bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamic growth of the Indian economy. Is the spurt sustainable?
Authors: Das Dilip K. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to take a dispassionate look at the performance of the Indian economy in the light of its recent growth rate acceleration. After 2000, it recorded several years of vertiginous gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, which made some think that the growth trajectory of the economy is shifting upwards. A careful data analysis reveals that growth optimism is misplaced. There are several areas of the economy that have suffered from limitations and long‐term neglect of the policymakers. The paper clearly and concisely enumerates them. What is disconcerting is that these long‐term weaknesses were not addressed and are still persisting. Sluggish and tardy reform implementation is one of the serious bottlenecks. In addition, in 2008, myriads of domestic and global factors coalesced to drive GDP growth rate sharply down.Design/methodology/approachThis paper carefully analyzes the current economic data to examine whether the recent GDP growth rate achievement can be sustained.FindingsThe principal inference of this paper is that the growth spurt of the Indian economy is unsustainable. Although the economy has a great deal of potential, expectations of a China‐like growth in the foreseeable future are totally unrealistic.Originality/valueThe paper proposes a pragmatic plan to break out of this economic quagmire. The value of the paper lies in its succinct and objective analysis of the Indian economic performance, its recent past and the immediate future. Without overlooking its recent achievements, the paper provides a credible vision of the future performance of the Indian economy.
Firm resources and business performance in the Lao PDR
Authors: Inmyxai Sengaloun , Takahashi Yoshi 
Published: October 2009

PurposeResource‐based view (RBV) has been a very well‐known theory to explain performance over the past decades. The purpose of this paper is to apply RBV's concept to investigate the resources of firms in Lao PDR that influence its business performance.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data that are collected by Enterprises Baseline Survey in 2005 from Germany Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) is used. For this purpose, samples of 388 firms in three sectors: manufacturing, trading, and service are used. The resources of firms include human resources (developed through education and training); intangible resources (reputation among customers obtained by investment in marketing and advertising); and tangible resources (physical resources with technology and business finance). By the regression methodology, this paper examines how the resources of the firm affect firm performance in the case of Lao PDR. The ranking of the important critical firm resources and firm performance is also identified. The firm size, firm age, and industry sectors are controlled.FindingsThe findings suggest that human, intangible, and tangible resources selected in this paper have a positive impact on firm performance. The interesting finding is that physical resources for the manufacturing sector is insignificant to firm performance in the Lao context, which seems to be consistent with the economic development stage of the country.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper uses secondary data with limitations in selecting theoretical meaningful variables, obtaining the comprehensive performance indicators and controlling other variables. Future studies should conduct the survey and include other internal and external factors that affect firm performance.Practical implicationsThis paper can provide the policy implications for both policymakers and implementers to emphasize on the key resources of the firms, which underline firm success.Originality/valueThe unique contribution of this study is twofold: first, it takes initiative to examine the importance of firm resources in the following subsectors: manufacturing, trading and service, so that the industry can emphasize on their priority resources to achieve better performance. Second, to date, a considerable amount of studies are mainly in the developed context. The dearth of study in this area has made it interesting to explore more the least developed countries (LDC) context.
Doing business in the age of conscious capitalism
Authors: Sisodia Rajendra S. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the concept of “Conscious Capitalism,” which refers to a new, more enlightened approach to business purpose and management.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes how the context for business has changed in fundamental ways in the past two decades, calling for a new approach to business that reflects rising levels of consciousness among customers and employees as well as multiple and deepening challenges facing the world today. It is imperative that business gets on the right side of society rather than continuing to add to societal burdens, as is too often the case. Conscious capitalism is not synonymous with corporate social responsibility (CSR); since society is recognized as an important, even the primary stakeholder, the core business itself must by definition be socially responsible. A conscious approach to business is based on the adoption of a higher purpose that transcends profits, a stakeholder rather than shareholder orientation, and conscious, service‐oriented leadership.FindingsBusinesses that adopt this approach not only create multiple types of long‐term wealth for society at large (including social, emotional, intellectual and even spiritual wealth); but they also dramatically outperform conventional firms on financial measures of performance. The world of conscious business is thus largely devoid of the trade‐offs that are commonly made and accepted as part of business‐as‐usual.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes by recognizing that a conscious approach to business is highly compatible with the ancient wisdom found in Indian and other traditions.Originality/valueThis paper shows that there is the potential to enter a golden age of leadership thinking that blends the best of modern Western practice (geared towards efficiencies) and ancient Eastern wisdom (focused on effectiveness).
When do firms revalue their assets upwards? Evidence from the UK
Authors: Agnes Cheng C.S. , Lin Stephen W.J. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the timing of upward asset revaluations using large UK data.Design/methodology/approachA standard logistic model is used to examine the timing of upward asset revaluations. The result is further confirmed by using the ordinary least squares regression.FindingsUK firms with higher industrial leverage and share performance two years before the revaluation year are inclined to write up their assets, suggesting that firms choose not to recognise good news unless it has been supported by their superior market performance and industry norm. This finding differs from the leverage reduction as well as the signalling objective suggested by previous literature.Originality/valueThis paper provides the first UK evidence on the timing of upward asset revaluation, which further enhance the understanding of the economic determinants of upward asset revaluations.
Accruals' persistence, accruals mispricing and operating cycle: evidence from the US
Authors: Hao Qian 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of operating cycle on the differential persistence of accruals and cash flow, and the market reaction to the different components of earnings across firms with various operating cycles.Design/methodology/approachBy examining the US public firms' earnings and the capital market reaction to different components of earnings, from 1964 to 1993, it is found that the longer the operating cycle, the lesser will be the persistent of accruals.FindingsThis result is consistent with Sloan's theory that the differential persistence of accruals is attributable to estimation errors in accruals. Moreover, the market efficiency test shows that the mispricing of accruals is greater for firms with longer operating cycle, indicating that investors fixate on earnings, while ignoring the persistence of accruals among firms with different earnings quality.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the growing literature that has begun to examine the factors affecting accrual persistence and accrual mispricing by indicating that the length of operating cycle can play a role. In addition, it provides fresh evidence that the market fixates on earnings, thus emphasizing the importance of contextual analysis of financial statement. Finally, it corroborates Sloan and Xie that estimation errors in accruals drive the lower persistence of accruals.
Roadmap for future research on plant pathogen effectors
Authors: ALFANO JAMES R. 
Published: October 2009

SUMMARYBacterial and eukaryotic plant pathogens deliver effector proteins into plant cells to promote pathogenesis. Bacterial pathogens containing type III protein secretion systems are known to inject many of these effectors into plant cells. More recently, oomycete pathogens have been shown to possess a large family of effectors containing the RXLR motif, and many effectors are also being discovered in fungal pathogens. Although effector activities are largely unknown, at least a subset suppress plant immunity. A plethora of new plant pathogen genomes that will soon be available thanks to next‐generation sequencing technologies will allow the identification of many more effectors. This article summarizes the key approaches used to identify plant pathogen effectors, many of which will continue to be useful for future effector discovery. Thus, it can be viewed as a ‘roadmap’ for effector and effector target identification. Because effectors can be used as tools to elucidate components of innate immunity, advances in our understanding of effectors and their targets should lead to improvements in agriculture.
The type III effectors of Xanthomonas
Authors: WHITE FRANK F. , POTNIS NEHA , JONES JEFFREY B. , KOEBNIK RALF 
Published: October 2009

SUMMARYA review of type III effectors (T3 effectors) from strains of Xanthomonas reveals a growing list of candidate and known effectors based on functional assays and sequence and structural similarity searches of genomic data. We propose that the effectors and suspected effectors should be distributed into 39 so‐called Xop groups reflecting sequence similarity. Some groups have structural motifs for putative enzymatic functions, and recent studies have provided considerable insight into the interaction with host factors in their function as mediators of virulence and elicitors of resistance for a few specific T3 effectors. Many groups are related to T3 effectors of plant and animal pathogenic bacteria, and several groups appear to have been exploited primarily by Xanthomonas species based on available data. At the same time, a relatively large number of candidate effectors remain to be examined in more detail with regard to their function within host cells.
Pilot study: the use of sulfasalazine for the treatment of acute pouchitis
Authors: BELLUZZI A. , SERRANI M. , RODA G. , BIANCHI M. L. , CASTELLANI L. , GRAZIA M. , ROSATI G. , UGOLINI G. , RODA E. 
Published: October 2009

SummaryBackground  Acute pouchitis, an idiopathic inflammatory condition of the ileal pouch anal anastomosis, is the most frequent complication after proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.Aim  To test the hypothesis that sulfasalazine (SASP) might have a synergistic beneficial effect in acute pouchitis, by combining the anti‐inflammatory activity of 5‐aminosalicylic Acid and the bacteriostatic effect of sulphapyridine.Methods  Twenty two patients were investigated for acute pouchitis; the Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (PDAI) was calculated and 11 patients with acute pouchitis (PDAI >7) were included in an open study, after obtaining their informed consent. Patients were treated with SASP 500 mg tablets, two tablets three times per day (3000 mg daily), for 2 months. Pouch endoscopy with biopsies was performed at the entry and at the end of the study.Results  According to the PDAI score, 8/11 patients (73%) improved their clinical condition and 7/11 (63%) were in remission at the end of the treatment. At 8 weeks, the median PDAI index decreased from 11.2 ± 2.3 to 6.6 ± 4.7 P < 0.01. No adverse events or toxicity were reported and all patients completed the study.Conclusions  Despite the limitations of the current study, sulfasalazine seems to be a potential treatment for acute pouchitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 31, 228–232
Expression of tight-junction proteins in the inflamed and clinically uninvolved skin in patients with venous leg ulcers
Authors: Zorko M. S. , Veranič P. , Leskovec N. K. , Pavlović M. D. 
Published: October 2009

SummarySkin around venous leg ulcers (VLUs) is often inflamed and prone to contact sensitization. Expression of tight-junction components (ZO-1, occludin, and claudins 1 and 4) was studied by immunofluorescence in inflamed and noninflamed lower leg skin (both uncovered skin and skin occluded under hydrocolloid dressings) in patients with VLUs. No major differences were found in the expression of occludin and claudin-4. ZO-1 protein had stronger and more wide-ranging expression in the inflamed epidermis. Expression of claudin-1 was lost from the basal layer of the inflamed skin and skin under the hydrocolloid dressing. The skin on the lower legs affected by VLU may have altered expression of ZO-1 and claudin-1, similar to that seen in psoriatic plaques.
The European carbon balance. Part 1: fossil fuel emissions
Authors: CIAIS P. , PARIS J. D. , MARLAND G. , PEYLIN P. , PIAO S. L. , LEVIN I. , PREGGER T. , SCHOLZ Y. , FRIEDRICH R. , RIVIER L. , HOUWELLING S. , SCHULZE E. D. ,   members of the CARBOEUROPE SYNTHESIS TEAM (1)
Published: October 2009

AbstractWe analyzed the magnitude, the trends and the uncertainties of fossil‐fuel CO2 emissions in the European Union 25 member states (hereafter EU‐25), based on emission inventories from energy‐use statistics. The stability of emissions during the past decade at EU‐25 scale masks decreasing trends in some regions, offset by increasing trends elsewhere. In the recent 4 years, the new Eastern EU‐25 member states have experienced an increase in emissions, reversing after a decade‐long decreasing trend. Mediterranean and Nordic countries have also experienced a strong acceleration in emissions. In Germany, France and United Kingdom, the stability of emissions is due to the decrease in the industry sector, offset by an increase in the transportation sector. When four different inventories models are compared, we show that the between‐models uncertainty is as large as 19% of the mean for EU‐25, and even bigger for individual countries. Accurate accounting for fossil CO2 emissions depends on a clear understanding of system boundaries, i.e. emitting activities included in the accounting. We found that the largest source of errors between inventories is the use of distinct systems boundaries (e.g. counting or not bunker fuels, cement manufacturing, nonenergy products). Once these inconsistencies are corrected, the between‐models uncertainty can be reduced down to 7% at EU‐25 scale. The uncertainty of emissions at smaller spatial scales than the country scale was analyzed by comparing two emission maps based upon distinct economic and demographic activities. A number of spatial and temporal biases have been found among the two maps, indicating a significant increase in uncertainties when increasing the resolution at scales finer than ≈200 km. At 100 km resolution, for example, the uncertainty of regional emissions is estimated to be 60 g C m−2 yr−1, up to 50% of the mean. The uncertainty on regional fossil‐fuel CO2 fluxes to the atmosphere could be reduced by making accurate 14C measurements in atmospheric CO2, and by combining them with transport models.
Evidence for an intrinsic energetic ceiling in free‐ranging kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla
Authors: Welcker Jorg , Moe Børge , Bech Claus , Fyhn Marianne , Schultner Jannik , Speakman John R. , Gabrielsen Geir W. 
Published: October 2009

Summary 1. The rate at which free‐living animals can expend energy is limited but the causes of this limitation are not well understood. Theoretically, energy expenditure may be intrinsically limited by physiological properties of the animal constraining its capacity to process energy. Alternatively, the limitation could be set extrinsically by the amount of energy available in the environment or by a fitness trade‐off in terms of reduced future survival associated with elevated metabolism. 2. We measured daily energy expenditure (DEE) using the doubly labelled water method in chick‐rearing black‐legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) at a study site close to the northern limit of their breeding range over 5 years. We measured breeding success, foraging trip duration and diet composition as proxies of resource availability during these years and estimated the probability of parent kittiwakes to return to the colony in relation to their energy expenditure in order to determine whether kittiwakes adjust their DEE in response to variation in prey availability and whether elevated DEE is associated with a decrease in adult survival. 3. We found that DEE was strikingly similar across all five study years. There was no evidence that energy expenditure was limited by resource availability that varied considerably among study years. Furthermore, there was no evidence of a negative effect of DEE on adult return rate, which does not support the hypothesis of a survival cost connected to elevated energy expenditure. 4. The additional lack of variation in DEE with respect to ambient temperature, brood size or between sexes suggests that kittiwakes at a time of peak energy demands may operate close to an intrinsic metabolic ceiling independent of extrinsic factors.
Catchment‐scale effects of forestry practices on benthic invertebrate communities in Pacific coastal streams
Authors: Zhang Yixin , Richardson John S. , Pinto Xavier 
Published: October 2009

Summary1. Catchment‐scale effects of forestry practices alter stream physical structures and influence composition and abundance of benthic communities. Looking beyond the reach‐scale effects to disturbance impacts that come from upstream catchments is rare. Understanding of effects of large‐scale catchment disturbances on downstream habitats is crucial to better manage the impacts or mitigate the effects of forest management.2. By comparing catchments with different forestry histories, we examined the impacts of past forestry practices on stream habitats and benthic invertebrate diversity in six reference streams in mature forests and five previously logged streams in young‐growth forests in the Chilliwack River basin, Canada. Principal components analysis separated the reference streams and the previously logged streams by their physical characteristics. Streams in mature forests had coarser substrates than in young‐growth forests.3. Using partial least squares projection to latent structures (PLS) modelling, we assessed the relationship between multiple environmental variables and benthic communities. Predictive PLS models were developed based on environmental variables and community response variables at reference streams. The observed taxon richness and relative abundance of total benthos, scrapers and predators at previously logged sites were significantly lower than the model predicted. The biomasses of total benthos and shredders at previously logged sites were significantly lower than those at reference sites.4. Synthesis and applications.This study demonstrates that a legacy of measurable logging impacts on habitats and invertebrate community metrics can be detected up to 40 years after logging on these streams and at a catchment‐scale. This predictive model approach combined with intensive field observations has potential for assessing the catchment‐scale effects of forestry on stream ecosystems. This method also can be used to estimate the time to recovery from harvesting and to assist the evaluation of improving management decisions to reduce the negative impacts of forest harvesting on stream ecosystems.
Characterization of CD25‐Positive T Cells During Syngeneic Pregnancy: Production of Stimulatory Class II MHC Molecules
Authors: Kyvelidou C. , Chatzi K. , Semitekolou M. , Papathanassiou X. , Vassiliadis S. , Athanassakis I. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractVarious studies demonstrate that immunosuppression vis‐à‐vis paternal alloantigens may play a role for successful pregnancy. However, if this theory is true, the question that remains unanswered is how do syngeneic pregnancies manage to produce viable embryos. In allogeneic murine pregnancies immunosuppression is mediated by regulatory CD25+/Foxp3/CTLA‐4 T cells. In order to evaluate whether these cells also play a role in syngeneic pregnancies, CD25+CD4+ and CD25+CD8+ were isolated from spleens of pregnant mice and examined as to the expression of specific suppressive and stimulatory markers, cytokine and soluble MHC class II antigen production. Interestingly, the CD25+ cells and their products displayed an MHC‐restricted stimulatory activity on total spleen cell proliferation assays. Although the CD25+CD4+ and CD25+CD8+ cells expressed Foxp3, they lacked CTLA‐4, while expressing CD28. Non‐specific proliferative effect was shown to be mediated by IL‐3 and IL‐4. The MHC‐restricted proliferative effect; however, could be attributed to IAd molecules, which were detected in all culture supernatants of the T cell subpopulations tested and their elimination ablated the observed stimulatory activity. The detection of Ea, Eb1, Eb2 in addition to the Aa and Ab transcripts in these cells indicated the possible involvement of other class II gene combinations in this type of regulation. The results indicate that in the absence of paternal MHC alloantigens, maternal CD25+ cells are involved in the development of immunostimulation to ensure foetal survival.
Susceptibility of Abies pinsapo and its tree cohort species to Heterobasidion abietinum
Authors: De Vita P. , Serrano M. S. , Luchi N. , Capretti P. , Trapero A. , Sánchez M. E. 
Published: October 2009

Summary Abies pinsapo, a rare fir found in the southernmost mountain region of Spain, is severely affected by Heterobasidion abietinum. It was hypothesized that spread of the disease might be favoured by woody species growing in the same habitat. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, artificial inoculation tests were performed on other potential hosts forming the tree cohort species with A. pinsapo. Inoculation test on seedlings demonstrated that H. abietinum was able to colonize stems of Pinus halepensis, P. pinaster and Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia, but failed on Q. faginea. Both Pinus species were colonized to a similar extent as the natural host, but Q. ilex subsp. rotundifolia showed a significantly lower susceptibility than conifers. These results suggest that Pinus spp. growing in mixed stands with A. pinsapo might favour spread of H. abietinum. As a consequence, natural replacement of pure A. pinsapo stands by mixed forest Abies‐Quercus should be facilitated.