bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential expression of multiple cathepsin mRNAs in the rat testis during maturation and following lonidamine induced tissue restructuring
Authors: Mathur Premendu P. , Grima Josephine , Mo Meng‐yun , Zhu Li‐ji , Aravindan G. R. , Calcagno Karen , O'Bryan Moira , Chung Sanny , Mruk Dolores , Lee Will M. , Silvestrini Bruno , Cheng C. Yan
Published: July 2007

In the seminiferous epithelium, germ cell development behind the blood‐testis barrier involves continual degradation and renewal of inter‐testicular cell junctions. This allows: (i) the translocation of developing germ cells from the basal lamina to the adluminal compartment during spermatogenesis, and (ii) the eventual release of mature spermatids into the tubular lumen during spermiation. Throughout spermatogenesis, cellular debris must also be removed from the epithelium. Thus, it is conceivable that proteases, protease inhibitors, and cell junctional components are involved in these events. The present study sought to examine whether testicular cells can express multiple cathepsin mRNAs given that these proteases are involved in the degradation and processing of proteins as well as in tissue regeneration. By using total RNA isolated from primary cultures of Sertoli, Leydig, and germ cells for reverse‐transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), the mRNAs of cathepsin B, C, D, H, L, and S were shown to be expressed by Sertoli and Leydig cells, whereas germ cells isolated from adult rats expressed all of the above cathepsin mRNAs except cathepsin D. Throughout postnatal development and maturation, the testicular steady‐state mRNA levels of cathepsin B, C, D, L, and S remain relatively unchanged with the exception of cathepsin H whose mRNA level increased during maturation and peaked at 45‐60 days of age. Using lonidamine, an anti‐spermatogenic drug which is known to induce premature release of germ cells without affecting Leydig cell function by disrupting the inter‐Sertoli‐germ cell junctions, we have examined the differential expression of these cathepsin mRNAs in the testis at the time of extensive tissue restructuring. It was noted that the expression of cathepsin L and S in the testis increased significantly concomitant with the disappearance of elongate spermatids whereas the expression of cathepsin B, C, D, and H increased significantly when most of the round spermatids and spermatocytes were depleted. These results illustrate the intricate inter‐relationship between these proteases in the testis during maturation and tissue restructuring.
The use of multiple antigenic peptide (MAP) in the immunodiagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection
Authors: Shin Song Yub , Lee Myung Kyu , Kim Sun Young , Jang So Youn , Hahm Kyung‐Soo
Published: July 2007

In order to develop an ELISA system for the antibody detection of HIV‐1 or HIV‐2 infections, MAPs for HIV‐1 gp41(584‐618) and HIV‐2 gp36(574‐602) corresponding to the immunodominant regions of HIV‐1 gp41 and HIV‐2 gp36 were used as coating antigens in the ELISA. The MAPs were synthesized by the solid phase method using Fmoc‐Lys(Fmoc)‐OH and their molecular weights were confirmed by tricine gel electrophoresis. The MAPs reacted with all HIV positive sera (64 samples), but did not react with HIV negative sera (48 samples) obtained from healthy blood donors. The MAPs showed high sensitivity and specificity in anti‐HIV 1/2 combo panel and anti‐HIV‐1 seroconversion panels. The results indicated that the ELISA system using synthetic MAPs of gp41(584‐618) and gp36(574‐602) as coating antigens can be used as an analytical system for the immunodiagnosis of HIV‐1 or HIV‐2 infections.
Synthesis and antioxidant activity of water‐soluble chitosan derivatives
Authors: Matsugo Seiichi , Mizuie Minako , Matsugo Michiko , Ohwa Rie , Kitano Hiromi , Konishi Tetsuya
Published: July 2007

We prepared three different water‐soluble chitosan derivatives by the acylation of chitosan with corresponding acid anhydrides. The extent of acylation was determined by using the electric conductivity method. All of the chitosan derivatives were soluble enough to examine the respective mltioxidant activity in aqueous media. The chitosan derivatives inhibited thiobarbituric acid reactive substrate (TBARS) formation in t‐butyl hydroperoxide and benzoyl peroxide induced lipid peroxidations. However, they did not show any scavenging activity toward superoxide.
Alterations in buccal mucosal Endothelin‐1 and nitric oxide synthase with chronic alcohol ingestion
Authors: Slomiany B. L. , Piotrowski J. , Slomiany A.
Published: July 2007

Endothelin‐l(ET‐1) and nitric oxide are emerging key mediators in the maintenance of mucosal homeostasis, but little is known about thes substances in soft oral tissue with alcohol abuse. Hence, we examined the expression of ET‐1 and activity of the constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in buccal mucosa of rats subjected to chronic ethanol diet. The immunometric assays revealed the buccal mucosal level of ET‐1 in the controls at 40.2 pg/mg protein and showed a 4.1‐fold increase with alcohol diet to 166.2 pg/mg protein. The NOS assays established that comparing to the controls, the alcohol diet group exhibited a 57% decrease in buccal mucosal NOS activity. Moreover, the expression of ET‐1 showed an inverse correlation (r = ‐0.75) with the extent of the induced changes in NOS. The results suggest that an increase in vasoconstrictive ET‐1 levels combined with a loss of compensatory action by the constitutive NOS may be responsible for the weakening of oral mucosal defenses in alcoholics.
Activation of bradykinin B2 receptors increases calcium entry and intracellular mobilization in C9 liver cells
Authors: García‐Sáinz J. Adolfo , Avendaño‐Vázquez S. Eréndira
Published: July 2007

In C9 rat liver cells bradykinin and kallidin increased (∼ 2‐fold) the intracellular concentration of calcium, but the B1 agonist, des‐Arg9‐bradykinin did not. The effect of bradykinin was inhibited by the B2 antagonists, Hoe 140 and N‐α‐adamantaneacetyl‐D‐Arg‐[Hyp3, Thi5.8, D‐Phe7]‐bradykinin, but not by the B1 antagonist, des‐Arg9‐[Leu8]‐bradykinin. The action of bradykinin was diminished, but not abolished, in medium without calcium. The peptide was able to increase intracellular calcium concentration in cells treated with thapsigargin. Bradykinin action was not observed in cells previously stimulated with this local mediator; however, under the same conditions, angiotensin II induced a clear increase in intracellular calcium concentration.

Our data indicate that activation of bradykinin B2 receptors increase intracetllular calcium concentrations by inducing both gating of the cation and intracellular mobilization in C9 liver cells. In addition, homologous desensitization was observed.
Presenilins: Multifunctional Proteins Involved in Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
Authors: Checler Frederic
Published: July 2007

Early‐onset aggressive forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are of genetic nature and have been linked to inherited mutations located on chromosomes 21, 14, and 1. The gene products of chromosomes 14 and 1, which are responsible for most of these familial forms of the disease (FAD), have been recently identified and referred to as presenilin 1 and 2 (PS1, PS2), respectively. Several lines of evidence derived from neuropathological, cell biology, and transgenesis approaches indicate that PS could interfere with the processing of the beta‐amyloid precursor protein (beta APP). Thus, FAD‐linked mutations in PS exacerbate the production of A beta42, the readily aggregable A beta species corresponding to one of the main constituents of the senile plaques that invade the cortical areas of affected brains. Recent studies indicate that PS functions could be intimately related with the susceptibility of PS to further processing by caspase‐like enzymes and other unknown proteolytic activities. Here I briefly report on the post‐translational events undergone by PS and examine recent advances concerning their possible roles in development, cell signaling, and apoptosis. Possible alterations brought by FAD‐linked mutations will be discussed.
Rational and “Irrational” Design of Proteins and Their Use in Biotechnology
Authors: Nixon Andrew E. , Firestine Steven M.
Published: July 2007

A familiar refrain within industrial circles is better, faster, and cheaper. Efforts to place this mantra into practice within the biotechnology industry has brought a focus on protein engineering as one method to create new products quickly and inexpensively. Typically, protein engineering has utilized either rational design or combinatorial methods, both of which have been explored and improved in recent years. Continued advancement in these two areas and their application to an increasing list of industrially and medically important processes mean that the number of ?synthetic? proteins displacing old technologies is likely to grow at an amazing rate over the next few years. We discuss some of the technologies available for protein redesign and illustrate these with examples from the biocatalysis, biosensor, and therapeutic fields.
MYC2 Differentially Modulates Diverse Jasmonate-Dependent Functions inArabidopsis
Authors: Dombrecht Bruno , Xue Gang Ping , Sprague Susan J. , Kirkegaard John A. , Ross John J. , Reid James B. , Fitt Gary P. , Sewelam Nasser , Schenk Peer M. , Manners John M. , Kazan Kemal
Published: July 2007

The Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix Leu zipper transcription factor (TF) MYC2/JIN1 differentially regulates jasmonate (JA)-responsive pathogen defense (e.g., PDF1.2) and wound response (e.g., VSP) genes. In this study, genome-wide transcriptional profiling of wild type and mutant myc2/jin1 plants followed by functional analyses has revealed new roles for MYC2 in the modulation of diverse JA functions. We found that MYC2 negatively regulates Trp and Trp-derived secondary metabolism such as indole glucosinolate biosynthesis during JA signaling. Furthermore, MYC2 positively regulates JA-mediated resistance to insect pests, such as Helicoverpa armigera, and tolerance to oxidative stress, possibly via enhanced ascorbate redox cycling and flavonoid biosynthesis. Analyses of MYC2 cis binding elements and expression of MYC2-regulated genes in T-DNA insertion lines of a subset of MYC2–regulated TFs suggested that MYC2 might modulate JA responses via differential regulation of an intermediate spectrum of TFs with activating or repressing roles in JA signaling. MYC2 also negatively regulates its own expression, and this may be one of the mechanisms used in fine-tuning JA signaling. Overall, these results provide new insights into the function of MYC2 and the transcriptional coordination of the JA signaling pathway.
Freedom and autonomy in the university enterprise
Authors: Bridgman Todd
Published: July 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore notions of enterprise as an instance of organizational change within university business schools, using a theoretical approach drawn from the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Their concept of articulatory practice is useful for examining the management of knowledge workers across multiple levels of discourse, including policy, practice and processes of identification. Specifically, the paper aims to investigate the articulation of enterprise within government policy on higher education, management practices of directing, funding, measuring and regulating the activities of faculty in ways that seek to promote enterprise, as well as demonstrating how agents can resist attempts at top‐down managerial control through processes of self‐identification.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical study consisting of an analysis of government reports on higher education along with 65 interviews conducted at six UK research‐led business schools.

Findings

At the level of government policy, the university is recast as an enterprise within a competitive marketplace where the “entrepreneurial academic” who commercializes research becomes the role model. However, management practices and identity processes amongst faculty reveal inconsistencies within the articulation of the university enterprise, to the extent that this idealised identity is marginalised within research‐led business schools in the UK.

Originality/value

The theoretical approach captures the dynamism of hegemonic projects across multiple levels, from policymaking to management practice and the constitution of identity. Laclau and Mouffe's conception of hegemony highlights mechanisms of control, while their assumption of radical contingency illuminates dynamics of resistance.
Knowledge workers in the in‐between: network identities
Authors: Fenwick Tara
Published: July 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the identities and subjectivities of independent knowledge workers who contract their services to organizations. Two questions are addressed: who are these enterprising knowledge workers, in terms of how they understand and position themselves relative to organizational structures, practices and social relations in their work as “inside outsiders”? How do they recognize their own constitution, and what spaces for agency are possible?

Design/methodology/approach

The discussion draws upon a qualitative study of 18 self‐employed consultants in organizational change, analysing their articulations as ongoing constitutions within prescribed discourses and cultural technologies. Semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were analysed inductively to determine themes and silences among the narratives.

Findings

The argument shows how these subjectivities emerge from in‐between spaces, both inside and outside organizations. As they negotiate these spaces, they exercise agency by resisting control while building connections. These articulations are described as “network identities”.

Originality/value

The paper concludes with implications for organizations employing or contracting with such individuals. Suggestions for managers involve enabling more project structures, negotiating boundaries and purposes more clearly, providing more flexible conditions and facilitating more integration of these knowledge workers with other employees before, during and following innovative project activity.
Responding to crisis through strategic knowledge management
Authors: Shaw Duncan , Hall Matthew , Edwards John S. , Baker Brad
Published: July 2007

Purpose

Many managers would like to take a strategic approach to preparing the organisation to avoid impending crisis but instead find themselves fire‐fighting to mitigate its impact. This paper seeks to examine an organisation which made major strategic changes in order to respond to the full effect of a crisis which would be realised over a two to three year period. At the root of these changes was a strategic approach to managing knowledge. The paper's purpose is to reflect on managers' views of the impact this strategy had on preparing for the crisis and explore what happened in the organisation during and after the crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines a case‐study of a financial services organisation which faced the crisis of its impending dissolution. The paper draws upon observations of change management workshops, as well as interviews with organisational members of a change management task force.

Findings

The response to the crisis was to recognise the importance of the people and their knowledge to the organisation, and to build a strategy which improved business processes and communication flow across the divisions, as well as managing the departure of knowledge workers from an organisation in the process of being dissolved.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates the importance of building a knowledge management strategy during times of crisis, and draws out important lessons for organisations facing organisational change.

Originality/value

The paper represents a unique opportunity to learn from an organisation adopting a strategic approach to managing its knowledge during a time of crisis.
Contested practice: multiple inclusion in double‐knit organizations
Authors: Bogenrieder Irma , van Baalen Peter
Published: July 2007

Purpose

Most people participate in various groups and communities simultaneously. Many authors have pointed to the importance of multi‐membership for knowledge sharing across communities and teams. The most important expected benefit is that knowledge that has been acquired in one community of practice (CoP) can be applied into another CoP or group. This paper seeks to discuss the consequences of multi‐membership for knowledge sharing in a CoP.

Design/methodology/approach

The concept of multiple inclusion is used to explain why and how multi‐membership can hold up knowledge sharing between groups.

Findings

This case study shows that knowledge transfer between CoPs and teams can be problematic when norm sets between these two groups conflict.

Originality/value

This paper concludes that CoPs can sustain when the “practice” remains at a safe distance from the “real” project work in teams that are guided by managerial objectives.
An intersector analysis of the relevance of service in building a strong retail brand
Authors: Swoboda Bernhard , Haelsig Frank , Morschett Dirk , Schramm‐Klein Hanna
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to try to show the relevance of service quality in building a strong retail brand. It addresses how retailer attributes affect customer‐based retail brand equity, when considering retailers as brands. These attributes are compared with one another, and the importance of service is set in proportion to the other retailer attributes, both intersectorally and sector‐specifically. An integrated model is used here.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an empirical study across five retail sectors (grocery, textiles, DIY, consumer electronics and furniture retailing) based on a survey with 2,000 face‐to‐face interviews. Structural equation modelling is used to illustrate the impact of central dimensions of the perception of retailer service and of the other retailer attributes on customer‐based retail brand equity.

Findings

In retailing, service quality appears to be the most important retailer attribute in building a strong retail brand – as demonstrated in four out of five sectors. The integrated model developed in this study can make a significant contribution to a field of knowledge which at present is not well developed.

Research limitations/implications

A more detailed analysis of the cross‐sectoral differences is undoubtedly necessary. Furthermore, a more exact analysis of retailer service is certainly required, but it must also incorporate other retailer attributes in order to achieve dimensions of comparison.

Practical implications

The importance of service in retailing is intersectorally underlined in comparison to the other retailer attributes/retail marketing instruments. Even in sectors that characteristically use self‐service, the importance of service quality and particularly of friendly and competent staff is evident. Compared to the other retailer attributes, service is one strategic element that can be used effectively by retailers of almost any size. A small or medium sized retailer usually cannot distinguish itself from its competitors by means of price, but with a service‐oriented business.

Originality/value

Unlike other investigations, a model is applied in this paper to five retail sectors, so both general and also sector‐specific conclusions can be drawn on the importance of customer service and the other retailer attributes. Furthermore, customer service is not analysed in isolation, thus we have dimensions of comparison, unlike many other authors who look at service alone.
Disturbance and implementation of IC practice: a public sector organisation perspective
Authors: Dumay John C. , Guthrie James
Published: July 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to discuss how an environmental change for an organisation can be a catalyst for the take‐up of intellectual capital (IC). In particular, it uses Laughlin's “colonizing” model of organisational change to understand the catalyst for change, being an ageing workforce, and the resultant formation of an accounting of IC.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a case study of an Australian public sector organisation, which has created and implemented IC practice.

Findings

In this case, the impending retirements of the “baby boomer” generation were an environmental disturbance and a catalyst that allowed for an accounting of IC, especially its human capital.

Research limitations/implications

This case study is limited to the presentation of findings of a phenomenon within a particular organisation within the Australian public sector context. Other forces may also have had an effect on the organisation, if not for the presence of the “ageing workforce” disturbance.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on IC by examining the impact of the take‐up of IC from inside a public sector organisation perspective.
Personality tests in accounting research
Authors: Taggar Simon , Parkinson John
Published: July 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion of the ways that personality tests have been used in accounting research.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is structured as a literature review of the personality testing area, with particular emphasis on its application in accounting research.

Findings

The idea of personality impacting accounting has received some attention in recent years. However, it is an understudied area and the research to date is somewhat inconclusive. The findings are that over the last decade personality psychologists have made significant advances in personality theory and measurement. This paper summarizes: the theory of personality; the two most common personality typologies (i.e. the Jungian psychology‐based Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Five Factor Model (FFM); and discusses the application of personality in accounting research.

Research limitations/implications

It is somewhat problematical to draw precise boundaries that include all relevant studies, and yet exclude appropriately distant ones, as there are a number of constructs that may, or may not, be considered to be “personality”. Another limitation is that the research studies published so far do not all agree one with another.

Practical implications

The conclusion reached is that, while there is a role for personality/accounting research using both MBTI and FFM, research using the FFM is particularly important for analytical and predictive research in this area and to triangulate previous MBTI studies.

Originality/value

As a literature review, there is little that is intrinsically new here, but the juxtaposition of different approaches and findings will be informative to researchers in the area and, to a lesser extent, practitioners.
The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for fruit‐feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: BARLOW JOS , OVERAL WILLIAM L. , ARAUJO IVANEI S. , GARDNER TOBY A. , PERES CARLOS A.
Published: July 2007

Secondary forests growing on cleared lands and tree plantations are becoming increasingly widespread land‐uses in the tropics. Previous studies are divided on the conservation importance of these habitats for tropical forest butterflies.

We use a robust sampling design, accounting for both seasonality and vertical stratification, to examine fruit‐feeding butterflies (Nymphalidae) in patches of secondary forest andEucalyptusplantation 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than those previously sampled.

We recorded 10 587 butterflies and 128 species in 3200 trap‐days. Species richness was highest in primary forest and lowest in plantations, while butterfly abundance showed the opposite response. All habitats were distinct in terms of community structure.

There was a significant interaction between habitat and season based on richness and abundance metrics, although not based on community structure. Secondary forest exhibited higher observed richness than primary forest in the peak of the dry‐season, but not at other times of the year. This observation could explain the lack of consensus in previous studies, as those reporting higher richness in secondary forest only sampled during the dry‐season.

In general, habitat quality appeared to be more important than the surrounding landscape in determining butterfly community structure. However, the community structure of the strong‐flying Charaxinae was related to the amount of primary forest in surrounding landscape. There was very poor congruence between the response patterns of richness and abundance among different butterfly subfamilies.

Linear regressions between resource availability and butterfly abundance showed a strong influence of leaf phenology in both primary and secondary forest, but no influence of fruit phenology.

Synthesis and applications: A lack of seasonal replication and small sampling sizes may have led previous studies to over‐emphasize the conservation importance of secondary forest and plantations for butterflies. We show that these habitats are significantly poorer than primary forest in terms of number of species, and hold distinct butterfly communities. Although quantifying the number of species restricted to primary forest remains difficult, these results cast doubt on the presumption that secondary habitats will provide refuge for many of the species being lost through deforestation. We therefore strongly urge measures that prioritize the conservation of remaining primary forests where they still exist.
Characterisation of the Lactobacillus community in traditional Karst ewe's cheese
Authors: ČANŽEK MAJHENIČ ANDREJA , MOHAR LORBERG PETRA , ROGELJ IRENA
Published: July 2007

Ewe's cheese, produced in the Slovenian Karst region, was analysed for its lactobacilli population. Biochemical fingerprinting with PhenePlate™ LB grouped lactobacilli in 16 distinct PhP types. One representative from each PhP type was further analysed. Members of Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus curvatus, and Lactobacillus brevis species were determined phenotypically. The genus‐specific DNA band was amplified with all PhP representatives, whereas species‐specific polymerase chain reaction efficiently determined only L. paracasei and L. brevis. Lactobacilli were highly to moderate sensitive to six antibiotics, and resistant to vancomycin. From halo formation in the agar spot method, indicators exerted a promising level of sensitivity for antimicrobials, produced by test microorganisms. Lactobacilli from Karst ewe's cheese offer a remarkable reservoir of ‘natural’ microbes.
Has repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment for depression improved? A systematic review and meta‐analysis comparing the recent vs. the earlier rTMS studies
Authors: Gross M. , Nakamura L. , Pascual‐Leone A. , Fregni F.
Published: July 2007

Objective:  To investigate whether the recent repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) studies on depression using new parameters of stimulation have shown improved clinical results.

Method:  We performed a systematic review and a meta‐analysis of the rTMS studies on depression published in the past 12 months comparing these results with an earlier meta‐analysis that analyzed the results of the initial rTMS studies on depression.

Results:  Using our inclusion criteria, we selected the meta‐analysis of Martin [Br J Psychiatry (2003) Vol. 182, 480–491] that included 13 studies (324 patients) and five studies for the recent meta‐analysis (274 patients). The pooled effect size (standardized mean difference between pretreatment vs. post‐treatment) from the random effects model was −0.76 (95% confidence interval, CI, −1.01 to −0.51). This result was significantly larger than that of the earlier meta‐analysis (−0.35, 95% CI −0.66 to −0.04).

Conclusion:  Our findings suggest that recent rTMS clinical trials have shown larger antidepressant effects when compared with the earlier studies.
Ciclosporin use in multi‐drug therapy for meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology in dogs
Authors: Adamo P. F. , Rylander H. , Adams W. M.
Published: July 2007

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ciclosporin therapy alone or in combination with corticosteroids and/or ketoconazole in dogs with diagnosis of meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology.

Methods:Medical records of 10 dogs diagnosed with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology and treated with ciclosporin therapy alone or in combination with corticosteroids and/or ketoconazole were reviewed at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of Wisconsin‐Madison. Laboratory abnormalities, side effects, clinical and cerebrospinal fluid responses to treatment and association between blood ciclosporin level and response to treatment were evaluated. Histopathological diagnosis was available in three patients.

Results:No significant abnormalities were detected on serial complete blood count and serum chemistry panel in any of the dogs. Side effects of ciclosporin therapy included excessive shedding, gingival hyperplasia and hypertrichosis. Overall median survival time for all dogs in the study was 930 days (range, 60 to more than 1290 days). In all dogs, serial cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed a marked improvement in the inflammation.

ClinicalSignificance:Results suggest that ciclosporin either alone or in combination with ketoconazole may be a safe and effective treatment for meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology in dogs.
Use of an
Escherichia coli
Recombinant Producing Thermostable Polyphosphate Kinase as an ATP Regenerator To Produce Fructose 1,6-Diphosphate
Authors: Iwamoto Seishi , Motomura Kei , Shinoda Yasuharu , Urata Masaaki , Kato Junichi , Takiguchi Noboru , Ohtake Hisao , Hirota Ryuichi , Kuroda Akio
Published: July 2007

Heat-treated
Escherichia coli
producing
Thermus
polyphosphate kinase regenerated ATP by using exogenous polyphosphate. This recombinant could be used as a platform to produce valuable compounds in combination with thermostable phosphorylating or energy-requiring enzymes. In this work, we demonstrated the production of fructose 1,6-diphosphate from fructose and polyphosphate.
Emergence of a Virulent Clade of
Vibrio vulnificus
and Correlation with the Presence of a 33-Kilobase Genomic Island
Authors: Cohen Ana Luisa V. , Oliver James D. , DePaola Angelo , Feil Edward J. , Fidelma Boyd E.
Published: July 2007

Vibrio vulnificus
is a ubiquitous inhabitant of the marine coastal environment, and an important pathogen of humans. We characterized a globally distributed sample of environmental isolates from a range of habitats and hosts and compared these with isolates recovered from cases of human infection. Multilocus sequence typing data using six housekeeping genes divided 63 of the 67 isolates into the two main lineages previously noted for this species, and this division was also confirmed using the 16S rRNA and open reading frame VV0401 markers. Lineage I was comprised exclusively of biotype 1 isolates, whereas lineage II contained biotype 1 and all biotype 2 isolates. Four isolates did not cluster within either lineage: two biotype 3 and two biotype 1 isolates. The proportion of isolates recovered from a clinical setting was noted to be higher in lineage I than in lineage II. Lineage I isolates were also associated with a 33-kb genomic island (region XII), one of three regions identified by genome comparisons as unique to the species. Region XII contained an arylsulfatase gene cluster, a sulfate reduction system, two chondroitinase genes, and an oligopeptide ABC transport system, all of which are absent from the majority of lineage II isolates. Arylsulfatases and the sulfate reduction system, along with performing a scavenging role, have been hypothesized to play a role in pathogenic processes in other bacteria. Our data suggest that lineage I may have a higher pathogenic potential and that region XII, along with other regions, may give isolates a selective advantage either in the human host or in the aquatic environment or both.
Novel Alphaproteobacterial Root Nodule Symbiont Associated with
Lupinus texensis
Authors: Andam Cheryl P. , Parker Matthew A.
Published: July 2007

Phylogenetic analysis of rRNA gene,
recA
,
nodA
,
nifD
, and
nifH
sequences suggested that nitrogen-fixing symbionts from two populations of
Lupinus texensis
acquired the capacity for nodule symbiosis separately from other rhizobia in the alphaproteobacteria. Their closest 16S rRNA relatives were the nonsymbiotic taxa
Chelatococcus
,
Bosea
, and
Balneomonas
.
TheIallele of theACEgene is associated with improved exercise capacity in women with McArdle disease
Authors: Gómez-Gallego F , Santiago C , Morán M , Pérez M , Maté-Muñoz J L , del Valle M Fernández , Rubio J C , Garcia-Consuegra I , Foster C , Andreu I A L , Martín M A , Arenas J , Lucia A
Published: July 2007

Background:

McArdle disease is an uncommon metabolic disorder usually characterized by marked exercise intolerance although great individual variability exists in its phenotypic manifestation.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genotypes and indices of exercise capacity (peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), ventilatory threshold (VT) and gross mechanical efficiency (GE)) in patients with McArdle disease. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that theIallele might favourably influence exercise capacity.

Methods:

Forty-four Spanish patients (23 males, 21 females) and 44 age-matched and gender-matched controls (23 males, 21 females) performed a graded cycle-ergometer test until exhaustion (for VO2peakand VT determination) and a 12 min constant-load test at the power output eliciting the VT (for GE determination).

Results:

No significant difference (p>0.05) was found in indices of exercise capacity betweenID + IIgenotypes andDDhomozygotes in the group of male patients, male controls and female controls. However, in the group of female patients, theID+IIgroup (n = 11) had a higher VO2peakthanDDhomozygotes (n = 10) (15.8 (SEM 1.6) ml/kg/min versus 11.9 (SEM 0.9) ml/kg/min, respectively; p<0.05).

Conclusions:

TheIallele of theACEgene is associated with a higher functional capacity in female patients, and might partly explain the individual variability in the phenotypic manifestation of McArdle disease.
IL-2 immunotoxin denileukin diftitox reduces regulatory T cells and enhances vaccine-mediated T-cell immunity
Authors: Litzinger Mary T. , Fernando Romaine , Curiel Tyler J. , Grosenbach Douglas W. , Schlom Jeffrey , Palena Claudia
Published: July 2007

CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells have been implicated in the lack of effective antitumor immunity. Denileukin diftitox (DAB389IL-2), a fusion protein of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and diphtheria toxin, provides a means of targeting Treg cells. In this study, we examined (1) the effect of denileukin diftitox on the deletion of Treg cells in various lymphoid compartments and (2) the dose scheduling of denileukin diftitox in combination with a recombinant poxviral vaccine to enhance antigen-specific immune responses. Treg cells in spleen, peripheral blood, and bone marrow of normal C57BL/6 mice were variously reduced after a single intraperitoneal injection of denileukin diftitox; the reduction was evident within 24 hours and lasted approximately 10 days. Injection of denileukin diftitox 1 day before vaccination enhanced antigen-specific T-cell responses above levels induced by vaccination alone. These studies show for the first time in a murine model (1) the differential effects of denileukin diftitox on Treg cells in different cellular compartments, (2) the advantage of combining denileukin diftitox with a vaccine to enhance antigen-specific T-cell immune responses, (3) the lack of inhibition by denileukin diftitox of host immune responses directed against a live viral vector, and (4) the importance of dose scheduling of denileukin diftitox when used in combination with a vaccine.
Nitrogen Fertilizer Dependency and Its Contradictions: A Theoretical Exploration of Social‐Ecological Metabolism*
Authors: Mancus Philip
Published: July 2007

Abstract  The global agro‐food system relies heavily on inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers. In addition to consuming enormous amounts of energy, this manufactured input contributes to the accumulation of reactive nitrogen in the biosphere and undermines the biological basis of agricultural production itself. While technological inefficiency and population may play a role in the phenomenon of global nitrogen accumulation, the social structural features of industrial agriculture must also be examined. The concept of social‐ecological metabolism provides an important and needed conceptual framework for engaging global food security issues.
ARIMA model building and the time series analysis approach to forecasting
Authors: Newbold Paul
Published: July 2007

This paper reviews the approach to forecasting based on the construction of ARIMA time series models. Recent developments in this area are surveyed, and the approach is related to other forecasting methodologies.
Short term load forecasting in electric power systems: A comparison of ARMA models and extended wiener filtering
Authors: Caprio U. Di , Genesio R. , Pozzi S. , Vicino A.
Published: July 2007

On‐line prediction of electric load in the buses of the EHV grid of a power generation and transmission system is basic information required by on‐line procedures for centralized advanced dispatching of power generation.

This paper presents two alternative approaches to on‐line short term forecasting of the residual component of the load obtained after the removal of the base load from a time series of total load. The first approach involves the use of stochastic ARMA models with time‐varying coefficients. The second consists in the use of an extension of Wiener filtering due to Zadeh and Ragazzini.

Real data representing a load process measured in an area of Northern Italy and simulated data reproducing a non‐stationary process with known characteristics constitute the basis of a numerical comparison allowing one to determine under which conditions each method is more appropriate.
The accuracy of individual and group forecasts from business outlook surveys
Authors: Zarnowitz Victor
Published: July 2007

This paper reports on the accuracy of quarterly multiperiod predictions of inflation, real growth, unemployment and percentage changes in nominal GNP and two of its more volatile components. The survey data are highly differentiated; they cover 79 professional forecasters (mostly economists, analysts and corporate executives). Combining corresponding predictions from different sources can result in significant gains; thus the group mean forecasts are on the average over time more accurate than most of the corresponding sets of individual forecasts. But there is also a moderate degree of consistency in the relative performance of a sufficient number of the survey members, as evidenced in positive rank correlations among ratios of the individual to group root mean square errors.
Strategies for enhancing organizational effectiveness in the Third World
Authors: Blunt Peter
Published: July 2007

While problems of organizational dysfunction in the public domain are a global phenomenon, the consequences of such dysfunction are generally greater in the Third World. Possible discipline‐based (human resource management) explanations for the chronicity of these problems and a number of strategies for overcoming them are advanced. These strategies are described in terms of a number of imperatives and variables of effective organization. Structural imperatives include: clearly identified and agreed missions, goals, strategies, and main functions; accountability linked to sufficient power and control; clearly specified roles; particular notions of individual effectiveness and performance appraisal tied to rewards; and effective transformational leadership. The implicit model extends contingency theory by taking account of the evidence pointing to the cross‐cultural convergence of certain organizational characteristics, but retains the central notion of adaptation and hence the possibility of adaptive and non‐adaptive culturally and/or ideologically based variation in organizational behaviour. The model is built around a central core of value imperatives. Implications for human resource management (HRM) interventions—e.g. management training—include a possible shift away from a primary focus on skill and knowledge transmission, towards value and attitude change.
Campfire decision‐making and strategic management: A politics and leadership approach to economic development
Authors: Cunningham Robert B. , Adwan Yasir
Published: July 2007

Privatization is recommended unconditionally by some scholars as the optimal means for achieving economic development. While privatization can be helpful medicine, it provides no universal cure for all the ills associated with low economic growth. A country's economic and political institutions are intertwined. Mandating privatization without being mindful of both political and economic consequences to such a policy can bring undesirable consequences during and after policy implementation. This paper proposes that to enhance the likelihood of economic growth a leader should blend economics with politics. Sensitive political leadership can stimulate a bonding among citizens, a bonding which can generate the commitment to risk by investing personal savings, to work the long hours which much precede the rewards, and often to be satisfied by a job well done rather than with material reward. Analogous to the chief executive officer of a successful corporation, the effective political leader involves stakeholders, steers decision processes, takes reasonable risks, encourages private investment, and rations public resources according to national priorities. Collective decision‐making guided by the political leader, who also acts as a strategic manager during implementation, is offered as a model for development.
Constraints on sustainable development in Ethiopia: Is there a future for improved wood‐stoves?
Authors: Campbell John
Published: July 2007

A fundamental component of resource conservation in Ethiopian development programmes is sought in part through the dissemination of improved stoves. However, as an evaluation of a range of stove programmes reveals, the absence of applied research by government and non‐governmental organizations together with fundamental constraints arising out of the wider development context is resulting in programmes that are poorly targeted, inflexibly implemented and largely unable to meet the energy needs of poor rural and urban households. Despite these problems, donors continue to fund such projects, in large part because project evaluations are not made public, because of a policy lacuna, and ultimately because development thinking appears locked into finding a quick technology fix for what are essentially long‐term, intractable sociopolitical processes and problems.
Four years of the Ghana district assemblies in operation: Decentralization, democratization and administrative performance
Authors: Crook Richard C.
Published: July 2007

Ghana's District Assemblies were created in 1989 as ‘integrated’ decentralised authorities, combining oversight of deconcentrated line Ministries with the revenue powers and functions of devolved democratic local government. The frequently invoked but little studied relationships among democratisation, decentralisation and changes in the performance of government institutions are analysed on the basis of two case‐study Districts, defining performance as output effectiveness, responsiveness and process acceptability. Although development output did increase after democratisation, it remained inadequate and did not show any significantly closer responsiveness to popular needs. This was mainly because local accountability was undermined by continuing central control over staffing and finances, the clash with national policies of retrenchment and the continued power of central government agents. The communal, non‐party basis of representation also had a perverse effect on the ability of elected representatives to enhance the legitimacy of local taxation, particularly as the system embodied an unresolved contradiction between notions of community based self‐help and representative district government. One of the lessons of the Ghanaian experience is that genuine local autonomy in an agreed area‐the basic condition for effective accountability‐is better based on more modest, local‐level authorities, leaving larger, expensive functions as well as supervision of a deconcentrated civil service to more powerful regional administrations.
Local government decentralization and the health sector in Tanzania
Authors: Gilson Lucy , Kilima Peter , Tanner Marcel
Published: July 2007

An evaluation of primary‐level healthcare undertaken in Tanzania 1989‐91 found that district health managers felt powerless to address health care performance weaknesses, although the district is the unit to which government management functions have been decentralized. In order to understand the managers views, this article analyses the pattern of decentralization within the health system from their perspective. It reviews the hislorical development of government structures and the theory and practice of decentralization within Tanzania. The matrix of accountability for health care has become very confusing, with multiple and cross‐cutting flows of authority within and between levels of the system. District health managers have limited authority to take management action, such as managing resources, in ways that would begin to address problems of inefficiency and poor quality of care within primary care. District health management also suffers from weak resource allocation and financial management piocedures. The main obstacles preventing more effective management are: resource constraints; conflicts between the demands for central control and local discretion; limited institutional capacity; and political and cultural influences over the implementation of decentralization. Evaluation of past experience suggests that future policy influencing the organizational structure of government health services must be developed cautiously, recognizing the critical importance of complementary action to develop both institutional capacity and political and economic support for the health system.
On the Decay Analysis of Electroproduced Higher‐Spin Hadrons
Authors: Actor Alfred
Published: July 2007

We study exclusive electroproduction of two hadrons where one or both of the hadrons is a higherspin resonance whose decay is analysed. Interesting electroproduction experiments of this type are discussed. A complete formal apparatus is given for the decay analysis of spin‐J particles produced in this way with polarized or unpolarized electron beams and targets. The cases J = 1, 3/2, 2 and 5/2 are worked out in detail. A conventional helicity frame analysis in terms of s‐channel helicity amplitudes is given. Also we rearrange the formalism for use in the Gottfried‐Jackson frame with everything given in terms of t‐channel helicity amplitudes. The t‐channel formalism makes it possible to completely separate the contributions from longitudinal and transverse virtual photon t‐channel helicity states when only the laboratory azimuthal angle between the lepton and hadron planes is variable.
Die Diracsche Störungstheorie in Operatorform
Authors: Haase Dietrich
Published: July 2007

Dirac's perturbation solution of the time‐dependent Schrödinger equation ih\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ ih\frac{d}{{dt}}\left| {\Phi \left. {\left( t \right)} \right\rangle = H} \right|\Phi \left. {\left( t \right)} \right\rangle $\end{document}, \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ H = H_0 + \Psi $\end{document}is formulated by means of a well‐defined operator PD with the properties

where ϕn(t)〉 is the n‐th order correction of ϕ(t)〉. This operator PD can be used to solve the equation of motion of the evolution operator, of the statistical operator, and of quantum mechanical conserved quantities in a corresponding way. A simple proof of the quantum mechanical adiabatic theorem shows this formulation of perturbation corrections to be useful.