bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring organisational learning capability among the workforce
Authors: Chiva Ricardo , Alegre Joaquin , Lapiedra Rafael
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The present study sets out to propose and validate a measurement scale that aims to capture the organisational capability to learn, based on a comprehensive analysis of the facilitating factors for learning. The organisational learning capability scale consists of 14 items grouped into five dimensions: experimentation, risk taking, interaction with the external environment, dialogue, and participative decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from eight Spanish ceramic tile manufacturers. The survey was addressed to shop floor workers. A total of 157 valid questionnaires were obtained, representing a response rate of 61 per cent. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the construct measurement model was tested and the scale was validated.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that the operational measure developed here satisfies the criteria for unidimensionality, reliability, and validity.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the sample features, final results should be considered with caution. Further research is needed to validate the organisational learning capability scale in other contexts and addressed to other kinds of respondents. However, this study contributes to organisational learning research by providing a valid and reliable operational measure that is expected to help researchers in future theory testing.

Practical implications

The proposed measurement scale for organisational learning capability could be implemented as an audit tool. Thus, managers could unveil which organisational learning issues are strong and which are weak. This would provide guidance for improvement.

Originality/value

This paper provides a new measurement instrument for organisational learning capability.
Competency management in support of organisational change
Authors: Vakola Maria , Eric Soderquist Klas , Prastacos Gregory P.
Published: July 2007

Purpose

Competitive advantage depends largely on the ability to activate and use organisational resources. As a result, the focus in the strategic management, organisational behaviour and human resource management literature has turned to the internal capabilities of organisations including a particular focus on employees' competencies. This paper seeks to analyse and discuss a forward‐looking, dynamic and proactive approach to competency modelling explicitly aligned with strategic business needs and oriented to long‐term future success.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a longitudinal research project sponsored by a leading Greek bank, currently undergoing fundamental corporate restructuring. This paper describes how the competency model was developed and how it facilitated strategy implementation and change by supporting communication, employee understanding of business goals, and the incorporation of new behaviours, roles and competencies in operations.

Findings

A forward‐looking and proactive approach to competency modelling is presented and discussed in the context of a large‐scale organisational change. The organisational core competencies required for a business to compete successfully in the banking sector are defined and discussed. The right mix of skills and behaviours that the individuals would need to possess in order to produce and support those core competencies is also analysed and discussed.

Originality/value

Traditional approach to competency management, which is analogous to job analysis, focuses on competencies of successful individuals, rather than on competencies that are needed to support an organisation to meet its short‐ or long‐term objectives. It is important to realise that there is a need to shift toward a forward‐looking and proactive approach to competency modelling and present a competency methodology that supports this need.
E‐business through knowledge management in Spanish telecommunications companies
Authors: Cegarra‐Navarro Juan G. , Angel Martínez‐Conesa Eusebio
Published: July 2007

Purpose

E‐business requires small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to seek both external and internal knowledge and to establish external and internal relationships with partners, such as customers and suppliers. This paper aims to describe a model that examines how knowledge management has an impact on the adoption of e‐business, particularly in SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews literature to identify relevant measures through a structural equation model, which is validated through an empirical investigation of 107 SMEs in the Spanish telecommunications sector.

Findings

The results show that, in order to implement e‐business systems, companies need to provide and support the acquisition, sharing and application of knowledge as prior steps.

Research limitations/implications

Other factors that have not been included in this study are also likely to affect knowledge acquisition.

Practical implications

Organisations that engage in learning from their customers and suppliers not only test the effectiveness of a new direction of e‐business, but also have the potential to design their e‐business around what customers truly need and want, and as such gain a sustainable competitive advantage.

Originality/value

These results have implications for e‐business managers in formulating policies and targeting appropriate organisational capabilities to ensure the effective adoption of e‐business systems.
Leadership development: learning from best practices
Authors: Leskiw Sheri‐Lynne , Singh Parbudyal
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the literature on best practices and propose a series of steps or practices that practitioners can use in developing and assessing their leadership development strategies and programs.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a review paper. An extensive literature review was conducted (by searching texts and business databases, such as ABIInform/Proquest, for “leadership development best practices”). Once an organization was identified, several criteria were used to decide whether it would be included in this study: independent analysts classified the practice as “best” in the leadership development area; leaders were “made” through integrated, multi‐mode programs that included top management support, systematic training, etc.

Findings

Six key factors were found to be vital for effective leadership development: a thorough needs assessment, the selection of a suitable audience, the design of an appropriate infrastructure to support the initiative, the design and implementation of an entire learning system, an evaluation system, and corresponding actions to reward success and improve on deficiencies.

Research limitations/implications

The paper identified “best practice organizations” by reviewing the literature. While this is an acceptable method, it resulted in wide range of determining criteria.

Practical implications

The most important implication of this paper is practical in nature. Essentially, organizations can use the six stages identified in the paper to help them develop and implement effective leadership development strategies.

Originality/value

Leadership development has become a key strategic issue for contemporary organizations. There is considerable evidence to suggest that organizations that do not have properly structured leadership development processes compete in the marketplace at their own peril. Several organizations have reported successes with particular approaches, yet an examination of the literature reveals that the lessons emanating from these success stories are generally not presented in a holistic manner. This is the need that we address in this paper.
Towards a contingency approach to performance measurement: an empirical study in Scottish SMEs
Authors: Garengo Patrizia , Bititci Umit
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The literature emphasizes the important role performance measurement systems (PMS) play in supporting organizational development in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, there are very few empirical and theoretical studies on the factors that influence performance measurement practices in SMEs. This paper aims to contribute to filling this gap using both theoretical and empirical approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review and interviews were used to identify four key contingency factors for PMS in SMEs. A qualitative research design involving a multiple case study methodology was carried out to investigate how these factors influence performance measurement.

Findings

The relationship between the contingency factors and performance measurement were formalized in four theoretical propositions. First corporate governance structure is one of the main factors influencing performance measurement adoption and use. Second, advanced information practices and advanced behaviours on the part of the people involved appear to be a necessary condition for the effective implementation and use of PMS in SMEs. Third, a change in a firm's business model seems to lead to the development of an improved PMS. Finally, the successful implementation of a PMS seems to be driven by an authoritative management style.

Research limitations/implications

Contingency factors were studied independently. Future research might investigate how these factors collectively influence performance measurement practices to make interdependence more explicit.

Practical implications

The theoretical propositions provide useful knowledge for defining a methodology and managerial tool to support performance measurement in SMEs.

Originality/value

This paper defines key contingency factors influencing performance measurement in SMEs; it contributes to clarifying how these factors could influence performance measurement practices in companies.
Leadership: emotional intelligence, passion and … what else?
Authors: Marques Joan F.
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the outcome of a business and management cohort's contemplations on leadership qualities that can be considered applicable under practically all circumstances.

Design/methodology/approach

The subject scope was organizational leadership. The methods used were written interviews. The topic was approached by: explaining the general disconformities of leadership qualities, depending on situations and followers; examining leadership students' perceptions on generally applicable leadership qualities; clustering the listed qualities; and presenting a model.

Findings

There are some leadership attributes that are generally applicable, regardless of situation and followers. The findings listed in this paper are not exhaustive but should rather be used as a pragmatic tool for further research on the topic.

Research limitations/implications

The population used for data was limited, as it consisted of business and management students with a leadership emphasis. The themes to be collected were also limited, due to the pre‐set restriction for each student to list only one additional leadership quality. The findings were only gathered from one cohort, later enriched with additional interview findings, and might provide increased themes when extended over multiple courses in multiple semesters, or when applied in additional qualitative or quantitative studies on the topic. Applying this study on other populations for a greater foundation in findings.

Practical implications

There are some qualities that work in leadership all the time and everywhere, and leaders could use this list as an encouraging reflection onto their practices.

Originality/value

In these times when all leadership sources claim that successful leadership is as dispersed as the situations and natures of followers, this paper provides a refreshing viewpoint that there are qualities in existence that will enhance a leader's performance, regardless of the nature of the constituents.
Building public service‐oriented government in China
Authors: Knox Colin , Qun Zhang
Published: July 2007

Purpose

Legislative hearings are a relatively new way of encouraging citizen participation in administrative law making within China. The first such hearing in Liaoning Province (Dalian City) was held in April 2005. The purpose of this paper is to examine the detail of the hearing process and attempts to assess its effectiveness as a mechanism for engagement between citizen and the state.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider both the practicalities of running a public hearing and its influence on the legal regulations under scrutiny. More generally, and within the limits of one case study, we consider whether hearings have the potential to shift the balance of power away from the state and its officials towards a more inclusive form of decision‐making.

Findings

Legislative public hearings appear to offer the opportunity for public engagement. The out‐workings of these in practice, if the Dalian case study and secondary evidence from five other Chinese cities is typical, suggests practical limitations, some of which are bound up with the cultural origins of a paternalistic public sector in China and deference to authority.

Originality/value

This paper examines whether citizen participation has been influenced by the wider global reform process of new public management and modernisation, synonymous with developed countries and offers insight into a more inclusive form of decision making for other public services.
An exploratory study on the value of service learning projects and their impact on community service involvement and critical thinking
Authors: Joseph Mathew , Stone George W. , Grantham Kimberly , Harmancioglu Nukhet , Ibrahim Essam
Published: July 2007

Purpose

This exploratory study attempts to capture some of the principal benefits/factors attributable to service learning/community service projects, from a student perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 67 males and 83 females (16 graduate, 71 seniors, and 63 juniors) participated in the study.

Findings

Students believe that their college experience is preparing them for the job market, that critical thinking has been enhanced, and that their college academic experience has emphasized community service upon graduation.

Practical implications

The results increase one's knowledge of the benefits of service learning since so much emphasis is currently being placed on improving the critical thinking and problem‐solving ability of undergraduate business students.

Originality/value

Practitioners would be interested in understanding the impact that service learning can have on the problem‐solving ability of potential employees. If additional research could advance the proposition that students with service learning experience are generally superior in terms of their problem‐solving skills to students with no similar experience, then evidence of a service learning component on a student résumé suddenly adds value to the employer.
Conflict, arbitration, and dispute resolution in the German workplace
Authors: Behrens Martin
Published: July 2007

Purpose

This paper investigates the role of arbitration panels in German employment relations. It is the main aim of the analysis to improve our knowledge of the ways through which employment related conflict is formalized within a transparent procedure.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses are generated from a review of relevant publications on German arbitration panels. To test the hypotheses with evidence, the paper uses data from the 2006 WSI works council survey and applies binary logistical regression analysis.

Findings

The statistical analysis reveals that works councils oppose management hostility by way of making more frequent use of arbitration panels. While in a multivariate model the use of arbitration panels could be positively associated with certain attitudes of works councils and management, results for a number of institutional variables were other than expected. While foreign ownership of a particular establishment did not have a significant impact on the use of arbitration panels, firm‐level agreements, as negotiated by unions without the direct involvement of works councils, are associated with a more frequent use of such panels.

Research limitations/implications

The model applied in the article could not verify establishment age because data on this subject was not available. Future surveys should fill this void.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper suggest that arbitration panels are a valuable tool in the process of conflict resolution. Because there is little evidence for an excessive use of such panels, future debates on the reform of the Works Constitution Act should consider strengthening this instrument rather than restricting it.

Originality/value

While data on the use of arbitration panels had already been documented about 20 years ago, the author presents a unique set of data, which for the first time allows the analysis of the use of arbitration panels in all industries within the private sector and is also significant in making it possible to statistically test relevant hypotheses on the usage of such panels.
Advance fee fraud: trends and issues in the Caribbean
Authors: Akinladejo Olubusola H.
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the trends and issues involved in advance fee fraud in the Caribbean.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers a definition of advance fee fraud, describing its practice in the context of the Caribbean. The paper outlines the current state of the law in the region, the need for action and the legislative and enforcement strategies required.

Findings

International and regional efforts have been geared towards drug trafficking and money laundering and, in more recent times, terrorism. The time is now ripe for these international and regional efforts to add to their focus advance fee fraud in all its versions and variations. The need to take proactive and decisive measures against advance fee fraud is even more evident in the context of the growth in the use of technology in commerce due to the obvious economic advantage. Advance fee fraud is not just a trick or reward for greed, it is an economic crime and there must be a drastic response from the region. The region should not be complacent towards the fraud in light of far reaching negative effect that the fraud is likely to have in the region.

Originality/value

The paper adds insight into the practice of advance fee fraud in the Caribbean and the need for action to combat it.
The early‐adolescent female clothing consumer
Authors: de Klerk Helena M. , Tselepis Thea
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the early‐adolescent female consumer's expectations and evaluation, as well as satisfaction relating to the fit, as a dimension of the quality of her clothes.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research style was followed and a structured questionnaire was used as data‐collecting method. A total of 120 13‐year‐old young female consumers, also known as the early‐adolescent female, participated in the study.

Findings

The results suggest that the early‐adolescent female consumer is not only concerned about the functional aspects of the fit of her clothes, but also about the emotional effect. Results further suggest that this consumer group probably does not have the expertise, knowledge and cognitive skills that can enable them, during the evaluation phase of the decision‐making process, to realistically evaluate this very important dimension of the quality of clothes, with the main purpose of giving functional comfort and emotional pleasure during the post‐purchase experience. This then contributes to the fact that, when wearing the clothes, they are, especially as regards the emotional and cognitive dimensions, mostly dissatisfied with the fit of their clothes.

Originality/value

With the buying power of this young market in mind, the main implication of the above is that brands that are specifically aimed at these young consumers should specifically be sized according to the measurements and figure proportions of the young consumer.
Socially responsible property investment (SRPI)
Authors: Rapson Daniel , Shiers David , Roberts Claire , Keeping Miles
Published: July 2007

Purpose

Socially responsible investment (SRI) is now a well established part of equities investment. Questions are now being raised over property investment and whether similar attempts to be “socially responsible” should be incorporated into investment practice. This paper aims to examine the investment practices of large fund managers for both equities and property in order to identify products and activities which are contributing to the progress of SRPI.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis was conducted of equities SRI, and potential SRPI activities, for the top ten UK property fund management using publicly available company literature. This was analysed using simple matrices to understand common activities, industry application, and market‐leading innovations. Relationships between progress in SRI and SRPI, are also explored, along with the consideration of SRPI actions in the context of SRI concepts.

Findings

Market leaders were established in terms of their equities SRI products and services, though this did not necessarily equate to progress in the field of SRPI. Only one potentially SPRI product was identified. However this does not represent the overall consideration of sustainability issues in relation to property investment practices. Half of the companies studied were found to be taking actions which demonstrate attempts to consider the impacts associated with property investment.

Originality/value

This paper reflects a call from key SRPI thinkers to assess the current extent of SRPI practices, which will be a useful starting point for further analysis/debate of the most appropriate SRPI methods. It should therefore be of interest to both SRI and general property investors alike.
New scintillation detector of backscattered electrons for the low voltage SEM
Authors: WANDROL PETR
Published: July 2007

The new scintillation detector of backscattered electrons that is capable of working at primary beam energy as low as 0.5 keV is introduced. Low energy backscattered electrons are accelerated in order to generate a sufficient number of photons. Secondary electrons are deflected back by the energy filter so that the true compositional contrast of the specimen is obtained. The theoretical models of the detector function are described and first demonstration images are presented.
Consequences of the background in piezoresponse force microscopy on the imaging of ferroelectric domain structures
Authors: JUNGK T. , HOFFMANN Á. , SOERGEL E.
Published: July 2007

The interpretation of ferroelectric domain images obtained with a piezoresponse force microscope (PFM) is discussed. The influence of an inherent experimental background on the domain contrast in PFM images (enhancement, nulling, inversion) as well as on the shape and the location of the domain boundaries are described. We present experimental results to evidence our analysis of the influence of the background on the domain contrast in PFM images.
Distribution and Characteristics of
Listeria monocytogenes
Isolates from Surface Waters of the South Nation River Watershed, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Lyautey Emilie , Lapen David R. , Wilkes Graham , McCleary Katherine , Pagotto Franco , Tyler Kevin , Hartmann Alain , Piveteau Pascal , Rieu Aurélie , Robertson William J. , Medeiros Diane T. , Edge Thomas A. , Gannon Victor , Topp Edward
Published: July 2007

Listeria monocytogenes
is a facultative intracellular pathogen thought to be widely distributed in the environment. We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of
L. monocytogenes
isolates from surface waters derived from catchments within the South Nation River watershed (Ontario, Canada). This watershed is dominated by urban and rural development, livestock and crop production, and wildlife habitats. From June to November 2005, a total of 314 surface water samples were collected biweekly from 22 discrete sampling sites characterized by various upstream land uses. Presumptive
Listeria
spp. were isolated using a selective enrichment and isolation procedure, and 75
L. monocytogenes
isolates were identified based on colony morphology, hemolytic activity, and amplification of three pathogenicity genes:
iap, inlA
, and
hlyA
. Thirty-two of 314 (10%) surface water samples were positive for the presence of
L. monocytogenes
, but detection ranged between 0 and 27% depending on the sampling date. Isolates belonging to serovar group 1/2a, 3a (50%) and group 4b, 4d, 4e (32%) were dominant.
L. monocytogenes
populations were resolved into 13 EcoRI ribotypes and 21 ApaI and 21 AscI pulsotypes. These had Simpson indexes of discrimination of up to 0.885. Lineage I-related isolates were dominant (61%) during the summer, whereas lineage II isolates were dominant (77%) in the fall. Isolates were, on average, resistant to 6.1 ± 2.1 antibiotics out of 17 tested. Half of the
L. monocytogenes
isolates exhibited potential virulence linked to the production of a functional internalin A, and some isolates were found to be moderately to highly virulent by in vitro Caco-2 plaque formation assay (up to 28% of entry). There was a statistically significant link between the occurrence of
L. monocytogenes
and proximity to an upstream dairy farm and degree of cropped land. Our data indicate that
L. monocytogenes
is widespread in the studied catchments, where it could represent a public health issue related to agricultural land use.
Biogenic Mineral Production by a Novel Arsenic-Metabolizing Thermophilic Bacterium from the Alvord Basin, Oregon
Authors: Ledbetter Rhesa N. , Connon Stephanie A. , Neal Andrew L. , Dohnalkova Alice , Magnuson Timothy S.
Published: July 2007

The Alvord Basin in southeast Oregon contains a variety of hydrothermal features which have never been microbiologically characterized. A sampling of Murky Pot (61°C; pH 7.1) led to the isolation of a novel arsenic-metabolizing organism (YeAs) which produces an arsenic sulfide mineral known as β-realgar, a mineral that has not previously been observed as a product of bacterial arsenic metabolism. YeAs was grown on a freshwater medium and utilized a variety of organic substrates, particularly carbohydrates and organic acids. The temperature range for growth was 37 to 75°C (optimum, 55°C), and the pH range for growth was 6.0 to 8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0 to 7.5). No growth was observed when YeAs was grown under aerobic conditions. The doubling time when the organism was grown with yeast extract and As(V) was 0.71 h. Microscopic examination revealed Gram stain-indeterminate, non-spore-forming, nonmotile, rod-shaped cells, with dimensions ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 μm wide by 3 to 10 μm long. Arsenic sulfide mineralization of cell walls and extracellular arsenic sulfide particulate deposition were observed with electron microscopy and elemental analysis. 16S rRNA gene analysis placed YeAs in the familyClostridiaceaeand indicated that the organism is most closely related to theCaloramatorandThermobrachiumspecies. The G+C content was 35%. YeAs showed no detectable respiratory arsenate reductase but did display significant detoxification arsenate reductase activity. The phylogenetic, physiological, and morphological characteristics of YeAs demonstrate that it is an anaerobic, moderately thermophilic, arsenic-reducing bacterium. This organism and its associated metabolism could have major implications in the search for innovative methods for arsenic waste management and in the search for novel biogenic mineral signatures.
Characterization of Monolaurin Resistance in
Enterococcus faecalis
Authors: Dufour Muriel , Manson Janet M. , Bremer Philip J. , Dufour Jean-Pierre , Cook Gregory M. , Simmonds Robin S.
Published: July 2007

There is increasing concern regarding the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in domestically farmed animals, which may act as reservoirs and vehicles of transmission for drug-resistant enterococci to humans, resulting in serious infections. In order to assess the potential for the use of monolaurin as a food preservative, it is important to understand both its target and potential mechanisms of resistance. A Tn
917
mutant library of
Enterococcus faecalis
AR01/DGVS was screened for resistance (MIC, >100 μg/ml) to monolaurin. Three mutants were identified as resistant to monolaurin and were designated DGRM2, DGRM5, and DGRM12. The gene interrupted in all three mutants was identified as
traB
, which encodes an
E. faecalis
pheromone shutdown protein and whose complementation in
trans
restored monolaurin sensitivity in all three mutants. DGRM2 was selected for further characterization.
E. faecalis
DGRM2 showed increased resistance to gentamicin and chloramphenicol (inhibitors of protein synthesis), while no difference in the MIC was observed with the cell wall-active antibiotics penicillin and vancomycin.
E. faecalis
AR01/DGVS and DGRM2 were shown to have similar rates (30% cell lysis after 4 h) of cell autolytic activity when activated by monolaurin. Differences in cell surface hydrophobicity were observed between the wild type and the mutant, with the cell surface of the parent strain being significantly more hydrophobic. Analysis of the cell wall structure of DGRM2 by transmission electron microscopy revealed an increase in the apparent cell wall thickness and contraction of its cytoplasm. Taken together, these results suggest that the increased resistance of DGRM2 was due to a change in cell surface hydrophobicity, consequently limiting the diffusion of monolaurin to a potential target in the cytoplasmic membrane and/or cytoplasm of
E. faecalis
.
Acid Tolerance of Biofilm Cells of
Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Welin-Neilands Jessica , Svensäter Gunnel
Published: July 2007

Streptococcus mutans
, a member of the dental plaque community, has been shown to be involved in the carious process. Cells of
S. mutans
induce an acid tolerance response (ATR) when exposed to sublethal pH values that enhances their survival at a lower pH. Mature biofilm cells are more resistant to acid stress than planktonic cells. We were interested in studying the acid tolerance and ATR-inducing ability of newly adhered biofilm cells of
S. mutans
. All experiments were carried out using flow-cell systems, with acid tolerance tested by exposing 3-h biofilm cells to pH 3.0 for 2 h and counting the number of survivors by plating on blood agar. Acid adaptability experiments were conducted by exposing biofilm cells to pH 5.5 for 3 h and then lowering the pH to 3.5 for 30 min. The viability of the cells was assessed by staining the cells with LIVE/DEAD BacLight viability stain. Three-hour biofilm cells of three different strains of
S. mutans
were between 820- and 70,000-fold more acid tolerant than corresponding planktonic cells. These strains also induced an ATR that enhanced the viability at pH 3.5. The presence of fluoride (0.5 M) inhibited the induction of an ATR, with 77% fewer viable cells at pH 3.5 as a consequence. Our data suggest that adhesion to a surface is an important step in the development of acid tolerance in biofilm cells and that different strains of
S. mutans
possess different degrees of acid tolerance and ability to induce an ATR.
Search for Genes Essential for Pneumococcal Transformation: the RadA DNA Repair Protein Plays a Role in Genomic Recombination of Donor DNA
Authors: Burghout Peter , Bootsma Hester J. , Kloosterman Tomas G. , Bijlsma Jetta J. E. , de Jongh Christa E. , Kuipers Oscar P. , Hermans Peter W. M.
Published: July 2007

We applied a novel negative selection strategy called genomic array footprinting (GAF) to identify genes required for genetic transformation of the gram-positive bacterium
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. Genome-wide
mariner
transposon mutant libraries in
S. pneumoniae
strain R6 were challenged by transformation with an antibiotic resistance cassette and growth in the presence of the corresponding antibiotic. The GAF screen identified the enrichment of mutants in two genes, i.e.,
hexA
and
hexB
, and the counterselection of mutants in 21 different genes during the challenge. Eight of the counterselected genes were known to be essential for pneumococcal transformation. Four other genes, i.e.,
radA
,
comGF
,
parB
, and spr2011, have previously been linked to the competence regulon, and one, spr2014, was located adjacent to the essential competence gene
comFA
. Directed mutants of seven of the eight remaining genes, i.e., spr0459-spr0460, spr0777, spr0838, spr1259-spr1260, and spr1357, resulted in reduced, albeit modest, transformation rates. No connection to pneumococcal transformation could be made for the eighth gene, which encodes the response regulator RR03. We further demonstrated that the gene encoding the putative DNA repair protein RadA is required for efficient transformation with chromosomal markers, whereas transformation with replicating plasmid DNA was not significantly affected. The
radA
mutant also displayed an increased sensitivity to treatment with the DNA-damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate. Hence, RadA is considered to have a role in recombination of donor DNA and in DNA damage repair in
S. pneumoniae
.
Phosphorylation of RyR2and shortening of RyR2cluster spacing in spontaneously hypertensive rat with heart failure
Authors: Chen-Izu Ye , Ward Christopher W. , Stark Wayne , Banyasz Tamas , Sumandea Marius P. , Balke C. William , Izu Leighton T. , Wehrens Xander H. T.
Published: July 2007

As a critical step toward understanding the role of abnormal intracellular Ca2+release via the ryanodine receptor (RyR2) during the development of hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, this study examines two questions: 1) At what stage, if ever, in the development of hypertrophy and heart failure is RyR2hyperphosphorylated at Ser2808? 2) Does the spatial distribution of RyR2clusters change in failing hearts? Using a newly developed semiquantitative immunohistochemistry method and Western blotting, we measured phosphorylation of RyR2at Ser2808in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) at four distinct disease stages. A major finding is that hyperphosphorylation of RyR2at Ser2808occurred only at late-stage heart failure in SHR, but not in age-matched controls. Furthermore, the spacing between RyR2clusters was shortened in failing hearts, as predicted by quantitative model simulation to increase spontaneous Ca2+wave generation and arrhythmias.
Measuring Democracy through Election Outcomes
Authors: Bogaards Matthijs
Published: July 2007

Cross-national measures of democracy are widely used to track the development and spread of democracy around the world and to study the causes and correlates of democratization. Most of the best-known democracy indexes have a component on election outcomes. In many measures, election outcomes make a significant contribution to a country's overall rating, and in some, the outcomes are even decisive. However, in the first empirical test of this relationship, using data from 165 African multiparty elections in 26 countries, this article demonstrates that election outcomes are not consistently related to democracy and that the assumptions behind such a relationship are problematic. Therefore, election outcomes are a flawed shortcut to measuring democracy.
The Local Connection
Authors: Weitz-Shapiro Rebecca
Published: July 2007

In light of extensive decentralization in much of the world, analyses of citizen satisfaction with democracy that treat citizens as subjects of their national governments alone are incomplete. In this article, the author uses regression analysis of unique survey data from Argentina to explore the relationship between local government performance and citizen satisfaction with democracy. She demonstrates that there is indeed an important link between local government performance and citizen system support but also that citizens distinguish between qualitatively different types of government performance. Certain measures of local government performance, such as corruption, have ramifications for citizens' evaluations of the functioning of their democracy and even for citizens' faith in democracy per se. At the same time, other types of local government performance, such as local bureaucratic inefficiency, do not reverberate beyond the local sphere. These results suggest mixed implications for future democratic stability in Latin America.
Electoral Governance Matters
Authors: Hartlyn Jonathan , McCoy Jennifer , Mustillo Thomas M.
Published: July 2007

This article provides a systematic cross-national analysis of the role of electoral administration in explaining acceptable democratic presidential elections in 19 countries in Latin America since the year 1980 or the first pivotal, transitional election. The authors provide two alternative measures of election administration, one focused on the degree of partisanship or professional independence and another on formal—legal institutional independence, as well as on other key factors, to test partial proportional odds-ordered logit models predicting the probability of an acceptable, flawed, or failed electoral process. The results show an important positive role for professional, independent electoral commissions on electoral outcomes in Latin America, controlling for other socioeconomic and political factors; formal-legal independence matters when the rules of the game are likely to be respected. In addition, low-quality elections are found disproportionately where incumbents seek reelection and where victory margins are extremely wide rather than narrow.
Psychosocial and Physiological Stress Among Women Leaving Welfare
Authors: Kneipp Shawn M. , Welch Dinah P. , Wood Charles E. , Yucha Carolyn B. , Yarandi Hossein
Published: July 2007

Women receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) report more stress and have poorer health than women in the general population. Studies suggest chronic stress may contribute to poor health via physiological mechanisms, yet little is known about these mechanisms in this population. This study examined psychosocial stress, salivary cortisol, 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate, and health among 40 single mothers before and after exiting TANF. As a group, perceived stress decreased after leaving TANF ( p = .02), with other measures of psychosocial and physiological stress remaining unchanged. Within participants, changes in psychosocial stress predicted depression and general health over time (adjusted R2 = .30 and .22; p = .006 and .004, respectively). These findings indicate psychosocial stress is positively associated with depression and negatively associated with general health as women exit welfare. Psychosocial stress was not associated with changes in physiologic indicators of stress.
French Football
Authors: Andreff Wladimir
Published: July 2007

This article contends that a French football exception is not an absent financial crisis but its hidden shape because of undisciplined club behavior and a lack of transparency and disclosure. French football is characterized by a lax financial management and a soft-budget constraint at the club level. The latter results from a weak governance structure in the league and clubs. Shareholders behave as non-profit-seeking investors or patrons. The arms race to enroll the most efficient players fuels wage inflation that is hardly balanced by newly emerging sources of finance. The more a club is able to attract broadcast revenues, the more likely it is to be in the red. Policy recommendations include strengthening the governance structure, restoring financial discipline, and defining compulsory thresholds for some clubs' financial ratios.
FELASA guidelines for the production and nomenclature of transgenic rodents
Authors: Rülicke Th , Montagutelli X , Pintado B , Thon R , Hedrich H J
Published: July 2007

The standardized nomenclature of rodent strains, genes and mutations has long been the focus of careful attention. Its aim is to provide proper designation of laboratory animals used in research projects and to convey as much information on each strain as possible. Since the development of different techniques to mutate the genome of laboratory rodents on a large scale, the correct application of current nomenclature systems is of increased significance. It facilitates not only the accurate communication of scientific results but is indispensable in controlling the dramatically increased number of transgenic animal models in experimental units, archives and databases. It is regrettable that many publications, especially on transgenic rodents, use vague and inappropriate strain designation. This situation should definitely be improved, particularly considering the increasingly emphasized importance of genetic background on the phenotype of mutations. The aim of these guidelines is to raise awareness about specific features of production and of the current nomenclature system used for transgenic rodents.
Complexity and the Character of Stock Returns: Empirical Evidence and a Model of Asset Prices Based on Complex Investor Learning
Authors: Linn Scott C. , Tay Nicholas S. P.
Published: July 2007

Empirical evidence on the distributional characteristics of common stock returns indicates: (1) A power-law tail index close to three describes the behavior of the positive tail of the survivor function of returns (pr(r > x) ∼ x−α), a reflection of fat tails; (2) general linear and nonlinear dependencies exist in the time series of returns; (3) the time-series return process is characterized by short-run dependence (short memory) in both returns as well as their volatility, the latter usually characterized in the form of autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity; and (4) the time-series return process probably does not exhibit long memory, but the squared returns process does exhibit long memory. We propose a model of complex, self-referential learning and reasoning amongst economic agents that jointly produces security returns consistent with these general observed facts and which are supported here by empirical results presented for a benchmark sample of 50 stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The market we postulate is populated by traders who reason inductively while compressing information into a few fuzzy notions that they can in turn process and analyze with fuzzy logic. We analyze the implications of such behavior for the returns on risky securities within the context of an artificial stock market model. Dynamic simulation experiments of the market are conducted, from which market-clearing prices emerge, allowing us to then compute realized returns. We test the effects of varying values of the parameters of the model on the character of the simulated returns. The results indicate that the model proposed in this paper can jointly account for the presence of a power-law characterization of the positive tail of the survivor function of returns with exponent on the order of three, for autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity, for long memory in volatility, and for general nonlinear dependencies in returns.
Cooperation in Evolving Social Networks
Authors: Hanaki Nobuyuki , Peterhansl Alexander , Dodds Peter S. , Watts Duncan J.
Published: July 2007

We study the problem of cooperative behavior emerging in an environment where individual behaviors and interaction structures coevolve. Players not only learn which strategy to adopt by imitating the strategy of the best-performing player they observe, but also choose with whom they should interact by selectively creating and/or severing ties with other players based on a myopic cost-benefit comparison. We find that scalable cooperation—that is, high levels of cooperation in large populations—can be achieved in sparse networks, assuming that individuals are able to sever ties unilaterally and that new ties can only be created with the mutual consent of both parties. Detailed examination shows that there is an important trade-off between local reinforcement and global expansion in achieving cooperation in dynamic networks. As a result, networks in which ties are costly and local structure is largely absent tend to generate higher levels of cooperation than those in which ties are made easily and friends of friends interact with high probability, where the latter result contrasts strongly with the usual intuition.
Patterned Interactions in Complex Systems: Implications for Exploration
Authors: Rivkin Jan W. , Siggelkow Nicolaj
Published: July 2007

Scholars who view organizational, social, and technological systems as sets of interdependent decisions have increasingly used simulation models from the biological and physical sciences to examine system behavior. These models shed light on an enduring managerial question: How much exploration is necessary to discover a good configuration of decisions? The models suggest that, as interactions across decisions intensify and local optima proliferate, broader exploration is required. The models typically assume, however, that the interactions among decisions are distributed randomly. Contrary to this assumption, recent empirical studies of real organizational, social, and technological systems show that interactions among decisions are highly patterned. Patterns such as centralization, small-world connections, power-law distributions, hierarchy, and preferential attachment are common. We embed such patterns into an NK simulation model and obtain dramatic results: Holding fixed the total number of interactions among decisions, a shift in the pattern of interaction can alter the number of local optima by more than an order of magnitude. Thus, the long-run value of broader exploration is significantly greater in the face of some interaction patterns than in the face of others. We develop simple, intuitive rules of thumb that allow a decision maker to examine two interaction patterns and determine which warrants greater investment in broad exploration. We also find that, holding fixed the interaction pattern, an increase in the number of interactions raises the number of local optima regardless of the pattern. This validates prior comparative static results with respect to the number of interactions, but highlights an important implicit assumption in earlier work—that the underlying interaction pattern remains constant as interactions become more numerous.
Magnetic Resonance Cisternography and Thin Coronal Computerized Tomography in the Evaluation of Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea
Authors: Sillers Michael J. , Morgan C. Elliott , Gammal Taher El
Published: July 2007

In recent years cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea has been managed successfully with transnasal endoscopic techniques. The most important and often most difficult step is the precise localization of the fistula. Computerized tomographic and radionuclide cisternography are two commonly used techniques for preoperative identification of the CSF fistula when it cannot be seen clearly with nasal endoscopy. Each of these requires a lumbar puncture, and the intrathecal placement of contrast material has been associated with transient neurotoxicities. Magnetic resonance cisternography (MRC) is a non-contrast study that does not require a lumbar puncture and has been used recently in the diagnosis of spontaneous and traumatic CSF leaks. Magnetic resonance cisternography utilizes a fast spin-echo sequence with fat suppression and video image reversal that highlights CSF. This allows precise localization of the fistula in both coronal and sagittal planes. Thin section coronal computed tomography (TCCT) is another noninvasive technique that can be helpful in localizing CSF leaks. The technique of MRC and TCCT and the results of 16 CSF leaks in 15 patients are reported. There was good correlation between MRC, TCCT, and intraoperative findings. Magnetic resonance cisternography and thin coronal computerized tomography appear to be accurate and complementary, noninvasive radiographic studies that should be considered in the evaluation CSF rhinorrhea.