bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soil animals alter plant litter diversity effects on decomposition
Authors: Hättenschwiler Stephan , Gasser Patrick
Published: January 2005

Most of the terrestrial net primary production enters the decomposer system as dead organic matter, and the subsequent recycling of C and nutrients are key processes for the functioning of ecosystems and the delivery of ecosystem goods and services. Although climatic and substrate quality controls are reasonably well understood, the functional role of biodiversity for biogeochemical cycles remains elusive. Here we ask how altering litter species diversity affects species-specific decomposition rates and whether large litter-feeding soil animals control the litter diversity–function relationship in a temperate forest ecosystem. We found that decomposition of a given litter species changed greatly in the presence of litters from other cooccurring species despite unaltered climatic conditions and litter chemistry. Most importantly, soil fauna determined the magnitude and direction of litter diversity effects. Our data show that litter species richness and soil fauna interactively determine rates of decomposition in a temperate forest, suggesting a combination of bottom-up and top-down controls of litter diversity effects on ecosystem C and nutrient cycling. These results provide evidence that, in ecosystems supporting a well developed soil macrofauna community, animal activity plays a fundamental role for altered decomposition in response to changing litter diversity, which in turn has important implications for biogeochemical cycles and the long-term functioning of ecosystems with ongoing biodiversity loss.
Structural basis of nonnatural amino acid recognition by an engineered aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase for genetic code expansion
Authors: Kobayashi Takatsugu , Sakamoto Kensaku , Takimura Tetsuo , Sekine Ryo , Vincent Kelly , Kamata Kenji , Nishimura Susumu , Yokoyama Shigeyuki
Published: January 2005

The genetic code in a eukaryotic system has been expanded by the engineering of
Escherichia coli
tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) with the Y37V and Q195C mutations (37V195C), which specifically recognize 3-iodo-
l
-tyrosine rather than
l
-tyrosine. In the present study, we determined the 3-iodo-
l
-tyrosine- and
l
-tyrosine-bound structures of the 37V195C mutant of the
E. coli
TyrRS catalytic domain at 2.0-Å resolution. The γ-methyl group of Val-37 and the sulfur atom of Cys-195 make van der Waals contacts with the iodine atom of 3-iodo-
l
-tyrosine. The Val-37 and Cys-195 side chains are rigidly fixed by the neighboring residues forming the hydrophobic core of the TyrRS. The major roles of the two mutations are different for the 3-iodo-
l
-tyrosine-selective recognition in the first step of the aminoacylation reaction (the amino acid activation step): the Y37V mutation eliminates the fatal steric repulsion with the iodine atom, and the Q195C mutation reduces the
l
-tyrosine misrecognition. The structure of the 37V195C mutant TyrRS complexed with an
l
-tyrosyladenylate analogue was also solved, indicating that the 3-iodo-
l
-tyrosine and
l
-tyrosine side chains are similarly discriminated in the second step (the aminoacyl transfer step). These results demonstrate that the amino acid-binding pocket on the 37V195C mutant is optimized for specific 3-iodo-
l
-tyrosine recognition.
Release of long-range tertiary interactions potentiates aggregation of natively unstructured α-synuclein
Authors: Bertoncini Carlos W. , Jung Young-Sang , Fernandez Claudio O. , Hoyer Wolfgang , Griesinger Christian , Jovin Thomas M. , Zweckstetter Markus
Published: January 2005

In idiopathic Parkinson's disease, intracytoplasmic neuronal inclusions (Lewy bodies) containing aggregates of the protein α-synuclein (αS) are deposited in the pigmented nuclei of the brainstem. The mechanisms underlying the structural transition of innocuous, presumably natively unfolded, αS to neurotoxic forms are largely unknown. Using paramagnetic relaxation enhancement and NMR dipolar couplings, we show that monomeric αS assumes conformations that are stabilized by long-range interactions and act to inhibit oligomerization and aggregation. The autoinhibitory conformations fluctuate in the range of nanoseconds to micro-seconds corresponding to the time scale of secondary structure formation during folding. Polyamine binding and/or temperature increase, conditions that induce aggregation
in vitro
, release this inherent tertiary structure, leading to a completely unfolded conformation that associates readily. Stabilization of the native, autoinhibitory structure of αS constitutes a potential strategy for reducing or inhibiting oligomerization and aggregation in Parkinson's disease.
Assessment of tumor characteristic gene expression in cell lines using a tissue similarity index (TSI)
Authors: Sandberg Rickard , Ernberg Ingemar
Published: January 2005

The gene expression profiles of 60 cell lines, derived from nine different tissues, were compared with their corresponding
in vivo
tumors and tissues. Cell lines expressed few tissue-specific (2%) or tumor-specific (5%) genes when analyzed group-wise. A tissue similarity index (TSI) was designed based upon singular value decomposition that measured
in vivo
tumor characteristic gene expression in each cell line independently. Only 34 of the 60 cell lines received the highest TSI toward its tumor of origin. In addition, we identified the most appropriate cell lines to be used as model systems for different
in vivo
tumors. Seven cell lines were identified as being of another origin than the originally presumed one. The proposed TSI will likely become an important tool for the selection of the most appropriate cell lines in pharmaceutical screening programs and experimental and biomedical research.
Stable isotopes (δ
13
C and δ
15
N) of organic matrix from coral skeleton
Authors: Muscatine Leonard , Goiran Claire , Land Lynton , Jaubert Jean , Cuif Jean-Pierre , Allemand Denis
Published: January 2005

The evolutionary success of reef-building corals in nutrient-poor tropical waters is attributed to endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. The algae release photosynthetic products to the coral animal cells, augment nutrient flux, and enhance the rate of coral calcification. Natural abundance of stable isotopes (δ
13
C and δ
18
O) provides answers to modern and paleobiological questions about the effect of photosymbiosis on sources of carbon and oxygen in coral skeletal calcium carbonate. Here we compare 17 species of symbiotic and nonsymbiotic corals to determine whether evidence for photosymbiosis appears in stable isotopes (δ
13
C and δ
15
N) of an organic skeletal compartment, the coral skeletal organic matrix (OM). Mean OM δ
13
C in symbiotic and nonsymbiotic corals was similar (-26.08‰ vs. -24.31‰), but mean OM δ
15
N was significantly depleted in
15
N in the former (4.09‰) relative to the latter (12.28‰), indicating an effect of the algae on OM synthesis and revealing OM δ
15
N as a proxy for photosymbiosis. To answer an important paleobiological question about the origin of photosymbiosis in reef-building corals, we applied this proxy test to a fossil coral (
Pachythecalis major
) from the Triassic (240 million years ago) in which OM is preserved. Mean OM δ
15
N was 4.66‰, suggesting that
P
.
major
was photosymbiotic. The results show that symbiotic algae augment coral calcification by contributing to the synthesis of skeletal OM and that they may have done so as early as the Triassic.
Complete genome sequence of the probiotic lactic acid bacteriumLactobacillus acidophilusNCFM
Authors: Altermann Eric , Russell W. Michael , Azcarate-Peril M. Andrea , Barrangou Rodolphe , Buck B. Logan , McAuliffe Olivia , Souther Nicole , Dobson Alleson , Duong Tri , Callanan Michael , Lick Sonja , Hamrick Alice , Cano Raul , Klaenhammer Todd R.
Published: January 2005

Lactobacillus acidophilusNCFM is a probiotic bacterium that has been produced commercially since 1972. The complete genome is 1,993,564 nt and devoid of plasmids. The average GC content is 34.71% with 1,864 predicted ORFs, of which 72.5% were functionally classified. Nine phage-related integrases were predicted, but no complete prophages were found. However, three unique regions designated as potential autonomous units (PAUs) were identified. These units resemble a unique structure and bear characteristics of both plasmids and phages. Analysis of the three PAUs revealed the presence of two R/M systems and a prophage maintenance system killer protein. A spacers interspersed direct repeat locus containing 32 nearly perfect 29-bp repeats was discovered and may provide a unique molecular signature for this organism.In silicoanalyses predicted 17 transposase genes and a chromosomal locus for lactacin B, a class II bacteriocin. Several mucus- and fibronectin-binding proteins, implicated in adhesion to human intestinal cells, were also identified. Gene clusters for transport of a diverse group of carbohydrates, including fructooligosaccharides and raffinose, were present and often accompanied by transcriptional regulators of the lacI family. For protein degradation and peptide utilization, the organism encoded 20 putative peptidases, homologs for PrtP and PrtM, and two complete oligopeptide transport systems. Nine two-component regulatory systems were predicted, some associated with determinants implicated in bacteriocin production and acid tolerance. Collectively, these features within the genome sequence ofL. acidophilusare likely to contribute to the organisms' gastric survival and promote interactions with the intestinal mucosa and microbiota.
Conversion of aquaporin 6 from an anion channel to a water-selective channel by a single amino acid substitution
Authors: Liu Kun , Kozono David , Kato Yasuhiro , Agre Peter , Hazama Akihiro , Yasui Masato
Published: January 2005

Aquaporin (AQP) 6 belongs to the aquaporin water channel family. Unlike other aquaporins, AQP6 functions not as a water channel but as an anion-selective channel. Single-channel analyses have shown AQP6 to flicker rapidly between closed and open status. The atomic structure of AQP1 and amino acid sequence alignments of the mammalian aquaporins reveal two well conserved glycine residues: Gly-57 in transmembrane helix (TM) 2 and Gly-173 in TM5 reside at the contact point where the two helices cross in human AQP1. Uniquely, all known mammalian orthologs of AQP6 have an asparagine residue (Asn-60) at the position corresponding to Gly-57. Here we show that a single residue substitution (N60G in rat AQP6) totally eliminates the anion permeability of AQP6 when expressed in
Xenopus
oocytes, but the N60G oocytes exhibit significantly higher osmotic water permeability under basal conditions. Replacement of the glycine at this site in AQP0, AQP1, and AQP2 blocked expression of the mutants at the oocyte plasma membrane. We propose that the asparagine residue at the contact point between TM2 and TM5 in AQP6 may function as a teeter board needed for rapid structural oscillations during anion permeation.
A nonerythropoietic derivative of erythropoietin protects the myocardium from ischemia–reperfusion injury
Authors: Fiordaliso Fabio , Chimenti Stefano , Staszewsky Lidia , Bai Antonio , Carlo Eleonora , Cuccovillo Ivan , Doni Mirko , Mengozzi Manuela , Tonelli Rossella , Ghezzi Pietro , Coleman Thomas , Brines Michael , Cerami Anthony , Latini Roberto
Published: January 2005

The cytokine erythropoietin (EPO) protects the heart from ischemic injury, in part by preventing apoptosis. However, EPO administration can also raise the hemoglobin concentration, which, by increasing oxygen delivery, confounds assignment of cause and effect. The availability of EPO analogs that do not bind to the dimeric EPO receptor and lack erythropoietic activity, e.g., carbamylated EPO (CEPO), provides an opportunity to determine whether EPO possesses direct cardioprotective activity.
In vivo
, cardiomyocyte loss after experimental myocardial infarction (MI) of rats (40 min of occlusion with reperfusion) was reduced from ≈57% in MI-control to ≈45% in animals that were administered CEPO daily for 1 week (50 μg/kg of body weight s.c.) with the first dose administered intravenously 5 min before reperfusion. CEPO did not increase the hematocrit, yet it prevented increases in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure, reduced LV wall stress in systole and diastole, and improved LV response to dobutamine infusion compared with vehicle-treated animals. In agreement with the cardioprotective effect observed
in vivo
, staurosporine-induced apoptosis of adult rat or mouse cardiomyocytes
in vitro
was also significantly attenuated (≈35%) by CEPO, which is comparable with the effect of EPO. These data indicate that prevention of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, in the absence of an increase in hemoglobin concentration, explains EPO's cardioprotection. Nonerythropoietic derivatives such as CEPO, devoid of the undesirable effects of EPO, e.g., thrombogenesis, could represent safer and more effective alternatives for treatment of cardiovascular diseases, such as MI and heart failure. Furthermore, these findings expand the activity spectrum of CEPO to tissues outside the nervous system.
Blebbistatin and blebbistatin-inactivated myosin II inhibit myosin II-independent processes in
Dictyostelium
Authors: Shu Shi , Liu Xiong , Korn Edward D.
Published: January 2005

Blebbistatin, a cell-permeable inhibitor of class-II myosins, was developed to provide a tool for studying the biologic roles of myosin II. Consistent with this use, we find that blebbistatin inhibits three myosin II-dependent processes in
Dictyostelium
(growth in suspension culture, capping of Con A receptors, and development to fruiting bodies) and does not inhibit growth on plates, which does not require myosin II. As expected, macropinocytosis (myosin I-dependent), contractile vacuole activity (myosin V-dependent), and phagocytosis (myosin VII-dependent), none of which requires myosin II, are not inhibited by blebbistatin in myosin II-null cells, but, unexpectedly, blebbistatin does inhibit macropinocytosis and phagocytosis by cells expressing myosin II. Expression of catalytically inactive myosin II in myosin II-null cells also inhibits macropinocytosis and phagocytosis. Both blebbistatin-inhibited myosin II and catalytically inactive myosin II form cytoplasmic aggregates, which may be why they inhibit myosin II-independent processes, but neither affects the distribution of actin filaments in vegetative cells or actin and myosin distribution in dividing or polarized cells. Blebbistatin also inhibits cell streaming and plaque expansion in myosin II-null cells. Our results are consistent with myosin II being the only
Dictyostelium
myosin that is inhibited by blebbistatin but also show that blebbistatin-inactivated myosin II inhibits some myosin II-independent processes and that blebbistatin inhibits other activities in the absence of myosin II.
Functional antagonism of different G protein-coupled receptor kinases for β-arrestin-mediated angiotensin II receptor signaling
Authors: Kim Jihee , Ahn Seungkirl , Ren Xiu-Rong , Whalen Erin J. , Reiter Eric , Wei Huijun , Lefkowitz Robert J.
Published: January 2005

β-arrestins bind to G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK)-phosphorylated seven transmembrane receptors, desensitizing their activation of G proteins, while concurrently mediating receptor endocytosis, and some aspects of receptor signaling. We have used RNA interference to assess the roles of the four widely expressed isoforms of GRKs (GRK 2, 3, 5, and 6) in regulating β-arrestin-mediated signaling to the mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 by the angiotensin II type 1A receptor. Angiotensin II-stimulated receptor phosphorylation, β-arrestin recruitment, and receptor endocytosis are all mediated primarily by GRK2/3. In contrast, inhibiting GRK 5 or 6 expression abolishes β-arrestin-mediated ERK activation, whereas lowering GRK 2 or 3 leads to an increase in this signaling. Consistent with these findings, β-arrestin-mediated ERK activation is enhanced by overexpression of GRK 5 and 6, and reciprocally diminished by GRK 2 and 3. These findings indicate distinct functional capabilities of β-arrestins bound to receptors phosphorylated by different classes of GRKs.
Alefacept reduces infiltrating T cells, activated dendritic cells, and inflammatory genes in psoriasis vulgaris
Authors: Chamian Francesca , Lowes Michelle A. , Lin Shao-Lee , Lee Edmund , Kikuchi Toyoko , Gilleaudeau Patricia , Sullivan-Whalen Mary , Cardinale Irma , Khatcherian Artemis , Novitskaya Inna , Wittkowski Knut M. , Krueger James G.
Published: January 2005

Psoriasis vulgaris, a skin disease that is considered to be the result of a type 1 autoimmune response, provides an opportunity for studying the changes that occur in a target-diseased tissue during innovative immunotherapies. To gain a more comprehensive picture of the response to an approved biological therapy, we studied alfacept, which is a CD2 binding fusion protein. We examined T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and expression of a number of inflammatory genes. In 22 patients, 55% demonstrated a clear histological remission of the disease, with a 73% reduction in lesional lymphocytes and a 79% decrease in infiltrating CD8+cells. Only histological responders showed marked reductions in the tissue expression of inflammatory genes IFN-γ, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1, monokine induced by IFN-γ, inducible NO synthase, IL-8, and IL-23 subunits. Parallel decreases in CD83+and CD11c+DCs also were measured by immunohistochemistry. Because we observed that alefacept binds primarily to T cells and not DCs, we suggest that T cells are the primary target for therapy, but that DCs and a spectrum of type 1 inflammatory genes are coordinately suppressed.
Partitioning between unfolding and release of native domains during ClpXP degradation determines substrate selectivity and partial processing
Authors: Kenniston Jon A. , Baker Tania A. , Sauer Robert T.
Published: January 2005

Energy-dependent proteases, such as ClpXP, are responsible for the regulated destruction of proteins in all cells. AAA+ ATPases in these proteases bind protein substrates and power their mechanical denaturation and subsequent translocation into a secluded degradation chamber where polypeptide cleavage occurs. Here, we show that model unfolded substrates are engaged rapidly by ClpXP and are then spooled into the degradation chamber at a rate proportional to their length. Degradation and competition studies indicate that ClpXP initially binds native and unfolded substrates similarly. However, stable native substrates then partition between frequent release and infrequent denaturation, with only the latter step resulting in committed degradation. During degradation of a fusion protein with three tandem native domains, partially degraded species with one and two intact domains accumulated. These processed proteins were not bound to the enzyme, showing that release can occur even after translocation and degradation of a substrate have commenced. The release of stable substrates and committed engagement of denatured or unstable native molecules ensures that ClpXP degrades less stable substrates in a population preferentially. This mechanism prevents trapping of the enzyme in futile degradation attempts and ensures that the energy of ATP hydrolysis is used efficiently for protein degradation.
The Work of Forgetting and Remembering Places
Authors: Markusen Ann
Published: January 2005

Millions of people live in 'forgotten places'. But places do not forget other places. Only thinking human beings can do so. The paper charts the conscious decision-making and ideology that create forgotten places. Forgotten places are defined as communities deprived of leadership by the actions of those present and absent. Relevant actors are delineated by class, by function and by place, showing how choices made within existing constraints impede or quicken the creation of forgotten places. An exploration is made of emerging ideological constructions: individualism, innovation, migration and the rise of community without propinquity. Whole cadres of professionals in larger cities are employed to render places and the sense of place forgettable. These tendencies may be countered by groups grounded locally and by connections forged beyond community boundaries.
Rural Villages as Socially Urban Spaces in Malaysia
Authors: Thompson Eric C.
Published: January 2005

In Malaysia, Malay kampung or villages are modernity's significant other in contemporary discourse. In contrast to this rhetoric, which reinforces a sense of rural-urban difference, this paper argues that Malay kampung are socially urban spaces, in so far as the lived experience of their residents largely conforms to characteristics of social life typically figured as 'urban'. These include socioeconomic relationships characterised by occupational stratification, consumption and production based on commodification rather than subsistence, and social interactions marked by formal and attenuated social ties as much as informal and intimate relationships. Simultaneously nostalgic and derogatory narratives of modernity and urbanism fix kampung in social memory as sites marginal to and outside urban modernity. By contrast, the evidence presented in this paper suggests that the lives of kampung residents in contemporary Malaysia are substantially and qualitatively urban.
Debt Restructuring and the Politics of Exclusion: A Case Study of the Daewoo Motor Bupyeong Plants in Incheon, South Korea
Authors: Lee Yong-Sook
Published: January 2005

This paper examines the politics of inclusion and exclusion in the debt restructuring of the South Korean motor vehicle industry and shows how the contested process of exclusion operates through the politics of forgetting. It focuses on the power relations among multiple actors involved in the debt restructuring of a bankrupt auto company, Daewoo Motor Company, in order to understand the politics of exclusion and forgetting as a series of complex multiscalar processes. In order to analyse power relations among multiple actors at different geographical scales, this study examines these actors' conflicting economic and political interests, ideologies, positions, strategies, resources and effectiveness of their power. The study shows that the politics of inclusion and exclusion derives not only as a result of global external forces but also from conscious policy choices made by multiple actors at different geographical scales. This paper offers an alternative angle to the binary view of the relationship among scales-global, national and local.
Cosmopolitanism and its Exclusions in Singapore
Authors: Yeoh Brenda S. A.
Published: January 2005

This paper begins with an exploration of the notion of the 'cosmopolitan'—as an ideal, a desirable goal, a dream on the one hand, and its politics, elitism and neo-liberalism on the other. Cast as the humanist counterpart of globalisation, cosmopolitanism has been inserted back into discussions on multicultural societies and emergent civil spaces as these become reconfigured by transnationalism and as the accompanying influx of transmigrants begin to trouble notions of the national self. The paper goes on to contextualise these debates in Singapore, a 'wannabe global city'. It examines the project of constructing a 'cosmopolitan' and 'creative' global city in Singapore—a 'cosmopolis' and clarifies specifically what ideas and strategies are being invoked by the terms 'cosmopolis' and 'cosmopolitan', catchphrases which litter government pronouncements on visions and plans for Singapore. The next section of the paper explores the uneasy fit between, on the one hand, the cosmopolitan gloss and, on the other hand, the older stance of multi racialism and the nation-building quest to construct a social fabric undergirded by a carefully calibrated racial arithmetic, a founding ideology which lies at the core of government policies since independence. It is also suggested that some of the elements of cosmopolitanism have its antecedents in the colonial era, although clearly the debates and assumptions (leading to a lack of debate) have shifted considerably. The paper goes on to examine the 'feel on the ground' and the extent to which government-inspired and articulated visions of a cosmopolitan future resonate with ground realities. This is achieved by interrogating the politics of inclusion and exclusion in the emergent discourses on cosmopolitanism and the 'place' of particular transmigrant groups in the city.
Counter-global Cases for Place: Contesting Displacement in Globalising Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area
Authors: Bunnell Tim , Nah Alice M.
Published: January 2005

The globalisation of greater Kuala Lumpur over the past two decades is manifested in extensive landscape transformation. This paper considers two groups affected by this 'global' landscaping: urban settlers without registered land title (conventionally termed setinggan or 'squatters'); and West Malaysia's minority indigenous Orang Asli. These groups have frequently been displaced as demand for land has risen and as emergent moral and aesthetic evaluations about suitably 'global' land use have rendered them 'out of place'. Yet the paper considers ways in which their land rights have been asserted within and beyond the courts by articulating and demonstrating in-place identities. Significantly, such socio-legal 'cases for place' have been forged through geographically extensive networks of resources and repertoires. Rather than 'local' resistance to global transformation, therefore, the cases here exemplify emergent 'counter-global' spatialities of power.
Planning to Forget: Informal Settlements as 'Forgotten Places' in Globalising Metro Manila
Authors: Shatkin Gavin
Published: January 2005

As Metro Manila's economy has become increasingly integrated into global flows of trade and investment, it has also experienced a shelter crisis, as the number of people who cannot afford legal housing and consequently illegally settle in informal settlements has increased in both absolute and percentage terms. This paper discusses such informal settlements as 'forgotten places' in the global era. It makes two arguments. First, it argues that this shelter crisis is inherent to globalising cities in developing countries, as a contradiction emerges between the extensive redevelopment and rising property values that accompany 'global city' development and the shelter needs of low-income people. The second is that informal settlements have increasingly been forgotten by urban planners despite this housing crisis, as planners have consciously abandoned place-based poverty alleviation efforts based on the rationale that they are no longer tenable in the global era.
2-Butoxyethanol Female-Rat Model of Hemolysis and Disseminated Thrombosis: X-Ray Characterization of Osteonecrosis and Growth-Plate Suppression
Authors: Lewis Danielle N. , Nyska Abraham , Johnson Kennita , Malarkey David E. , Ward Sandy , Streicker Michael , Shabat Shay , Peddada Shyamal , Nyska Meir
Published: January 2005

We recently proposed a chemically induced rat model for human hemolytic disorders associated with thrombosis. The objective of the present investigation was to apply a noninvasive, high-magnification X-ray analysis, the Faxitron radiography system, to characterize the protracted bone damage associated with this 2-butoxyethanol model and to validate it by histopathology. Groups of female Fischer 344 rats were given 0, 250, or 300 mg of 2-butoxyethanol/kg body weight daily for 4 consecutive days. Groups were then sacrificed 2 hours or 26 days after the final treatment. The treated animals displayed a darkened purple-red discoloration on the distal tail. Histopathological evaluation, including phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin staining of animals sacrificed 2 hours after the final treatment, revealed disseminated thrombosis and infarction in multiple organs, including bones. The Faxitron MX-20 specimen radiography system was used to image selected bones of rats sacrificed 26 days posttreatment. Premature thinning of the growth plate occurred in the calcaneus, lumbar and coccygeal vertebrae, femur, and ilium of the treated animals. Areas of decreased radiographic densities were seen in the diaphysis of the femur of all treated animals. The bones were then examined histologically and showed a range of changes, including loss or damage to growth plates and necrosis of cortical bone. No thrombi were seen in the animals sacrificed at 30 days, but bone and growth plate changes consistent with prior ischemia were noted. The Faxitron proved to be an excellent noninvasive tool that can be used in future studies with this animal model to examine treatment modalities for the chronic effects of human thrombotic disorders.
Analysis of p53 Tumor Suppressor Gene, H-ras Protooncogene and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) in Squamous Cell Carcinomas of HRA/Skh Mice Following Exposure to 8-Methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and UVA Radiation (PUVA Therapy)
Authors: Lambertini Luca , Surin Kezia , Ton Thai-Vu T. , Clayton Natasha , Dunnick June K. , Kim Yongbaek , Hong Hue-Hua L. , Devereux Theodora R. , Sills Robert C.
Published: January 2005

Treatment with 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and ultraviolet radiation (primarily UVA), called PUVA therapy, has been used to treat different chronic skin diseases but led to a significant increased risk for skin cancer. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) performed a study in mice treated with PUVA that showed a significant increase in squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. In the present study, we evaluated the protein expression of p53 and PCNA and DNA mutations of p53 and H-ras genes in both hyperplastic and neoplastic squamous cell lesions from the NTP study. By immunohistochemical staining, protein expression of both p53 and PCNA was detected in 3/16 (19%) of hyperplastic lesions and 14/17 (82%) of SCCs in groups treated with both 8-MOP and UVA. The mutation frequency of p53 in SCCs from mice administered 8-MOP plus UVA was 15/17 (88%) with a predominant distribution of mutations in exon 6 (14/15 – 93%). No H-ras mutations were detected in the hyperplastic lesions/tumors. The mutagenic effect of PUVA on the p53 tumor suppressor gene may lead to a conformational modification and inactivation of the p53 protein, which are considered critical steps in PUVA-induced skin carcinogenesis. The p53 mutational frequency and patterns from our study were different from those reported in human PUVA-type tumors.
New Directions in Sensor Network Key Management
Authors: Carman David W.
Published: January 2005

Sensor networks require efficient, low latency key management techniques that enable strong security and tolerance of node compromise. Conventional interactive approaches using public key certificate-based key management techniques are not communications efficient and are very time-consuming. Protocols that leverage elliptic curve cryptography reduce communications but still require considerable interactive exchange. Noninteractive techniques that leverage identity-based public-key cryptography show considerable promise, but these techniques are relatively immature and require considerable computations. Conversely, random key predistribution techniques reduce computations, but at the expense of many interactions. In this paper, we describe recent work in the cryptographic community that combines the benefits of both identity-based cryptography and random-key predistribution into a framework we call identity-based random-key predistribution (IBRKP). IBRKP establishes pair-wise keys with virtually no extra communications and provides security versus node memory trade-offs for the sensor network designer to engineer.
Algorithms for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Sahni Sartaj , Xu Xiaochun
Published: January 2005

This paper reviews some of the recent advances in the development of algorithms for wireless sensor networks. We focus on sensor deployment and coverage, routing, and sensor fusion.
Determinants of consumers' dietary behaviour for health‐enhancing foods
Authors: Bogue Joe , Coleman Thérèse , Sorenson Douglas
Published: January 2005

Purpose

The objectives of this study were: to investigate Irish consumers' attitudes to diet, health and health‐enhancing foods; to determine Irish consumers' knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of health‐enhancing foods; to examine the health‐related factors perceived to be most important in food choice; and to examine the relationships between attitudes, beliefs and dietary behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 340 questionnaires were distributed to consumers using a multi‐stage cluster‐sampling technique.

Findings

The key variables that accounted for the variation in dietary behaviour were attitudes to healthy food behaviours, perceived influence of diet on health, and nutrition knowledge. Differences were observed between attitudes and awareness of health‐enhancing foods across gender, age and social grouping.

Research limitations/implications

The results and conclusions of this research are derived from a study conducted in Dublin only and, therefore, it is not possible to generalise about the Irish population from these results. It would prove beneficial to conduct further consumer research on determinants of consumers' dietary behaviour for health‐enhancing foods at different urban and rural centres in Ireland, as well as across European states for a cross‐cultural perspective.

Practical implications

Market segmentation, accompanied by appropriate carefully targeted educational messages, and addressing the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of the target group can help to close the gap between actual and healthful diets for the entire population.

Originality/value

This research can assist health policy makers implement promotional strategies to improve the nutritional status of at‐risk groups while supporting efforts by the food industry in identifying appropriate marketing strategies within the healthy foods sector.
Development of wine from infused tea leaves (Cammellia sinensis)
Authors: Aroyeun S.O. , Olubamiwa O. , Ogunjobi M.A.K.
Published: January 2005

Purpose

Tea and herb teas are popular beverages with potential health benefits. This study evaluates the potential for the development of wine using infused tea leaves as a raw material.

Design/methodology/approach

Tea leaves of clones 318 and 143 obtained from the Mambilla Highland of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria Ibadan, were infused in hot water and used in wine production. Processed tea bags from Unilever Plc, Nigeria (LP) were used as the control. All the three infusions were fermented for 120 hours at 30°C.

Findings

The pH, total solids, and the specific gravity of the musts showed a marked decrease with concomitant increase in titratable acidity. Macro elements of the tea leaves indicated significant differences in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium between clones. The different physiology of the tea clones was responsible for the varied tannins of the wines. Sensory evaluation of the wines showed that there were significant differences, p<0.05 value, among wines samples in all the attributes evaluated.

Originality/value

The taste of the wines produced from tea leaves and the aroma compared favourably with other commercially known tropical fruit wines used in the assessment, although there is need for further work on the improvement of the colour of the tea wines.
Hydrolysates of skim milk
Authors: Cristine Fialho Lopes Daniella , Meneghello Delvivo Fernanda , Pinto Coelho Silvestre Marialice
Published: January 2005

Purpose

The aim of this research is the evaluation of the profile of peptides isolated from skim milk hydrolysates.

Design/methodology/approach

Five hydrolysates were prepared using a protease from Aspergillus Oryzae (AO) separately or in combination with papain (PA) in different reaction times. The hydrolysates were fractionated by size‐exclusion HPLC and the rapid method of correct fraction area (CFA) was used for quantifying the peptides and free amino acids in the chromatographic fractions. The nutritional quality of hydrolysates is directly related to their di‐ and tripeptide contents, several reports show that the amino acid provided by these peptides are more quickly and completely absorbed than those from intact protein.

Findings

The results showed a nutritional similarity of the isolated action of AO and its combinations with PA, considering the peptide patterns produced, giving rise to 16 percent of di‐ and tripetides. Increasing the reaction time of the two enzymes led to poorer peptide profiles, while no change was achieved when the reaction time of only one enzyme (AO) in the combination was enlarged. Other hydrolytic conditions could be tested in order to improve the peptide profile of skim milk hydrolysates.

Practical implications

The application of this study relates to the possibility of using these hydrolysates for preparing high nutritional formulation for dietetic purposes. The use of a technique allowing the fractionation of peptides according to their size as well as the use of the skim milk as protein source, instead of casein, which is very expensive in the developing countries, represents a novel approach.

Originality/value

Provides an evaluation of the profile of peptides isolated from skim milk hydrolysates.
Global HRM: aspects of a research agenda
Authors: Brewster Chris , Suutari Vesa
Published: January 2005

Purpose

This paper introduces this special issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines some of the key themes in global human resource management.

Findings

By reviewing, briefly, the existing literature in these areas, the paper outlines a limited but crucial research agenda and sets the papers in this special issue in context.

Originality/value

This paper presents some new empirically‐based work on human resource development.
Facets and dimensions of cross‐cultural adaptation:refining the tools
Authors: Haslberger Arno
Published: January 2005

Purpose

The management literature on cross‐cultural adaptation has used a conceptualisation and measurement approach developed by Black and Stephens. Their work has led to significant development in the field. Now it is time to move beyond and use a more refined tool. This paper proposes such a tool and compares its characteristics with those of the older instrument.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a sample of 204 expatriates, who were surveyed using the older and the proposed instrument. It uses confirmatory factor analysis to compare the two instruments. Independent variables include cultural difference and language skills.

Findings

This study demonstrates that a more refined measurement of adaptation outcomes, which distinguishes cognitive and affective factors and four non‐work facets, is superior to measurement based on the older instrument. The new scale also provides a case for the improvement of cross‐cultural adaptation theory.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is based on a cross‐sectional sample and sample size is relatively small for confirmatory factor analysis. Additional research is necessary to corroborate the evidence presented here about the superiority of the proposed measure. The paper provides researchers with a new tool for use in cross‐cultural adaptation studies.

Originality/value

The paper describes a new, empirically developed measurement tool for cross‐cultural adaptation.
The right to time off for dependants
Authors: Wise Sarah
Published: January 2005

Purpose

To examine the factors which influence the implementation of employees’ right to time off for dependants protected by the Employment Relations Act 1999.

Design/methodology/approach

The responses of two organisations in the same corporate group with identical policy provision are examined. Formal provision in the two companies was broadly similar providing an opportunity to examine how centrally developed, statutory‐based policy operates in different organisational contexts. Using qualitative reports from line managers and human resource managers the interaction and tensions between formal policy and informal, discretionary practice are examined.

Findings

Line manager attitudes to discretionary decision making and other company policies, especially flexitime, produced very different outcomes for employees highlighting a continuing challenge for governments and organisations: Is it more important to be consistent in implementation or responsive to individual circumstances?

Research limitations/implications

The paper uses data from only two organisations, although it complements national research on the usage rates of parents’ statutory rights to leave.

Practical implications

Factors which can influence and detract from the effective implementation of statutory‐based employment rights are highlighted.

Originality/value

In focusing on parent's right to time off for dependant emergency an important element of the work‐life balance field is examined.
Right on the money
Authors: Hanley Glennis , Nguyen Loan
Published: January 2005

Purpose

The diffusion of performance related pay has attracted considerable academic attention over the past decade. While much contemporary debate has focussed on the excesses of executive remuneration at the “big end of town”, what is not so prominent are the views of unions representing employees at the other end of the remuneration spectrum: this is the purpose of this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

Evidence was gathered at two levels using two sets of research instruments: in‐depth interviews with senior union officials, and primary documentation analysis with specific reference to performance appraisal and performance‐related pay clauses in union Enterprise Bargaining Agreements.

Findings

Document analysis reveals that performance appraisal and performance‐related pay clauses range from mere stipulation of existence to detailed processes and principles of design and implementation. Specific clauses in the white‐collar unions’ agreements suggest that they are not totally opposed. However, the lack of performance appraisal and performance‐related pay clauses in the blue‐collar unions’ agreements illustrate their propensity to restrict pay increases to a job classification structure. Although there were clauses that aimed to ensure a performance‐oriented culture, their agreements seem to be mere sentiments. Overall, only one union supports the notion of performance related pay; the others find performance appraisals difficult to embrace. Negative experiences and consequent problems lead them to argue that the process is complicated and usually puts workers at a disadvantage.

Originality/value

Strands of different explanations account for union opposition, but the principal issue is that performance appraisal has only an evaluative function, that is to link performance to pay. To minimise problems in shaping PRP schemes, the unions advocated the integration of a social dimension; transparency and equality.
Attitudes towards organizational change
Authors: Vakola Maria , Nikolaou Ioannis
Published: January 2005

Purpose

Occupational stress and organizational change are now widely accepted as two major issues in organizational life. The current study explores the linkage between employees’ attitudes towards organizational change and two of the most significant constructs in organizational behaviour; occupational stress and organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 292 participants completed ASSET, a new “Organizational Screening Tool”, which, among other things, measures workplace stress and organizational commitment and a measure assessing attitudes towards organizational change.

Findings

The results were in the expected direction showing negative correlations between occupational stressors and attitudes to change, indicating that highly stressed individuals demonstrate decreased commitment and increased reluctance to accept organizational change interventions. The most significant impact on attitudes to change was coming from bad work relationships emphasizing the importance of that occupational stressor on employees’ attitudes towards change. The results did not support the role of organizational commitment as a moderator in the relationship between occupational stress and attitudes to change.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of the research design could be that all measures originated from the same source resulting in possible contamination from common method variance. Further, the cross‐sectional research design adopted in the present study, as opposed to a longitudinal or experimental methodology, does not allow affirmative causal explanations.

Originality/value

The present study showed that good and effective work relationships are very important in organizational change. Handling conflicts, building supportive work relationships and communicating effectively all contribute to the formulation of positive attitudes to change and, therefore, to the success of a change programme. In addition, organizations need to examine the extra workload which organizational change may create. Increase in workload is not only easily attributable to the change but it also makes change unattractive and problematic leading to non‐supportive attitudes.
Aesthetic labour, cost minimisation and the labour process in the Asia Pacific airline industry
Authors: Spiess Leslee , Waring Peter
Published: January 2005

Purpose

Low cost carriers (LCC) in the Asia Pacific are pursuing a strategy of marketing the aesthetic qualities of their cabin crew in order to differentiate their “value proposition”. This strategy concentrates on the physical dispositions of employees, thus mobilising the concepts of aesthetic and sexualised labour for commercial purposes. This paper aims to investigate some of the practical and ethical issues of such a strategy. In addition, the paper seeks to explore the boundary between the theoretical concepts of aesthetic and sexualised labour.

Design/methodology/approach

Presents two vignettes from the emerging LCC industry in the Asia Pacific. The first vignettes is of Virgin Blue, a LCC operating in the Australian domestic airline industry; the second vignette is of Air Asia, first established as a domestic LCC in Malaysia, but has now expanded to international short‐haul routes within the region.

Findings

The strategic deployment of aesthetic and sexualised labour in LCCs is ethically problematic on a number of levels. Concomitantly, this strategy is potentially undermined by the contradictory focus on cost minimisation, essential for LCC survival. Thus, the use of aesthetic and sexualised labour as a commercial strategy has the potential to become unstable over time because of the competitive dynamics and the somewhat paradoxical need to reduce costs while improving service standards.

Originality/value

The conceptual boundary between aesthetic and sexualised labour is explored in the new LCC industry in the Asia Pacific. The ethical and practical consequences, and the sustainability of such a strategy in this new environment are considered.