bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards the explanation of goal‐oriented and opportunity‐based networks of organizations
Authors: Eschenbächer Jens , Zarvić Novica
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Collaborative networks (CN) are organizational forms that are especially enabled by innovations in the area of information and communication technologies. For an in‐depth understanding of CN a theoretical foundation is required. The purpose of this paper is to explain goal‐oriented and opportunity‐based CN with the help of existing and well‐known organization theories. A detailed overview about frequently mentioned concepts and theories in network studies is given and then a structured selection of theoretical approaches that are aiming to explain CN is discussed in detail. Finally, ten aspects for the existence and efficiency of CN are derived.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken in this work is based on a literature review and an impact analysis of the investigated organization theories along the life cycle of CN.

Findings

The result of the analysis shows that none of the investigated theories is able to describe the complex phenomenon of CN entirely and to clear all knowledge deficits. Therefore, multiple theories need to be considered as foundation.

Originality/value

This research represents a contribution to the theoretical body of knowledge in the field of CN. More specifically, it represents a first initial step towards the explanation of certain aspects of CN by means of existing organization theories.
Serious juvenile offenders with and without intellectual disabilities
Authors: Kaal H.L. , Brand E.F.J.M. , van Nieuwenhuijzen M.
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine what differences there are in personal characteristics and functioning between juvenile offenders under a mandatory treatment order with IQ<70, IQ 70‐85, and IQ>85, in order to be able to better fit supervision and treatment to their needs.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to answer this question 1,363 case files of serious juvenile offenders under a mandatory treatment order were scored using the juvenile forensic profile list (FPJ), an instrument that encompasses over 70 characteristics relevant in risk‐assessment and for measuring problem behaviour.

Findings

The analyses showed that the behavioural and mental health problems and background characteristics of juvenile offenders of various IQ‐levels (IQ<70, IQ 70‐85, and IQ>85) are in many respects very similar. However, differences were found in, for example, social skills and relationships, and the needs inherent with having an intellectual disability (ID) have important implications for the way treatment is offered.

Originality/value

As a large proportion of serious juvenile offenders have an ID, these findings are important to consider. Furthermore, as intelligence has a dynamic aspect, the authors advise to occasionally reassess these juveniles.
Accused of murder: supporting the communication needs of a vulnerable defendant at court and at the police station
Authors: O'Mahony Brendan M.
Published: October 2012

Purpose

This paper's aim is to examine the interaction between an intermediary, a vulnerable defendant and barristers and the judge in a courtroom. The paper seeks to consider how the communication needs of vulnerable defendants, such as those with learning disabilities, should be addressed in the criminal justice system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper considers the legal landscape for dealing with vulnerable defendants. A case example and court and police interview transcripts are then used to illustrate some of the communication needs of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system.

Findings

The paper highlights the complexities of the language that is used by lawyers in the courtroom and the difficulties that this can cause for a vulnerable defendant. Additionally, this paper reveals the difficulties that the police caution can present to a vulnerable suspect in custody.

Social implications

Vulnerable witnesses or defendants may be disadvantaged in understanding questions and the implications of answers that they provide in a courtroom or in attendance at a police station. The criminal justice system should support these individuals and provide guidance and training to professionals. The author identifies a need for more research in this area.

Originality/value

This is one of the first published papers to examine the interaction between an intermediary, a vulnerable defendant and barristers and the judge in the courtroom. The paper considers how the communication needs of vulnerable defendants should be addressed in the criminal justice system.
“Journey's end”: statistical pathways into offending for adults with specific learning difficulties
Authors: Macdonald Stephen J.
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The aim of this study is to understand how social barriers might result in people with specific learning difficulties coming in contact with the criminal justice system in the UK. The study seeks to apply the social model of disability to conceptualise a statistical relationship between socio‐economic status and key life events for people with specific learning difficulties (i.e. diagnosis, educational achievements, and employment).

Design/methodology/approach

A cluster sample was used to obtain statistical data from a questionnaire based survey. The study collected quantitative and qualitative data on the life experiences of people with specific learning difficulties (n=77). The paper analyses the quantitative data and discovers statistically significant relationships (p≤0.05) concerning socio‐economic status, specific learning difficulties and crime.

Findings

Within the data findings age of diagnosis is significantly (p≤0.00) affected when comparing socio‐economic status with the offender and non‐offender group in the study. Furthermore, the educational achievements (p≤0.00) and employment/unemployment levels (p≤0.00) are dramatically altered by socio‐economic status specifically for offenders with specific learning difficulties. These relationships have been conceptualised using the social model of SpLD in terms of barriers to exclusion.

Originality/value

To date very few studies have used the social model of disability to understand pathways into offending for people with learning difficulties. To the author's knowledge this is the first study to apply a quantitative analysis to the concept of disabling barriers and criminality.
Learning from the file‐sharers
Authors: Andersson Jonas
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to better understand the world‐view of cultural consumers who download and share copyrighted content for free.

Design/methodology/approach

By utilizing a critical discourse analysis of the arguments given by file‐sharers in online forums and in interviews, focusing on the arguments which arise for justifying certain everyday uses, and contrasting these with their material and structural conditions, a critical approach is sought, inquiring on the validity of certain tropes. Particularity was achieved by making a geographically delimited case study.

Findings

The case study helps to conceptualize online sociality, with wider application than this geographical setting only. As BitTorrent technology makes every downloader share his/her files while downloading, file‐sharing is found to accommodate individual opportunism, and a world‐view that puts the consumer at the centre of agency, in turn reinforcing the civic idea ofcultural access and diversity as a human right.

Research limitations/implications

Previous findings have correlated heavy file‐sharing with heavy consumption of culture. However, given the greater ability of previewing material and of acquiring more obscure content, how have the habits and consumption patterns changed among media consumers who routinely file‐share? More detailed studies are needed, on how individual users come to question their own role, and the impact of their own actions – and what the level of awareness actually is (in different geographical/demographic settings) of the conditions for cultural production, distribution and consumption. A range of potential new research areas and scenarios is listed.

Practical implications

Given the common constituents seen in the world‐views of file‐sharers, this civic approach to intellectual property could prompt professional producers, distributors, rights holders and regulators to consider the actual visibility of potential impacts of file‐sharing. The civic approach suggests that file‐sharers can reconcile with individual authors or artists, as long as these are found to have precarious economic conditions, and not be affiliated with an industrial mode of reasoning. Cultural producers that are seen to adhere to a civic (amateur‐ or fan‐like) mode of reasoning – rather than an industrial (professional) one – are met with more sympathy among consumers.

Originality/value

The paper is of interest for media sociology, cultural studies, and policymaking within the cultural industries.
Thermal stress responses in the bacterial biosphere of the Great Barrier Reef sponge, Rhopaloeides odorabile
Authors: Simister Rachel , Taylor Michael W. , Tsai Peter , Fan Lu , Bruxner Timothy J , Crowe Mark L , Webster Nicole
Published: October 2012

Marine sponges are diverse, abundant and provide a crucial coupling point between benthic and pelagic habitats due to their high filtration rates. They also harbour extensive microbial communities, with many microbial phylotypes found exclusively in sponge hosts and not in the seawater or surrounding environment, i.e. so‐called sponge‐specific clusters (SCs) or sponge‐ and coral‐specific clusters (SCCs). We employed DNA (16S rRNA gene) and RNA (16S rRNA)‐based amplicon pyrosequencing to investigate the effects of sublethal thermal stress on the bacterial biosphere of the Great Barrier Reef sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile. A total of 8381 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (97% sequence similarity) were identified, affiliated with 32 bacterial phyla from seawater samples, 23 bacterial phyla from sponge DNA extracts and 18 bacterial phyla from sponge RNA extracts. Sublethal thermal stress (31°C) had no effect on the present and/or active portions of the R. odorabile bacterial community but a shift in the bacterial assemblage was observed in necrotic sponges. Over two‐thirds of DNA and RNA sequences could be assigned to previously defined SCs/SCCs in healthy sponges whereas only 12% of reads from necrotic sponges could be assigned to SCs/SCCs. A rapid decline in host health over a 1°C temperature increment suggests that sponges such as R. odorabile may be highly vulnerable to the effects of global climate change.
The role of planktonic Flavobacteria in processing algal organic matter in coastal East Antarctica revealed using metagenomics and metaproteomics
Authors: Williams Timothy J. , Wilkins David , Long Emilie , Evans Flavia , DeMaere Mathew Z. , Raftery Mark J. , Cavicchioli Ricardo
Published: October 2012

Heterotrophic marine bacteria play key roles in remineralizing organic matter generated from primary production. However, far more is known about which groups are dominant than about the cellular processes they perform in order to become dominant. In the Southern Ocean, eukaryotic phytoplankton are the dominant primary producers. In this study we used metagenomics and metaproteomics to determine how the dominant bacterial and archaeal plankton processed bloom material. We examined the microbial community composition in 14 metagenomes and found that the relative abundance of Flavobacteria (dominated by Polaribacter) was positively correlated with chlorophyll a fluorescence, and the relative abundance of SAR11 was inversely correlated with both fluorescence and Flavobacteria abundance. By performing metaproteomics on the sample with the highest relative abundance of Flavobacteria (Newcomb Bay, East Antarctica) we defined how Flavobacteria attach to and degrade diverse complex organic material, how they make labile compounds available to Alphaproteobacteria (especially SAR11) and Gammaproteobacteria, and how these heterotrophic Proteobacteria target and utilize these nutrients. The presence of methylotrophic proteins for archaea and bacteria also indicated the importance of metabolic specialists. Overall, the study provides functional data for the microbial mechanisms of nutrient cycling at the surface of the coastal Southern Ocean.
Mayor vs. Police Chief: The Hoek van Holland Riot
Authors: Resodihardjo Sandra L. , van Eijk Carola J.A. , Carroll Brendan J.
Published: October 2012

Accountability processes can result in crisis managers' resignation. The literature is rife with strategies on how to cope with intense blame levels, but the complexity of reality can render these strategies useless or even harmful. A case in point is the aftermath of one of the most serious riots in Dutch recent history where police officers shot at rioters to save themselves. In this article, we show that the police chief's resignation, while the mayor remained in office, can be explained through a combination of (mis)handling blame and contextual factors such as the mayor being recently appointed.
Evaluating Survey Quality in Health Services Research: A Decision Framework for Assessing Nonresponse Bias
Authors: Halbesleben Jonathon R. B. , Whitman Marilyn V.
Published: October 2012

Objective

To address the issue of nonresponse as problematic and offer appropriate strategies for assessing nonresponse bias.

Study Design

A review of current strategies used to assess the quality of survey data and the challenges associated with these strategies is provided along with appropriate post‐data collection techniques that researchers should consider.

Principal Findings

Response rates are an incomplete assessment of survey data quality, and quick reactions to response rate should be avoided. Based on a five‐question decision making framework, we offer potential ways to assess nonresponse bias, along with a description of the advantages and disadvantages to each.

Conclusions

It is important that the quality of survey data be considered to assess the relative contribution to the literature of a given study. Authors and funding agencies should consider the potential effects of nonresponse bias both before and after survey administration and report the results of assessments of nonresponse bias in addition to response rates.
Collaboration in Maternity Care is achievable and practical
Authors: Beasley Sarah , Ford Naomi , Tracy Sally K. , Welsh Alec W.
Published: October 2012

Background

Enhancing collaboration has been highlighted as a marker for future success in maternity care, although this suggestion comes with little methodological guidance. This study assessed the efficacy of a collaborative partnership between obstetric doctors and midwives providing Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) care.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was undertaken with notes from weekly case review meetings held between the obstetricians and midwives over a 12‐month period; audio recordings and a prospective analysis of 16 meetings with verbal contributions of the different professions; the number and types of cases discussed and referred, medical records kept at these meetings and a professional satisfaction questionnaire. Consistency of care was measured against the Australian National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral.

Results

Of the 337 women booked with MGP, 50% were discussed at least once. Of these, 35% were referred for consultation with an obstetrician. Women as ‘Patients’ were most commonly discussed, followed by educational discussions and anecdotes with equal verbal contributions from midwives and doctors. Plans for each case were recorded 97% of the time, and adhered to 90% of the time. A high level of consistency of care between similar cases (75% of the time) and with the consultation and referral guidelines (85% of the time) were achieved. Professional satisfaction with this model of care rated highly for both groups.

Conclusion

Inter‐professional collaboration between midwifery and obstetric staff is highly attainable within this model of care. This study reinforces the effectiveness of collaboration in the MGP model of care for women of all risk levels and should encourage other maternity care providers to consider adopting this collaborative model.
When sad groups expect to meet again: Interactive affective sharing and future interaction expectation as determinants of work groups' analytical and creative task performance
Authors: Klep Annefloor H. M. , Wisse Barbara , van der Flier Henk
Published: October 2012

The present study examines the moderating role of future interaction expectation in the relationship between affective sharing and work groups' task performance. We argue that group affect, a group defining characteristic, becomes more salient to its members when it is interactively shared, and that the anticipation of future interaction may strengthen the effects of group defining characteristics on subsequent group member behaviour. As a consequence, interactive sharing (vs. non‐interactive sharing) of negative affect is more likely to influence work group outcomes when group members expect to meet again. Results from a laboratory experiment with 66 three‐person work groups indeed show that interactively shared (vs. non‐interactively shared) negative affect facilitated work groups' analytical task performance, whereas it inhibited performance on a creative fluency task when groups have expectations of future interaction and not when they do not have such expectations. The discussion focuses on how these results add to theory on group affect and contribute to insights in the effects of future interaction expectation.
Causal inference of the effect of adiposity on bone mineral density in adults
Authors: Warodomwichit Daruneewan , Sritara Chanika , Thakkinstian Ammarin , Chailurkit La‐or , Yamwong Sukit , Ratanachaiwong Wipa , Ongphiphadhanakul Boonsong , Sritara Piyamitr
Published: October 2012

Objective

The causal effect of adipose tissue on bone mass and the direction of its net influence have not been directly assessed in adult humans. Using the Mendelian randomization analysis, we assessed the causality of adiposity in measurements of bone mass in adult males and females.

Design and Methods

Subjects consisted of 2154 adults aged 25–54 years from a cross‐sectional cohort of the employees of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. Body composition was determined after at least 3 h of fasting using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. A polymorphism in the fat mass and obesity‐associated gene (FTO rs9939609) was used as an instrument in the Mendelian randomization analysis.

Results

The genotype distribution of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was 61·1% TT, 33·9% AT and 5·0% AA. The average body mass index (BMI), body fat mass and percentage body fat were 23·9 kg/m2 (SD = 3·6), 17·9 kg (SD = 6·6) and 26·8% (SD = 7·2), respectively. The FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was significantly correlated with BMI (coefficient = 0·673 kg/m2, P < 0·001), body fat mass (coefficient = 0·948 kg, P < 0·001) and percentage body fat (coefficient = 0·759%, P < 0·01). An instrumental variable (IV) regression model, using BMI as the intermediate phenotype, suggested that FTO was a strong IV. Also, the FTO‐BMI polymorphism was significantly associated with total hip and femoral neck BMD but was not correlated with total spine BMD, with estimated correlation coefficients of 0·0189 (95% CI: 0·0046, 0·0332), 0·0149 (95% CI: 0·0030, 0·0268) and 0·0025 (95% CI: −0·0131, 0·0136) g/cm2, respectively. The variances of BMDs explained by the FTO‐BMI were 19·0%, 21·3% and 1·1%, respectively. Similar trends were also observed for the FTO‐body fat mass and FTO‐percentage body fat correlations.

Conclusions

Mendelian randomization analysis suggests that adiposity might be causally related to BMD at the femur but not at the spine.
Selenium and the thyroid gland: more good news for clinicians
Authors: Drutel Anne , Archambeaud Françoise , Caron Philippe
Published: October 2012

The thyroid is the organ with the highest selenium content per gram of tissue because it expresses specific selenoproteins. Since the discovery of myxoedematous cretinism and thyroid destruction following selenium repletion in iodine‐ and selenium‐deficient children, data on links between thyroid metabolism and selenium have multiplied. Although very minor amounts of selenium appear sufficient for adequate activity of deiodinases, thus limiting the impact of its potential deficiency on synthesis of thyroid hormones, selenium status appears to have an impact on the development of thyroid pathologies. The value of selenium supplementation in autoimmune thyroid disorders has been emphasized. Most authors attribute the effect of supplementation on the immune system to the regulation of the production of reactive oxygen species and their metabolites. In patients with Hashimoto's disease and in pregnant women with anti‐TPO antibodies, selenium supplementation decreases anti‐thyroid antibody levels and improves the ultrasound structure of the thyroid gland. Although clinical applications still need to be defined for Hashimoto's disease, they are very interesting for pregnant women given that supplementation significantly decreases the percentage of postpartum thyroiditis and definitive hypothyroidism. In Graves' disease, selenium supplementation results in euthyroidism being achieved more rapidly and appears to have a beneficial effect on mild inflammatory orbitopathy. A risk of diabetes has been reported following long‐term selenium supplementation, but few data are available on the side effects associated with such supplementation and further studies are required.
Diabetes and cardiovascular events in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a 20‐year retrospective cohort study
Authors: Mani Hamidreza , Levy Miles J. , Davies Melanie J. , Morris Danielle H. , Gray Laura J. , Bankart John , Blackledge Hannah , Khunti Kamlesh , Howlett Trevor A.
Published: October 2012

Objective

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are potentially at increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) diseases due to well‐established risk factors, including insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, data showing excessCVevents in this population are still lacking. We investigated the incidence and prevalence ofCVevents in a cohort of women withPCOS.

Design

Retrospective cohort study (total follow‐up >12 000 person‐years).

Setting

Leicester,Leicestershire andRutland (Total Female population of 434 859),UK.

Participants

Two thousand three hundred and one women withPCOS(mean age = 29·6 years) attending a speciality clinic inLeicestershire,UK.

Main outcomes measures

T2DM, myocardial infarction (MI), angina, heart failure (HF), stroke andCV‐related death.

Results

Incidence ofT2DM,MI, angina,HF, stroke andCVdeath was respectively 3·6, 0·8, 1·0, 0·3, 0·0 and 0·4 per 1000 person‐years. At the end of follow‐up, the prevalence ofMIin the age groups 45–54, 55–64 and >65 years was 1·9%, 6·0% and 27·3% and of angina was 2·6%, 6·0% and 27·3%, respectively. Age‐group‐specific odds ratios for the prevalence ofMIand angina compared to the local female population ranged between 2·6 (95%CI: 1·0–6·3) and 12·9 (CI: 3·4–48·6) with the highest ratio being forMIin the group >65 years old. Age, history of hypertension and smoking had significant correlations withCVoutcomes in thePCOSpatients.

Conclusion

We have shown a high incidence and age‐group‐specific prevalence ofT2DM,MIand angina in the women withPCOS, with over a quarter having hadMIor angina in those >65 years. These findings should be considered in the treatment strategies and long‐term planning for women withPCOS.
Weighted compromise trees: a method to summarize competing phylogenetic hypotheses
Authors: Sharkey Michael J. , Stoelb Stephanie , Miranda‐Esquivel Daniel R. , Sharanowski Barabara J.
Published: October 2012

A new consensus method for summarizing competing phylogenetic hypotheses, weighted compromise, is described. The method corrects for a bias inherent in majority‐rule consensus/compromise trees when the source trees exhibit non‐independence due to ambiguity in terminal clades. Suggestions are given for its employment in parsimony analyses and tree resampling strategies such as bootstrapping and jackknifing. An R function is described that can be used with the programming language R to produce the consensus.
Influence of constraint‐induced movement therapy upon evoked potentials in rats with cerebral infarction
Authors: Joo Hyung W. , Hyun Jung K. , Kim Tae U. , Chae Sang H. , Lee Young I. , Lee Seong J.
Published: October 2012

Constraint‐induced movement therapy (CIMT) is an effective treatment promoting motor recovery of upper extremity function in stroke patients. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of CIMT on the evoked potentials in rats with focal cerebral cortical ischemia induced by endothelin‐1 (ET‐1). Thirty rats were randomly assigned to the sham, infarct or CIMT groups. ET‐1 was injected stereotaxically into the forelimb area of the cerebral cortex in the dominant hemisphere. Custom‐made constraint jackets were applied to limit movement of the unaffected forelimb in the CIMT group. Motor and sensory function of the forelimb was evaluated by a pellet retrieval task and forearm asymmetry test. Electrophysiologic changes were evaluated by motor‐evoked potentials (MEPs) and somatosensory‐evoked potentials (SEPs). The location and extent of cerebral ischemia were confirmed and compared histologically. The CIMT group showed better recovery in the pellet retrieval task. Forelimb use was more symmetrical in the CIMT group. The waveform of the SEP was reversed and delayed in the infarct group, but it was preserved in the CIMT group with amplitude decrease only. The estimated volume of infarction was smaller in the CIMT group, although statistically not significant. The results demonstrate that CIMT can promote recovery of motor function in focal cerebral cortical infarcts, and that recovery may be related to reorganization of the cerebral neuronal network in the somatosensory pathway.
The real war on cancer: the evolutionary dynamics of cancer suppression
Authors: Nunney Leonard
Published: October 2012

Cancer is a disease of multicellular animals caused by unregulated cell division. The prevailing model of cancer (multistage carcinogenesis) is based on the view that cancer results after a series of (generally somatic) mutations that knock out the genetic mechanisms suppressing unregulated cell growth. The chance of these mutations occurring increases with size and longevity, leading to Peto's paradox: why don't large animals have a higher lifetime incidence of cancer than small animals? The solution to this paradox is evolution. From an evolutionary perspective, an increasing frequency of prereproductive cancer deaths results in natural selection for enhanced cancer suppression. The expected result is a prereproductive risk of cancer across species that is independent of life history. However, within species, we still expect cancer risk to increase with size and longevity. Here, I review the evolutionary model of cancer suppression and some recent empirical evidence supporting it. Data from humans and domestic dogs confirm the expected intraspecific association between size and cancer risk, while results from interspecific comparisons between rodents provide the best evidence to date of the predicted recruitment of additional cancer suppression mechanisms as species become larger or longer lived.
How should we grow cities to minimize their biodiversity impacts?
Authors: Sushinsky Jessica R. , Rhodes Jonathan R. , Possingham Hugh P. , Gill Tony K. , Fuller Richard A.
Published: October 2012

Urbanization causes severe environmental degradation and continues to increase in scale and intensity around the world, but little is known about how we should design cities to minimize their ecological impact. With a sprawling style of urban development, low intensity impact is spread across a wide area, and with a compact form of development intense impact is concentrated over a small area; it remains unclear which of these development styles has a lower overall ecological impact. Here, we compare the consequences of compact and sprawling urban growth patterns on bird distributions across the city of Brisbane, Australia. We predicted the impact on bird populations of adding 84 642 houses to the city in either a compact or sprawling design using statistical models of bird distributions. We show that urban growth of any type reduces bird distributions overall, but compact development substantially slows these reductions at the city scale. Urban‐sensitive species particularly benefited from compact development at the city scale because large green spaces were left intact, whereas the distributions of nonnative species expanded as a result of sprawling development. As well as minimizing ecological disruption, compact urban development maintains human access to public green spaces. However, backyards are smaller, which impacts opportunities for people to experience nature close to home. Our results suggest that cities built to minimize per capita ecological impact are characterized by high residential density, with large interstitial green spaces and small backyards, and that there are important trade‐offs between maintaining city‐wide species diversity and people's access to biodiversity in their own backyard.
Toward a loss of functional diversity in stream fish assemblages under climate change
Authors: Buisson Laëtitia , Grenouillet Gaël , Villéger Sébastien , Canal Julie , Laffaille Pascal
Published: October 2012

The assessment of climate change impacts on biodiversity has so far been biased toward the taxonomic identification of the species likely either to benefit from climate modifications or to experience overall declines. There have still been few studies intended to correlate the characteristics of species to their sensitivity to climate change, even though it is now recognized that functional trait‐based approaches are promising tools for addressing challenges related to global changes. In this study, two functional indices (originality and uniqueness) were first measured for 35 fish species occurring in French streams. They were then combined to projections of range shifts in response to climate change derived from species distribution models. We set out to investigate: (1) the relationship between the degrees of originality and uniqueness of fish species, and their projected response to future climate change; and (2) the consequences of individual responses of species for the functional diversity of fish assemblages. After accounting for phylogenetic relatedness among species, we have demonstrated that the two indices used measure two complementary facets of the position of fish species in a functional space. We have also rejected the hypothesis that the most original and/or less redundant species would necessarily experience the greatest declines in habitat suitability as a result of climate change. However, individual species range shifts could lead simultaneously both to a severe decline in the functional diversity of fish assemblages, and to an increase in the functional similarity among assemblages, supporting the hypothesis that disturbance favors communities with combination of common traits and biotic homogenization as well. Our findings therefore emphasize the importance of going beyond the simple taxonomic description of diversity to provide a better assessment of the likely future effects of environmental changes on biodiversity, thus helping to design more effective conservation and management measures.
Fathers at Work: A Ghost in the Organizational Machine
Authors: Burnett Simon B. , Gatrell Caroline J. , Cooper Cary. L. , Sparrow Paul
Published: October 2012

This article first provides a review of fatherhood in the gender and organization literature on work and family, and the body and (in)visibility. It observes how organizational assumptions which frame fathers as breadwinners, ignoring their paternal role, remain extraordinarily persistent because policies (no matter how long established) do not necessarily change social attitudes and behaviours. The article then draws upon original qualitative data to demonstrate how while male workers may feel valued as employees, they often feel invisible at work in their paternal role. Fathers perceive that, while family‐friendly policies might in theory be available to ‘parents’ these are in practice targeted at working mothers. The article considers why working men's paternity is so often ignored, as though fathers are a ghost in the organizational machine. A recommendation for the establishment of a fatherhood and motherhood passport is made.
Long‐term Follow‐up Helicobacter Pylori Reinfection Rate and Its Associated Factors in Korea
Authors: Kim Min Soo , Kim Nayoung , Kim Sung Eun , Jo Hyun Jin , Shin Cheol Min , Lee Sang Hyub , Park Young Soo , Hwang Jin‐Hyeok , Kim Jin‐Wook , Jeong Sook‐Hyang , Lee Dong Ho , Kim Jung Mogg , Jung Hyun Chae
Published: October 2012

Background

The reinfection rate of Helicobacter pylori has been reported to be low in developed countries but high in developing countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the long‐term reinfection rate of H. pylori and to investigate its associated risk factors in South Korea.

Methods

During 2003–2010, H. pylori‐positive 970 patients received standard proton pump inhibitor (PPI)‐based triple eradication therapy, and follow‐up H. pylori tests were performed with 13C urea breath test or invasive tests (Giemsa histology, CLO test, and culture) 4 weeks after completion of treatment. A total of 331 patients who were maintained an H. pylori‐eradicated state at 1 year after eradication were divided into two groups according to reinfection. For the evaluation of risk factors of reinfection, gender, age, smoking, alcohol, income, education, gastrointestinal symptoms, clinical diagnosis, histologic atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia, and clarithromycin resistance were analyzed.

Results

The follow‐up period was 18–95 months (mean: 37.1 months), and H. pylori reappeared in 36 of 331 patients (10.9%), resulting in the annual reinfection rate of 3.51% per year. Multivariate analysis showed that male gender (HR 2.28; 95% CI, 1.05–5.00, p = .037) and low monthly family income (≤5000$ vs >5000$) (HR 3.54; 95% CI, 1.08–11.67, p = .038) were associated with H. pylori reinfection.

Conclusion

This long‐term reinfection rate of H. pylori stayed rather low (3.51% per year), and male and low income determined the reinfection, factors already known to be important for H. pylori infection.
T cells and their eons‐old obsession with MHC
Authors: Yin Lei , Scott‐Browne James , Kappler John W. , Gapin Laurent , Marrack Philippa
Published: October 2012

T cells bearing receptors made up of α and β chains (TCRs) usually react with peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex proteins (MHC). This bias could be imposed by positive selection, the phenomenon that selects thymocytes to mature into T cells only if the TCRs they bear react with low but appreciable affinity with MHC + peptide combinations in the thymus cortex. However, it is also possible that the polypeptides of TCRs themselves do not have random specificities but rather are biased toward reaction with MHC. Evolution would therefore have selected for a collection of TCR variable elements that are prone to react with MHC. If this were to be so, positive selection would act on thymocytes bearing a pre biased collection of TCRs to pick out those that react to some extent, but not too well, with self MHC + self‐peptides. A problem with studies of this evolutionary idea is the fact that there are many TCR variable elements and that these differ considerably in the amino acids with which they contact MHC. However, recent experiments by our group and others suggest that one group of TCR variable elements, those related to the mouse Vβ8 family, has amino acids in their CDR2 regions that consistently bind a particular site on an MHC α‐helix. Other groups of variable elements may use different patterns of amino acids to achieve the same goal. Mutation of these amino acids reduces the ability of T cells and thymocytes to react with MHC. These amino acids are present in the variable regions of distantly related species such as sharks and human. Overall the data indicate that TCR elements have indeed been selected by evolution to react with MHC proteins. Many mysteries about TCRs remain to be solved, including the nature of auto‐recognition, the basis of MHC allele specificity, and the very nature and complexity of TCRs on mature T cells.
A 5‐year survey (2007–2011) of enteric viruses in Korean aquatic environments and the use of coliforms as viral indicators
Authors: Lee Gyu‐Cheol , Jheong Weon‐Hwa , Kim Min‐jeong , Choi Don Hyeok , Baik Kyoung‐Hee
Published: October 2012

Three hundred and thirty‐nine water samples obtained from 90 locations in Korea from 2007 to 2011 were tested for the presence of enteric viruses (EV), total coliforms (TC), and fecal coliforms (FC). A total culturable virus assay revealed that 89 samples (26.3%) were positive for EVs, the average concentration being 5.8 most probable number (MPN)/100 L. The Han river basin exhibited the highest contamination by EVs (occurrence, 41.3%; average concentration, 24.0 MPN/100 L). EV contamination was found more frequently in river water (occurrence, 33.6%; concentration, 8.4 MPN/100 L) than in lake water or groundwater. The concentration of EVs was highest in spring (7.7 MPN/100 L), whereas it was found most frequently in winter (36.1%). The number of TCs ranged from 0 – 1.2 × 105 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL and that of FCs from 0–6.2 × 103 CFU/100 mL per sample. Statistical analyses showed that the presence of EVs, TCs and FCs did not correlate significantly with temperature or turbidity. In addition, presence of TCs and FCs was not significantly correlated with presence of EVs. In conclusion, TCs and FCs may not be accurate microbial indicators of waterborne EVs in Korean aquatic environments.
Sorption of the toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki by soils: effects of iron and aluminium oxides
Authors: Fu Q. L. , Deng Y. L. , Hu H. Q. , Yu X. , Wan T. Y. , Han X. F.
Published: October 2012

Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)‐modified plants release Bt toxins into soil and, as a result of worldwide adoption of this technology, concern about their environmental effects has arisen. The sorption of Bt toxin has been studied on four contrasting soils: latosol (Ferralsol), latosolic‐red soil (Ferralsol), red soil (Acrisol) and paddy soil (Anthrosol). Sorption of Bt toxin was also measured on residues of these soils after chemical treatment to remove free (Fed and Ald), amorphous (Feo and Alo) and exchangeable Fe and Al (FeEx and AlEx). The results indicated that the specific surface area (SSA) of soils decreased after the removal of Fe and Al, especially after the removal of Fed and Ald. However, the absence of these three species of Fe and Al did not have a significant effect on the organic matter (OM) content of soil residues when compared with their intact soils. The presence of Fed and Ald, Feo and Alo and FeEx and AlEx increased the sorption of Bt toxin by soil, and the influence of Fed and Ald (with about 46% decrease) was greater than the effect of the other two species of Fe and Al.
Macrostress: do large‐scale ecological patterns exist in the glucocorticoid stress response of vertebrates?
Authors: Jessop Tim S. , Woodford Romy , Symonds Matthew R. E.
Published: October 2012

Disturbances, or stressors, are pervasive in nature and profoundly influence fitness of individuals and, ultimately, species extinction risk. Glucocorticoid (GC) hormones affect multiple physiological and behavioural traits regulating the responses of vertebrates to stressors. Current understanding of what influencesGCstress response variation among species is poor. However, identifying environmental causes of species‐level variation in theGCstress response is important to understanding macroevolutionary patterns in this key physiological system and potentially offers a metric for evaluating species risk to global change.

We tested whetherGCstress response of 22 reptile and 66 bird species exposed to a uniform capture stress protocol could be predicted from aGCstressor space model. This model predicts that species‐level variation inGCs results from multivariate selection from environmental gradients and species‐specific metabolic sensitivities. Thus, these multivariate selection interactions delimit the cumulative selection intensity causingGCstress response variation among vertebrates.

Using phylogenetic generalized least square regression analysis, we ranked models incorporating putative variables pertaining to the corticosterone stress response (CSR) for reptiles and birds separately. The top‐ranked models explained between 14% and 33% of species variation in theCSR. Models indicated that combinations of variables including increasing body mass, net primary productivity and latitude influenced GC stress responsiveness in reptiles and birds.

We conclude thatGCstress response variation among species represents, in part, evolution to species‐specific traits and large‐scale environmental variation. Further improvement to predicting species variation inGCstress response could be achieved by expanding our stressor space model to integrate microevolutionary and ecological processes.

There is a pressing need to identify physiological traits that predict species responses to environmental change. Conceptually, the use of plasmaGClevels as a species‐specific marker for environmental tolerance could be plausible. However, we identify three major knowledge gaps and ensuing research areas to aid understanding of the utility of variation inGCstress response as a metric for inferring how species might respond to global change.
Niche dimensionality links biodiversity and invasibility of microbial communities
Authors: Eisenhauer Nico , Schulz Wiebke , Scheu Stefan , Jousset Alexandre
Published: October 2012

Biodiversity is a central factor driving community invasibility. Diverse communities exploit resources more efficiently, leaving less free niche space available to invaders. Niche partitioning, however, is only possible in complex resource environments, and we hypothesized that resource richness drives the biodiversity–invasibility relationship.

We tested the effect of two biodiversity indices, taxonomic richness and functional dissimilarity, on the invasibility ofPseudomonas fluorescenscommunities in microcosms of varying resource richness, herein used as a proxy for niche dimensionality, because differentP. fluorescensgenotypes differed in their ability to use those resources.

Invader success was negatively correlated with the diversity of the resident community, with functional dissimilarity being of greater significance than taxonomic richness. Varied niche dimensionality revealed different mechanisms determining community invasibility: at low niche dimensionality, invasibility was driven by the presence of particular genotypes (identity effect) rather than by the biodiversity of the resident community. At high niche dimensionality, functional dissimilarity increased community productivity and reduced invasion, most likely through complementarity effects.

The results show that functionally dissimilar bacterial strains efficiently exploit their environment, reducing the resources available for invasive species. These findings call for the preservation of functionally dissimilar taxa to warrant resistance of communities against invasive species, in particular, in environments of high niche dimensionality.
The joint contribution of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea on sickness absence
Authors: Sivertsen Børge , Björnsdóttir Erla , Øverland Simon , Bjorvatn Bjørn , Salo Paula
Published: October 2012

Several studies have indicated a high degree of overlap between insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea, but little is known regarding how the overlap may affect adverse outcomes associated with each of the disorders. The aim of the current study was to examine the separate and combined effects of symptoms of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea on long‐term sick leave. We used an historical cohort design with 4 years follow‐up. Information on sick leave was obtained from Norwegian official registry data, and merged with health information from the Hordaland Health Study in western Norway, 1997–99. A total of 6892 participants aged 40–45 years were assessed for self‐reported symptoms of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea (snoring and breathing cessations), as well as confounding factors. The level of overlap between insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea was low (7–12%). Both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea alone were significant risk factors for subsequent sick leave after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratios ranging from 1.4 to 2.3). Having comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea increased the risk significantly. There was an additive interaction effect between the two conditions in the unadjusted analyses, but this was reduced to a non‐significant level when adjusting for confounders. This study is the first to report the separate and combined effects of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea on any adverse outcome. Having both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea increased the risk of later sick leave, but there was no evidence of an independent synergy effect of the two conditions.
Coincidence of maximum severity of powdery mildew on grape leaves and the carbohydrate sink‐to‐source transition
Authors: Merry A. M. , Evans K. J. , Corkrey R. , Wilson S. J.
Published: October 2012

Grapevine leaves infected with powdery mildew are a source of inoculum for fruit infection. Leaves emerging on a single primary shoot of Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon were exposed to average glasshouse temperatures of 18°C (0·23 leaves emerging/day) or 25°C (0·54 leaves emerging/day). All leaves on 8–10 shoots with approximately 20 leaves each were inoculated with Erysiphe necator conidia to assess disease severity after 14 days in the 25°C glasshouse. Two photosynthetic ‘source’ leaves per shoot on the remaining 8–10 shoots were treated with 14CO2 to identify, by autoradiography, the leaf position completing the carbohydrate sink‐to‐source transition. There was a clear association between the mean modal leaf position for maximum severity of powdery mildew (position 3·7 for 18°C; position 4·4 for 25°C) and the mean position of the leaf completing the sink‐to‐source transition (position 3·8 for 18°C; position 4·7 for 25°C). The mean modal leaf position for the maximum percentage of conidia germinating to form secondary hyphae was 4·2 for additional plants grown in the 25°C glasshouse. A higher rate of leaf emergence resulted in a greater proportion of diseased leaves per shoot. A Bayesian model, consisting of component models for disease severity and leaf ontogenic resistance, had parameters representing the rate and magnitude of pathogen colonization that differed for shoots developing in different preinoculation environments. The results support the hypothesis that the population of leaves in a vineyard capable of supporting substantial pathogen colonization will vary according to conditions for shoot development.