bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
p38 Mitogen–activated Protein Kinase Activation by Nerve Growth Factor in Primary Sensory Neurons Upregulates μ-Opioid Receptors to Enhance Opioid Responsiveness Toward Better Pain Control
Authors: Yamdeu Reine-Solange , Shaqura Mohammed , Mousa Shaaban A. , Schäfer Michael , Droese Jana 
Published: December 2010

Background
Sensory neuron opioid receptors are targets for spinal, epidural, and peripheral opioid application. Although local nerve growth factor (NGF) has been identified as a mediator of sensory neuron μ-opioid receptor (MOR) up-regulation, the signaling pathways involved have not been yet identified.

Methods
Wistar rats were treated with intraplantar vehicle, Freund's complete adjuvant, NGF, NGF plus intrathecal p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors, or NGF plus extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 MAPK inhibitors. After 4 days of treatment, paw pressure thresholds of an intraplantar full (fentanyl) or partial (buprenorphine) opioid agonist were determined by algesiometry. Tissue samples from rat dorsal root ganglia were subjected to radiolabeled ligand binding, Western blot analysis, and confocal immunofluorescence.

Results
Exogenous and endogenous NGF resulting from Freund's complete adjuvant inflammation produced significant potentiation and enhanced efficacy in fentanyl- and buprenorphine-induced dose-dependent antinociception, respectively. Furthermore, in the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia, NGF produced a significant increase in MOR binding sites, proteins, and immunoreactive neurons. In parallel, phosphorylated p38-MAPK protein, the number of phosphorylated p38-MAPK immunoreactive neurons expressing MOR in dorsal root ganglia, and the peripherally directed axonal transport of MOR significantly increased. Finally, NGF-induced effects occurring in dorsal root ganglia, on axonal transport, and on the potentiation or enhanced efficacy of opioid antinociception were abrogated by inhibition of p38, but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2, MAPK.

Conclusions
Local NGF through activation of the p38-MAPK pathway leads to adaptive changes in sensory neuron MOR toward enhanced susceptibility to local opioids. This effect may act as a counter-regulatory response to p38-MAPK-induced pain (e.g., inflammatory pain) to facilitate opioid-mediated antinociception.
Reactivation of Meristem Activity and Sprout Growth in Potato Tubers Require Both Cytokinin and Gibberellin
Authors: Hartmann Anja , Senning Melanie , Hedden Peter , Sonnewald Uwe , Sonnewald Sophia 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
Reactivation of dormant meristems is of central importance for plant fitness and survival. Due to their large meristem size, potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers serve as a model system to study the underlying molecular processes. The phytohormones cytokinins (CK) and gibberellins (GA) play important roles in releasing potato tuber dormancy and promoting sprouting, but their mode of action in these processes is still obscure. Here, we established an in vitro assay using excised tuber buds to study the dormancy-releasing capacity of GA and CK and show that application of gibberellic acid (GA3) is sufficient to induce sprouting. In contrast, treatment with 6-benzylaminopurine induced bud break but did not support further sprout growth unless GA3 was administered additionally. Transgenic potato plants expressing Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) GA 20-oxidase or GA 2-oxidase to modify endogenous GA levels showed the expected phenotypical changes as well as slight effects on tuber sprouting. The isopentenyltransferase (IPT) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the Arabidopsis cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase1 (CKX) were exploited to modify the amounts of CK in transgenic potato plants. IPT expression promoted earlier sprouting in vitro. Strikingly, CKX-expressing tubers exhibited a prolonged dormancy period and did not respond to GA3. This supports an essential role of CK in terminating tuber dormancy and indicates that GA is not sufficient to break dormancy in the absence of CK. GA3-treated wild-type and CKX-expressing tuber buds were subjected to a transcriptome analysis that revealed transcriptional changes in several functional groups, including cell wall metabolism, cell cycle, and auxin and ethylene signaling, denoting events associated with the reactivation of dormant meristems.
TheArabidopsisGTL1 Transcription Factor Regulates Water Use Efficiency and Drought Tolerance by Modulating Stomatal Density via Transrepression ofSDD1
Authors: Yoo Chan Yul , Pence Heather E. , Jin Jing Bo , Miura Kenji , Gosney Michael J. , Hasegawa Paul M. , Mickelbart Michael V. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractA goal of modern agriculture is to improve plant drought tolerance and production per amount of water used, referred to as water use efficiency (WUE). Although stomatal density has been linked to WUE, the causal molecular mechanisms have yet to be determined. Arabidopsis thaliana GT-2 LIKE 1 (GTL1) loss-of-function mutations result in increased water deficit tolerance and higher integrated WUE by reducing daytime transpiration without a demonstrable reduction in biomass accumulation. gtl1 plants had higher instantaneous WUE that was attributable to ~25% lower transpiration and stomatal conductance but equivalent CO2 assimilation. Lower transpiration was associated with higher STOMATAL DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION1 (SDD1) expression and an ~25% reduction in abaxial stomatal density. GTL1 expression occurred in abaxial epidermal cells where the protein was localized to the nucleus, and its expression was downregulated by water stress. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis indicated that GTL1 interacts with a region of the SDD1 promoter that contains a GT3 box. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay was used to determine that the GT3 box is necessary for the interaction between GTL1 and the SDD1 promoter. These results establish that GTL1 negatively regulates WUE by modulating stomatal density via transrepression of SDD1.
Modelling and optimisation study on the fabrication of nano‐structures using imprint forming process
Authors: Stoyanov Stoyan , Tilford Tim , Amalou Farid , Cargill Scott , Bailey Chris , Desmulliez Marc 
Published: December 2010

PurposeNano‐imprint forming (NIF) is a manufacturing technology capable of achieving high resolution, low‐cost and high‐throughput fabrication of fine nano‐scale structures and patterns. The purpose of this paper is to use modelling technologies to simulate key process steps associated with the formation of patterns with sub‐micrometer dimensions and use the results to define design rules for optimal imprint forming process.Design/methodology/approachThe effect of a number of process and pattern‐related parameters on the quality of the fabricated nano‐structures is studied using non‐linear finite element analysis. The deformation process of the formable material during the mould pressing step is modelled using contact analysis with large deformations and temperature dependent hyperelastic material behaviour. Finite element analysis with contact interfaces between the mould and the formable material is utilised to study the formation of mechanical, thermal and friction stresses in the pattern.FindingsThe imprint pressure, temperature and the aspect ratio of grooves which define the pattern have significant effect on the quality of the formed structures. The optimal imprint pressure for the studied PMMA is identified. It is found that the degree of the mould pattern fulfilment as function of the imprint pressure is non‐linear. Critical values for thermal mismatch difference in the CTE between the mould and the substrate causing thermally induced stresses during cooling stage are evaluated. Regions of high stresses in the pattern are also identified.Originality/valueDesign rules for minimising the risk of defects such as cracks and shape imperfections commonly observed in NIF‐fabricated nano‐structures are presented. The modelling approach can be used to provide insights into the optimal imprint process control. This can help to establish further the technology as a viable route for fabrication of nano‐scale structures and patterns.
Manufacturing practices and performance
Authors: Islam Mazharul , Karim Azharul 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThis exploratory study aims to investigate relationships of current manufacturing practices and their performance with the size of the manufacturing organizations. The study also seeks to identify the practices that significantly influence their manufacturing performance.Design/methodology/approachRelationships of current manufacturing practices and their performance are investigated using established scales including competitive advantage, quality and reliability practices, advanced quality practices, supplier relationship, field data and information exchange, product data management, manufacturing performance. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and regression model were used in order to fulfil the objectives of the study. The survey was administered to top managers across the manufacturing industry.FindingsThe results of the study indicate that there are significant differences in the strategic approach of small and medium (SMI) and large industries (LI). In terms of manufacturing performances, SMIs are marginally ahead of large industries (LIs). SMIs consider product quality and reliability as a basic competitive advantage, while LIs consider company reputation as the import competitive dimension.Research limitations/implicationsPossibility of method variance or response biases are limitations of this study, as all data are drawn from employee surveys, and there is some selection bias, as it was not possible to directly compare respondents with non‐respondents.Originality/valueThis study makes a significant contribution to the manufacturing practices and performance literature by providing further statistically significant evidence of the relationships of current practices and performance across the size of industries.
Moving from product‐based to service‐based business strategies
Authors: Godlevskaja Olga , van Iwaarden Jos , van der Wiele Ton 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to propose a framework that can be used for analysing services in the automotive industry.Design/methodology/approachExisting categorisation schemes for services are investigated and evaluated in terms of their applicability to services in the automotive industry.FindingsServices categorisation schemes are grouped under eight service paradigms, expressing the understanding that various authors had about services in different times and contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThe remarks are limited to the automotive industry.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests services classification schemes, which can be effectively applied to automotive services in order to generate valuable managerial insights.Originality/valueThis paper provides an overview over multiple services categorisation schemes existing in the literature.
Prioritization of maintenance tasks on industrial equipment for reliability
Authors: Vijay Kumar Edwin , Chaturvedi S.K. 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to prioritize preventive maintenance actions on process equipment by evaluating the risk associated with failure modes using predictive maintenance data instead of maintenance history alone.Design/methodology/approachIn process plants, maintenance task identification is based on the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). To eliminate or mitigate risk caused by failure modes, maintenance tasks need to be prioritized. Risk priority number (RPN) can be used to rank the risk. RPN is estimated invariably using maintenance history. However, maintenance history has deficiencies, like limited data, inconsistency etc. To overcome these deficiencies, the proposed approach uses the predictive maintenance data clubbed with expert domain knowledge. Unlike the traditional single step approach, RPN is estimated in two steps, i.e. Step 1 estimates the “Possibility of failure mode detection” and Step 2 estimates RPN using output of step 1. Fuzzy sets and approximate reasoning are used to handle the uncertainty/imprecision in data and subjectivity/vagueness of expert domain knowledge. Fuzzy inference system is developed using MATLAB® 6.5.FindingsThe proposed approach is applied to a large gearbox in an integrated steel plant. The gearbox is covered under a predictive maintenance program. RPN for each of the failure modes is estimated with the proposed approach and compared with the maintenance task schedule. The illustrative case study results show that the proposed approach helps in detection of failure modes more scientifically and prevents “Over maintenance” to ensure reliability.Originality/valueThis approach gives an opportunity to integrate the predictive maintenance data and subjective/qualitative domain expertise to evaluate the possibility of failure mode detection (POD) quantitatively, which is otherwise purely estimated using subjective judgments. The approach is generic and can be applied to a variety of process equipment to ensure reliability through prioritized maintenance scheduling.
Sustainability: the missing ingredient in strategy
Authors: Bonn Ingrid , Fisher Josie 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThis paper explores ways in which different dimensions of sustainability can be addressed at the strategic level within organizations.Design/methodology/approachBuilding upon previous research, the authors provide a conceptual overview before developing a framework that outlines how sustainability can be addressed during the strategic decision‐making process and as part of the organization's corporate, business and functional level strategies.FindingsResearch has demonstrated that many managers do not understand how to make their organizations more sustainable, even though they recognize the benefits of doing so. The framework developed in this paper suggests a way for managers to integrate sustainability into strategy. It focuses on the strategic decision‐making process, including the cognitive characteristics of strategic decision‐makers and the strategy content at the corporate, business and functional levels. The authors also address the role of organizational culture and vision in supporting sustainable strategies. The framework is illustrated by case examples of BHP Billiton, Loving Earth, the Australian Wine Industry, and Migros.Practical implicationsThe framework can be used by managers and scholars to assess the degree to which organizations have strategically addressed sustainability and to identify opportunities for further improvements.Originality/valueThe value of this paper lies in the treatment of sustainability as a strategic, as opposed to an operational, issue. By adopting a strategic approach to sustainability, organizations are more likely to include economic, environmental and social considerations in all aspects of business on an ongoing basis.
Succeeding in the French market: recommendations for small businesses
Authors: Kontinen Tanja 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this research is make managerial recommendations for firms operating or planning to operate in the French market.Design/methodology/approachThis study reports findings from an in‐depth case study covering eight Finnish SMEs operating in the French market. To facilitate the understanding of the recommendations, the findings are discussed through typical features of the French culture.FindingsThe findings report the best practices of eight Finnish SMEs operating in France.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the case study method made it possible to acquire detailed knowledge about the firms' internationalization, the findings can be generalized only to some extent.Practical implicationsManagers of family and other types of SMEs will find several practical tools to facilitate their business in the French market.Originality/valuePrior research has focused on managerial practices in France to a limited extent as compared to other countries.
Media analysis: what is it worth?
Authors: Dowling Grahame , Weeks Warren 
Published: December 2010

PurposeNow more than ever, businesses need to understand what the media is saying about them. The authors describe three types of media analysis: salience and sentiment analysis; theme and contradiction analysis; and problem and solution analysis, the first two of which are routinely commissioned by many companies. Using four case studies the authors describe how problem and solution analysis can be used to save costs and increase revenues.Design/methodology/approachFour case studies are used to illustrate the financial value that problem and solution media analysis can play in understanding and solving a range of business problems.FindingsThe authors show how the analysis of media commentary helped a public company to identify its most influential investment commentators; helped an appliance manufacturer to change its sales force compensation scheme; helped a financial services company to position its IPO; and helped an internet‐based share trading company to understand some conflicting research results. The financial value of these outcomes often far exceeded the price paid.Originality/valueThe authors compare and contrast three styles of media analytics. The review suggests that the problem and solution analysis technique is novel and financially valuable in situations where media coverage creates problems.
Self‐perceived social stratification in low‐income transitional countries
Authors: Habibov Nazim N. 
Published: December 2010

PurposeAgainst a background of rising inequalities in transitional countries, the purpose of this study is to focus on the analysis of the self‐perceived social stratification in the low‐income countries of the South Caucasus.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the recent multi‐country comparative survey conducted in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, this study examines the factors explaining self‐perceived stratification in the region. Ordered logit regression model is fitted to assess the determinants of the stratification.FindingsOne of the most important findings of this paper is that the majority of the people in the examined region consider themselves as middle class, although a considerable share of the general population are actually at the lowest level of society. Self‐perceived social stratification in the countries of this region can largely be explained by a set of factors within the direct social policy domain.Practical implicationsActive promotion of job intensive economic growth, supporting small businesses, improving effectiveness of social protection policies, affordability of healthcare and education, and active integration of migrants and investment in public infrastructure should also be priorities.Social implicationsAddressing the identified policy priorities will permit counterbalancing stratification, supporting the middle class and reducing the poverty in the countries of the region.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first studies on the self‐perceived social stratification in the region of the low‐income countries of the South Caucasus.
State credit and reconstruction: the first New Zealand Labour Government
Authors: Raymond Bolton Kerry 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to show that there are workable alternatives to the debt‐finance system in the form of “state credit.”Design/methodology/approachThe example used for the practical application of “state credit” is the State Housing programme of the 1935 New Zealand Labour Government. The primary sources are mainly the pamphlets of John A. Lee, responsible for the State Housing and Labour finance policies.FindingsThe paper shows that “state credit” was used on a large‐scale for constructive purposes, which not only provided debt‐free funding for an enduring construction programme, but one that did so without accompanying inflation or other adverse consequences which are warned of by orthodox economists.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper focuses on a single example of the use of state credit, albeit an important and large‐scale one.Practical implicationsState credit was used in a major way during the 1930s to overcome unemployment while constructing something lasting and of enduring social benefit. It is a method that can be reapplied in the present time at a period where debt is reaching crisis point from entire nations down to families and individual consumers; with the most common remedy suggested relief being “austerity” and welfare cuts.Social implicationsState credit is a means of achieving large‐scale public works, while reducing unemployment, and reducing taxes, rates and prices which generally incorporate into costs the servicing of debts. The social implications are wide‐ranging.Originality/valueThe 1935 State Housing programme had endured as part of an iconic New Zealand social experiment, but one of which the method of funding is now virtually unknown.
Institutional convergence of Turkish Islam and European social democracy on the political economy of social question
Authors: Akan Taner 
Published: December 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to find out if there is any convergence between the Third Way in Europe and the Conservative Democracy in Turkey in their politico‐economic strategies for dealing with the social question with the thought that both the political identities have come into existence as a consequence of a similar initiative to reformulate their egalitarian cores according to the realpolitik of contemporary capitalism, and uncover the consequences of the so‐called strategies specifically in the realm of welfare and labour policies.Design/methodology/approachThis inquiry has been contextualised into the evolutionary cycles of the socialism → social democracy → the Third Way in Europe and the Just Order → Conservative Democracy in the Ottoman‐Turkish territory. Initially focusing on the first cycle, the paper then turns to examine the second cycle in a comparative and synchorised perspective with the first.FindingsIt is concluded that the Conservative Democracy and the Third way have an unmistakable convergence in terms not only of their evolution but also of their strategic policy options to deal with the social question. Their convergence originates in the initiative to find a middle ground between the contemporary capitalism and their egalitarian cores. Such a reconciliative attempt by the both models ends up in a stalemate that triggers recurring conciliative initiatives rather than yield to stable and sustainable policy options which enable their practitioners to deal with the social question in an efficient way.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper touches on the general points of convergence between the Conservative Democracy and the Third Way in the political economy of social question. The next step should, hence, be to further this argument by means of specifically dealing with the welfare and labour policies in separate in‐depth research.Originality/valueThis paper is the first in its inquiry as stated above in the purpose and its comparative methodology to deal with this inquiry.