bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Industrial policy and the political settlement in Tanzania: aspects of continuity and change since independence
Authors: Gray Hazel
Published: June 2013

This article explores Tanzania's experience of industrial policy since independence through the concept of the political settlement. Higher growth in manufacturing since 1996 has been seen as a vindication of neoliberal policies of market liberalisation. Yet, the neoliberal approach fails to take account of the important legacy of state-led industrialisation under socialism and aspects of the political economy of the state in Tanzania that explain some of the longer-term constraints on industrialisation. Critical aspects of Tanzania's political settlement relate to state–capital relations and the distribution of power between contenting factions of intermediate classes within the state.

[Politique industrielle et le règlement politique en Tanzanie: aspects de continuité et de changement depuis l'indépendance.] Cet article examine l'expérience tanzanienne en matière de politique industrielle depuis l'indépendance à travers le concept du règlement politique. La forte croissance dans le secteur industriel depuis 1996 a été considérée comme une justification de politiques néolibérales de libéralisation des marchés. Toutefois, l'approche néolibérale ne parvient pas à prendre en compte l'héritage important d'une industrialisation gérée par l'État sous le régime socialiste ainsi que les aspects de l'économie politique de l'État en Tanzanie, qui expliquent certaines des contraintes à plus long terme à l'industrialisation. Les aspects essentiels du règlement politique en Tanzanie concernent les relations État-capital et la répartition des pouvoirs entre les factions des classes intermédiaires se contentant de la situation au sein de l'État.

Mots-clés : Tanzanie; règlements politiques; politique industrielle; production industrielle; libéralisation
Labour and underdevelopment? Migration, dispossession and accumulation in West Africa and Europe
Authors: Cross Hannah
Published: June 2013

Recent waves of accumulation have been well documented in this journal with regard to land and natural resources, but labour is missing from these important analyses of profound continuity and change. This article focuses on ‘step-wise’ migrations and specifically on cases of emigration from Senegal and entry to the Spanish labour market. The labour regime is conceptualised as unfree labour mobility, which integrates dispossession, territorial control, illegalisation, the ideology of racism and the exploitation of labour. Finding salience in earlier theories of unfree labour, this article shows how the control of capital over migration to Europe perpetuates underdevelopment.

[Travail et sous-développement? Migration, dépossession et accumulation en Afrique de l'Ouest et en Europe.] Les vagues récentes d'accumulation ont été bien documentées dans cette revue en ce qui concerne les ressources foncières et naturelles mais le travail n'est pas pris en considération dans ces analyses de continuité et de changement profonds. Cet article se concentre sur les migrations progressives et en particulier les cas d'émigration du Sénégal et d'entrée sur le marché du travail espagnol. Le régime du travail est conçu comme une mobilité du travail non-libre qui intègre la dépossession, le contrôle territorial, le travail illégal, l'idéologie du racisme et l'exploitation de la main d'œuvre. Recherchant le point saillant des théories existantes du travail non-libre, cet article montre comment le contrôle du capital sur les migrations vers l'Europe perpétue le sous-développement.

Mots-clés : mobilité de la main d'œuvre; migration; Sénégal; accumulation par dépossession; sous-développement; Europe
Translating solutions to Lagrangian mean curvature flow
Authors: Neves André , Tian Gang
Published: June 2013

We prove some non-existence theorems for translating solutions to Lagrangian mean curvature flow. More precisely, we show that translating solutions with an

L
2

L^2

bound on the mean curvature are planes and that almost-calibrated translating solutions which are static are also planes. Recent work of D. Joyce, Y.-I. Lee, and M.-P. Tsui shows that these conditions are optimal.
The intracellular fate of zonula occludens 2 is regulated by the phosphorylation of SR repeats and the phosphorylation/O-GlcNAcylation of S257
Authors: Quiros Miguel , Alarcón Lourdes , Ponce Arturo , Giannakouros Thomas , González-Mariscal Lorenza
Published: June 2013

Zona occludens 2 (ZO-2) has a dual localization. In confluent epithelia, ZO-2 is present at tight junctions (TJs), whereas in sparse proliferating cells it is also found at the nucleus. Previously we demonstrated that in sparse cultures, newly synthesized ZO-2 travels to the nucleus before reaching the plasma membrane. Now we find that in confluent cultures newly synthesized ZO-2 goes directly to the plasma membrane. Epidermal growth factor induces through AKT activation the phosphorylation of the kinase for SR repeats, serine arginine protein kinase 1, which in turn phosphorylates ZO-2, which contains 16 SR repeats. This phosphorylation induces ZO-2 entry into the nucleus and accumulation in speckles. ZO-2 departure from the nucleus requires intact S257, and stabilizing the β-O-linked N-acetylglucosylation (O-GlcNAc) of S257 with O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosylidene)amino-N-phenylcarbamate, an inhibitor of O-GlcNAcase, triggers nuclear exportation and proteosomal degradation of ZO-2. At the plasma membrane ZO-2 is not O-GlcNAc, and instead, as TJs mature, it becomes phosphorylated at S257 by protein kinase Cζ. This late phosphorylation of S257 is required for the correct cytoarchitecture to develop, as cells transfected with ZO-2 mutant S257A or S257E form aberrant cysts with multiple lumens. These results reveal novel posttranslational modifications of ZO-2 that regulate the intracellular fate of this protein.
Using reflex action mortality predictors (RAMP) to evaluate if trawl gear modifications reduce the unobserved mortality of Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) and snow crab (C. opilio)
Authors: Hammond Carwyn F. , Conquest Loveday L. , Rose Craig S.
Published: June 2013

Hammond, C. F., Conquest, L. L., and Rose, C. S. 2013. Using reflex action mortality predictors (RAMP) to evaluate if trawl gear modifications reduce the unobserved mortality of Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) and snow crab (C. opilio). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: . Management of Bering Sea crab and groundfish fisheries must account for the delayed (and hence unobserved) mortality of crab that encounter bottom trawls, but are not captured. A new approach to predicting the delayed mortality of crab uses a reflex action mortality predictor (RAMP) model to establish a relationship between mortality and reflex impairments. A 2007 pilot study of 649 crab established RAMP curves for both Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) and snow crab (C. opilio). Additional data (1775 crab) collected in 2008 allowed us to update the existing RAMP curves to more fully examine the effect of injury scores on the RAMP models and to determine the best method for estimating overall mortality. Results confirmed that the additional measurements did not significantly alter the original relationship between mortality and reflex impairment score. Additionally, the RAMP curves were used to predict unobserved mortality from observed reflex impairment scores of Chionoecetes spp. captured after encounters with different parts of bottom trawl gear (footrope and sweep) and alternative types of footrope and sweep. In addition to estimating mortality rates caused by each gear part, we tested whether the alternative footrope and sweep designs reduced the unobserved mortality rates of crab. Results showed that the alternative footrope (58 cm disk footrope) reduced mortality from 11.4 to 7.2% for Tanner crab and from 9.7 to 5.0% for snow crab. The alternative (off-bottom) sweep reduced mortality from 4.1 to 1.0% for Tanner crab and from 4.9 to 0.0% for snow crab. Thus, the use of the reflex impairment score through the RAMP model is a cost effective way to estimate delayed mortality and to assess the effect of gear types on delayed mortality for management purposes.
Forage fish, their fisheries, and their predators: who drives whom?
Authors: Engelhard Georg H. , Peck Myron A. , Rindorf Anna , C. Smout Sophie , van Deurs Mikael , Raab Kristina , Andersen Ken H. , Garthe Stefan , Lauerburg Rebecca A.M. , Scott Finlay , Brunel Thomas , Aarts Geert , van Kooten Tobias , Dickey-Collas Mark
Published: June 2013

Engelhard, G. H., Peck, M. A., Rindorf, A., Smout, S. C., van Deurs, M., Raab, K., Andersen, K. H., Garthe, S., Lauerburg, R. A. M., Scott, F., Brunel, T., Aarts, G., van Kooten, T., and Dickey-Collas, M. Forage fish, their fisheries, and their predators: who drives whom? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71: . The North Sea has a diverse forage fish assemblage, including herring, targeted for human consumption; sandeel, sprat, and Norway pout, exploited by industrial fisheries; and some sardine and anchovy, supporting small-scale fisheries. All show large abundance fluctuations, impacting on fisheries and predators. We review field, laboratory, and modelling studies to investigate the drivers of this complex system of forage fish. Climate clearly influences forage fish productivity; however, any single-species considerations of the influence of climate might fail if strong interactions between forage fish exist, as in the North Sea. Sandeel appears to be the most important prey forage fish. Seabirds are most dependent on forage fish, due to specialized diet and distributional constraints (breeding colonies). Other than fisheries, key predators of forage fish are a few piscivorous fish species including saithe, whiting, mackerel, and horse-mackerel, exploited in turn by fisheries; seabirds and seals have a more modest impact. Size-based foodweb modelling suggests that reducing fishing mortality may not necessarily lead to larger stocks of piscivorous fish, especially if their early life stages compete with forage fish for zooplankton resources. In complex systems, changes in the impact of fisheries on forage fish may have potentially complex (and perhaps unanticipated) consequences on other commercially and/or ecologically important species.
Do terms-of-trade effects matter for trade agreements? Theory and evidence from WTO Countries*
Authors: Ludema Rodney D. , Mayda Anna Maria
Published: June 2013

International trade agreements are an important element of the world economic system, but questions remain as to their purpose. The terms-of-trade hypothesis posits that countries use tariffs in part to improve their terms of trade and that trade agreements cause them to internalize the costs that such terms-of-trade shifts impose on other countries. This article investigates whether the most-favored-nation (MFN) tariffs set by World Trade Organization (WTO) members in the Uruguay Round are consistent with the terms-of-trade hypothesis. We present a model of multilateral trade negotiations featuring endogenous participation that leads the resulting tariff schedules to display terms-of-trade effects. Specifically, the model predicts that the level of the importer’s tariff resulting from negotiations should be negatively related to the product of two terms: exporter concentration, as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (sum of squared export shares), and the importer’s market power, as measured by the inverse elasticity of export supply, on a product-by-product basis. We test this hypothesis using data on tariffs, trade, and production across more than 30 WTO countries and find strong support. We estimate that the internalization of terms of trade effects through WTO negotiations has lowered the average tariff of these countries by 22% to 27% compared to its noncooperative level.
Prediction of Triticale Grain Quality Properties, Based on Both Chemical and Indirectly Measured Reference Methods, Using Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Manley Marena , McGoverin Cushla M. , Snyders Franci , Muller Nina , Botes Willem C. , Fox Glen P.
Published: June 2013

The increasing demand for triticale as food, feed, and fuel has resulted in the availability of cultivars with different grain quality characteristics. Analyses of triticale composition can ensure that the most appropriate cultivars are obtained and used for the most suitable applications. Near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is often used for rapid measurements during quality control and has consequently been investigated as a method for the measurement of protein, moisture, and ash contents, as well as kernel hardness (particle size index [PSI]) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation from both whole grain and ground triticale samples. NIR spectroscopy prediction models calculated using ground samples were generally superior to whole grain models. Protein content was the most effectively modeled quality property; the best ground grain calibration had a ratio of the standard error of test set validation to the standard deviation of the reference data of the test set (RPDtest) of 4.81, standard error of prediction (SEP) of 0.52% (w/w), and r2 of 0.95. Whole grain protein calibrations were less accurate, with optimum RPDtest of 3.54, SEP of 0.67% (w/w), and r2 of 0.92. NIR spectroscopy calibrations based on direct chemical reference measurements (protein and moisture contents) were better than those based on indirect measurements (PSI, ash content, and SDS sedimentation). Calibrations based on indirect measurements would, however, still be useful to identify extreme samples.
Effects of Roll Gap, Kernel Shape, and Moisture on Wheat Breakage Modeled Using the Double Normalized Kumaraswamy Breakage Function
Authors: Fuh Kenneth F. , Coate Joanna M. , Campbell Grant M.
Published: June 2013

Flour milling separates endosperm from bran through repeated roller milling and sifting, in which the size distribution of particles produced by the initial breakage of the wheat kernels critically affects the process. The double normalized Kumaraswamy breakage function (DNKBF), previously developed to describe wheat breakage during roller milling, was extended to refine the modeling of the effect of roll gap on breakage. The DNKBF describes two populations of particles arising from roller milling of wheat, a narrow peak of mid‐sized particles and a wider distribution of both small and very large particles. A new dataset was obtained from milling a set of wheat samples bred to give a range of shapes by cross‐breeding a conventional wheat, Cappelle, with an almost spherical wheat, Triticum sphaerococcum. A residual analysis showed a statistically significant effect of kernel shape on breakage using this new dataset. This analysis supports earlier suggestions that more elongated kernels break to give slightly larger particles than more spherical kernels of equivalent hardness, because of the relatively greater bran content of elongated kernels. The extended DNKBF was also used to model effects of moisture content, showing a distinct disjunction at around 16% moisture that aligns with commercial practice for wheat milling.
Rice Grain Morphological Characteristics Correlate with Grain Weight and Milling Quality
Authors: Xie Lihong , Tang Shaoqing , Chen Neng , Luo Ju , Jiao Guiai , Shao Gaoneng , Wei Xiangjin , Hu Peisong
Published: June 2013

Using image analysis technology, the morphological measurements of paddy, brown (BR), and milled (MR) grains of 408 rice (Oryza sativa L.) lines representing a wide range of grain morphology were obtained, and the measurements' relationships with grain weight, milling quality, and chalkiness were investigated. The principal component analysis identified two morphological traits with a total variance of 95.7% in MR. Weight of MR was modeled as a function of the principal components using linear regression (R2 = 0.95). For milling quality measurements, dominance analyses indicated that single grain weight of the paddy and BR grains were two primary parameters in determination of BR and MR recovery, whereas surface area, perimeter, and diameter were primary parameters that controlled head milled rice (HR) recovery. All measured morphological properties (surface area, perimeter, diameter, length, width, length‐to‐width ratio, roundness, and thickness) and grain weight significantly correlated with percentage of chalky (%C) grain and chalkiness (%C × % area with chalk) for all milled grains. The grain width, roundness, and thickness positively correlated with chalkiness, whereas the length and length‐to‐width ratio negatively correlated with chalkiness. The growing environment significantly affected grain HR recovery, %C grain, and chalkiness but had little effect on grain morphology and weight.
First Report of the Armillaria Root Disease Pathogen, Armillaria gallica, on Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in Arizona
Authors: Nelson E. V. , Fairweather M. L. , Ashiglar S. M. , Hanna J. W. , Klopfenstein N. B.
Published: June 2013

In August 2010, a mycelial fan (isolate AZ32F) of Armillaria sp. was collected from the root collar of a living Douglas-fir tree on the Mogollon Rim within the Coconino National Forest (approximate location 34°25′31.26″N, 111°20′41.04″W, elevation 2,293 m) in central Arizona. Mycelial fans under the bark of living trees are a sign of pathogenicity, and symptoms of the diseased tree included resinosis, sloughing bark, and thinning crown. The infected tree was located on a south-facing slope with approximately 30% tree cover, dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), with lesser components of Douglas-fir and Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii). Based on three replications of somatic incompatibility tests against 24 tester isolates representing seven North American Armillaria spp., isolate AZ32F showed 100% intraspecific compatibility (colorless antagonism) with all four A. gallica isolates, 22% compatibility with A. calvescens, and 0% compatibility with the remaining Armillaria spp. Based on GenBank BLASTn of isolate AZ32F sequences, the partial LSU-IGS1 (GenBank Accession No. KF186682) showed 99 to 100% similarity to A. gallica and two other related Armillaria spp. with 99 to 100% coverage, and translation elongation factor-1 alpha (tef-1α) sequences (KC525954) showed 96% similarity to A. gallica (JF895844) with 100% coverage. Thus, isolate AZ32F was identified as A. gallica, based on somatic incompatibility tests and DNA sequences (partial LSU-IGS1 and tef-1α). Although the isolate is identified as A. gallica with similarities to other North American isolates, evidence is mounting that currently recognized A. gallica likely represents a species complex that comprises multiple phylogenetic species (4). Previous surveys in Arizona have noted A. mellea and A. solidipes (as A. ostoyae) (3), but A. gallica has never been previously confirmed in this state. Within North America, A. gallica is commonly reported east of the Rocky Mountains and in West Coast states of the United States, where it infects hardwoods and conifers including Douglas-fir (1,2). Its ecological behavior ranges from saprophyte to weak/aggressive pathogen (1,2). Because damage by A. gallica appears to increase on hosts predisposed by stress (1), further surveys are needed to document its distribution, frequency, and ecological behavior in the southwestern United States, where climate change will likely cause tree stress due to maladaptation. Continued surveys for Armillaria spp. will better determine their potential threat within the geologically and ecologically unique Mogollon Rim of Arizona.

References: (1) K. Baumgartner and D. M. Rizzo. Plant Dis. 85:947, 2001. (2) N. J. Brazee and R. L. Wick. For. Ecol. Manage. 258:1605, 2009. (3) R. L. Gilbertson and D. M. Bigelow. J. Arizona-Nevada Acad. Sci. 31:13, 1998. (4) M.-S. Kim et al. Phytopathology 102:S4.63, 2012.
Mycosphaerella musicola Identified as the Only Pathogen of the Sigatoka Disease Complex Present in Minas Gerais State, Brazil
Authors: Gomes Lahyre Izaete S. , Douhan Greg W. , Bibiano Líllian B. J. , Maffia Luiz A. , Mizubuti Eduardo S. G.
Published: June 2013

A thorough assessment of the distribution of Mycosphaerella spp. associated with banana in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, was conducted after Mycosphaerella fijiensis was first reported to occur in this region in 2005. From 2009 to 2011, 80 fields located in 20 municipalities including the same fields where the disease was first reported were sampled. A total of 800 samples of leaf tissue with symptoms similar to those of yellow or black Sigatoka diseases were examined, and 239 isolates were obtained. The identification of the fungi was based on morphological characters combined with DNA sequences obtained after amplification with species-specific primers and phylogeny inferred from the internal transcribed spacer region of Mycosphaerella strains from banana. All 239 isolates were identified as Mycosphaerella musicola. The absence of M. fijiensis in the samples may have been due to misidentification of M. fijiensis or the displacement of M. fijiensis by M. musicola. It is now apparent that yellow Sigatoka caused by M. musicola is the prevailing leaf spot disease of bananas in Minas Gerais State and that regulatory/legislative control measures need to be revised based on our findings.
Air speeds of migrating birds observed by ornithodolite and compared with predictions from flight theory
Authors: Pennycuick C. J. , Åkesson Susanne , Hedenström Anders
Published: June 2013

We measured the air speeds of 31 bird species, for which we had body mass and wing measurements, migrating along the east coast of Sweden in autumn, using a Vectronix Vector 21 ornithodolite and a Gill WindSonic anemometer. We expected each species’ average air speed to exceed its calculated minimum-power speed (Vmp), and to fall below its maximum-range speed (Vmr), but found some exceptions to both limits. To resolve these discrepancies, we first reduced the assumed induced power factor for all species from 1.2 to 0.9, attributing this to splayed and up-turned primary feathers, and then assigned body drag coefficients for different species down to 0.060 for small waders, and up to 0.12 for the mute swan, in the Reynolds number range 25 000–250 000. These results will be used to amend the default values in existing software that estimates fuel consumption in migration, energy heights on arrival and other aspects of flight performance, using classical aeronautical theory. The body drag coefficients are central to range calculations. Although they cannot be measured on dead bird bodies, they could be checked against wind tunnel measurements on living birds, using existing methods.
Space–time behaviour of magnetic anomalies induced by tsunami waves in open ocean
Authors: Wang Benlong , Liu Hua
Published: June 2013

The magnetic anomaly induced by an inhomogeneous velocity field under tsunami waves in open ocean is investigated. With asymptotical analysis, an explicit series solution of the kinematic dynamo problem is established for weak dispersive water waves. The magnetic field induced by typical tsunami models, including single wave and

-wave, can be directly obtained using the proposed series solution. The characteristics of the magnetic field induced by two realistic tsunami events are investigated. By analysis, the magnetic magnitude induced by a 1 m high tsunami is estimated as of the order of 10 nT at the sea surface, which depends on the wave parameters as well as the Earth's magnetic field. The space and time behaviour of the magnetic field shows fair similarity with the field data at Easter Island during the 2010 Chile tsunami.
Mapping the navigational knowledge of individually foraging ants,Myrmecia croslandi
Authors: Narendra Ajay , Gourmaud Sarah , Zeil Jochen
Published: June 2013

Ants are efficient navigators, guided by path integration and visual landmarks. Path integration is the primary strategy in landmark-poor habitats, but landmarks are readily used when available. The landmark panorama provides reliable information about heading direction, routes and specific location. Visual memories for guidance are often acquired along routes or near to significant places. Over what area can such locally acquired memories provide information for reaching a place? This question is unusually approachable in the solitary foraging Australian jack jumper ant, since individual foragers typically travel to one or two nest-specific foraging trees. We find that within 10 m from the nest, ants both with and without home vector information available from path integration return directly to the nest from all compass directions, after briefly scanning the panorama. By reconstructing panoramic views within the successful homing range, we show that in the open woodland habitat of these ants, snapshot memories acquired close to the nest provide sufficient navigational information to determine nest-directed heading direction over a surprisingly large area, including areas that animals may have not visited previously.
Convergent evolution of floral signals underlies the success of Neotropical orchids
Authors: Papadopulos Alexander S. T. , Powell Martyn P. , Pupulin Franco , Warner Jorge , Hawkins Julie A. , Salamin Nicolas , Chittka Lars , Williams Norris H. , Whitten W. Mark , Loader Deniz , Valente Luis M. , Chase Mark W. , Savolainen Vincent
Published: June 2013

The great majority of plant species in the tropics require animals to achieve pollination, but the exact role of floral signals in attraction of animal pollinators is often debated. Many plants provide a floral reward to attract a guild of pollinators, and it has been proposed that floral signals of non-rewarding species may converge on those of rewarding species to exploit the relationship of the latter with their pollinators. In the orchid family (Orchidaceae), pollination is almost universally animal-mediated, but a third of species provide no floral reward, which suggests that deceptive pollination mechanisms are prevalent. Here, we examine floral colour and shape convergence in Neotropical plant communities, focusing on certain food-deceptive Oncidiinae orchids (e.g.Trichocentrum ascendensandOncidium nebulosum) and rewarding species of Malpighiaceae. We show that the species from these two distantly related families are often more similar in floral colour and shape than expected by chance and propose that a system of multifarious floral mimicry—a form of Batesian mimicry that involves multiple models and is more complex than a simple one model–one mimic system—operates in these orchids. The same mimetic pollination system has evolved at least 14 times within the species-rich Oncidiinae throughout the Neotropics. These results help explain the extraordinary diversification of Neotropical orchids and highlight the complexity of plant–animal interactions.
Suppressors of RNAi from plant viruses are subject to episodic positive selection
Authors: Murray Gemma G. R. , Kosakovsky Pond Sergei L. , Obbard Darren J.
Published: June 2013

Viral suppressors of RNAi (VSRs) are proteins that actively inhibit the antiviral RNA interference (RNAi) immune response, providing an immune evasion route for viruses. It has been hypothesized that VSRs are engaged in a molecular ‘arms race’ with RNAi pathway genes. Two lines of evidence support this. First, VSRs from plant viruses display high sequence diversity, and are frequently gained and lost over evolutionary time scales. Second,Drosophilaantiviral RNAi genes show high rates of adaptive evolution. Here, we investigate whether VSRs diversify faster than other genes and, if so, whether this is a result of positive selection, as might be expected in an arms race. By analysis of 12 plant RNA viruses, we show that the relative rate of protein evolution is higher for VSRs than for other genes, but that this is not attributable to pervasive positive selection. We argue that, because evolutionary time scales are extremely different for viruses and eukaryotes, it is improbable that viral adaptation (as measured by the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous change) will be dominated by one-to-one coevolution with eukaryotes. Instead, for plant virus VSRs, we find strong evidence of episodic selection—diversifying selection that acts on a subset of lineages—which might be attributable to frequent shifts between different host genotypes or species.
Social encounter networks: characterizing Great Britain
Authors: Danon Leon , Read Jonathan M. , House Thomas A. , Vernon Matthew C. , Keeling Matt J.
Published: June 2013

A major goal of infectious disease epidemiology is to understand and predict the spread of infections within human populations, with the intention of better informing decisions regarding control and intervention. However, the development of fully mechanistic models of transmission requires a quantitative understanding of social interactions and collective properties of social networks. We performed a cross-sectional study of the social contacts on given days for more than 5000 respondents in England, Scotland and Wales, through postal and online survey methods. The survey was designed to elicit detailed and previously unreported measures of the immediate social network of participants relevant to infection spread. Here, we describe individual-level contact patterns, focusing on the range of heterogeneity observed and discuss the correlations between contact patterns and other socio-demographic factors. We find that the distribution of the number of contacts approximates a power-law distribution, but postulate that total contact time (which has a shorter-tailed distribution) is more epidemiologically relevant. We observe that children, public-sector and healthcare workers have the highest number of total contact hours and are therefore most likely to catch and transmit infectious disease. Our study also quantifies the transitive connections made between an individual's contacts (or clustering); this is a key structural characteristic of social networks with important implications for disease transmission and control efficacy. Respondents' networks exhibit high levels of clustering, which varies across social settings and increases with duration, frequency of contact and distance from home. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the transmission and control of pathogens spread through close contact.
The body beyond the body: expectation of a sensory event is enough to induce ownership over a fake hand
Authors: Ferri Francesca , Chiarelli Antonio Maria , Merla Arcangelo , Gallese Vittorio , Costantini Marcello
Published: June 2013

More than 100 papers have been published on the rubber hand illusion since its discovery 14 years ago. The illusion has been proposed as a demonstration that the body is distinguished from other objects by its participation in specific forms of intermodal perceptual correlation. Here, we radically challenge this view by claiming that perceptual correlation is not necessary to produce the experience of this body as mine. Each of 15 participants was seated with his/her right arm resting upon a table just below another smaller table. Thus, the real hand was hidden from the participant's view and a life-sized rubber model of a right hand was placed on the small table in front of the participant. The participant observed the experimenter's hand while approaching—without touching—the rubber hand. Phenomenology of the illusion was measured by means of skin conductance response and questionnaire. Both measures indicated that participants experienced the illusion that the experimenter's hand was about to touch their hidden hand rather than the rubber hand, as if the latter replaced their own hand. This did not occur when the rubber hand was rotated by 180° or replaced by a piece of wood. This illusion indicates that our brain does not build a sense of self in a merely reactive way, via perceptual correlations; rather it generates predictions on what may or may not belong to itself.
Correlation between virulence gene expression and proton pump inhibitors and ambient pH in Clostridium difficile: results of an in vitro study
Authors: Stewart David B. , Hegarty John P.
Published: June 2013

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with the development of Clostridium difficile infection in humans. Though it is assumed that PPIs mediate this effect through gastric acid suppression, there has been little investigation into whether PPIs, or ambient pH, might directly affect the expression of C. difficile toxin genes. In the present study, C. difficile ribotypes 001, 027 and 078 obtained from human subjects were grown under anaerobic conditions prepared at pHs of 5, 7.3 and 9. Matched trios were exposed to 100 µM and 200 µM of omeprazole along with PPI untreated controls. Custom designed reverse transcription quantitative PCR hydrolysis probes were used to assess C. difficile gene expression for toxins A (tcdA), B (tcdB) and binary toxin (cdtB), as well as their positive regulators (tcdR and cdtR), using rrsA, which encodes 16S rRNA, as a constitutively expressed reference gene. tcdC and codY, negative regulators of toxin expression, were also assessed. Basic pH resulted in greater expression of tcdA, and with PPI exposure a 120-fold higher expression was noted with ribotype 001. tcdB and cdtB expressions were much less responsive to pH or PPIs, though a clear response to acidic pH and PPI exposure was observed in ribotype 027. tcdC and codY expressions were largely unaffected, except with ribotype 027; low pH and PPIs resulted in their greater expression, though to a lesser degree than with toxin genes and their positive regulators. Non-neutral pH and PPI exposure appear to have an effect on C. difficile, one that has a net effect towards toxin gene expression.
The Y chromosome as a regulatory element shaping immune cell transcriptomes and susceptibility to autoimmune disease
Authors: Case Laure K. , Wall Emma H. , Dragon Julie A. , Saligrama Naresha , Krementsov Dimitry N. , Moussawi Mohamad , Zachary James F. , Huber Sally A. , Blankenhorn Elizabeth P. , Teuscher Cory
Published: June 2013

Understanding the DNA elements that constitute and control the regulatory genome is critical for the appropriate therapeutic management of complex diseases. Here, using chromosome Y (ChrY) consomic mouse strains on the C57BL/6J (B6) background, we show that susceptibility to two diverse animal models of autoimmune disease, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) and experimental myocarditis, correlates with the natural variation in copy number ofSlyandRbmymulticopy ChrY genes. On the B6 background, ChrY possesses gene regulatory properties that impact genome-wide gene expression in pathogenic CD4+T cells. Using a ChrY consomic strain on the SJL background, we discovered a preference for ChrY-mediated gene regulation in macrophages, the immune cell subset underlying the EAE sexual dimorphism in SJL mice, rather than CD4+T cells. Importantly, in both genetic backgrounds, an inverse correlation exists between the number ofSlyandRbmyChrY gene copies and the number of significantly up-regulated genes in immune cells, thereby supporting a link between copy number variation ofSlyandRbmywith the ChrY genetic element exerting regulatory properties. Additionally, we show that ChrY polymorphism can determine the sexual dimorphism in EAE and myocarditis. In humans, an analysis of the CD4+T cell transcriptome from male multiple sclerosis patients versus healthy controls provides further evidence for an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of gene regulation by ChrY. Thus, as inDrosophila, these data establish the mammalian ChrY as a member of the regulatory genome due to its ability to epigenetically regulate genome-wide gene expression in immune cells.
An Improved Simplified High-Sensitivity Quantification Method for Determining Brassinosteroids in Different Tissues of Rice and Arabidopsis
Authors: Xin Peiyong , Yan Jijun , Fan Jinshi , Chu Jinfang , Yan Cunyu
Published: June 2013

Quantification of brassinosteroids is essential and extremely important to study the molecular mechanisms of their physiological roles in plant growth and development. Herein, we present a simple, material and cost-saving high-performance method for determining endogenous brassinosteroids (BRs) in model plants. This new method enables simultaneous enrichment of a wide range of bioactive BRs such as brassinolide, castasterone, teasterone, and typhasterol with ion exchange solid-phase extraction and high-sensitivity quantitation of these BRs based on isotope dilution combined with internal standard approach. For routine analysis, the consumption of plant materials was reduced to one-twentieth of previously reported and the overall process could be completed within 1 day compared with previous 3 to 4 days. The strategy was validated by profiling BRs in different ecotypes and mutants of rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and the BR distributions in different model plants tissues were determined with the new method. The method allows plant physiologists to monitor the dynamics and distributions of BRs with 1 gram fresh weight of model plant tissues, which will speed up the process for the molecular mechanism research of BRs with these model plants in future work.
Biodiversity reporting in Sweden: corporate disclosure and preparers' views
Authors: Rimmel Gunnar , Jonäll Kristina
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an account of the quantity, location and intentions behind companies' biodiversity disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies a mixed methods approach to the examination of the quantity and location of biodiversity disclosure. The research focuses on a study of corporate websites and corporate reports over a five‐year period. Interviews with company representatives were also conducted regarding company intentions behind biodiversity disclosure.

Findings

The findings of this study show that few of the companies studied have a record of providing continuous biodiversity information. Those companies that provide the most biodiversity information are in the lower‐risk sector. The interview respondents identify social environmental reporting frameworks as catalysts for biodiversity disclosure. A reason for this low level of biodiversity disclosure may be the infrequency of interaction with pressure groups. However, the respondents also state, as increasingly their companies have paid more attention to sustainability reporting in recent years, more detailed biodiversity disclosure has resulted.

Research limitations/implications

The research in this study, which is explorative and descriptive, is limited to a study of the quantity and location of biodiversity disclosure by 29 companies listed on the OMXS30 and the preparers' reasons for such disclosure.

Originality/value

This is an original study that attempts to go beyond mere reporting of biodiversity disclosure by examining the motivations for such disclosure using interviews with company representatives.
A more operable definition for training and education
Authors: Megan Grace Lita
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the current methods of training and education for first response emergency personnel. The goal is to distinguish the difference between training and education in an attempt to establish a more operable definition for use within the field.

Design/methodology/approach

The initial approach was to closely examine and compare physical fitness standards and training for first response emergency personnel in the State of California and the US Government.

Findings

Through comparing and contrasting, it was found that while physical fitness standards needed to be additionally governed at the state level, the real issue was a lack of definition in academic literature regarding “training” versus “education.” Furthermore, a lack of focus on the health and physical fitness knowledge in the first response responder population may be putting them at greater risk.

Originality/value

The originality/value of this paper consist in: a critical look at the physical demands of emergency response by first response emergency personnel; and the argumentation for the use of subject matter experts in increasing further knowledge of health and physical fitness in the population of first response emergency personnel and defining the different components to training and education.
Modeling strategic performance factors for effective strategy execution
Authors: Srivastava Amit Kumar
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a model of strategic performance factors for effective strategy execution.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses multiple methods combining both the qualitative and quantitative research routes to unearth a more complete picture of the phenomenon facilitating accurate, generalizable, and practically useful theory.

Findings

There is a lack of literature on strategic performance factors and their role in effective strategy execution, which turns out be a barrier to the success of strategy execution. This study not only reviews the SPFs in the context of effective performance management leading to effective strategy execution but also identifies linkages among the SPFs to demonstrate the relative criticality of SPFs and how one SPF leads to another SPF. Interestingly, the situation and actor factors, which were explained in a very limited way in traditional models, have emerged as the most influential strategic performance factors.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study attempts to synergize multiple research methods to increase the significance of the findings, a comparatively large sample size would be more useful to test the reliability of the results. Additionally, the SPFs are contextual in nature and, therefore, this study requires extended efforts to test the research propositions in different research settings and reveals the generalized as well as differentiated results. The possible bias in ISM exercise can be improved by having multiple discussions with the respondents. This study extends the theoretical debate on balancing the strategic and operational performance measures for successful strategy execution. The study also fills the gap in the literature by proposing the model of strategic performance factors. Adding methodological value extending triangulation along with the interpretative tool, this study also suggests methodological implication of the research design.

Practical implications

The proposed model of SPF could be useful in measuring the right thing in the right way to ensure effective strategy execution. Management of SPFs such as situation and actor is a further value addition to the debate on balancing lead and lag measures or financial and non‐financial measures. The study demonstrates that organizations should go beyond operation measures (both financial and non‐financial) and also focus on strategic factors such as situation and actors, which actually lead to the other SPFs.

Originality/value

This study took unique steps to integrate the multiple perspectives of performance measures and develop a model which can facilitate effective strategy execution. It not only fills the gaps in the literature but also provides a strategic perspective of the performance measurement and management systems. The methodological experimentation to not only bring rigor in model building but also use interpretive tools is an innovative attempt to clarify the “what”, “how” as well as “why” aspects of model building.
The emerging food retail structure of Vietnam
Authors: Thi Hong Nguyen Hai , Wood Steve , Wrigley Neil
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to trace the modernisation of the retail structure of Vietnam from a closed market to one that is increasingly open to retail transnational corporation (TNC) entry and associated Western retail formats.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors undertake this study of retail change through the analysis of a wide range of governmental and industry secondary data – much of which has not entered western academic debate given the challenges of access and translation. In doing so, this period of adaptation is related to well‐known studies concerning the diffusion of western forms of retailing discussed across the social sciences.

Findings

As a country encountering the third wave of supermarket proliferation within emerging markets, Vietnam's experience is found to broadly fit the models of retail foreign direct investment (FDI) entry and retail “modernisation” suggested by Natawidjaja et al. and Dries et al. The retail change process was affected by a slow, progressive creep of market liberalisation where, as late as 2009, a foreign partner could hold only up to 49 per cent of capital in a joint venture. While analysis of the evidence suggests some retailers flouted these laws or employed creative approaches to mitigating their effects, such regulations clearly underpinned a less intense initial influx of retail FDI than had been experienced elsewhere in Asia and maintained a high domestic ownership level in the retail market. Retail modernisation has intensified in recent years, with greater international entry, expansion and retail format proliferation diffusing from cities to more rural locations, though the top five grocery operators still account for less than 4 per cent of the grocery market.

Originality/value

Studies within retail management of retail internationalisation have tended to focus on fully liberalised countries that have attracted high rates of retail capital. In contrast, this paper focuses on understanding the emergence of one of the countries somewhat later to these trends.
Malaysian hypermarket retailing development and expansion
Authors: Hassan Hasliza , Bakar Sade Abu , Sabbir Rahman Muhammad
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The hypermarket industry in Malaysia has created a huge momentum for modern retailing concepts. The industry has been developing impressively, and the word hypermarket seems in need of a new definition. There is an overlap of the definitions for hypermarket, supermarket and shopping mall. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to focus on recent Malaysian hypermarket retailing developments that could be used as sources for definition. A few expansion opportunities are also emphasized in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature from various research studies in the field was made. In order to strengthen the existing findings, practical implementations on hypermarket retailing within the Malaysian market were also studied in this research. In general, this research focuses on hypermarket retailing in the Malaysian scenario.

Findings

Malaysian hypermarkets can be defined using retail developments within the industry as sources for definition works. This industry can also be expanded further through: product brand extension; service experience enhancement; self‐checkout technology; coupons promotion; online hypermarket; and one district one industry (SDSI) market intervention program.

Originality/value

The definition of hypermarket in this research paper is streamlined further to differentiate it from a supermarket or shopping mall. With the potential expansion opportunities, it is expected that there will be a clearer path to outgrow this industry.