bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management metrics
Authors: Bose Ranjit
Published: July 2004

Over several years, there have been intensive discussions about the importance of knowledge management (KM) within the business community. Effectively implementing a sound KM strategy and becoming a knowledge‐based company is seen as a mandatory condition of success for organizations as they enter the era of the knowledge economy. However, standardized metrics are needed to quantify knowledge and to fully convince management and stakeholders as to the value of KM initiatives. Development of KM metrics has begun in recent years and these metrics are being applied by some organizations, but more research is needed to better define these measures and to make them universal. The purpose of this research is to survey and report the current measures of knowledge assets or intellectual capital, as well as the methods that are popularly being followed by organizations to measure the performance of KM strategies. The research findings should: assist organizations in identifying the measures that are appropriate and suitable for them, for improving the quality of metrics they use for measuring KM effectiveness; and assist researchers in identifying future research needs toward the standardization of KM measurement metrics.
Manufacturing strategic facility types
Authors: Vokurka Robert J. , Davis Robert A.
Published: July 2004

A major decision area for manufacturing firms is the strategy that assigns specific products, processes, customers, and markets to individual facilities within multi‐facility firms. No empirical studies have been reported that identify differentiating factors in manufacturing structures or overall facility strategies. Based on responses from 305 plants, this research empirically determines the major dimensions differentiating manufacturing facility structures. Most of these support previous theories of decisions being made on differences in products, processes, materials, and customers/markets. Strategic groupings are determined and defined as “standardizers”, “customizers”, and automators”. Differences in each of these groupings are investigated for competitive priorities and performance indicators.
The impact of hospital discharge on inappropriate hospital stay
Authors: Panis Lambert J.G.G. , Verheggen Frank W.S.M. , Pop Peter , Prins Martin H.
Published: July 2004

Appropriate hospital stay should be effective, efficient and tailored to patient needs. Previous studies have found that on average 20 per cent of hospital stay is inappropriate. Within obstetrics, inappropriate hospital stay consists mostly of delays in hospital discharge. The specific goals of this study were to reduce inappropriate hospital stay by fine‐tuning patient logistics, increasing efficiency and providing more comfortable surroundings. New policies using strict discharge criteria were implemented. Total inappropriate hospital stay decreased from 13.3 to 7.2 per cent. The delay in discharge procedures halved. P‐charts showed a decrease in inappropriate hospital stay, indicating the current process to be stable. Concludes that a significant reduction in inappropriate hospital stay was found following the implementation of innovative hospital discharge policies, indicating greater efficiency and accessibility of hospital services.
Exploring the failure and success of DotComs
Authors: Razi Muhammad A. , Tarn J. Michael , Siddiqui Faisal A.
Published: July 2004

The Internet added another dimension to traditional commerce when online business became available. Because of the mushroom growth of online businesses in the late 1990s, DotCom bubbles began to burst after the initial euphoria of e‐commerce. Since mid‐2000, the mass failure of DotComs has had a significant impact on the e‐ecosystem. However, there were strong survivors and successful DotComs as well. Employing a comparative analysis, this study investigates the causes for DotCom failures and successes. The examination found that successful DotComs overcame the technical, operational and behavioral shortcomings of their failed counterparts and led the way in logistics, customer support, Web design, promotion and Internet security.
The nurturing and harvesting of a rural Greek network
Authors: Zontanos Grigorios , Anderson Alistair R.
Published: July 2004

This paper considers the role and process of the formation and development of a social network in the furtherance of rural small business. The paper's contribution is in enhancing our knowledge about the social aspects of rural networking. The study uses a qualitative approach of data collection involving participant observation and interviews to build a full picture of the networking activities of two competing olive oil producers based in a small village in Greece. The data were analysed by comparative analysis to show that for both cases networking is primarily a social activity. Networking practices involved becoming embedded in the community, building a reputation for usefulness and establishing trust. It was noted that the entrepreneurs both focused on linking activities by using their position within the rural network to establish useful further external linkages.
Rural rogues: a case story on the “smokies” trade
Authors: Smith Robert
Published: July 2004

Research into rural entrepreneurship continues to expand, albeit slowly. A common theme in the literature is the creation of value and its extraction from the environment. Rural entrepreneurship potentially covers a wide gamut of activity including the illegal. Also studies into agricultural entrepreneurship particularly traditional accounts of “rurality” tend to emphasise the rural idyll. Most studies tend to concentrate on the application of entrepreneurial theory to issues of rurality and as such exist on the margins of entrepreneurship research – being primarily studies into rurality and not entrepreneurship per se. Rarely do such studies impinge on issues of illegal enterprise that shatter this rural idyll. As a consequence, rural and farming rogues have been neglected as subjects of research. Yet, in the present perceived climate of economic decline in agricultural income, extracting value from the environment can be difficult and can give rise to illegal enterprise in the countryside as well as an increase in the prevalence of farming rogues. The case story, presented in this paper relates to one such illegal enterprise, namely the illegal slaughter of sheep for the Muslim “halal” market, known to those in the know as the smokies trade. Using the case story methodology this paper explores an issue of contemporary illegal enterprise in the countryside telling an important story that is otherwise difficult to evidence empirically.
ECUANET – European Corporate Academies Transnational Best Practice Network
Authors: Dealtry Richard
Published: July 2004

This article describes the formation and forward planning of an important and independent transnational best practice networking development project, i.e. ECUANET. ECUANET's aims are to track and disseminate the evolutions and revolutions that are taking place in the creative management of corporate universities and small and medium enterprise academies. Both categories are referred to in the text as corporate academies. The article describes how and why this transnational network has been originated by a combined group of professional practitioners and national level clusters of corporate universities. It illustrates how it is intended that it should grow in the future as a thematic social community dedicated to the creation and appreciation of leading edge corporate academy knowledge. It describes the planning of sequential and interlinked work package activities to be shared by its members in building a sustainable transnational network. Additionally, it addresses the choice of case research reference architecture and the conduct of related thematic action research processes to be employed in defining world class best practice standards in corporate academy management
Does optimal egg size vary with demographic stage because of a physiological constraint?
Authors: BOWDEN R. M. , HARMS H. K. , PAITZ R. T. , JANZEN F. J.
Published: July 2004

Optimal egg size theory predicts that females should produce propagules of a size and number that maximize maternal fitness. However, studies of the allocation of resources to eggs have rarely provided evidence of such optimization. This is presumably because of constraints that limit reproductive allocation. One such example is that of pelvic aperture morphology constraining egg size in turtles.

Growing evidence suggests that even this classic example is incomplete. Hormones that regulate both the reproductive cycle and vitellogenic activity in turtles may provide a novel physiological mechanism for control of egg size.

This physiological constraint hypothesis was explored by examining the relationship between maternally derived yolk hormones and egg mass in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta, Schneider).

Eggs from younger females contained significantly more testosterone in the yolk than did eggs from older females. Younger females laid eggs nearly 20% smaller than those of older females even where body sizes overlapped.

Elevated testosterone levels in younger females may thus constrain egg size physiologically, beyond the well‐known physical constraints imposed by pelvic aperture morphology. The endocrine system may play an important but previously unrecognized role in the evolution of egg size in this model system.
Nitrogen‐use efficiency: trade‐offs between N productivity and mean residence time at organ, plant and population levels
Authors: SILLA F. , ESCUDERO A.
Published: July 2004

Nitrogen‐use efficiency (NUEN) is often decomposed into the product of N productivity (AN) and the mean residence time of N (MRTN). Theory suggests a trade‐off between both components, but direct experimental evidence is still scarce. A field study with young trees of the evergreen Quercus ilex and the marcescent‐evergreen Quercus faginea was carried out to test this trade‐off through analysis of plant traits at organ, whole‐plant and population levels.

Specific leaf area (SLA) was the main trait positively related to AN in Q. faginea. By contrast, greater litter production and consumption by caterpillars resulted in larger N losses and shorter MRTN in Q. faginea. Early leaf senescence in Q. faginea produced leaf litter with high N concentration that contributed significantly to N loss. Moreover, Q. ilex had higher plant survivorship. The inverse relationship between leaf longevity and SLA is probably a key component of the trade‐off between N losses and plant N productivity.

Quercus faginea had greater N uptake from soil, linked to its longer specific root length of fine roots and greater biomass allocation to underground tissues. Smaller N losses in Q. ilex compensated for its smaller N uptake and allowed a similar N balance at whole‐plant level.

Our results support the hypothesis of a trade‐off between AN and MRTN. Quercus ilex had a long MRTN, while Q. faginea has a high AN, and vice versa. The long MRTN in Q. ilex involves not only reduced N loss through long intrinsic leaf life span, but also resistance to harsh environmental factors and defence against herbivores. This suggests that a long MRTN is a potentially successful strategy in nutrient‐poor environments.
Seed mass, seedling herbivory and the reserve effect in tropical rainforest seedlings
Authors: GREEN P. T. , JUNIPER P. A.
Published: July 2004

The seedlings of larger‐seeded species typically perform better than those of smaller‐seeded species in the face of a variety of hazards. One mechanism that might explain this general pattern is the reserve effect, where larger‐seeded species commit a smaller proportion of their initial seed reserves to seedling construction, keeping a greater proportion in reserve to sustain seedlings during times of resource deficit or imposed hazards.

This study tested two hypotheses: (1) that seedlings of larger‐seeded rainforest species can resprout more often, following simulated herbivory, than those of smaller‐seeded species; and (2) that any such correlation is consistent with the reserve effect.

To test these hypotheses we grew the seedlings of 15 rainforest species with hypogeal storage cotyledons in a shade house, excised the initial shoot, and sequentially clipped each resprout. Previous work had demonstrated a reserve effect among these species.

The first hypothesis was proved true: seedlings of larger‐seeded species resprouted significantly more often than those of smaller‐seeded species.

The second hypothesis was proved false: although large‐seeded species resprouted more often, the total mass invested in resprouts scaled isometrically with seed mass across species. The reserve effect predicted that total resprout mass should have scaled more than proportionately with seed mass.

This study adds to a growing body of work demonstrating that the seedlings of larger‐seeded species often perform better than those of their smaller‐seeded counterparts. However, the results presented here are at odds with the view that the reserve effect might be a common mechanism explaining this pattern.
Extramedullary hematopoiesis in a pyogenic granuloma: a case report and review
Authors: Vega Harring Suzana M. , Niyaz Madinyet , Okada Shinya , Kudo Motoshige
Published: July 2004

Background:  Extramedullary hematopoiesis in the adult life is usually associated with hematological disorders. It can often occur in several organs under certain pathological conditions, including the spleen, liver, and skin, which are normal sites during the embryogenesis, the skin being very uncommon.

Case report:  A case of extramedullary hematopoiesis in a granuloma pyogenicum at the anterior aspect of the right thigh of a 31‐year‐old Japanese man is reported.

Results:  Histologic examination revealed an ulcerated polypoid lesion composed of numerous newly formed capillaries and a myxoid edematous stroma. In addition, three islands of hematopoietic precursors were found.

Conclusions:  This is, to our knowledge, the second case of extramedullary hematopoiesis in a granuloma pyogenicum. We believe that vascular lesions have potential to generate hematopoietic precursor cells; however, hematopoiesis will only occur in a setting of adequate microenvironment, as it occurs in the bone marrow.
Decisions from Experience and the Effect of Rare Events in Risky Choice
Authors: Hertwig Ralph , Barron Greg , Weber Elke U. , Erev Ido
Published: July 2004

When people have access to information sources such as newspaper weather forecasts, drug-package inserts, and mutual-fund brochures, all of which provide convenient descriptions of risky prospects, they can make decisions from description. When people must decide whether to back up their computer's hard drive, cross a busy street, or go out on a date, however, they typically do not have any summary description of the possible outcomes or their likelihoods. For such decisions, people can call only on their own encounters with such prospects, making decisions from experience. Decisions from experience and decisions from description can lead to dramatically different choice behavior. In the case of decisions from description, people make choices as if they overweight the probability of rare events, as described by prospect theory. We found that in the case of decisions from experience, in contrast, people make choices as if they underweight the probability of rare events, and we explored the impact of two possible causes of this underweighting—reliance on relatively small samples of information and overweighting of recently sampled information. We conclude with a call for two different theories of risky choice.
When Development and Learning Decrease Memory
Authors: Sloutsky Vladimir M. , Fisher Anna V.
Published: July 2004

Inductive inference is crucial for learning: If one learns that a cat has a particular biological property, one could expand this knowledge to other cats. We argue that young children perform induction on the basis of similarity of compared entities, whereas adults may induce on the basis of category information. If different processes underlie induction at different points in development, young children and adults would form different memory traces during induction, and would subsequently have different memory accuracy. Experiment 1 demonstrates that after performing an induction task, 5-year-olds exhibit more accurate memory than adults. Experiment 2 indicates that after 5-year-olds are trained to perform induction in an adultlike manner, their memory accuracy drops to the level of adults. These results, indicating that sometimes 5-year-olds exhibit better memory than adults, support the claim that, unlike adults, young children perform similarity-based rather than category-based induction.
Scene Consistency in Object and Background Perception
Authors: Davenport Jodi L. , Potter Mary C.
Published: July 2004

Does knowledge about which objects and settings tend to co-occur affect how people interpret an image? The effects of consistency on perception were investigated using manipulated photographs containing a foreground object that was either semantically consistent or inconsistent with its setting. In four experiments, participants reported the foreground object, the setting, or both after seeing each picture for 80 ms followed by a mask. In Experiment 1, objects were identified more accurately in a consistent than an inconsistent setting. In Experiment 2, backgrounds were identified more accurately when they contained a consistent rather than an inconsistent foreground object. In Experiment 3, objects were presented without backgrounds and backgrounds without objects; comparison with the other experiments indicated that objects were identified better in isolation than when presented with a background, but there was no difference in accuracy for backgrounds whether they appeared with a foreground object or not. Finally, in Experiment 4, consistency effects remained when both objects and backgrounds were reported. Semantic consistency information is available when a scene is glimpsed briefly and affects both object and background perception. Objects and their settings are processed interactively and not in isolation.
Identification of mariner elements from house flies (Musca domestica) and German cockroaches (Blattella germanica)
Authors: Liu N. , Pridgeon J. W. , Wang H. , Liu Z. , Zhang L.
Published: July 2004

Full‐length mariner elements were isolated and sequenced from house flies (Musca domestica) and German cockroaches (Blattella germanica). The amino acid sequence of the house fly mariner element (accession number: AF373028) showed 99.5% identity with Mos1 and peach elements, whereas the German cockroach mariner element (accession number: AF355143) showed 98.8% and 99.8% identity, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that the mariner elements in house flies and German cockroaches differed from the active Mos1 mariner element by seven and 15 nucleotides, respectively. Four essential nucleotide substitutions at positions 64, 154, 305, and 1203, which have been proposed to contribute to the loss of activity of the inactive elements, were detected in the German cockroach mariner element. In contrast, although the mariner element in house flies contained substitutions at positions 64, 154, and 305, it retained T at position 1203, identical to active mariner elements. Mariner is present in approximately eight copies in the German cockroach genome.
Water relations under root chilling in a sensitive and tolerant tomato species
Authors: BLOOM A. J. , ZWIENIECKI M. A. , PASSIOURA J. B. , RANDALL L. B. , HOLBROOK N. M. , ST. CLAIR D. A.
Published: July 2004

The shoots of cultivated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. T5) wilt if their roots are exposed to chilling temperatures of around 5 °C. Under the same treatment, a chilling‐tolerant congener (Lycopersicon hirsutum LA 1778) maintains shoot turgor. To determine the physiological basis of this differential response, the effect of chilling on both excised roots and roots of intact plants in pressure chambers were investigated. In excised roots and intact plants, root hydraulic conductance declined with temperature to nearly twice the extent expected from the temperature dependence of the viscosity of water, but the response was similar in both species. The species differed markedly, however, in stomatal behaviour: in L. hirsutum, stomatal conductance declined as root temperatures were lowered, whereas the stomata of L. esculentum remained open until the roots reached 5 °C, and the plants became flaccid and suffered damage. Grafted plants with the shoots of one genotype and roots of another indicated that the differential stomatal behaviour during root chilling has distinct shoot and root components.
Ascorbic acid, a familiar small molecule intertwined in the response of plants to ozone, pathogens, and the onset of senescence
Authors: CONKLIN P. L. , BARTH C.
Published: July 2004

Ascorbic acid is a well‐known antioxidant and cellular reductant with an intimate and complex role in the response of plants to ozone. It is clear from a number of studies that sensitivity to ozone is correlated with total ascorbic acid levels, and that a first line of defence against the reactive oxygen species generated in the apoplastic space by ozone is ascorbic acid. For activity, ascorbic acid must be in the fully reduced state. Therefore, both the rate of ascorbic acid synthesis and recycling via dehydroascorbate and monodehydroascorbate reductases are critical in the maintenance of a high ascorbic acid redox state. Active transport of ascorbic acid across the plasma membrane is necessary to achieve reduction of oxidized ascorbic acid by cytoplasm‐localized reductases. It has been known for some time that the chlorotic lesions produced by exposure to ozone are not unlike lesions produced by the hypersensitive response to avirulent pathogen attack. Surprisingly, activation of a defence gene‐signalling network by both ozone and pathogens is influenced by the level of ascorbic acid. Indeed, in addition to acting simply as an antioxidant in the apoplastic space, ascorbic acid appears to be involved in a complex phytohormone‐mediated signalling network that ties together ozone and pathogen responses and influences the onset of senescence.
Dynamics and precision of thermoregulatory responses of eastern skunk cabbageSymplocarpus foetidus
Authors: SEYMOUR R. S.
Published: July 2004

Inflorescences of the arum lilySymplocarpus foetidusare thermogenic and thermoregulatory. The spadix increases respiratory heat production rate as ambient temperature decreases. This study examined the relationships between spadix temperature (Ts), respiration rate () and ambient temperature (Ta) at equilibrium and during transient responses to step changes inTa. Intact inflorescences inside a miniature constant temperature cabinet in the field showed the most precise temperature regulation yet recorded; over a 37.4 °C range inTa(−10.3 to 27.1 °C),Tschanged only 3.5 °C (22.7 to 26.2 °C). Regulated temperatures were not related to spadix size (1.9–7.3 g) or circadian cycle. Dynamic responses to step changes inTainvolved a phasic change inTs, first in the same direction asTa, then reversing at 38.3 min, and finally approaching equilibrium at 87.6 min, on average. Meanwhilechanged in a monotonic curve toward equilibrium. Models revealed that the dynamics of temperature change were inconsistent with simply a physical lag in the system, but involved some form of biochemical regulation, possibly by changes in activity of a rate‐limiting functional protein.
The contribution of fog to the water relations of Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don): foliar uptake and prevention of dehydration
Authors: BURGESS S. S. O. , DAWSON T. E.
Published: July 2004

Fog is a defining feature of the coastal California redwood forest and fog inputs via canopy drip in summer can constitute 30% or more of the total water input each year. A great deal of occult precipitation (fog and light rain) is retained in redwood canopies, which have some of the largest leaf area indices known (Westman & Whittaker, Journal of Ecology 63, 493–520, 1975). An investigation was carried out to determine whether some fraction of intercepted fog water might be directly absorbed through leaf surfaces and if so, the importance of this to the water relations physiology of coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. An array of complimentary techniques were adopted to demonstrate that fog is absorbed directly by S. sempervirens foliage. Xylem sap transport reversed direction during heavy fog, with instantaneous flow rates in the direction of the soil peaking at approximately 5–7% of maximum transpiration rate. Isotopic analyses showed that up to 6% of a leaf's water content could be traced to a previous night's fog deposition, but this amount varied considerably depending on the age and water status of the leaves. Old leaves, which appear most able to absorb fog water were able to absorb distilled water when fully submersed at an average rate of 0.90 mmol m2 s−1, or about 80% of transpiration rates measured at the leaf level in the field. Sequoia sempervirens has poor stomatal control in response to a drying atmosphere, with rates of water loss on very dry nights up to 40% of midday summer values and rates above 10% being extremely common. Owing to this profligate water use behaviour of S. sempervirens, it appears that fog has a greater role in suppressing water loss from leaves, and thereby ameliorating daily water stress, than in providing supplemental water to foliar tissues per se. Although direct foliar absorption from fog inputs represents only a small fraction of the water used each day, fog's in reducing transpiration and rehydrating leaf tissues during the most active growth periods in summer may allow for greater seasonal carbon fixation and thus contribute to the very fast growth rates and great size of this species.
Involvement of abscisic acid and ethylene in the responses of rice grains to water stress during filling
Authors: YANG J. C. , ZHANG J. H. , YE Y. X. , WANG Z. Q. , ZHU Q. S. , LIU L. J.
Published: July 2004

This study was to test the hypothesis that the interaction between abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene may be involved in mediating the effects of water stress on grain filling. Two high lodging‐resistant rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars were pot‐grown. Three treatments, well‐watered, moderate water‐stressed (MD), and severe water‐stressed (SD), were imposed from 9 d post‐anthesis until maturity. Grain filling rate and grain weight were significantly increased under MD but decreased under SD. The two cultivars behaved the same. ABA concentration in the grains was very low during the grain filling stage, reaching a maximum when the grain filling rate was highest. Both the grain filling rate and ABA concentration were substantially enhanced by water stress. In contrast to ABA, concentrations of ethylene and 1‐aminocylopropane ‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC) in the grains were very high at early grain filling stage and sharply decreased during the linear period of grain growth. MD reduced, whereas SD remarkably increased, their accumulation. The ratio of ABA to ACC was increased in MD grains but decreased in SD grains, indicating that there was a greater enhancement of ABA concentration than ethylene production in the MD treatment only. Application of cobalt ion (inhibitor of ethylene synthesis) or ABA at the early grain filling stage significantly increased grain filling rate. Spraying with ethephon (ethylene‐releasing agent) or fluridone (inhibitor of ABA synthesis) had the opposite effect. The results suggest that antagonistic interactions between ABA and ethylene mediate the grain filling rate, and a high ratio of ABA to ethylene enhances grain filling rate.
Predation Risk Avoidance by Terrestrial Amphibians: The Role of Prey Experience and Vulnerability to Native and Exotic Predators
Authors: Murray D. L. , Roth J. D. , Wirsing A. J.
Published: July 2004

We studied avoidance, by four amphibian prey species (Rana luteiventris, Ambystoma macrodactylum, Pseudacris regilla, Tarichia granulosa), of chemical cues associated with native garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) or exotic bullfrog (R. catesbeiana) predators. We predicted that avoidance of native predators would be most pronounced, and that prey species would differ in the intensity of their avoidance based on relative levels of vulnerability to predators in the wild. Adult R. luteiventris (presumably high vulnerability to predation) showed significant avoidance of chemical cues from both predators, A. macrodactylum (intermediate vulnerability to predation) avoided T. elegans only, while P. regilla (intermediate vulnerability to predation) and T. granulosa (low vulnerability to predation) showed no avoidance of either predator. We assessed if predator avoidance was innate and/or learned by testing responses of prey having disparate levels of prior exposure to predators. Wild‐caught (presumably predator‐exposed) post‐metamorphic juvenile R. luteiventris and P. regilla avoided T. elegans cues, while laboratory‐reared (predator‐naive) conspecifics did not; prior exposure to R. catesbeiana was not related to behavioural avoidance among adult or post‐metamorphic juvenile wild‐reared A. macrodactylum and P. regilla. These results imply that (i) some but not all species of amphibian prey avoid perceived risk from garter snake and bullfrog predators, (ii) the magnitude of this response probably differs according to prey vulnerability to predation in the wild, and (iii) avoidance tends to be largely learned rather than innate. Yet, the limited prevalence and intensity of amphibian responses to predation risk observed herein may be indicative of either a relatively weak predator–prey relationship and/or the limited importance of predator chemical cues in this particular system.
Characterization of a Single‐Spore Isolate Population of Plasmodiophora brassicae Resulting from a Single Club
Authors: Fähling M. , Graf H. , Siemens J.
Published: July 2004

The single‐spore isolates ‘e3’ and ‘e6’ of Plasmodiophora brassicae with different virulence patterns were distinguished by restriction fragment length polymorphisms in fingerprint‐like patterns and by electrophoretic karyotypes using repetitive fragments as hybridization probes. These molecular tools were used to characterize a set of isolates originated from an infected root, which was inoculated with a mixture of the two single‐spore isolates (e3 and e6). Spores harvested from mixed‐infected roots were used to establish 53 new single‐spore isolates. All these single‐spore isolates revealed parental patterns according to their molecular fingerprints and their virulence pattern. No sexual recombination could be detected with repetitive molecular probes. However, one isolate (M36ES49) showed the same fingerprint pattern and virulence pattern but different sizes of small chromosomes than the parental type ‘e6’, which is taken as an indication of chromosome rearrangement during the infection cycle.
Impact of adiposity and plasma adipocytokines on diabetic angiopathies in Japanese Type 2 diabetic subjects
Authors: Matsuda M. , Kawasaki F. , Yamada K. , Kanda Y. , Saito M. , Eto M. , Matsuki M. , Kaku K.
Published: July 2004

Aims  Adipocytokines, products from adipose tissue, have biological activities on the vascular system, and may affect diabetic angiopathy. In this study, we assessed the relationship between adiposity and plasma adipocytokine levels, and investigated the clinical significance of adiposity and plasma adipocytokine levels on diabetic micro‐ and macroangiopathy in Type 2 diabetic subjects.

Methods  We studied 231 Japanese Type 2 diabetic subjects (135 men and 96 women, aged 60.4 ± 12.3 years, body mass index 24.8 ± 5.2 kg/m2). We measured adipocytokine [adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α] levels, lipid profiles and urine albumin excretion. We also performed optic fundus examination and measured carotid intramedia thickness (IMT) using B‐mode ultrasonography, and the localization of fat with abdominal computed tomography. A group of 93 subjects with microalbuminuria or overt proteinuria was compared with the other 148 to assess the effect on nephropathy. A group of 191 eyes with simple retinopathy or more advanced changes was compared with 263 eyes without retinal changes to assess the effect on retinopathy.

Results  Plasma adiponectin level was negatively correlated with both visceral (r = −0.37, P < 0.01) and subcutaneous (r = −0.25, P < 0.01) fat areas. Resistin concentration was positively related with visceral fat area (r = 0.15, P < 0.05). Adiponectin concentration was positively correlated with age (r = 0.26, P < 0.01). TNF‐α was correlated with IMT (r = 0.16, P < 0.05) after correction for age. Logistic regression analysis indicates a 4085 times greater chance of having retinopathy with a one unit increase in TNF‐α (pmol/l) and a 30.64 times greater chance of having nephropathy with one unit increase in leptin (nmol/l).

Conclusions  The present observations suggest that visceral and subcutaneous fat has an impact on microangiopathy as well as macroangiopathy, possibly through different adipocytokines.
Initiation of glucose‐lowering therapy in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in general practice
Authors: Spoelstra J. A. , Stolk R. P. , Klungel O. H. , Erkens J. A. , Rutten G. E. H. M. , Leufkens H. G. M. , Grobbee D. E.
Published: July 2004

Aim  The purpose of this study was to investigate which factors determine the initiation of glucose‐lowering therapy in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in general practice and their future glycaemic control.

Methods  All incident Type 2 diabetic patients in the general practices in a Dutch middle‐sized town from 1994 to 2000 were identified. Factors associated with initiation of glucose‐lowering therapy were obtained from clinical files and examined by Cox's regression analyses. Using anova, the associations between clinical characteristics at diagnosis and future glycaemic control were investigated.

Results  In total, 603 newly diagnosed patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus were included in the study. In the first month following diagnosis, 319 (53%) started with oral therapy. One, two and three years after diagnosis of diabetes, the cumulative incidences were 71% (95% CI 66–73%), 75% (71–79%) and 81% (77–84%), respectively. Age, gender, body weight, blood pressure, history of cardiovascular disease or total serum cholesterol values were not associated with time to start of drug therapy. An increased plasma glucose level at diagnosis was strongly related to faster initiation of drug therapy and worse future glycaemic control. Immediate initiation of glucose‐lowering medication was not related to future glycaemic control.

Conclusion  This study shows that the initial severity of diabetes, assessed by the degree of hyperglycaemia at time of diagnosis, is a major factor in determining the time to start of glucose‐lowering drugs and the likelihood of achieving target levels of glycaemic control in the future, independent of glucose‐lowering strategy. Therefore, patients with high glucose levels at diagnosis need close monitoring from the beginning of their disease.
C‐reactive protein, its role in inflammation, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and the effects of insulin‐sensitizing treatment with thiazolidinediones
Authors: Nesto R.
Published: July 2004

Increased concentrations of the marker of inflammation, C‐reactive protein (CRP), are associated with insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and the development of cardiovascular disease. In particular, inflammation is closely associated with endothelial dysfunction and is recognized as one of the cardiovascular risk factors clustering in the Insulin Resistance Syndrome or Metabolic Syndrome. The exact mechanisms linking insulin resistance and inflammation remain unclear. However, the close association between insulin resistance and inflammation in atherogenesis suggests that therapies that address both parameters may have benefits in reducing diabetes‐related macrovascular complications. The thiazolidinedione class of oral anti‐diabetic agents are powerful insulin sensitizers that also have anti‐inflammatory properties. Treatment with these agents has a range of anti‐atherogenic effects, including reduced levels of CRP, plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1), TNF‐α and reactive oxygen species. Additionally, the insulin‐sensitizing effect of thiazolidinediones improves other factors of the Insulin Resistance Syndrome, including dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Outcome studies are underway to determine if the effects of improving insulin sensitivity and reducing inflammation will translate into clinical benefits and reduce the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
Amelanotic malignant melanoma disguised as a diabetic foot ulcer
Authors: Gregson C. L. , Allain T. J.
Published: July 2004

Background/case report  A female patient with diet‐controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with disseminated malignancy. She had a 15‐year history of a diabetic foot ulcer, which was subsequently found to be an amelanotic malignant melanoma. She had recently received immunosuppressive treatment for an episode of nephrotic syndrome secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Conclusions  This case raises two important points. Firstly, whether non‐healing diabetic foot ulcers should be biopsied, and secondly, whether the spread of the malignant melanoma was precipitated by immunosuppressive treatment.
Electing the Leader: The British Labour Party's Electoral College
Authors: Quinn Thomas
Published: July 2004

This article uses a principal-agent model to explore how leadership selection rules affect the autonomy and security of tenure of the British Labour party's leader. It examines Labour's electoral college, which was intended to enable activists and trade unions to hold the leader to account. However, it had the reverse effect, increasing leaders' autonomy. Nomination rules frustrate activist attempts to instigate leadership contests, while a range of ‘transaction costs’ rule out anything but the most serious challenges to incumbents. The college was originally dominated by trade unions because block voting enabled union leaders to determine the trajectory of contests. The introduction of ‘one member–one vote’ curtailed the power of union leaders, shifting power mainly to MPs. The conceptual tools deployed can be used to analyse leadership selection mechanisms in other parties.
Marital Conflict, Child Emotional Security about Family Relationships and Child Adjustment
Authors: Harold Gordon T. , Shelton Katherine H. , Goeke‐Morey Marcie C. , Cummings E. Mark
Published: July 2004

Addressing a gap in process‐oriented understanding of relations between marital conflict and children's adjustment, propositions of the emotional security hypothesis from a family‐wide perspective were tested in a longitudinal research design. Participants were 181 families and their 11–12 year‐old‐child (115 boys, 76 girls) living in Wales, in the United Kingdom. Relations between marital conflict, children's emotional security about marital conflict and parenting, respectively, and children's adjustment were assessed based on reports by mothers, fathers, and children and videotaped analogue procedures completed by children. Structural equation modelling indicated that children's emotional security about interparental conflict (emotional regulation, cognitive representations and behavioural regulation) mediated the relation between marital conflict and children's security about parenting. Processes pertaining to children's security in multiple family systems (i.e., interparental and parent–child) provided an indirect mechanism through which interparental conflict affected children's symptoms of psychological distress (internalising and externalising problems) assessed 12 months later. Future directions for further tests of comprehensive, theoretically based models for the effects of marital conflict on children are discussed.
The Political Economy of Fraud in a Globalised Industry: The Case of Seafarers' Certifications
Authors: Obando-Rojas Bernardo , Welsh Ian , Bloor Michael , Lane Tony , Badigannavar Vidu , Maguire Michael
Published: July 2004

This paper reports on the first systematic and international investigation of the fraudulent trade in seafarers' certifications of competence. The shipping industry more than any other traditional industry has been transformed by globalisation, so that there is now effectively a single global labour market for seafarers. International regulation of labour standards in the industry is extensive, but so is regulatory avoidance. This paper seeks to investigate the political economy of fraud, through an exploration of the links between economic features of the globalised shipping industry and regulatory avoidance of labour standards.
Family Matters: (E)migration, Familial Networks and Irish Women in Britain
Authors: Ryan Louise
Published: July 2004

The recent increase in transnational migration among women has lead to a reappraisal of theoretical explanations of migratory movement ( Castles and Miller, 2003 ; Fortier, 2000 ; Zulauf, 2001 ). This paper reviews a number of theoretical explanations of transnational migration and then applies these theories to a qualitative study of women who migrated from Ireland to Britain in the 1930s. I explore the women's reasons for leaving Ireland and their experiences as young economic migrants in Britain in the inter-war years. Women have made up the majority of Irish migrants to Britain for much of the twentieth century yet the dominant stereotype of the Irish migrant has been the Mick or Paddy image ( Walter, 2001 ). Through an analysis of these twelve women's narratives of migration, I explore themes such as household strategies and familial networks. I am interested in the interwoven explanations of migration as both a form of escape ( O'Carroll, 1990 ) and a rational family strategy and, hence, the ways in which women's decision to migrate can be seen as a combination of both active agency and family obligation. Drawing on the work of Phizacklea (1999) as well as Walter (2001) and Gray (1996 , 1997 ), I will analyse the ways in which family connections may transcend migration and engage with the concept of ‘transnational family’ ( Chamberlain, 1995 ). In so doing, I raise questions about the complex nature of migration and the extent to which it could be described in terms of empowerment.
Balloon‐pump‐induced Pulsatility Improves Coronary and Carotid Flows in an Experimental Model of BioMedicus Left Ventricular Assistance
Authors: Collart Frédéric , Kerbaul Francois , Mekkaoui Choukri , Riberi Alberto , Gariboldi Vlad , Rolland Pierre‐Henry , Métras Dominique , Mesana Thierry G.
Published: July 2004

Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefit of the simultaneous use of a BioMedicus left ventricular assistance device (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.) and an intra‐aortic balloon pump on regional blood flows, pressure, and pulsatility. Twelve pigs are studied. A BioMedicus pump was placed between the left atrium and the ascending aorta and an intra‐aortic balloon pump was inserted through the left femoral artery. Blood flow and pressure were measured in the carotid, femoral, and coronary arteries and in the thoracic aorta below the intra‐aortic balloon in the basal experimental condition with a full‐flow BioMedicus pump and with a full‐flow BioMedicus pump + intra‐aortic balloon. The BioMedicus pump eliminates pulsatility in all sites and significantly decreases coronary and carotid blood flow. The adjunction of an intra‐aortic balloon restores pulsatility to values comparable to those recorded in basal conditions. Coronary and carotid flows even increase to values higher than in the basal conditions. The simultaneous  use  of  an  intra‐aortic  balloon  combined with the BioMedicus pump provides a pulsatile flow and increases coronary and carotid blood flows in pigs. An intra‐aortic balloon can easily be combined with a BioMedicus pump whenever possible and may improve myocardial recovery in patients with postcardiotomy ventricular failure.
Peritoneal T Cell Responses Can Be Polarized Toward Th1 or Th2 in Children on Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Chiesa Sabrina , Vigo Giacomo , Cappa Francesca , Prigione Ignazia , Pistoia Vito , Verrina Enrico , Perfumo Francesco , Barbano Giancarlo
Published: July 2004

Abstract:  Peritoneal T cell responses can be polarized toward Th1 or Th2 in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis. Previous studies on the peritoneal immune system described the presence of activated T lymphocytes in peritoneal effluents from subjects on chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD). Since Th1/Th2 polarized response can influence the outcome of specific infectious diseases, we investigated if activated Th1/Th2 cells can be detected in peritoneal effluents during peritoneal dialysis, in order to better understand the role of T cells in the mechanisms of peritoneal defense. We have studied 8 children (4 males, 4 females, mean age 5.8 ± 5.7 years, range 0.3–13.4) on CPD. Peritoneal cells have been isolated from peritoneal effluents by centrifugation. Immunofluorescent staining of intracellular cytokines for flow cytometric analysis was used to detect the percentage of T cells producing either IFN‐γ (Th1) or IL‐4 (Th2). In the initial study 3 months after CPD initiation, high percentages of IFN‐γ positive peritoneal T cells (38% and 63%) were detected in two subjects; this finding is consistent with a Th1 polarization of peritoneal T cells. In another subject, high percentages of IL‐4 positive T cells (31%) were detected, suggesting a Th2 polarization of peritoneal T cell response. Small amounts of either Th1 or Th2 T cells (2–4%) were also detected in the other subjects. At the 1 year follow‐up, Th1 polarization persisted in one subject (18% IFN‐γ positive peritoneal T cells), in another a shift from Th1 to Th2 was observed, and in the other subject a down regulation of both T cell subsets occurred. The finding that a predominance of T cells producing either IFN‐γ or IL‐4 was found in 3 out of 8 children strongly suggests that peritoneal T cell responses can be polarized toward Th1 or Th2. The decrease of Th1 and/or Th2 polarized T cells in the peritoneum of 4 out of 6 subjects (after 1 year) suggests that CPD can play an immunosuppressive role on T cell peritoneal responses. Further studies are needed in order to define whether different T helper activation patterns are associated with a higher risk of peritoneal infection or of peritoneal damage.
Power Spectral Analysis of the Heart Rate Variability of Goat Fetuses During Extrauterine Incubation
Authors: Yonemoto Hisashi , Nishina Hidenori , Yoshida Koyo , Kinoshita Katsuyuki , Ehara Yoshiro
Published: July 2004

Abstract:   Our aim is to determine the relationship between heart rate and behavioral states of a fetal goat using power spectral analysis. Electrocardiograms, electrocortical activity, and fetal breathing movements are recorded from 7 goat fetuses during extrauterine incubation. The heart rate power spectrum is classified into very low, low, and high frequency bands, and behavioral states are classified into low‐voltage electrocortical activity with fetal breathing movements (LVB), low‐voltage electrocortical activity without fetal breathing movements (LVN), and high‐voltage electrocortical activity (HVN). There is a significant difference in total power spectral density in the high frequency band between LVN and HVN, and LVN and LVB. The relationship between each fetal behavioral state  is  assessed  by  power  spectral  analysis.