bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genome sequences of two novel phages infecting marine roseobacters
Authors: Zhao Yanlin , Wang Kui , Jiao Nianzhi , Chen Feng 
Published: May 2009

SummaryTwo bacteriophages, DSS3Φ2 and EE36Φ1, which infect marine roseobacters Silicibacter pomeroyi DSS‐3 and Sulfitobacter sp. EE‐36, respectively, were isolated from Baltimore Inner Harbor water. These two roseophages resemble bacteriophage N4, a large, short‐tailed phage infecting Escherichia coli K12, in terms of their morphology and genomic structure. The full genome sequences of DSS3Φ2 and EE36Φ1 reveal that their genome sizes are 74.6 and 73.3 kb, respectively, and they both contain a highly conserved N4‐like DNA replication and transcription system. Both roseophages contain a large virion‐encapsidated RNA polymerase gene (> 10 kb), which was first discovered in N4. DSS3Φ2 and EE36Φ1 also possess several genes (i.e. ribonucleotide reductase and thioredoxin) that are most similar to the genes in roseobacters. Overall, the two roseophages are highly closely related, and share 80–94% nucleotide sequence identity over 85% of their ORFs. This is the first report of N4‐like phages infecting marine bacteria and the second report of N4‐like phage since the discovery of phage N4 40 years ago. The finding of these two N4‐like roseophages will allow us to further explore the specific phage–host interaction and evolution for this unique group of bacteriophages.
Better living through microbial action: the benefits of the mammalian gastrointestinal microbiota on the host
Authors: Leser Thomas D. , Mølbak Lars 
Published: May 2009

SummaryMammals live in a homeostatic symbiosis with their gastrointestinal microbiota. The mammalian host provides the microbiota with nutrients and a stable environment; whereas the microbiota helps shaping the host's gut mucosa and provides nutritional contributions. Microorganisms start colonizing the gut immediately after birth followed by a succession of populations until a stable, adult microbiota has been established. However, physiological conditions differ substantially among locations in the gut and determine bacterial density and diversity. While Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes dominate the gut microbiota in all mammals, the bacterial genera and species diversity is huge and reflects mammalian phylogeny. The main function of the gastrointestinal epithelium is to absorb nutrients and to retain water and electrolytes, yet at the same time it is an efficient barrier against harmful compounds and microorganisms, and is able to neutralize antagonists coincidentally breaching the barrier. These processes are influenced by the microbiota, which modify epithelial expression of genes involved in nutrient uptake and metabolism, mucosal barrier function, xenobiotic metabolism, enteric nervous system and motility, hormonal and maturational responses, angiogenesis, cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix, signal transduction, and general cellular functions. Whereas such effects are local at the gut epithelium they may eventually have systemic consequences, e.g. on body weight and composition.
Improved treatment satisfaction and weight‐related quality of life with exenatide once weekly or twice daily1
Authors: Best J. H. , Boye K. S. , Rubin R. R. , Cao D. , Kim T. H. , Peyrot M. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractAims  To assess treatment satisfaction and weight‐related quality of life (QOL) in subjects with Type 2 diabetes treated with exenatide once weekly (QW) or twice daily (BID).Methods  In this 52‐week randomized, multi‐centre, open‐label study, 295 subjects managed with diet and exercise and/or oral glucose‐lowering medications received either exenatide QW or BID during weeks 1–30; thereafter, subjects receiving exenatide BID were switched to exenatide QW, with 258 total subjects receiving exenatide QW during weeks 30–52. Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire—status (DTSQ‐s) and Impact of Weight on Quality of Life—Lite (IWQOL‐Lite) were assessed at baseline and weeks 30 and 52. Mean group changes from baseline to week 30 were estimated by ancova; changes from week 30 to week 52 were assessed by Student’s t‐test.Results  Statistically significant improvements from baseline to week 30 were observed in both treatment groups for DTSQ‐s and IWQOL‐Lite measures, with significantly greater reduction in perceived frequency of hyperglycaemia and greater satisfaction with continuing treatment in the QW group compared with the BID group. Effect sizes for change in DTSQ‐s total scores were 0.84 QW, 0.64 BID; for IWQOL‐Lite: 0.96 QW, 0.82 BID. Treatment satisfaction and QOL improved significantly between weeks 30 and 52 for those switching from BID to QW. Occurrence of adverse events did not affect patients’ improvements in treatment satisfaction and QOL.Conclusions  Patients treated with exenatide QW or BID experienced significant and clinically meaningful improvements in treatment satisfaction and QOL. Patients who switched from exenatide BID to exenatide QW administration reported further significant improvements.
Plants intertwine fluvial landform dynamics with ecological succession and natural selection: a niche construction perspective for riparian systems
Authors: Corenblit Dov , Steiger Johannes , Gurnell Angela M. , Naiman Robert J. 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTAim To contribute to the development of a macroevolutionary framework for riparian systems, reinforcing conceptual linkages between earth surface processes and biological and ecological processes.Location Riparian systems.Methods Literature review leading to an original proposition for perceiving the functioning of riparian systems in a new and different way.Results Riparian systems provide diverse landforms, habitats and resources for animals and plants. Certain organisms, defined as ‘ecosystem engineers’, significantly create and modify the physical components of riparian systems. Many studies have highlighted such engineering effects by animals on riparian systems, but the identification and understanding of the effects and responses of plants within fluvial corridors have emerged only recently. The modulation of matter, resources and energy flows by engineering plants helps establish characteristic sequences of fluvial landform creation and maintenance associated with synergetic ecological successions. We relate this process to the concept of niche construction, developed mainly by evolutionary biologists. Feedbacks between adaptive responses of riparian plants to flow regime and adjusting effects on biostabilization and bioconstruction are discussed in the context of niche construction at the scale of ecological succession and the evolution of organisms.Main conclusions Our conceptualization forges an integrated approach for understanding vegetated fluvial systems from a macroevolutionary perspective, for elucidating riparian ecosystem dynamics and potentially for establishing long‐term stream conservation and restoration strategies.
Macroecology meets macroevolution: evolutionary niche dynamics in the seaweed Halimeda
Authors: Verbruggen Heroen , Tyberghein Lennert , Pauly Klaas , Vlaeminck Caroline , Nieuwenhuyze Katrien Van , Kooistra Wiebe H.C.F. , Leliaert Frederik , Clerck Olivier De 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTAim  Because of their broad distribution in geographical and ecological dimensions, seaweeds (marine macroalgae) offer great potential as models for marine biogeographical inquiry and exploration of the interface between macroecology and macroevolution. This study aims to characterize evolutionary niche dynamics in the common green seaweed genus Halimeda, use the observed insights to gain understanding of the biogeographical history of the genus and predict habitats that can be targeted for the discovery of species of special biogeographical interest.Location  Tropical and subtropical coastal waters.Methods  The evolutionary history of the genus is characterized using molecular phylogenetics and relaxed molecular clock analysis. Niche modelling is carried out with maximum entropy techniques and uses macroecological data derived from global satellite imagery. Evolutionary niche dynamics are inferred through application of ancestral character state estimation.Results  A nearly comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the genus was inferred from a six‐locus dataset. Macroecological niche models showed that species distribution ranges are considerably smaller than their potential ranges. We show strong phylogenetic signal in various macroecological niche features.Main conclusions  The evolution of Halimeda is characterized by conservatism for tropical, nutrient‐depleted habitats, yet one section of the genus managed to invade colder habitats multiple times independently. Niche models indicate that the restricted geographical ranges of Halimeda species are not due to habitat unsuitability, strengthening the case for dispersal limitation. Niche models identified hotspots of habitat suitability of Caribbean species in the eastern Pacific Ocean. We propose that these hotspots be targeted for discovery of new species separated from their Caribbean siblings since the Pliocene rise of the Central American Isthmus.
A Retrospective Evaluation of European Financial Management (1995–2008)
Authors: Chan Kam C. , Chang Chih‐Hsiang , Lo Y. Ling 
Published: May 2009

Abstract We provide a retrospective evaluation of European Financial Management (EFM) from 1995 to 2008. In 14 years, EFM has published a total of 333 articles, with 564 authors from 299 academic and non‐academic institutions. The authors and institutions represent 26 different countries. Two interesting results emerge from this analysis. First, although EFM is a young finance journal, it has achieved a highly respectable status among all finance journals. In fact, EFM has surpassed a number of well‐established finance journals in its research impact. Second, consistent with its mission, EFM has published articles whose authors have European affiliations and research content. Nonetheless, we find that EFM is the publication outlet of authors outside the European region as well. The rising readership and variety of articles published suggest that EFM is a general finance journal that has done very well in serving the interests of the finance profession for the last 14 years.
The Performance of the European Market for Corporate Control: Evidence from the Fifth Takeover Wave
Authors: Martynova Marina , Renneboog Luc 
Published: May 2009

Abstract This paper presents an in‐depth analysis of the performance of large, medium‐sized, and small corporate takeovers involving Continental European and UK firms during the fifth takeover wave. We find that takeovers are expected to create takeover synergies as their announcements trigger statistically significant abnormal returns of 9.13% for the target and of 0.53% for bidding firms. The characteristics of the target and bidding firms and of the bid itself are able to explain a significant part of these returns: (i) deal hostility increases the target's but decreases bidder's returns; (ii) the private status of the target is associated with higher bidder's returns; and (iii) an equity payment leads to a decrease in both bidder's and target's returns. The takeover wealth effect is however not limited to the bid announcement day but is also visible prior and subsequent to the bid. The analysis of pre‐announcement returns reveals that hostile takeovers are largely anticipated and associated with a significant increase in the bidder's and target's share prices. Bidders that accumulate a toehold stake in the target experience higher post‐announcement returns. A comparison of the UK and Continental European M&A markets reveals that: (i) the takeover returns of UK targets substantially exceed those of Continental European firms. (ii) The presence of a large shareholder in the bidding firm has a significantly positive effect on takeover returns in the UK and a negative one in Continental Europe. (iii) Weak investor protection and low disclosure in Continental Europe allow bidding firms to adopt takeover strategies enabling them to act opportunistically towards the target's incumbent shareholders.
Is CEO Pay Really Inefficient? A Survey of New Optimal Contracting Theories
Authors: Edmans Alex , Gabaix Xavier 
Published: May 2009

Abstract Bebchuk and Fried (2004) argue that executive compensation is set by CEOs themselves rather than boards on behalf of shareholders, since many features of observed pay packages may appear inconsistent with standard optimal contracting theories. However, it may be that simple models do not capture several complexities of real‐life settings. This article surveys recent theories that extend traditional frameworks to incorporate these dimensions, and show that the above features can be fully consistent with efficiency. For example, optimal contracting theories can explain the recent rapid increase in pay, the low level of incentives and their negative scaling with firm size, pay‐for‐luck, the widespread use of options (as opposed to stock), severance pay and debt compensation, and the insensitivity of incentives to risk.
Why Do European Firms Go Public?
Authors: Bancel Franck , Mittoo Usha R. 
Published: May 2009

Abstract We survey chief financial officers (CFOs) from 12 European countries regarding the determinants of going public and exchange listing decisions. Most CFOs identify enhanced visibility and financing for growth as the most important benefits of an IPO, but other motivations for IPOs differ significantly across firms, countries, and legal systems. We find strong support for the IPO theories that emphasise financial and strategic considerations, such as enhanced reputation and credibility, and financial flexibility as a major advantage of an IPO. At the same time, we find moderate support for theories that focus on exit strategy, balance of power with creditors, external monitoring, and merger and acquisition motivations. European CFOs' views on the major benefits of an IPO are generally similar to those of US managers as reported in

Brau and Fawcett (2006)

, but differ significantly on outside monitoring; outside monitoring is considered a major benefit by European CFOs but a major cost by US CFOs. Our evidence suggests that the decision to go public is a complex one, and cannot be explained by one single theory because firms seek multiple benefits in going public. These motivations are influenced by the firm's ownership structure, size and age as well as by the home country's institutional and regulatory environment.
ALL THIS HAPPENED, MORE OR LESS: WHAT A NOVELIST MADE OF THE BOMBING OF DRESDEN1
Authors: RIGNEY ANN 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTKurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse‐Five (1969) was a popular and critical success when it first appeared, and has had a notable impact on popular perceptions of “the bombing of Dresden,” although it has been criticized by historians because of its inaccuracy. This article analyzes the novel's quirky, comic style and its generic mixture of science fiction and testimony, showing how Vonnegut consistently used ingenuous understatement as a way of imaginatively engaging his readers with the horrors of war. The article argues that the text's aesthetics are closer to those of graphic novels than of realist narratives and that, accordingly, we can understand its cultural impact only by approaching it as a highly artificial linguistic performance with present‐day appeal and contemporary relevance, and not merely by measuring the degree to which it gives a full and accurate mimesis of past events.The article uses the case of Vonnegut to advance a more general argument that builds on recent work in cultural memory studies: in order to understand the role that literature plays in shaping our understanding of history, it needs to be analyzed in its own terms and not as a mere derivative of historiography according to a “one model fits all” approach. Furthermore, we need to shift the emphasis from products to processes by considering both artistic and historiographical practices as agents in the ongoing circulation across different cultural domains of stories about the past. Theoretical reflection should account for the fact that historiography and the various arts play distinct roles in this cultural dynamics, and while they compete with one another, they also converge, bounce off one another, influence one another, and continuously beg to be different.
PHOTOGRAPHS, SYMBOLIC IMAGES, AND THE HOLOCAUST: ON THE (IM)POSSIBILITY OF DEPICTING HISTORICAL TRUTH
Authors: KEILBACH JUDITH 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTPhotography has often been scrutinized regarding its relationship to reality or historical truth. This includes not only the indexicality of photography, but also the question of how structures and processes that comprise history and historical events can be depicted. In this context, the Holocaust provides a particular challenge to photography. As has been discussed in numerous publications, this historic event marks the “limits of representation.” Nevertheless there are many photographs “showing” the Holocaust that have been produced in different contexts that bespeak the photographers' gaze and the circumstances of the photographs' production. Some of the pictures have become very well known due to their frequent reproduction, even though they often do not show the annihilation itself, but situations different from that; their interpretation as Holocaust pictures results rather from a metonymic deferral. When these pictures are frequently reproduced they are transformed into symbolic images, that is, images that can be removed from their specific context, and in this way they come to signify abstract concepts such as “evil.” Despite being removed from their specific context these images can, as this essay argues, refer to historical truth. First, I explore the arguments of some key theorists of photography (Benjamin, Kracauer, Sontag, Barthes) to investigate the relationship between photography and reality in general, looking at their different concepts of reality, history, and historical truth, as well as the question of the meaning of images. Second, I describe the individual circumstances in which some famous Holocaust pictures were taken in order to analyze, by means of three examples, the question what makes these specific pictures so particularly suitable to becoming symbolic images and why they may—despite their abstract meaning—be able to depict historical truth.
BALANCED TRUTH: STEVEN SPIELBERG'S SCHINDLER'S LIST AMONG HISTORY, MEMORY, AND POPULAR CULTURE1
Authors: CLASSEN CHRISTOPH 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTLooking at the public reaction to it, one might say that Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List is undoubtedly the most successful film about the Holocaust. The film's success in the U.S. and other Western countries can be traced back mainly to the fact that it creates the impression of telling a true, apparently authentic, story.This essay investigates how this impression of historical truth and authenticity emerges in a fiction film. For this purpose the essay reverts to a concept developed by Jörn Rüsen, which distinguishes among three dimensions of historical culture, namely political, aesthetic, and cognitive. In addition to the historical context that serves as a specific precondition for the film's success, the essay primarily investigates the strategies of authentication Spielberg applied at both the visual and narrative levels.The investigation concludes that the impression of evidence produced by the movie is significantly a result of the sophisticated balancing of the three dimensions mentioned above. The film utilizes artifacts of an existing and increasingly transnational (visual) memory for the benefit of a closed, archetypical narrative. It follows the aesthetic and artistic rules of popular narrative cinema, and largely recurs to conventions of representation that were common in film and television programs of the 1990s. Although these forms condense the historical course of events, the film manages to stay close to insights gained by historiography.The hybrid amalgamation of history and memory, and of the imaginary and the real, as well as the combination of dramaturgies of popular culture with an instinct for what can (not) be shown—all of these factors have helped Schindler's List to render a representation of the founding Holocaust myth in Western societies that can be sensually experienced while being emotionally impressive at the same time.
THE SYNTAX OF OBJECTS AND THE REPRESENTATION OF HISTORY: SPEAKING OF SLAVERY IN NEW YORK
Authors: CARBONELL BETTINA M. 
Published: May 2009

ABSTRACTThe representation of history continues to evolve in the domain of museum exhibitions. This evolution is informed in part by the creation of new display methods—many of which depart from the traditional conventions used to achieve the “museum effect”—in part by an increased attention to the museum‐visitor relationship. In this context the ethical force of bearing witness, at times a crucial aspect of the museum experience, has emerged as a particularly compelling issue. In seeking to represent and address atrocity, injustice, and the abrogation of human rights, museums have the potential to become “sites of conscience” and to encourage “historical consciousness.” Through a series of three exhibitions devoted to slavery, the New‐York Historical Society demonstrated how such sites can be constructed and how objects can be deployed to represent extreme or “limit cases.” In this review/essay I investigate and interrogate these exhibitions, looking closely at the use of objects as a source of “indirect testimony” (Marc Bloch) and at the “dialogical situation” (Paul Ricoeur) that might arise in an encounter among objects, exhibit narratives, and visitors. Thinking in terms of point of view, I look at the variety of rhetorical platforms from which objects speak in these exhibitions; thinking in terms of syntax, I look at the effects of ordering and of the radical juxtaposition of objects; thinking in terms of irony, I look at the provocations of double‐voiced narratives and at how objects are used to support those historical sentences.
A new method for facial epidermoid cyst removal with minimal incision
Authors: Yang H‐J , Yang K‐C 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground  Facial epidermoid cyst is a common benign epithelial tumour frequently seen in young or middle‐aged people and may cause aesthetic disability. Surgical excision is the most frequently used method but may result in obvious scar.Objective  To improve cosmetic result of removing facial epidermoid cyst through minimal incision surgery.Methods  Twenty‐two cases of facial epidermoid cysts ranging from 0.5 to 1.4 cm in diameter were treated. The skin above the epidermoid cysts was infiltrated with local 0.1‐cc 1% xylocaine anaesthetic by using a 26‐gauge needle first, then 3‐mm incisions were made with a No.11 surgical blade. The cystic contents and its capsule were then squeezed out through the small incision and the underlying connective tissue was chemically cauterized by 20% trichloroacetic acid. The incision wounds were left unsutured.Result  Minimal incision method successfully treated 16 out of the 22 epidermoid cyst cases that ranged from 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter. And only one out of six was successfully treated for diameters greater than 1.1 cm.Conclusion  The proposed method can minimize the scar when treating facial epidermal inclusion cysts that are less than 1 cm and obtained better cosmetic results.Conflicts of interestNone declared.