly influence SABSI incidence and survival. Further research is required to determine whether these have the potential to invalidate inter‐hospital comparison of SABSI incidence as a measure of health‐care quality.
Cbln1 accumulates and colocalizes with Cbln3 and GluRδ2 at parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapses in the mouse cerebellum
Authors: Miura Eriko , Matsuda Keiko , Morgan James I. , Yuzaki Michisuke , Watanabe Masahiko
Published: February 2009

Cbln1 (a.k.a. precerebellin) is secreted from cerebellar granule cells as homohexamer or in heteromeric complexes with Cbln3. Cbln1 plays crucial roles in regulating morphological integrity of parallel fiber (PF)–Purkinje cell (PC) synapses and synaptic plasticity. Cbln1‐knockout mice display severe cerebellar phenotypes that are essentially indistinguishable from those in glutamate receptor GluRδ2‐null mice, and include severe reduction in the number of PF–PC synapses and loss of long‐term depression of synaptic transmission. To understand better the relationship between Cbln1, Cbln3 and GluRδ2, we performed light and electron microscopic immunohistochemical analyses using highly specific antibodies and antigen‐exposing methods, i.e. pepsin pretreatment for light microscopy and postembedding immunogold for electron microscopy. In conventional immunohistochemistry, Cbln1 was preferentially associated with non‐terminal portions of PF axons in the molecular layer but rarely overlapped with Cbln3. In contrast, antigen‐exposing methods not only greatly intensified Cbln1 immunoreactivity in the molecular layer, but also revealed its high accumulation in the synaptic cleft of PF–PC synapses. No such synaptic accumulation was evident at other PC synapses. Furthermore, Cbln1 now came to overlap almost completely with Cbln3 and GluRδ2 at PF–PC synapses. Therefore, the convergence of all three molecules provides the anatomical basis for a common signaling pathway regulating circuit development and synaptic plasticity in the cerebellum.
Involvement of the subthalamic nucleus in engagement with behaviourally relevant stimuli
Authors: Sauleau Paul , Eusebio Alexandre , Thevathasan Wesley , Yarrow Kielan , Pogosyan Alek , Zrinzo Ludvic , Ashkan Keyoumars , Aziz Tipu , Vandenberghe Wim , Nuttin Bart , Brown Peter
Published: February 2009

In this study we investigate how the basal ganglia (BG) may process the behavioural relevance of environmental cues by recording local field potentials (LFPs) in the subthalamic nucleus of patients with Parkinson’s disease who had undergone implantation of electrodes for deep brain stimulation. Fourteen patients were recorded as they performed a paradigm dissociating warning cue presentation from programming related to execution of specific tasks. Target and non‐target warning cues of differing behavioural relevance were contrasted, and we evaluated if warning cue‐evoked activities varied according to whether the eventual task to be performed was motor or cognitive and whether patients were receiving or withdrawn from dopaminergic therapy. Warning cues evoked a complex temporal sequence of activities with three epochs over the 760 ms following the onset of the warning cue. In contrast to the initial evoked LFP, evoked activities over two later periods were significantly influenced by behavioural relevance and by treatment state. The early activity was likely related to the initial orientating of attention induced by a novel target, while the delayed responses in our paradigm may reflect processing related to the non‐motor resource implications of cues. The results suggest that the BG are intimately involved in the evaluation of changes in the environment and of their behavioural significance. The latter process is partly modulated by dopamine. Weakness in this function might contribute to the behavioural impairment that can follow BG lesions and surgery.
Novel natural parabens produced by aMicrobulbiferbacterium in its calcareous sponge hostLeuconia nivea
Authors: Quévrain Elodie , Domart‐Coulon Isabelle , Pernice Mathieu , Bourguet‐Kondracki Marie‐Lise
Published: February 2009

A broad variety of natural parabens, including four novel structures and known ethyl and butyl parabens, were obtained from culture of aMicrobulbifersp. bacterial strain isolated from the temperate calcareous marine spongeLeuconia nivea(Grant 1826). Their structures were elucidated from spectral analysis, including mass spectrometry and 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance. Their antimicrobial activity evaluated againstStaphylococcus aureuswas characterized by much higherin vitroactivity of these natural paraben compounds 3–9 than commercial synthetic methyl and propyl parabens, usually used as antimicrobial preservatives. Compounds 4 and 9 revealed a bacteriostatic effect and compounds 6 and 7 appeared as bactericidal compounds. Major paraben compound 6 was also active against Gram positiveBacillussp. andPlanococcussp. sponge isolates and was detected in whole sponge extracts during all seasons, showing its persistentin situproduction within the sponge. Moreover,Microbulbifersp. bacteria were visualized in the sponge body wall using fluorescencein situhybridization with a probe specific to L4‐n2 phylotypes. Co‐detection in the sponge host of both paraben metabolites andMicrobulbifersp. L4‐n2 indicates, for the first time, production of natural parabens in a sponge host, which may have an ecological role as chemical mediators.
Redox cycling of arsenic by the hydrothermal marine bacteriumMarinobacter santoriniensis
Authors: Handley Kim M. , Héry Marina , Lloyd Jonathan R.
Published: February 2009

Marinobacter santoriniensisNKSG1Tis a mesophilic, dissimilatory arsenate‐reducing and arsenite‐oxidizing bacterium isolated from an arsenate‐reducing enrichment culture. The inoculum was obtained from arsenic‐rich shallow marine hydrothermal sediment from Santorini, Greece, with evidence of arsenic redox cycling. Growth studies demonstratedM. santoriniensisNKSG1Tis capable of conserving energy from the reduction of arsenate [As(V)] with acetate or lactate as the electron donor, and of oxidizing arsenite [As(III)] heterotrophically with oxygen as the electron acceptor. The oxidation of As(III) coincided with the expression of theaoxBgene encoding for the catalytic molybdopterin subunit of the heterodimeric arsenite oxidase operon, indicating the reaction is enzymatically controlled, andM. santoriniensisNKSG1Tis a heterotrophic As(III)‐oxidizing bacterium. Although it is clear that this organism also performs dissimilatory As(V) reduction, no amplification of thearrAarsenate reductase gene was attained using a range of primers and PCR conditions.Marinobacter santoriniensisNKSG1Tbelongs to a genus of bacteria widely occurring in marine environments, including hydrothermal sediments, and is among the first marine bacteria shown to be capable of either anaerobic As(V) respiration or aerobic As(III) oxidation.
Vasculogenic erectile dysfunction in teenagers: a 5‐year multi‐institutional experience
Authors: Tal Raanan , Voelzke Bryan B. , Land Spencer , Motarjem Pejman , Munarriz Ricardo , Goldstein Irwin , Mulhall John P.
Published: February 2009

OBJECTIVE

To report the experience of three highly specialized centres in the vascular evaluation of erectile dysfunction (ED) in teenagers, as there is little information on this topic, and although clinical guidelines support the use of vascular studies in selected cases, our experience is that vascular evaluation aimed at diagnosing organic ED is uncommon in teenagers, and most are designated as having psychogenic ED.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a retrospective multi‐institutional analysis of three ED databases (1998–2003) we assessed males aged ≤19 years presenting with ED. The review of these databases focused on demographic characteristics, risk factors for ED, erectile function, results of vascular evaluation, and the causes of ED.

RESULTS

In all, 40 males aged 14–19 years were identified. The mean (range) duration of ED at presentation was 22.6 (4–84) months. The major risk factors for ED were antecedent perineal trauma (37%) and penile trauma or surgery (15%). The mean (sd) International Index of Erectile Function ‘erectile function’ domain score was 15 (4). Information obtained by history taking was not predictive of the cause of ED. Vascular studies were performed in 62% of the patients and 48% of these patients were found to have an underlying vascular pathology; 42% of the latter group were found to be possible candidates for surgical intervention and another 16% needed further angiographic evaluation.

CONCLUSION

ED in teenagers should not be routinely categorized as psychogenic without an adequate vascular evaluation, as a significant percentage have abnormal erectile haemodynamics consistent with vasculogenic ED.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE TERM ‘WASHINGTON CONSENSUS’
Authors: Marangos John
Published: February 2009

Abstract The term ‘Washington Consensus’, as Williamson conceived it, was the lowest common denominator of the reforms that he judged ‘Washington’ could agree were required in Latin America. The term has evolved to denote a different set of policies from those initially conceived. This paper investigates the different versions and interpretations of this controversial term and assesses whether the term itself is suitable and viable or slowly becoming irrelevant and obsolete. Most importantly, the evolution of the term mirrors the evolution of economic thought on economic development for nearly the last two decades.
A multisite gateway‐based toolkit for targeted gene expression and hairpin RNA silencing in tomato fruits
Authors: Estornell Leandro Hueso , Orzáez Diego , López‐Peña Lucas , Pineda Benito , Antón María Teresa , Moreno Vicente , Granell Antonio
Published: February 2009

A collection of fruit promoters, reporter genes and protein tags has been constructed in a triple‐gateway format, a recombination‐based cloning system that facilitates the tandem assembly of three DNA fragments into plant expression vectors. The new pENFRUIT collection includes, among others, the classical tomato‐ripening promoters E8 and 2A11 and a set of six new tomato promoters. The new promoter activities were characterized in both transient assays and stable transgenic plants. The range of expression of the new promoters comprises strong (PNH, PLI), medium (PLE, PFF, PHD) and weak (PSN) promoters driving gene expression preferentially in the fruit, and covering a wide range of tissues and developmental stages. Together, a total of 78 possible combinations for the expression of a gene of interest in the fruit, plus a set of five reporters for new promoter analysis, was made available in the current collection. Moreover, the pENFRUIT promoter collection is adaptable to hairpin RNA strategies aimed at tissue/organ‐specific gene silencing with only an additional cloning step. The pENFRUIT toolkit broadens the spectrum of promoter activities available for fruit biotechnology and fundamental research, and bypasses technical difficulties of current ligase‐dependent cloning techniques in the construction of fruit expression cassettes. The pENFRUIT vector collection is available for the research community in a plasmid repository, facilitating its accessibility.
RETRACING LIBERALISM AND REMAKING NATURE: DESIGNER CHILDREN, RESEARCH EMBRYOS, AND FEATHERLESS CHICKENS
Authors: FOX DOV
Published: February 2009

Liberal theory seeks to achieve toleration, civil peace, and mutual respect in pluralistic societies by making public policy without reference to arguments arising from within formative ideals about what gives value to human life. Does it make sense to set aside such conceptions of the good when it comes to controversies about stem cell research and the genetic engineering of people or animals? Whether it is reasonable to bracket our worldviews in such cases depends on how we answer the moral questions that the use of these biotechnologies presuppose. I argue that the moral language of liberal justice – of rights and duties, interests and opportunities, freedom and consent, equality and fairness – cannot speak to these underlying concerns about what the human embryo is, why the natural lottery matters to us, and whether ‘animal nature’ is worth preserving. I conclude that liberal theory is incapable of furnishing a coherent or desirable account to govern the way we use our emerging powers of biotechnology.
DIAGNOSTIC SELF‐TESTING: AUTONOMOUS CHOICES AND RELATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Authors: KEARNS ALAN J. , O'MATHÚNA DÓNAL P. , SCOTT P. ANNE
Published: February 2009

Diagnostic self‐testing devices are being developed for many illnesses, chronic diseases and infections. These will be used in hospitals, at point‐of‐care facilities and at home. Designed to allow earlier detection of diseases, self‐testing diagnostic devices may improve disease prevention, slow the progression of disease and facilitate better treatment outcomes. These devices have the potential to benefit both the individual and society by enabling individuals to take a more proactive role in the maintenance of their health and by helping society improve health and reduce health costs. However, the full implications of future home‐based diagnostic technology for individuals and society remain unclear due to their novelty.

We argue that the development of diagnostic tools, especially for home use, will heighten a number of ethical challenges. This paper will explore some of the ethical implications of home‐based self‐testing diagnostic devices for the autonomous and relational dimensions of the person. This will be facilitated by examining the impact of diagnostic devices for individual autonomy, for the delivery of accurate diagnosis and for the personal significance of the information for the user. The latter will be examined using Charles Taylor's view of personhood and his emphasis on human agency and interpretation.

While the ethical issues are not necessarily new, the development of home‐based self‐testing diagnostic devices will make issues regarding autonomy, accuracy of information and personal significance more and more demanding. This will be the case particularly when an individual's autonomous choices come into conflict with the person's relational responsibilities.
Governance Mechanisms of Small and Medium Enterprise International Partner Management
Authors: Dimitratos Pavlos , Lioukas Spyros , Ibeh Kevin I. N. , Wheeler Colin
Published: February 2009

We examine how small and medium enterprises manage their international partners across different market servicing modes, namely exporting, joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries. The international business literature has placed emphasis on soft issues of international partner management (such as trust, cultural sensitivity etc.) in each mode category independently. Since network arrangements and knowledge sharing are involved in all these modes, we contribute to the literature by providing evidence on the mechanisms of international partner management across market modes. Specifically, based on agency and knowledge‐based theories, we seek to understand the extent to which small and medium enterprises assign rights to make decisions to partners abroad, and the types of incentives and performance monitoring schemes they use. These mechanisms are drawn from agency theory. In‐depth case studies were carried out in 14 Greek small firms that employed different modes to collaborate with their partners abroad. Seven of these firms had high levels of international performance while the other seven had low levels. We identify two distinguishable combinations of governance mechanisms being implemented by these two sets of firms: high performers pursue situational decision‐making with outcome‐oriented incentives/performance monitoring schemes, whereas low performers pursue centralized decision‐making with behaviour‐oriented incentives/performance monitoring schemes.
Integrating Messy Genetic Algorithms and Simulation to Optimize Resource Utilization
Authors: Cheng Tao‐ming , Yan Rong‐zheng
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  This article presents a mechanism for integrating messy genetic algorithms (MGAs) and a discrete event simulation technique to facilitate the simulation of optimal resource utilization to enhance system performance, such as in relation to the production rate or unit cost. Various resource distribution modeling scenarios were tested in simulation to determine their system performances. MGA operations were then applied in the selection of the best resource utilization schemes based on those performances. A case study showed that this new modeling mechanism, along with the implemented computer program, could not only ease the process of developing optimal resource utilization, but could also improve the system performance of the simulation model.
Simulation of Accuracy Performance for Wireless Sensor‐Based Construction Asset Tracking
Authors: Skibniewski Mirosław J. , Jang Won‐Suk
Published: February 2009

Abstract:  Today's mobile and remote construction applications, such as tracking of materials, equipment, and workers, demand high reliability and scalability of wireless sensor networks for a large‐scale construction site. In particular, identifying the location of distributed mobile entities throughout wireless communications becomes the primary task to realize the remote tracking and monitoring of the construction assets. Even though several alternative solutions have been introduced by utilizing recent technologies, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and the global positioning system (GPS), they could not provide a solid direction to accurate and scalable tracking frameworks in large‐scale construction domains due to limited capability and inflexible networking architectures. This article introduces a new tracking architecture using wireless sensor modules and shows an accuracy performance using a numerical simulation approach based on the time‐of‐flight method. By combining radio frequency (RF) and ultrasound (US) signals, the simulation results showed an enhanced accuracy performance over the utilization of an RF signal only. The proposed approach can provide potential guidelines for further exploration of hardware/software design and for experimental analysis to implement the framework of tracking construction assets.
The impact of pay‐for‐performance on professional boundaries in UK general practice: an ethnographic study
Authors: Grant Suzanne , Huby Guro , Watkins Francis , Checkland Kath , McDonald Ruth , Davies Huw , Guthrie Bruce
Published: February 2009

The 2004 new General Medical Services (nGMS) contract exemplifies trends across the public services towards increased definition, measurement and regulation of professional work, with general practice income now largely dependent on the quality of care provided across a range of clinical and organisational indicators known collectively as the ‘Quality and Outcomes Framework’ (QOF). This paper reports an ethnographically based study of the impact of the new contract and the financial incentives contained within it on professional boundaries in UK general practice. The distribution of clinical and administrative work has changed significantly and there has been a new concentration of authority, with QOF decision making and monitoring being led by an internal QOF team of clinical and managerial staff who make the major practice‐level decisions about QOF, monitor progress against targets, and intervene to resolve areas or indicators at risk of missing targets. General practitioners and nurses, however, appear to have accommodated these changes by re‐creating long established narratives on professional boundaries and clinical hierarchies. This paper is concerned with the impact of these new arrangements on existing clinical hierarchies.
Practising Open Disclosure: clinical incident communication and systems improvement
Authors: Iedema Rick , Jorm Christine , Wakefield John , Ryan Cherie , Dunn Stewart
Published: February 2009

This article explores the way that professionals are being inducted into articulating apologies to consumers of their services, in this case clinicians apologising to patients. The article focuses on the policy of Open Disclosure that is being adopted by health care organisations in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia and other nations. Open Disclosure policy mandates ‘open discussion of clinical incidents’ with patient victims. In Australia, Open Disclosure policy implementation is currently being complemented by intensive staff training, involving simulation of apology scenarios with actor‐patients. The article presents an analysis of data collected from such training sessions. The analysis shows how simulated apologising engages frontline staff in evaluating the efficacy of their disclosures, and how staff may thereby be inducted into reconciling their affective and reflexive sensibilities with their organisational and professional responsibilities, and thereby produce the required organisational apology. The article concludes that Open Disclosure, besides potentially relaxing tensions between clinicians and consumers, may also affect how staff experience and enact their role in the overall system of health care organisation.
Spatial Econometric Analysis of Foreign Direct Investment Determinants in Russian Regions
Authors: Ledyaeva Svetlana
Published: February 2009

Using a spatial autoregressive model of cross‐sectional and panel data, we study the determinants and dominant strategies of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Russia before and after the 1998 financial crisis. The important determinants of FDI inflows into Russian regions since the start of transition appear to be market size, the presence of large cities and sea ports, oil and gas availability, proximity to European market, and political and legislative risks. Since 1998, it appears the importance of big cities, the Sakhalin region, oil and gas resources, proximity to European markets, and legislation and political risks has increased. Our results also reveal a shift from horizontal FDI strategy to vertical FDI strategy in the post‐crisis period. Using a multiple spatial lags approach, we show that neighbouring port‐endowed regions tend to have emerged in the post‐crisis era as competitors for FDI.
The Impacts of Alignment with Global Product Standards on Exports of Firms in Developing Countries
Authors: An Galina , Maskus Keith E.
Published: February 2009

Complying with global standards and technical norms can be costly, making them potential impediments to trade, but it can also expand export opportunities. Two policies available to governments are alignment of domestic technical regulations with international standards and entry into mutual recognition agreements (MRAs). We study the effects of such decisions on the volume of exports to developed markets by firms in developing countries, using data from a World Bank firm‐level survey of awareness of global product norms. Both standards alignment and MRAs are associated with more exports to developed countries, but only MRAs significantly promote exports. This finding is consistent with theoretical predictions that MRAs should reduce the fixed costs of exporting more than standards alignment, permitting more firms to enter export markets in higher volumes. Governments in developing countries hoping to encourage exports may wish to favour the negotiation of mutual recognition of testing and certification procedures with major trading partners as a more affirmative avenue to expanding international sales.
Low‐wage Employment and the Role of Education and On‐the‐job Training
Authors: Cuesta Maite Blázquez , Salverda Wiemer
Published: February 2009

General education and on‐the‐job training are major forces determining earnings. This contribution analyses the effects of general education and on‐the‐job training, relative to each other, on workers' relative earnings and on the probability of making an upwards transition in the earnings distribution. The analysis is done for Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, using the European Community Household Panel (1995–2001). Our results reveal that in all countries on‐the‐job training and high levels of general education reduce the risk of being in a low‐pay situation, whereas they increase the probability of escaping from low‐paid jobs to better‐paid jobs. However, the relative contributions differ significantly, on‐the‐job training being relatively more important for upward mobility in Italy and Spain and tertiary education more important for reducing the risk of being in low pay in Denmark and the Netherlands.
Workers' Perceptions of Job Insecurity: Do Job Security Guarantees Work?
Authors: Bryson Alex , Cappellari Lorenzo , Lucifora Claudio
Published: February 2009

We investigate the effect of employer job security guarantees on employee perceptions of job insecurity. Using linked employer–employee data from the 1998 British Workplace Employee Relations Survey, we find job security guarantees reduce employee perceptions of job insecurity. This finding is robust to endogenous selection of job security guarantees by employers engaging in organizational change and workforce reductions. Furthermore, there is no evidence that increased job security through job guarantees results in greater work intensification, stress, or lower job satisfaction.
Why Do Part‐time Workers Invest Less in Human Capital than Full‐timers?
Authors: Nelen Annemarie , De Grip Andries
Published: February 2009

We analyse whether lower investments in human capital of part‐time workers are due to workers' characteristics or human resource practices of the firm. We focus on investments in both formal training and informal learning. Using the Dutch Life‐Long‐Learning Survey 2007, we find that part‐time workers have different determinants for formal training and informal learning from full‐time workers. The latter benefit from firms' human resource practices such as performance interviews, personal development plans, and feedback. Part‐time workers can only partly compensate the lack of firm support when they have a high learning motivation and imagination of their future development.
Foreign Participation and Hiring Patterns after Privatization
Authors: Chong Alberto , Galdo Virgilio
Published: February 2009

Critics of globalization claim that foreign ownership of privatized firms is linked to negative post‐privatization labor outcomes, such as more firing and less hiring. This paper uses new firm‐level data for a cross‐section of countries to test this idea and provides evidence that foreign purchasers of state‐owned enterprises tend to acquire firms that were already better restructured before privatization. Additionally, this paper does not find evidence that foreign participation in privatized firms is linked to negative labor outcomes.
COSMOPOLITANISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS: RADICALISM IN A GLOBAL AGE
Authors: FINE ROBERT
Published: February 2009

Abstract: The cosmopolitan imagination constructs a world order in which the idea of human rights is an operative principle of justice. Does it also construct an idealisation of human rights? The radicality of Enlightenment cosmopolitanism, as developed by Kant, lay in its analysis of the roots of organised violence in the modern world and its visionary programme for changing the world. Today, the temptation that faces the cosmopolitan imagination is to turn itself into an endorsement of the existing order of human rights without a corresponding critical analysis of the roots of contemporary violence. Is the critical idealism associated with Kantian cosmopolitanism at risk of transmutation into an uncritical positivism? We find two prevailing approaches: either the constitutional framework of the existing world order is presented as the realisation of the cosmopolitan vision, or cosmopolitanism is turned into a utopian vision of a world order in which power is subordinated to the rule of international law. I suggest that the difficulties associated with both wings of cosmopolitanism threaten the legitimacy of the project and call for an understanding and culture of human rights that is less exclusively “conceptual” and more firmly grounded in social theory.
HEIDEGGER AND THE APPROPRIATION OF METAPHYSICS
Authors: MEI TODD S.
Published: February 2009

Heidegger's deconstruction of the history of Western metaphysics has been a major influence behind poststructural critiques of modernity as well as more apologetic attempts to maintain a dialogue with historical sources, such as Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics. This bifurcation has intensified the ambiguity of Heidegger's project: was it an attempt to relinquish philosophical ties to the past or a call for a fundamental reinterpretation of them? In this article I argue the latter, focusing my analysis on Heidegger's notions of appropriation and historicity. On the one hand, appropriation is the hermeneutical event by which ontology is reinfused into a reading of historical sources. On the other hand, historicity is the self‐reflexive historical involvement by which we become aware of what contemporary, philosophical conditions necessitate this reengagement. In the end, Heidegger's critique of metaphysics arises from this self‐reflexivity. It deconstructs the prevailing misunderstandings of philosophical sources in order to allow for reinterpretation at a revivified ontological level constantly in view of the question of being.
GIVEN TIME: THE QUESTION OF FUTURITY IN HEIDEGGER'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHILOSOPHY
Authors: COLONY TRACY
Published: February 2009

Since its publication in 1989, Martin Heidegger's Contributions to Philosophy has continued to produce animated debate with regard to the radical sense of futurity which defines and structures this text. In this essay, I first draw into question the common Nietzschean framing of this futurity and argue that the temporality of this futurity should be interpreted within the context of Heidegger's often overlooked descriptions of this coming time as granted by the last god. It is this anticipated gift that can be seen to constitute the hermeneutic center around which the whole of Contributions is composed. In the final section, I then offer a critique of Heidegger's account of the relation between his last god and its granted time in terms of the givenness of a gift.