bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stable linkage disequilibrium owing to sexual antagonism
Authors: Úbeda Francisco , Haig David , Patten Manus M.
Published: September 2010

Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is an association between genetic loci that is typically transient. Here, we identify a previously overlooked cause of stable LD that may be pervasive: sexual antagonism. This form of selection produces unequal allele frequencies in males and females each generation, which upon admixture at fertilization give rise to an excess of haplotypes that couple male-beneficial with male-beneficial and female-beneficial with female-beneficial alleles. Under sexual antagonism, LD is obtained for all recombination frequencies in the absence of epistasis. The extent of LD is highest at low recombination and for stronger selection. We provide a partition of the total LD into distinct components and compare our result for sexual antagonism with Li and Nei's model of LD owing to population subdivision. Given the frequent observation of sexually antagonistic selection in natural populations and the number of traits that are often involved, these results suggest a major contribution of sexual antagonism to genomic structure.
Pseudogenization of the tooth gene enamelysin (MMP20) in the common ancestor of extant baleen whales
Authors: Meredith Robert W. , Gatesy John , Cheng Joyce , Springer Mark S.
Published: September 2010

Whales in the suborder Mysticeti are filter feeders that use baleen to sift zooplankton and small fish from ocean waters. Adult mysticetes lack teeth, although tooth buds are present in foetal stages. Cladistic analyses suggest that functional teeth were lost in the common ancestor of crown-group Mysticeti. DNA sequences for the tooth-specific genes, ameloblastin (AMBN), enamelin (ENAM) and amelogenin (AMEL), have frameshift mutations and/or stop codons in this taxon, but none of these molecular cavities are shared by all extant mysticetes. Here, we provide the first evidence for pseudogenization of a tooth gene, enamelysin (MMP20), in the common ancestor of living baleen whales. Specifically, pseudogenization resulted from the insertion of a CHR-2 SINE retroposon in exon 2 ofMMP20. Genomic and palaeontological data now provide congruent support for the loss of enamel-capped teeth on the common ancestral branch of crown-group mysticetes. The new data forMMP20also document a polymorphic stop codon in exon 2 of the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), which has enamel-less teeth. These results, in conjunction with the evidence for pseudogenization ofMMP20in Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), another enamel-less species, support the hypothesis that the only unique, non-overlapping function of theMMP20gene is in enamel formation.
Long-term isolation of a highly mobile seabird on the Galapagos
Authors: Hailer Frank , Schreiber E. A. , Miller Joshua M. , Levin Iris I. , Parker Patricia G. , Chesser R. Terry , Fleischer Robert C.
Published: September 2010

The Galapagos Islands are renowned for their high degree of endemism. Marine taxa inhabiting the archipelago might be expected to be an exception, because of their utilization of pelagic habitats—the dispersal barrier for terrestrial taxa—as foraging grounds. Magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) have a highly vagile lifestyle and wide geographical distribution around the South and Central American coasts. Given the potentially high levels of gene flow among populations, the species provides a good test of the effectiveness of the Galapagos ecosystem in isolating populations of highly dispersive marine species. We studied patterns of genetic (mitochondrial DNA, microsatellites and nuclear introns) and morphological variation across the distribution of magnificent frigatebirds. Concordant with predictions from life-history traits, we found signatures of extensive gene flow over most of the range, even across the Isthmus of Panama, which is a major barrier to gene flow in other tropical seabirds. In contrast, individuals from the Galapagos were strongly differentiated from all conspecifics, and have probably been isolated for several hundred thousand years. Our finding is a powerful testimony to the evolutionary uniqueness of the taxa inhabiting the Galapagos archipelago and its associated marine ecosystems.
Experimental assessment of the probabilistic maturation reaction norm: condition matters
Authors: Uusi-Heikkilä S. , Kuparinen A. , Wolter C. , Meinelt T. , O'Toole A. C. , Arlinghaus R.
Published: September 2010

The probabilistic maturation reaction norm (PMRN) describes an individual's probability of maturing at a given age as a function of size and other relevant phenotypic traits. Population-level shifts in the PMRN are often interpreted to indicate genetic as opposed to phenotypic changes in maturation in fish. Inferences derived from trends in the PMRN have been challenged, warranting an experimental assessment of the method. This was accomplished in a laboratory experiment using zebrafish (
Danio rerio
). Fish were reared under different food levels to induce variation in growth and maturation. Plasticity in maturation was not entirely captured by the demographic age- and length-based PMRN. Adding condition to the PMRN captured a greater amount of environmental variation in maturation probability. Nevertheless, significant differences in the PMRNs among the food levels remained after accounting for the influences of age, size and condition on maturation probability indicating plasticity of the PMRN. This was particularly pronounced between fish held on low food levels as compared with fish experiencing abundant resources, with the latter experiencing higher size-specific maturation probabilities. Our analysis emphasizes the need for incorporating salient physiological traits influencing maturation, such as condition, to make accurate inferences about documented shifts observed in the position of PMRNs on maturation trends in wild fish stocks.
Defining individual quality over lifetimes and selective contexts
Authors: Lailvaux Simon P. , Kasumovic Michael M.
Published: September 2010

Individual quality has been measured as a variety of different traits and in several different contexts. However, the implications of such measurements in terms of overall fitness are less straightforward than has generally been appreciated. Here we outline some key issues in this regard that have yet to be addressed. Specifically, we consider the importance of both variation in selection on individual and multivariate suites of traits, and of context-specific plasticity in allocation strategies. We argue that an explicit life-history perspective is crucial for understanding variation in quality, as both the strength and direction of selection and an individual's response to it can vary within a breeding season. Hence, ‘quality’ is not a static characteristic that can be measured by taking longitudinal measures of single traits across a population, but rather a dynamic, multivariate suite of traits that is dependent not only on the selective context, but also on the nature and intensity of selection operating at any given time. We highlight these points by considering recent research on selection and plasticity.
Mimicry as a novel pathway linking biodiversity functions and individual behavioural performances
Authors: Laiolo Paola , Obeso José Ramón , Roggia Yari
Published: September 2010

The feedback of biodiversity on individual trait variation is a poorly explored mechanistic pathway in ecological research. We analysed the relationship between biodiversity and individual performance by focusing on vocal mimicry, a widespread interaction that may serve in intra- and interspecific communication. We studied the songs of two lark species (genus
Galerida
) that increase the complexity of their song displays by mimicking other birds, and analysed the influence of bird species richness on individual song performance. The diversity of mimicked species and the prevalence of mimicry increased in areas characterized by great α and γ diversity (i.e. where larks experience more diverse encounters with community members, many of them being highly vocal owing to breeding). Conversely, the variability in species-specific song components peaked where larks were abundant, probably matching the complexity of conspecific social milieu. Some trade-offs existed between homo- and heterospecific complexity, suggesting that larks could change from population- to community-driven song variation by tracking the composition of the auditory environment. Mimicry, which serves communication with conspecifics or predators, may mediate interactions, ultimately cascading to aspects of ecological diversity other than those promoting its complexity.
Extracellular proteins secreted by probiotic bacteria as mediators of effects that promote mucosa–bacteria interactions
Authors: Sánchez Borja , Urdaci María C. , Margolles Abelardo
Published: September 2010

During the last few years, a substantial body of scientific evidence has accumulated suggesting that certain surface-associated and extracellular components produced by probiotic bacteria could be responsible for some of their mechanisms of action. These bacterial components would be able to directly interact with the host mucosal cells; they include exopolysaccharides, bacteriocins, lipoteichoic acids and surface-associated and extracellular proteins. Extracellular proteins include proteins that are actively transported to the bacterial surroundings through the cytoplasmic membrane, as well as those that are simply shed from the bacterial surface. Compared to the other bacterial components, the interactive ability of extracellular proteins/peptides has been less extensively studied. In this review, current findings supporting an interaction between extracellular proteins/peptides produced by probiotic bacteria (strains of the genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Escherichia) and host mucosal cells are discussed. Research needs and future trends are also considered.
Physiological effects of enriched environment exposure and LTP induction in the hippocampus in vivo do not transfer faithfully to in vitro slices
Authors: Eckert Michael J. , Abraham Wickliffe C.
Published: September 2010

A number of experimental paradigms use in vitro brain slices to test for changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity following a behavioral manipulation. For example, a number of previous studies have reported a variety of effects of environmental enrichment (EE) exposure on field potential responses in hippocampal slices, but in no study was is it known what changes had been elicited in vivo. In the present study, we recorded from the hippocampus in vivo while rats underwent a brief period of EE. There was no detectable EE-induced change in synaptic efficacy in the dentate gyrus in vivo, but there was an increase in cellular excitability. In slices prepared from the same animals, we failed to observe any evidence of the excitability increase. We next tested whether LTP induction in vivo was better preserved in vitro. However, when slices from these rats were examined, there was no observable change in perforant path synaptic strength, although there was a modest increase in excitability that correlated with the increased excitability observed in vivo. These findings suggest that synaptic changes induced in vivo either are not preserved faithfully or are difficult to detect in hippocampal slices, while changes in cellular excitability are better preserved.
3. Log-Multiplicative Association Models as Latent Variable Models for Nominal and/or Ordinal Data
Authors: Anderson Carolyn J. , Vermunt Jeroen K.
Published: September 2010

Associations between multiple discrete measures are often due to collapsing over other variables. When the variables collapsed over are unobserved and continuous, log-multiplicative association models, including log-linear models with linear-by-linear interactions for ordinal categorical data and extensions of Goodman's (1979, 1985) RC(M) association model for multiple nominal and/or ordinal categorical variables, can be used to study the relationship between the observed discrete variables and the unobserved continuous ones, and to study the unobserved variables. The derivation and use of log-multiplicative association models as latent variable models for discrete variables are presented in this paper. The models are based on graphical models for discrete and continuous variables where the variables follow a conditional Gaussian distribution. The models have many desirable properties, including having schematic or graphical representations of the system of observed and unobserved variables, the log-multiplicative models can be read from the graphs, and estimates of the means, variances, and covariances of the latent variables given values on the observed variables are a function of the log-multiplicative model parameters. To illustrate some of the advantageous aspects of these models, two examples are presented. In one example, responses to items from the General Social Survey (Davis and Smith 1996) are modeled, and in the other example, panel data from two groups (Coleman 1964) are analyzed.
4. Algebraic Representations of Beliefs and Attitudes II: Microbelief Models for Dichotomous Belief Data
Authors: Martin John Levi , Wiley James A.
Published: September 2010

It may often be the case that the beliefs about which survey researchers query respondents are composed of discrete components, such that holding all of the components is necessary to give a “yes” response. Simple logical relations, which some researchers have proposed may structure belief data, may obtain between these components, and not between the beliefs that are actually measured. This paper demonstrates that an algebraic inversion of a data matrix, first used in test theory by Haertel and Wiley (1993), can be seen as a unique and interpretable decomposition that can recover information regarding the compositional formulas of the measured beliefs as well as the logical relations between the unobserved components. The inversion is illustrated with a set of data from the GSS. Finally, the conditions under which related techniques are then helpful or not helpful for analyzing survey data are discussed.
6. Discrete-Time Multilevel Hazard Analysis
Authors: Barber Jennifer S. , Murphy Susan A. , Axinn William G. , Maples Jerry
Published: September 2010

Combining innovations in hazard modeling with those in multilevel modeling, we develop a method to estimate discrete-time multilevel hazard models. We derive the likelihood of and formulate assumptions for a discrete-time multilevel hazard model with time-varying covariates at two levels. We pay special attention to assumptions justifying the estimation method. Next, we demonstrate file construction and estimation of the models using two common software packages, HLM and MLN. We also illustrate the use of both packages by estimating a model of the hazard of contraceptive use in rural Nepal using time-varying covariates at both individual and neighborhood levels.
8. The Self as a Fuzzy Set of Roles, Role Theory as a Fuzzy System
Authors: Montgomery James D.
Published: September 2010

This paper shows how the socialization process (viewed by role theorists as a “role-person merger”) can be represented and analyzed as a fuzzy (dynamical) system. Given a self-concept (a fuzzy set of roles) and social norms (logical implications from roles to actions), an individual infers actions (through approximate reasoning). Given these actions, alters make biased attributions (about the roles in the individual's self-concept) that are gradually internalized by the individual. This feedback loop creates a fuzzy system (a role-space vectorfield) that generates a set of stable long-run selves (role-space attractors). I illustrate this general “endogenous-self” framework with a model based loosely on Tally's Corner; the analysis examines how the individual's long-run self-concept is influenced by a constraint on employment opportunity.
Labour's Transformation: A Staged Process with No Single Point of Origin
Authors: Heffernan Richard
Published: September 2010

Looking for one specific point of origin of the far reaching transformation of the Labour Party obscures rather than illuminates the complex process which lies behind its ideological self-redefinition. This response to Adam Lent's article in Politics Volume 17, ‘Labour's Transformation: Searching for the Point of Origin’, argues that the long march from the party of Michael Foot to that led by Tony Blair is more usefully explored in terms of a gradual, staged process This transformation, evidenced in alterations in Labour's programmatic stance, electoral strategy and stated political objectives, was enacted in the period 1983–1997 as a whole. While several significant ‘moments of transition’ can be identified none are by themselves a single ‘point of origin’.
Estimating the Number of Change Points in Exponential Families Distributions
Authors: Lee Chung‐Bow
Published: September 2010

A simple method is proposed to detect the number of change points in a sequence of independent exponential family random variables. An estimator to maximize some criterion, say SC(k), which is to maximize the log‐ likelihood function with some penalty term, is used in detection. Under some mild assumptions, the consistency of the estimator for the true number of change points and the boundedness between the estimated change locations and the true change location are obtained. Some simulated results are given, and the Nile problem is investigated by this method.
Monitoring the Effects of Biological Control of Water Hyacinths Using Remotely Sensed Data: A Case Study of Bangalore, India
Authors: Venugopal G.
Published: September 2010

Native to South America, water hyacinths were brought to India as ornamental plants and are now considered as one of the most dreaded aquatic weeds in the country. This plant has infested more than 200,000 ha of fresh water bodies in the country. The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research resorted to biological methods to control these weeds and received favorable results, however, these weeds tend to reinfest the fresh water bodies. For an effective weed control, the infestation needs to be monitored and remotely sensed data have been recommended for this purpose. In this research, SPOT multitemporal data have been used to monitor the infestation of water hyacinths in Bangalore, India. Using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), this study delineated areas of clearing and new infestation in the fresh water tanks in the study area. This study concluded that host specific weevils can eradicate water hyacinths in large areas but that reinfestation remains an ongoing problem.
Marxism, Sarcasm, Ethnography: Geographical Fieldnotes from South India
Authors: Chari Sharad
Published: September 2010

This paper addresses questions of ethnography in geographic fieldwork through research conducted on globalisation and work in Tiruppur, an industrial boomtown in South India. During the last two decades of the twentieth century, Tiruppur town in western Tamilnad State became India's centrepiece in the export of garments made of knitted cloth. This industrial boom has been organised through networks of small firms integrated through intricate subcontracting arrangements controlled by local capital of Gounders from modest agrarian and working‐class origins. In effect, the whole town works like a decentralised factory for the global economy, but with local capital of peasant‐worker origins at the helm. My research explores the historical geographic trajectories linking agrarian and industrial work, and the ways in which these histories are used in the present. In these uses of the past in remaking self and place, I interrogate the self‐presentations of Tiruppur's entrepreneurs, as these “self‐made men” hinge their retrospective narratives of class mobility and industrial success on their propensity to “toil”. This paper explores questions of ethnographic method emerging from a political‐economic context in which globalisation has worked by turning “toil” into capital.
Negotiating Expectations in the Field: Gatekeepers, Research Fatigue and Cultural Biases
Authors: Mandel Jennifer L.
Published: September 2010

This paper considers disjunctures between my expectations and experience of doing dissertation fieldwork, which I conducted in Benin between the autumns of 1997 and 1998. The research examined the nature of women's livelihood strategies and their associated outcomes in terms of material well‐being. I now believe that my feminist worldview, and my growing exhaustion as the project progressed, resulted in my minimising the importance of key aspects of fieldwork in an African context. Specifically, I downplayed the importance of negotiating with male “gatekeepers” in gaining access to the women with whom I wanted to work. While most of the time I was able to manage this well enough, one day, in particular, stands out as a time when I handled these negotiations very poorly. This paper compares the experiences of that day with another much more productive and fruitful one to examine how and why expectations and experience can diverge. A consideration of some of the issues that resulted in the “lost day” might prove instructive for other researchers.
On a crossroad of resampling plans: bootstrapping elementary symmetric polynomials
Authors: Van Es A. J. , Helmers R. , Hušková M.
Published: September 2010

We investigate the validity of the bootstrap method for the elementary symmetric polynomials S(k)n=(nk)−1Σ1≤i1< ... <ik≤nXi1 ... Xik of i.i.d. random variables X1, ..., Xn. For both fixed and increasing order k, as n→∞ the cases where μ=E X1[moe2]0, the nondegenerate case, and where μ=E X1=0, the degenerate case, are considered.
What are ‘Universalizable Interests’?
Authors: Finlayson James Gordon
Published: September 2010

Many of Habermas's critical commentators agree that Discourse Ethics fails as a theory of the validity of moral norms and only succeeds as a theory of the democratic legitimacy of socio‐political norms. The reason they give is that the moral principle (U) is too restrictive to count as a necessary condition of the validity of norms. Other commentators more sympathetic to his project want to abandon principle (U) and remodel Discourse Ethics without it. Still others want to downplay the role of universalizing moral discourse and to make more of Habermas's less demanding, though still somewhat vague, conception of ethical discourse. Against this chorus of critical voices Habermas maintains that his conception of moral discourse and the moral principle (U) are central to Discourse Ethics in general, and to the normative heart of his political theory in particular. The conflict may have arisen in part because the concept of a ‘universalizable interest’ which is central to Habermas's understanding of moral discourse and of the moral principle (U) remains opaque even after nearly two decades of critical debate. Actually Habermas's concept of interest is pretty obscure too. But the obscurity surrounding the concept of interest is not the source of the confusion. For our present purposes we can simply stipulate that an interest is a reason to want. The notion of reason rests loosely on the notion of a need, and the concepts of need and desire are take left deliberately vague. The source of the current confusion lies in the notion of universalizability that is in play. Once we pay due attention to the conditions of the universalizability of interests contained in Habermas's formulation of the moral principle (U), we can distinguish between a weaker and a stronger version of the principle. I argue that only the weaker version is defensible. But I also want to show that Habermas is tempted into defending the stronger version, and to explain why he does so.
A Comparative Study of Knowledge of Changing Demographic Trends and the Importance of HRM Practices in Three European Countries
Authors: Hodgkinson Gerard P. , Snell Sarah , Daley Nigel , Payne Roy L.
Published: September 2010

Recent changes in the demographic structures of industrialized nations pose a potentially serious threat to work organizations in terms of their ability to attract and retain high calibre personnel. Specifically, the number of young people in their late teens and early‐to‐mid twenties is on the decline at the present time, coupled with a long‐term recession, thus posing a dilemma for organizations concerned to develop and maintain a viable workforce. This article reports the findings of a three‐country comparative study, conducted in The Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, designed to investigate the extent to which graduate employers are aware of current demographic trends in the labour market and what HRM policies they are instituting, given this context. The findings reveal considerable levels of ignorance across all three countries, suggesting that attempts by various Government bodies, employers' organizations, professional associations and academics to draw attention to the potentially serious consquences of inadequate planning and future skill provision have largely failed. The results indicate that many organizations are engaging in human resource strategies which are not well suited to meeting the challenges of the 1990s.
Speaking of Books: Atlas of the Year 1000
Authors: Burns Thomas S.
Published: September 2010

Book reviewed in this article:

John Mann, Atlas of the Year 1000
“Seeing” and “Hearing” in a Deaf–Blind World: Laura Bridgman’s Legacy (Review Essay)
Authors: Edwards R.A.R.
Published: September 2010

Books reviewed in this article:

Ernest Freeberg, The Education of Laura Bridgman: The First Deaf and Blind Person to Learn Language

Elisabeth Gitter, The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, the Original Deaf–Blind Girl
Wind, Sand, and Stars: Arabists, Arabs, and American Foreign Policy (Review Essay)
Authors: Sullivan Antony T.
Published: September 2010

Book reviewed in this article:

Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite
Large‐Reynolds‐Number Asymptotics of the Berman Problem
Authors: Cox S. M. , King J. R.
Published: September 2010

Similarity flow of a viscous fluid in a channel is considered, driven by uniform withdrawal of the fluid through the channel walls. The nonlinear ordinary differential boundary value problem that results has several branches of solutions; those of Types III, III1, and I1 are investigated here, in the limit of large wall‐suction Reynolds number. This paper gives a markedly more accurate Type III asymptotic solution than previously available, and describes the true asymptotics of the other branches for the first time. The asymptotic structure of the Type III1 solution is particularly subtle, requiring matching between seven different layers. Numerical solutions of the boundary value problem provide support for the asymptotic solutions obtained.
Convergent Expansions for Solutions of Linear Ordinary Differential Equations Having a Simple Pole, with an Application to Associated Legendre Functions
Authors: Dunster T. M.
Published: September 2010

Second‐order linear ordinary differential equations with a large parameter u are examined. Asymptotic expansions involving modified Bessel functions are applicable for the case where the coefficient function of the large parameter has a simple pole. In this paper, we examine such equations in the complex plane, and convert the asymptotic expansions into uniformly convergent series, where u appears in an inverse factorial, rather than an inverse power. Under certain mild conditions, the region of convergence containing the simple pole is unbounded. The theory is applied to obtain exact connection formulas for general solutions of the equation, and also, in a special case, to obtain convergent expansions for associated Legendre functions of complex argument and large degree.
Multiple BGPs in a Growth Model with Habit Persistence
Authors: CHEN BEEN‐LON
Published: September 2010

This paper establishes multiple balanced growth paths in an otherwise standard, competitive growth model without externality or distortions and with households' preference dependent upon how his/her consumption compares to a habit stock formed by his/her own past consumption. The key feature in our model is that consumption forms habits in combination with existing habits. This model establishes multiple equilibria because habit persistence induces an internal, intertemporal complementarity effect among consumption flows, with current consumption reinforcing future consumption. As a result, there exist two balanced‐growth paths, with one path exhibiting low consumption and habits and high economic growth, and the other path exhibiting high consumption and habits and low growth that is not necessarily a development trap. Both steady states are saddles, but global indeterminacy arises where a high balanced growth path co‐exists with a low balanced growth path where the two equilibrium paths cannot be pareto ranked and history need not matter for the selection of the equilibrium path.
Charter Value, Risk‐Taking Incentives, and Emerging Competition for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Authors: FRAME W. SCOTT , WHITE LAWRENCE J.
Published: September 2010

This paper examines two forces that may soon increase competition in the U.S. secondary conforming mortgage market: (1) the Federal Home Loan Bank mortgage purchase programs, and (2) the adoption of revised risk‐based capital requirements for large U.S. banks (Basel II). We argue that this competition is likely to reduce the growth and relative importance of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and hence reduce their charter values and effective capital. Such developments could, in turn, lead to more risky behaviors by these two companies. This last consequence warrants greater supervisory awareness and legal authorities.
Information Content of Wages and Monetary Policy
Authors: GERSBACH HANS , HAHN VOLKER
Published: September 2010

We examine whether it is sufficient for central banks to observe and forecast nominal variables only. Analyzing the interplay of wage‐setting unions and a central bank we show that although central banks may not gain more information by directly acquiring data about indicators of real shocks in the economy, such activities are nevertheless beneficial for central banks and yield lower social losses. Moreover, the extent of research activities by central banks should depend on the process of union formation.
Financial Differences and Business Cycle Co‐Movements in a Currency Area
Authors: FAIA ESTER
Published: September 2010

I propose a unitary framework to interpret the links between differences in financial structures and the monetary policy regimes, on the one hand, and the correlation of business cycles, on the other. Using a two‐country micro‐founded model with financial frictions I predict that a greater financial diversity should reduce cyclical correlation under a given monetary regime and that moving from independent monetary policies to a hard peg or a common currency should increase it, for any given degree of financial diversity. I use the recent experience of EMU to test these ideas and show that my model explains reasonably well the broad patterns of business cycle correlation observed recently among the main euro area countries.
Intangible Assets, Information Complexity, and Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts
Authors: Gu Feng , Wang Weimin
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  We examine the relation between analysts’ earnings forecasts and firms’ intangible assets, including technology‐based intangibles, brand names, and recognized intangibles. We predict that high information complexity of intangible assets increases the difficulty for analysts to assimilate information and increases analysts’ forecast error of intangibles‐intensive firms. We find a positive association between analysts’ forecast error and the firm's intangible intensity that deviates from the industry norm. We also find that analysts’ forecast errors are greater for firms with diverse and innovative technologies. In contrast, analysts’ forecast errors are smaller for biotech/pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms that are subject to intangibles‐related regulation.
The Impact of Managing Director Changes and Financial Distress on Audit Qualification and Auditor Switching
Authors: Hudaib Mohammad , Cooke T.E.
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  This study examines the interactive effects of change in managing director/chief executive officer (MD) and financial distress together with five control variables (type of audit firm; audit fees; gearing; time; and company size) on first, audit opinion and secondly on auditor switching. Based on a sample of 297 UK listed companies between 1987 and 2001, we find that companies that are financially distressed and change their MD are most likely to receive a qualified audit report, ceteris paribus. In addition, we find evidence of both familiarity and intimidation threats and that the probability of a switch increases with the severity of qualification.
The Law of Proportionate Effect: The Growth of the UK Credit Union Movement at National and Regional Level
Authors: Ward Ann‐Marie , McKillop Donal G.
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  This study examines credit union size‐growth relationships within the context of Gibrat's law of proportionate effect. This relates to the hypothesis that the growth of each firm in each period is random. The analysis covers the period 1994 to 2000 and is undertaken separately for the United Kingdom (UK) and its regions, Northern Ireland, England & Wales and Scotland. Sample attrition is a characteristic of the data and to avoid the problem of survivorship bias the inverse of the Mill's ratio, obtained from a probit regression for surviving credit unions, is introduced into the estimating relationship. In terms of the empirical results, little evidence emerged to support the law of proportionate effect as a theoretical paradigm. Although not universal, three broad findings emerged. First, small credit unions on average grow faster than their larger counterparts, although there was also some evidence of non‐linearity in this relationship. Secondly, growth persistence pertained with credit unions which experienced above average growth (below average growth) in one period, experiencing above average growth (below average growth) in the next. Thirdly, variability of growth was not independent of size with the cross‐sectional variance of the error term inversely related to size suggesting that small credit unions have greater growth variability than larger ones.
Boards of Directors, Market Discipline and Firm Performance
Authors: Bozec Richard
Published: September 2010

Abstract: The board of directors is generally seen as an important internal governance structure. However, the empirical evidence on the board‐performance relationship is not conclusive. On the other hand, a growing literature suggests that different control mechanisms, either internal or external to the firm, can interact with each other and affect performance. One such important factor is product market competition. The objective of the study is to investigate further the board‐performance relationship taking into consideration the potential effect of market competition. More precisely, the study analyzes the combined effect of boards of directors’ characteristics, and market discipline on firm performance. Overall, the results suggest that competition has a positive and significant impact on firm profitability and productivity. Moreover, this determinant factor creates the conditions for which the board‐performance relationship is supported. In other words, for boards to be effective, firms should be exposed to a competitive environment.
Technical, Allocative and Scale Efficiencies of REITs:  An Empirical Inquiry
Authors: Topuz John C. , Darrat Ali F. , Shelor Roger M.
Published: September 2010

Abstract: This paper empirically explores various efficiency aspects of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in light of their remarkable growth in the 1990s. We find clear evidence of considerable technical inefficiency in REITs, though not much indication for allocative or scale inefficiency. The results also suggest that an increasing number of REITs has been operating under diseconomies of scale since the late 1990s primarily due to the recent wave of consolidation and merger activities. As creatures of the US tax code, REIT's have undergone several changes to their operating status, and our results suggest that the prevalent regulatory environment appears too onerous for the industry and may have contributed to the REITs’ poor efficiency performance. In particular, further cuts or total elimination of the dividend restriction on REITs could provide much needed relief and stability in the US real estate market.
Farrier services at veterinary teaching hospitals in the USA
Authors: Kirker‐Head C. A. , Krane G.
Published: September 2010

Horse health is best served when farriers and veterinarians collaborate in the care of their patients. Veterinary Teaching Hospitals (VTHs) provide an environment that can nurture that collaboration. While VTH veterinary services are well known, VTH farrier activities are undocumented. To characterise farrier services at VTHs in the USA, 27 VTH Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and/or VTH farriers completed a multiple choice questionnaire characterising VTH farrier details, training, certification, remuneration method, and clinical, teaching and research responsibilities; and farrier service prevalence, facilities and financial viability. Questionnaire response rate was 81%. Eighteen of 22 (82%) responding VTHs had in‐house farrier services. Twenty‐one of 22 (95%) VTH farriers were male. Farriers' ages ranged from <30 years (n = 1, 5%) to >50 years (n = 7, 32%). At 11 (61%) VTHs the farriers were paid by the client and at 7 (39%) by the VTH. Five farriers (23%) received a VTH salary. Eighteen of 22 (82%) farriers had a professional certification. At 5 (28%) VTHs the farrier service made a profit and operational costs were met at 13 (72%). Fifteen (83%) farrier services provided professional education in clinical settings and 13 (72%) in lecture settings. Nine (41%) VTH farriers participated in research activities. In the USA, VTH farrier services vary considerably in both nature and extent. The farriers' potential contributions to VTH operations are often recognised but not consistently exploited. VTH farriers are a valuable resource who can contribute effectively toward VTH patient care, veterinary education and research.
A highly permeable species boundary between two anadromous fishes
Authors: Coscia I. , Rountree V. , King J. J. , Roche W. K. , Mariani S.
Published: September 2010

Meristic identification, mitochondrial DNA and a suite of microsatellite markers were employed to estimate the incidence of hybridization in wild populations of anadromous Allis shad Alosa alosa and twaite shad Alosa fallax in southern Irish riverine and estuarine waters. It was shown that 16% of the fishes examined were misclassified using meristic count of gill rakers. Next, a significant proportion of fishes that were robustly assigned to a species using nuclear markers were shown to possess the mtDNA of the other. The genomes of A. alosa and A. fallax in Ireland are extensively introgressed, which suggests a complex history of hybridization between these species, which can only partially be explained by recent man‐made habitat changes.
Identification of Perceived Interviewee Behaviors that Influence Auditors' Assessment of Deception
Authors: Lee Chih‐Chen , Welker Robert B.
Published: September 2010

US and international policy setters recently called for auditors to be alert for anomalous interviewee behaviors that may indicate deception. In this call, they included verbal behaviors, such as implausibility and inconsistency, as suggested indicators. This study empirically identifies the perceived verbal and physical interviewee behaviors that influence auditors' deception detection judgments. Perceptions of informativeness and body movement were found to increase auditors' suspicion of interviewees. The literature provides support for using deception indicators relating to informativeness for deception detection. However, the literature suggests that more body movement is a false deception indicator; that deceivers typically manifest less body movement when lying. The study's results also suggest that entry‐level accountants use anxiety‐related behaviors for deception detection, whereas experienced auditors do not. The deception detection literature suggests that anxiety‐related behaviors do not predict deception.
Granular cell tumor of the suprasternal space
Authors: IHARA Koji , ITO Hiroshi , NAKAJIMA Yumiko , FUKAYA Eri , NAKAZAWA Hiroaki , NOZAKI Motohiro
Published: September 2010

A case of granular cell tumor (GCT) was reported. We encountered a 33‐year‐old woman with a painless, elastic, hard mass in the soft tissue of the suprasternal space. The tumor was excised with several millimeters margin of normal tissue above the deep cervical fascia and the wound was closed primarily. Histological examination on hematoxylin–eosin stain showed a tumor growth in the mid‐ to deep dermis and eosinophilic small granules that were consistent with granular cell tumors. Immunohistochemical studies showed positive staining for S‐100 protein. We experienced a case of a granular cell tumor occurring in the suprasternal space and report the importance of including it in the differential diagnosis of subcutaneous soft tissue tumors.
Investigating the role of ABC transporters in multifungicide insensitivity in Phytophthora infestans
Authors: JUDELSON HOWARD S. , SENTHIL GEETHA
Published: September 2010

Isolates of the oomycete Phytophthora infestans exhibit a wide range of intrinsic sensitivities to fungicides, which potentially influences the application rates of chemicals needed to control potato late blight. To help understand what determines such levels of sensitivity, a genetic approach was employed which followed the segregation of sensitivities to structurally diverse fungicides such as metalaxyl and trifloxystrobin. Progeny exhibited broad distributions of sensitivity phenotypes, consistent with the behaviour of a quantitative trait. Measurements of the inhibition of strains by seven fungicides revealed that basal sensitivities to metalaxyl and trifloxystrobin, and to cymoxanil and dimethomorph, correlated at the 95% confidence level. These compounds have distinct modes of action, suggesting the involvement of a multifungicide efflux phenomenon mediated by ABC transporters. To determine whether such proteins contribute to variation in sensitivity, 41 full transporters and 13 half transporters were identified from P. infestans and their mRNA levels compared in strains exhibiting higher or lower sensitivities to fungicides. No correlation was observed between the expression of any ABC transporter and fungicide sensitivity. Other genes, or variation in the activities of the transporters, may therefore explain the differences between strains. Five ABC transporters were induced by several fungicides in strains with both higher and lower sensitivities to fungicides, which probably reflects the existence of a network for protecting against natural and artificial toxins.
Vitamin D3 treatment of Crohn’s disease patients increases stimulated T cell IL‐6 production and proliferation
Authors: Bendix‐Struve M. , Bartels L. E. , Agnholt J. , Dige A. , Jørgensen S. P. , Dahlerup J. F.
Published: September 2010

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 1364–1372

Background  Vitamin D3 has shown immune‐modulating effects in CD4+ T cells from Crohn’s disease patients in vitro.

Aim  To investigate the effects of in vivo vitamin D3 treatment on T cells in Crohn’s disease patients.

Methods  Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated at week 0 and at week 26 from 10 vitamin D3‐ and 10 placebo‐treated Crohn’s disease patients participating in a randomized, placebo‐controlled, clinical trial study. Monocyte‐depleted PBMC were stimulated with anti‐CD3 and anti‐CD28, and cultured for 7, days, to investigate CD4+ T‐cell proliferation and T‐cell cytokine production.

Results  In vitamin D3‐treated patients, the median 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 levels increased 70 nmol/L compared with −5 nmol/L in the placebo group. Vitamin D3 treatment increased interleukin‐6 production (delta = 188 pg/mL, range: −444 to 4071) compared with a decrease in the placebo group (delta = −896 pg/mL, range: −3841 to 1323) (P < 0.02, Wilcoxon rank sum test). Interestingly, vitamin D3 increased the amount of proliferating stimulated CD4+ T cells from median 41% (range: 10–75%) to 56% (range: 26–77%) (P = 0.02, Wilcoxon rank sum test).

Conclusions  Vitamin D3 treatment of Crohn’s disease patients increased the IL‐6 levels. Interestingly, vitamin D3 treatment enhanced the CD4+ T cell proliferation.
Remodelling of nasal mucosa in mild and severe persistent allergic rhinitis with special reference to the distribution of collagen, proteoglycans, and lymphatic vessels
Authors: Kim T. H. , Lee J. Y. , Lee H. M. , Lee S. H. , Cho W. S. , Ju Y. H. , Park E. H. , Kim K. W. , Lee S. H.
Published: September 2010

Background
Small leucine‐rich repeat proteoglycans (decorin, biglycan, and lumican), collagen, and lymphangiogenesis are involved in tissue remodelling of various organs with inflammatory diseases.

Objective
We determined the expression level and the distribution pattern of small leucine‐rich repeat proteoglycans (decorin, biglycan, and lumican), collagen and lymphatic vessels in healthy, mild, and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa.

Methods
The distribution pattern of collagen, proteoglycans, and lymphatic vessels in healthy, mild, and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa was evaluated by the van Gieson staining, immunohistochemistry, RT‐PCR, and Western blotting. Quantitative analyses of collagen deposition were calculated as the median of the total percentage area in the tissue specimen. For the evaluation of proteoglycans, the percentage area stained and median optical density were measured for each image. Lymphatic vessels were identified by D2‐40 antibody and calculated using the lymphatic vessel density and endothelial length density in tissue specimens. The expression of MMP 2 and 9, TIMP1 and 2 was evaluated with RT‐PCR and Western blotting.

Results
In mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa, compared with healthy nasal mucosa, collagen showed more intense staining in the superficial and submucosal layer. In healthy and allergic nasal mucosa, decorin was lightly stained without significant differences in the percentage area and optical density of staining. However, lumican and biglycan showed strong immunoreactivity in mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa, which was verified by Western blotting. The number and endothelial length density of lymphatic vessels were increased in mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa compared with healthy nasal mucosa. The expression of MMP 9 was increased in severe persistent allergic rhinitis.

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance
These results suggest that the altered distribution pattern of collagen, proteoglycans, and lymphatic vessels could potentially modulate the remodelling of nasal mucosa in mild and severe persistent allergic nasal mucosa.

Cite this as: T. H. Kim, J. Y. Lee, H. M. Lee, S. H. Lee, W. S. Cho, Y. H. Ju, E. H. Park, K. W. Kim and S. H. Lee, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 1742–1754.