bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biodiversity, productivity and the temporal stability of productivity: patterns and processes
Authors: Isbell Forest I. , Polley H. Wayne , Wilsey Brian J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractTheory predicts that the temporal stability of productivity, measured as the ratio of the mean to the standard deviation of community biomass, increases with species richness and evenness. We used experimental species mixtures of grassland plants to test this hypothesis and identified the mechanisms involved. Additionally, we tested whether biodiversity, productivity and temporal stability were similarly influenced by particular types of species interactions. We found that productivity was less variable among years in plots planted with more species. Temporal stability did not depend on whether the species were planted equally abundant (high evenness) or not (realistically low evenness). Greater richness increased temporal stability by increasing overyielding, asynchrony of species fluctuations and statistical averaging. Species interactions that favoured unproductive species increased both biodiversity and temporal stability. Species interactions that resulted in niche partitioning or facilitation increased both productivity and temporal stability. Thus, species interactions can promote biodiversity and ecosystem services.
External Imbalances and the US Current Account: How Supply‐Side Changes Affect an Exchange Rate Adjustment*
Authors: Engler Philipp , Fidora Michael , Thimann Christian 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe influential work of Obstfeld and Rogoff argues that a closing‐up of the US current account deficit involves a large exchange rate adjustment. However, the Obstfeld–Rogoff model works exclusively via demand‐side channels and abstracts from possible supply‐side changes. We extend the framework to allow for endogenous supply‐side changes and show that this fundamentally alters the mechanism of the adjustment process. Allowing for such an extension attenuates quite significantly the implied exchange rate adjustment. The paper also provides some empirical evidence of variations in the supply‐side structure and correlations with the exchange rate and the current account. The policy implications are that measures to foster a supply‐side reaction would facilitate the external adjustment by alleviating an exclusive reliance on demand and exchange rate changes, with the latter being potentially destabilizing for the global financial system.
Tariff Elimination and the Wage Gap in an Industrial Specific Factors Model*
Authors: Thompson Henry , Francis John 
Published: March 2009

AbstractA specific factors model of 458 US manufacturing industries simulates the effects of eliminating manufacturing tariffs on unskilled and skilled wages. The model assumes constant elasticity substitution, industry‐specific capital inputs, and mobile unskilled and skilled labor. Tariff elimination slightly lowers both unskilled and skilled wages, and increases the skilled wage gap. Industry outputs and capital returns absorb the negative impact of the falling tariffs with losses concentrated in more highly protected industries and most industries enjoying small positive outcomes.
Gains from Trade in a Differential Game Model of Asymmetric Oligopoly
Authors: Fujiwara Kenji 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis paper revisits a classical topic of trade gains in a differential game model of oligopoly in which Home and Foreign firms differ in the number and cost. After deriving the feedback Nash equilibrium, we provide examples to consider how the difference in the number of firms or costs affects gainfulness of trade. We prove that feedback strategies can result in implications for trade gains which are sharply different from the open‐loop case.
The significance of organizational factors for the incidence of bullying
Authors: AGERVOLD MOGENS 
Published: March 2009

It is frequently assumed that a poor psychosocial working environment will create conditions that encourage bullying. However, few studies have examined this assumption while comparing work environment ratings of bullied and non‐bullied employees who work in the same organization and/or department. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between organizational factors and the incidence of acts of bullying based on two different approaches: the first by comparing bullied with no‐bullied, the second by comparing departments with widespread bulling with departments with little bulling. The study was a part of a general survey study of the work environment and employee well‐being in 12 different local social security offices. A total of 898 persons participated in the study (a response rate of 88%).First, the results showed a clear relationship between bullying and fear of organizational change; secondly, weak, but significant, correlations between bullying and other organizational factors; thirdly, the subsequent analyses compared departments in which bullying were most widespread with the rest of the departments. The results supported the hypothesis that departments that suffer from much bullying also have a poorer psychosocial work environment, results that support the assumption that organizational factors such as changes in one's position, pressure of work, performance demands, autocratic management and role conflict and lack of role clarity, as well as a poor social climate can contribute to the emergence of higher incidences of bullying.
Welfare State, Gender, and Reconciliation of Work and Family in Poland: Policy Developments and Practice in a New EU Member
Authors: Plomien Ania 
Published: March 2009

Abstract In the context of welfare state change and European Union and national debates on activation, this article engages in a systematic analysis of the reconciliation of work and family policies in Poland, and their implications regarding the gendered division of labour. Examination of three areas of reconciliation, that is, childcare services, maternity and parental leaves, and parent‐friendly organization of work, reveals strong tensions between the unpaid labour of care and paid market labour. Reconciliation of work and family appears challenging for mothers and fathers alike, but the nature of the problem differs – women face greater obstacles to paid employment and men to involvement in family and care. Assessed against EU prescriptions in this area, Poland's performance is mixed. Based on policy developments and practice, Poland is far from achieving Barcelona targets for the provision of childcare services, it complies with EU regulations on maternity and parental leave arrangements but also compares unfavourably with the member states which provide special arrangements for fathers, and, finally, lags behind employment goals and parent‐friendly organization of work. Although participation in the Lisbon Strategy has proved important for raising the visibility of the reconciliation of work and family policies on the national political agenda, recent policy reforms have been either inconsistent or too modest in light of EU policy goals. Therefore, it is too soon to argue that parents’ ability to reconcile work and care has improved or that greater equality in the gendered division of labour has been attained.
Neo‐liberalism by Decay? The Evolution of the Czech Welfare State
Authors: Saxonberg Steven , Sirovátka Tomáš 
Published: March 2009

Abstract In this article we analyse the evolution of the Czech welfare state and we examine the factors explaining its path. We show that although the Czech welfare regime exhibits a ‘mixed profile’ that includes conservative and universalist elements, it is increasingly moving in a more liberal, residualist direction – not because of conscious steps but rather through decay. Governments have often zig‐zagged in their policies and resorted to symbolic reforms at times rather than implementing ideologically based, consistent policies. We argue that historical and sociological institutionalism combined with a social‐capital approach can explain this decay better than the more common arguments about economic pressures combined with ideological hegemony or the protest‐avoidance strategy. In particular, the social capital approach adds to our institutional framework by explaining why cutbacks in welfare programmes have not met much opposition, even though public opinion surveys consistently show support for more generous welfare policies, and why policies have deviated so much from political rhetoric.
Modern Statistics: The Myth and the Magic
Authors: Hand David J. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe paper is a personal exploration of the puzzling contradiction between the fundamental excitement of statistics and its poor public image. It begins with the historical foundations and proceeds through the role of applications and the dramatic impact of the computer in shaping the discipline. The mismatch between the reality of statistics and its public perception arises from a number of dichotomies, some of which are explored. In particular, although statistics is perhaps typically seen as an impersonal discipline, in some sense it is very personal, and many of its applications are aimed at providing unique benefit to individuals. This benefit depends on the creation of detailed data sets describing individuals, but the contrary view is that this represents an invasion of privacy. Some observations on statistical education are made, and issues which will affect the future health of the discipline are examined.
Rapid constitutive and ligand‐activated endocytic trafficking of P2X3 receptor
Authors: Vacca Fabrizio , Giustizieri Michela , Ciotti Maria Teresa , Mercuri Nicola Biagio , Volonté Cinzia 
Published: March 2009

AbstractP2X receptors mediate a variety of physiological actions, including smooth muscle contraction, neuro‐endocrine secretion and synaptic transmission. Among P2X receptors, the P2X3 subtype is expressed in sensory neurons of dorsal root‐ and trigeminal‐ganglia, where it performs a well‐recognized role in sensory and pain transmission. Recent evidence indicates that the strength of P2X3‐mediated responses is modulated in vivo by altering the number of receptors at the plasma membrane. In the present study, we investigate the trafficking properties of P2X3 receptor in transfected HEK293 cells and in primary cultures of dorsal root ganglion neurons, finding that P2X3 receptor undergoes rapid constitutive and cholesterol‐dependent endocytosis. We also show that endocytosis is accompanied by preferential targeting of the receptor to late endosomes/lysosomes, with subsequent degradation. Furthermore, we observe that at steady state the receptor localizes predominantly in lamp1‐positive intracellular structures, with a minor fraction present at the plasma membrane. Finally, the level of functional receptor expressed on the cell surface is rapidly up‐regulated in response to agonist stimulation, which also augments receptor endocytosis. The findings presented in this work underscore a very dynamic trafficking behavior of P2X3 receptor and disclose a possible mechanism for the rapid modulation of ATP‐mediated responses potentially relevant during physiological and pathological conditions.
Activation of dopamine D1 receptors blocks phencyclidine‐induced neurotoxicity by enhancing N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor‐mediated synaptic strength
Authors: Lei Gang , Anastasio Noelle C. , Fu Yu , Neugebauer Volker , Johnson Kenneth M. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractEarly postnatal blockade of NMDA receptors by phencyclidine (PCP) causes cortical apoptosis in animals. This is associated with the development of schizophrenia‐like behaviors in rats later in life. Recent studies show that the mechanism involves a loss of neurotrophic support from the phosphoinositol‐3 kinase/Akt pathway, which is normally maintained by synaptic NMDA receptor activation. Here we report that activation of dopamine D1 receptors (D1R) with dihydrexidine (DHX) prevents PCP‐induced neurotoxicity in cortical neurons by enhancing the efficacy of NMDAergic synapses. DHX increases serine phosphorylation of the NR1 subunit through protein kinase A activation and tyrosine phosphorylation of the NR2B subunit via Src kinase. DHX enhances recruitment of NR1 and NR2B, but not NR2A, into synapses. DHX also facilitated the synaptic response in cortical slices and this was blocked by an NR2B antagonist. DHX pre‐treatment of rat pups prior to PCP on postnatal days 7, 9 and 11 inhibited PCP‐induced caspase‐3 activation on PN11 and deficits in pre‐pulse inhibition of acoustic startle measured on PN 26‐28. In summary, these data demonstrate that PCP‐induced deficits in NMDA receptor function, neurotoxicity and subsequent behavioral deficits may be prevented by D1R activation in the cortex and further, it is suggested that D1R activation may be beneficial in treating schizophrenia.
Slow release properties and liver‐targeting characteristics of methotrexate erythrocyte carriers
Authors: Yuan Sheng‐Hua , Ge Wei‐Hong , Huo Jing , Wang Xiao‐Hai 
Published: March 2009

AbstractTo study the releasing properties and tissue‐targeting characteristics of methotrexate‐loaded red blood cells (MTX‐RBCs), pharmacokinetics and tissue distributions of intravenous injected MTX‐RBCs and free MTX were compared. MTX‐RBCs were made from rat erythrocytes using a hypertonic method. After i.v. injection of MTX‐RBCs or free MTX to rats, both plasma and tissue homogenate samples at each time‐point were collected and analyzed by RP‐HPLC. From this data, pharmacokinetic parameters and tissue distributions of MTX were obtained. MTX‐RBCs were successfully produced by the hypertonic method. After i.v. injection, MTX‐RBCs displayed more than three times longer half‐life and MRT than free MTX, and the velocity of MTX clearance from plasma was much slower. The ratio of area under the concentration time curve (AUC)tissue to AUCplasma in the liver was clearly higher than that for other organs after MTX‐RBCs administration; MRT in the liver was also longer. This study has demonstrated that the hypertonic method for making MTX‐RBCs has led to a preparation with slow release properties as well as liver‐targeting characteristics in rats. This approach offers considerable potential for the treatment of tumors in liver, which would merit further investigation.
Congenital DNA repair deficiency results in protection against renal ischemia reperfusion injury in mice
Authors: Susa Denis , Mitchell James R. , Verweij Marielle , Van De Ven Marieke , Roest Henk , Van Den Engel Sandra , Bajema Ingeborg , Mangundap Kirsten , IJzermans Jan N. M. , Hoeijmakers Jan H. J. , De Bruin Ron W. F. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryCockayne syndrome and other segmental progerias with inborn defects in DNA repair mechanisms are thought to be due in part to hypersensitivity to endogenous oxidative DNA damage. The accelerated aging‐like symptoms of this disorder include dysmyelination within the central nervous system, progressive sensineuronal hearing loss and retinal degeneration. We tested the effects of congenital nucleotide excision DNA repair deficiency on acute oxidative stress sensitivity in vivo. Surprisingly, we found mouse models of Cockayne syndrome less susceptible than wild type animals to surgically induced renal ischemia reperfusion injury, a multifactorial injury mediated in part by oxidative damage. Renal failure‐related mortality was significantly reduced in Csb−/– mice, kidney function was improved and proliferation was significantly higher in the regenerative phase following ischemic injury. Protection from ischemic damage correlated with improved baseline glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and a reduced inflammatory response following injury. Protection was further associated with genetic ablation of a different Cockayne syndrome‐associated gene, Csa. Our data provide the first functional in vivo evidence that congenital DNA repair deficiency can induce protection from acute stress in at least one organ. This suggests that while specific types of unrepaired endogenous DNA damage may lead to detrimental effects in certain tissues, they may at the same time elicit beneficial adaptive changes in others and thus contribute to the tissue specificity of disease symptoms.
Recent Studies of African History in Japan
Authors: Philips John Edward 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAfrican history in Japan is a tiny part of the total output of history in Japan. It is difficult to categorize within the traditional divisions of history in Japan, and it is somewhat of an orphan, although it has been recognized as a subfield. Sub‐Saharan Africa in precolonial times is considered the domain of anthropology, not history, despite the fact that Japanese archeology is considered history rather than anthropology. Most historical works concerning sub‐Saharan Africa in Japan are concerned with colonialism and/or economic history, although such recent trends as subaltern studies and gender studies have also had an impact. The traditional history of North Africa and Northern, Semitic Ethiopia is also considered history in Japan.
Fresh‐frozen, optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound‐embedded bone marrow aspirates: a reliable resource for morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular examinations
Authors: LIM J. , KIM Y. , LEE W. , KIM M. , LEE E. J. , KANG C. S. , HAN K. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe usefulness of fresh‐frozen, optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound‐embedded (FFOE) bone marrow (BM) aspirates was evaluated as a reliable resource for morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular examinations. One hundred BM aspirates were collected in polypropylene tubes and immediately frozen for 2 h in a deep freezer. Frozen BM was transferred to a cryomold filled with OCT compound and the prepared samples were stored in a deep freezer. Histological examination and immunohistochemical staining, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing and reverse transcription (RT)‐PCR were performed to evaluate the quality of the FFOE BM sections in 10% of randomly selected samples. FFOE BM sections revealed better morphologies than paraffin‐embedded clot sections in haematoxylin and eosin staining because mature erythrocytes were removed during the staining process in frozen BM sections. Immunohistochemical staining for CD34 revealed excellent staining quality and oil red O staining showed that fat vacuoles in cells were well preserved. The quality of genomic DNA in FFOE BM sections was suitable for obtaining about 2000 bp PCR product for the human leucocyte antigen‐A locus followed by direct sequencing of the sample, and the quality of total RNA was suitable for detection of BCR‐ABL fusion transcript. FFOE BM aspirates are a reliable resource for various laboratory tests of diagnostic and research arenas.
Characterization of microsatellite loci for the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: MAXWELL SHERI A. , RASIC GORDANA , KEYGHOBADI NUSHA 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe western cherry fruit fly (Rhagoletis indifferens) is a major pest of cherry crops in western North America, yet relatively little is known about its population structure or movement patterns due to the difficulty of studying these parameters directly in the field. We isolated and characterized a set of 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci specific to R. indifferens that display sufficient polymorphism to assess genetic structure and movement patterns. All 16 loci amplified in one or more other Rhagoletis species, indicating that they are useful tools for genetic analysis in other members of the genus, many of which are also agricultural pests.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the three‐toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) and cross‐amplification in other Terrapene species
Authors: BUCHMAN A. B. , DEATON R. , RANDLE C. P. , BRUMMEL T. , WILSON E. D. , LUTTERSCHMIDT W. I. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe isolated and characterized eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for a Texas population of three‐toed box turtle, Terrapene carolina triunguis, using a refined hybridization capture procedure. All eight primer pairs amplified successfully at all loci in seven Texas ornate box turtles (T. ornata ornata). Due to the decline and conservation concerns of North American box turtles, these isolated microsatellites may be a most valuable tool for evaluating baseline population genetic structure for threatened box turtle populations.
Novel microsatellite DNA loci for Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: STOLLE ECKART , ROHDE MANDY , VAUTRIN DOMINIQUE , SOLIGNAC MICHEL , SCHMID‐HEMPEL PAUL , SCHMID‐HEMPEL REGULA , MORITZ ROBIN F. A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe present details and characteristics of 123 novel polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci for Bombus terrestris. Thirty‐four of these loci have been tested in nine other Bombus species and 25 of them showed polymorphisms in at least one species. These microsatellite DNA loci together with the already established 60 loci will be useful for characterizing wild and managed populations of B. terrestris and other Bombus species as well as for detailed genetic studies in including mapping studies and genome annotations.
Genetic Identification of the Bacteriocins Produced by
Enterococcus faecium
IT62 and Evidence that Bacteriocin 32 Is Identical to Enterocin IT
Authors: Izquierdo Esther , Cai Yimin , Marchioni Eric , Ennahar Saïd 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT

Enterococcus faecium
IT62, a strain isolated from ryegrass in Japan, produces three bacteriocins (enterocins L50A, L50B, and IT) that have been previously purified and the primary structures of which have been determined by amino acid sequencing (E. Izquierdo, A. Bednarczyk, C. Schaeffer, Y. Cai, E. Marchioni, A. Van Dorsselaer, and S. Ennahar, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 52:1917-1923, 2008). Genetic analysis showed that the bacteriocins of
E. faecium
IT62 are plasmid encoded, but with the structural genes specifying enterocin L50A and enterocin L50B being carried by a plasmid (pTAB1) that is separate from the one (pTIT1) carrying the structural gene of enterocin IT. Sequencing analysis of a 1,475-bp region from pTAB1 identified two consecutive open reading frames corresponding, with the exception of 2 bp, to the genes
entL50A
and
entL50B
, encoding EntL50A and EntL50B, respectively. Both bacteriocins are synthesized without N-terminal leader sequences. Genetic analysis of a sequenced 1,380-bp pTIT1 fragment showed that the genes
entIT
and
entIM
, encoding enterocin IT and its immunity protein, respectively, were both found in
E. faecium
VRE200 for bacteriocin 32. Enterocin IT, a 6,390-Da peptide made up of 54 amino acids, has been previously shown to be identical to the C-terminal part of bacteriocin 32, a 7,998-Da bacteriocin produced by
E. faecium
VRE200 whose structure was deduced from its structural gene (T. Inoue, H. Tomita, and Y. Ike, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 50:1202-1212, 2006). By combining the biochemical and genetic data on enterocin IT, it was concluded that bacteriocin 32 is in fact identical to enterocin IT, both being encoded by the same plasmid-borne gene, and that the N-terminal leader peptide for this bacteriocin is 35 amino acids long and not 19 amino acids long as previously reported.