bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A simple method to estimate insect mortality from field census data: A modification of the Kiritani‐Nakasuji‐Manly method
Authors: Yamamura Kohji 
Published: December 2007

AbstractVarious methods have been proposed to estimate demographic parameters such as mortality from field census data. Simple methods proposed earlier are applicable only for limited situations. For example, the Kiritani‐Nakasuji‐Manly method is applicable only if individuals are observable until their death. Improved methods proposed later are not subject to such limitations, but are not so widely used in the field of applied entomology, probably because of the complexity of the calculations involved. In this paper, I propose an intermediate method that requires only a pocket calculator, considering the practical convenience for field scientists. This method, which is a modification of the Kiritani‐Nakasuji‐Manly method, gives an estimate of the number of individuals entering a stage from the frequency of two stages when the stage duration is known.
Leisure boredom and high school dropout in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Wegner Lisa , Flisher Alan J. , Chikobvu Perpetual , Lombard Carl , King Gary 
Published: December 2007

AbstractThis prospective cohort study investigated whether leisure boredom predicts high school dropout. Leisure boredom is the perception that leisure experiences do not satisfy the need for optimal arousal. Participants completed a self‐report questionnaire which included the Leisure Boredom Scale. The original cohort of grade 8 students (n=303) was followed up twice at 2‐yearly intervals. Of the 281 students at the second follow‐up, 149 (53.0%) students had dropped out of school. The effect of leisure boredom on dropout was investigated using logistic regression taking into account the clustering effect of the schools in the sampling strategy, and adjusting for age, gender and racially classified social group. Leisure boredom was a significant predictor of dropout (OR=1.08; 95% CI: 1.01–1.15) in students 14 years and older, but not so in younger students (OR=1.0; 95% CI: 0.95–1.05). The study has shown that measuring leisure boredom in grade 8 students can help identify students who are more likely to dropout of school. Further research is needed to investigate the longitudinal association between leisure boredom and school dropout.
The effect of electroacupuncture on opioid‐like medication consumption by chronic pain patients: A pilot randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Zheng Zhen , Guo Runxiang J. , Helme Robert D. , Muir Andrew , Da Costa Cliff , Xue Charlie C.L. 
Published: December 2007

AbstractOpioid‐like medications (OLM) are commonly used by patients with various types of chronic pain, but their long‐term benefit is questionable. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been previously shown beneficial in reducing post‐operative acute OLM consumption. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, the effect of EA on OLM usage and associated side effects in chronic pain patients was evaluated. After a two‐week baseline assessment, participants using OLM for their non‐malignant chronic pain were randomly assigned to receive either real EA (REA, n=17) or sham EA (SEA, n=18) treatment twice weekly for 6 weeks before entering a 12‐week follow‐up. Pain, OLM consumption and their side effects were recorded daily. Participants also completed the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), SF‐36 and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at baseline, and at the 5th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th week. Nine participants withdrew during the treatment period with another three during the follow‐up period. Intention to treat analysis was applied. At the end of treatment period, reductions of OLM consumption in REA and SEA were 39% and 25%, respectively (p=0.056), but this effect did not last more than 8 weeks after treatment. There was no difference between the two groups with respect to reduction of side effects and pain and the improvement of depression and quality of life. In conclusion, REA demonstrates promising short‐term reduction of OLM for participants with chronic non‐malignant pain, but such effect needs to be confirmed by trials with adequate sample sizes.
Millimetre wave therapy for pain relief after total knee arthroplasty: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Usichenko Taras I. , Edinger Hardy , Witstruck Torsten , Pavlovic Dragan , Zach Maria , Lange Joern , Gizhko Vasyl , Wendt Michael , Koch Bernhard , Lehmann Christian 
Published: December 2007

AbstractMillimetre wave therapy (MWT) is a promising complementary method for pain relief, however rigorous investigations of its effectiveness are needed. The purpose of this study was to examine if MWT can reduce opioid requirement compared to sham procedure applied for relief of acute pain in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Eighty patients undergoing TKA were randomly assigned to receive MWT or sham procedure. Patients and evaluators were blinded to the group allocation. MWT consisted of six sessions, each session of 30min duration. During each session the knee wound was exposed to electromagnetic waves with frequency 50–75GHz and power density 4.2mW/cm2. Postoperative analgesia with piritramide, a weak opioid with 0.7 potency of morphine delivered via patient‐controlled analgesia pump, was directed to achieve pain intensity of less than 40 on a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary outcome measure was postoperative piritramide requirement for three days after surgery. Secondary outcome measures were: total ibuprofen requirement from the fourth postoperative day to discharge; success of patients’ blinding; patients’ satisfaction with pain relief; incidence of analgesia‐related side effects; heart rate and blood pressure. Piritramide requirement was similar in both groups whereby all patients reported adequate pain relief measured on a VAS. Secondary outcome measures were also comparable in both groups. The majority of patients in both groups believed they had received true MWT and wanted to repeat it in future. Millimetre waves applied to surfaces of surgical wounds did not reduce opioid requirement compared to the sham procedure after TKA.
‘Munchausen's syndrome by proxy’ or a ‘miscarriage of justice’? An initial application of functional neuroimaging to the question of guilt versus innocence
Authors: Spence Sean A. , Kaylor-Hughes Catherine J. , Brook Martin L. , Lankappa Sudheer T. , Wilkinson Iain D. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract‘Munchausen's syndrome by proxy’ characteristically describes women alleged to have fabricated or induced illnesses in children under their care, purportedly to attract attention. Where conclusive evidence exists the condition's aetiology remains speculative, where such evidence is lacking diagnosis hinges upon denial of wrong-doing (conduct also compatible with innocence). How might investigators obtain objective evidence of guilt or innocence? Here, we examine the case of a woman convicted of poisoning a child. She served a prison sentence but continues to profess her innocence. Using a modified fMRI protocol (previously published in 2001) we scanned the subject while she affirmed her account of events and that of her accusers. We hypothesized that she would exhibit longer response times in association with greater activation of ventrolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices when endorsing those statements she believed to be false (i.e., when she ‘lied’). The subject was scanned 4 times at 3 Tesla. Results revealed significantly longer response times and relatively greater activation of ventrolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices when she endorsed her accusers' version of events. Hence, while we have not ‘proven’ that this subject is innocent, we demonstrate that her behavioural and functional anatomical parameters behave as if she were.
ISO 9000 practices and financial performance: A technology coherence perspective
Authors: Benner Mary J. , Veloso Francisco M. 
Published: December 2007

AbstractAttention to processes has increased, as thousands of organizations have adopted process‐focused programs such as TQM and ISO 9000. Proponents of such programs stress the promise of improved efficiency and profitability. But research has not consistently borne out these prospects. Moreover, the expectation of universal benefits is not consistent with research highlighting the important role of firm‐specific capabilities in sustaining competitive advantage. In this paper, we use longitudinal panel data on ISO 9000 practices for firms in the auto supplier industry to study two new issues related to the adoption of process management practices. First, we find that, as the majority of firms within an industry adopt ISO 9000, late adopters no longer gain financial benefits from these practices. Second, we explore how firms’ technological coherence moderates the performance advantages of ISO 9000 practices. We find that firms that have a very narrow or very broad technological focus have fewer opportunities for complementary interactions that arise from process management practices and thus benefit less than those with limited breadth in technologically related activities.
Project success and project team management: Evidence from capital projects in the process industries
Authors: Scott‐Young Christina , Samson Danny 
Published: December 2007

AbstractEfficient project execution is a key business objective in many domains and particularly so for capital projects in the process industries, but existing project management research gives little direction about how project team factors influence three important capital project outcomes: cost, schedule, and operability. After an extensive cross‐disciplinary review of the general team and project management literatures, we constructed and tested a theoretically based, five‐dimensional model of organizational context, project team design, project team leadership, project team processes, and project outcome factors. We examined the model by means of an empirical study of 56 newly completed capital projects executed by 15 Fortune 500 companies in the process industries. The results indicate the value of disaggregating project outcomes for research purposes. Different bundles of project team factors were found to drive project cost, schedule, and operability. Project team efficacy, cross‐functional project teams, autonomous project team structure, and virtual office usage were the strongest predictors of project cost effectiveness. Continuity of project leadership, cross‐functional project teams, and project manager incentives were the strongest predictors of project construction schedule. In contrast, clear project goals and an office design to facilitate effective communication were the main predictors of plant operability. Implications of these findings for researchers and project practitioners are discussed. One major practical implication of our findings is that project managers need to clearly focus and prioritize their goals for each project so they can adopt the appropriate bundles of project team practices that will facilitate their goal achievement.
Lysigenous Aerenchyma Formation in Arabidopsis Is Controlled by LESION SIMULATING DISEASE1
Authors: Mühlenbock Per , Plaszczyca Malgorzata , Plaszczyca Marian , Mellerowicz Ewa , Karpinski Stanislaw 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Aerenchyma tissues form gas-conducting tubes that provide roots with oxygen under hypoxic conditions. Although aerenchyma have received considerable attention in Zea mays, the signaling events and genes controlling aerenchyma induction remain elusive. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana hypocotyls form lysigenous aerenchyma in response to hypoxia and that this process involves H2O2 and ethylene signaling. By studying Arabidopsis mutants that are deregulated for excess light acclimation, cell death, and defense responses, we find that the formation of lysigenous aerenchyma depends on the plant defense regulators LESION SIMULATING DISEASE1 (LSD1), ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1), and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4) that operate upstream of ethylene and reactive oxygen species production. The obtained results indicate that programmed cell death of lysigenous aerenchyma in hypocotyls occurs in a similar but independent manner from the foliar programmed cell death. Thus, the induction of aerenchyma is subject to a genetic and tissue-specific program. The data lead us to conclude that the balanced activities of LSD1, EDS1, and PAD4 regulate lysigenous aerenchyma formation in response to hypoxia.
A Viroid RNA with a Specific Structural Motif Inhibits Chloroplast Development
Authors: Rodio Maria-Elena , Delgado Sonia , De Stradis Angelo , Gómez María-Dolores , Flores Ricardo , Di Serio Francesco 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) is a chloroplast-replicating RNA that propagates in its natural host, peach (Prunus persica), as a complex mixture of variants, some of which are endowed with specific structural and pathogenic properties. This is the case of variant PC-C40, with an insertion of 12 to 13 nucleotides that folds into a hairpin capped by a U-rich loop, which is responsible for an albino-variegated phenotype known as peach calico (PC). We have applied a combination of ultrastructural, biochemical, and molecular approaches to dissect the pathogenic effects of PC-C40. Albino sectors of leaves infected with variant PC-C40 presented palisade cells that did not completely differentiate into a columnar layer and altered plastids with irregular shape and size and with rudimentary thylakoids, resembling proplastids. Furthermore, impaired processing and accumulation of plastid rRNAs and, consequently, of the plastid translation machinery was observed in the albino sectors of leaves infected with variant PC-C40 but not in the adjacent green areas or in leaves infected by mosaic-inducing or latent variants (including PC-C40Δ, in which the 12- to 13-nucleotide insertion was deleted). Protein gel blot and RT-PCR analyses showed that the altered plastids support the import of nucleus-encoded proteins, including a chloroplast RNA polymerase, the transcripts of which were detected. RNA gel blot and in situ hybridizations revealed that PLMVd replicates in the albino leaf sectors and that it can invade the shoot apical meristem and induce alterations in proplastids, bypassing the RNA surveillance system that restricts the entry of a nucleus-replicating viroid and most RNA viruses. Therefore, a non-protein-coding RNA with a specific structural motif can interfere with an early step of the chloroplast developmental program, leading ultimately to an albino-variegated phenotype resembling that of certain variegated mutants in which plastid rRNA maturation is also impaired. Our results highlight the potential of viroids for further dissection of RNA trafficking and pathogenesis in plants.
The Central Cell Plays a Critical Role in Pollen Tube Guidance inArabidopsis
Authors: Chen Yan-Hong , Li Hong-Ju , Shi Dong-Qiao , Yuan Li , Liu Jie , Sreenivasan Rajini , Baskar Ramarmurthy , Grossniklaus Ueli , Yang Wei-Cai 
Published: December 2007

AbstractThe sperm cell of flowering plants cannot migrate unaided and must be transported by the pollen tube cell of the male gametophyte to achieve successful fertilization. Long-distance pollen tube guidance is controlled by the seven-celled female gametophyte, the embryo sac. Previous reports showed that the synergid cell of the embryo sac is essential for pollen tube guidance. Here, we report the identification of a central cell guidance (ccg) mutant, which is defective in micropylar pollen tube guidance. CCG encodes a nuclear protein with an N-terminal conserved zinc β-ribbon domain that is functionally interchangeable with that of TFIIB in yeast. This suggests that CCG might act as a transcription regulator for pollen tube guidance. CCG is expressed in the central cell of the female gametophyte. Expression of CCG in the central cell alone is sufficient to restore the normal pollen tube guidance phenotype, demonstrating that the central cell plays a critical role in pollen tube guidance.
BIN4, a Novel Component of the Plant DNA Topoisomerase VI Complex, Is Required for Endoreduplication in Arabidopsis
Authors: Breuer Christian , Stacey Nicola J. , West Christopher E. , Zhao Yunde , Chory Joanne , Tsukaya Hirokazu , Azumi Yoshitaka , Maxwell Anthony , Roberts Keith , Sugimoto-Shirasu Keiko 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
How plant organs grow to reach their final size is an important but largely unanswered question. Here, we describe an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, brassinosteroid-insensitive4 (bin4), in which the growth of various organs is dramatically reduced. Small organ size in bin4 is primarily caused by reduced cell expansion associated with defects in increasing ploidy by endoreduplication. Raising nuclear DNA content in bin4 by colchicine-induced polyploidization partially rescues the cell and organ size phenotype, indicating that BIN4 is directly and specifically required for endoreduplication rather than for subsequent cell expansion. BIN4 encodes a plant-specific, DNA binding protein that acts as a component of the plant DNA topoisomerase VI complex. Loss of BIN4 triggers an ATM- and ATR-dependent DNA damage response in postmitotic cells, and this response coincides with the upregulation of the cyclin B1;1 gene in the same cell types, suggesting a functional link between DNA damage response and endocycle control.
Photosystem II Assembly and Repair Are Differentially Localized inChlamydomonas
Authors: Uniacke James , Zerges William 
Published: December 2007

AbstractMany proteins of the photosynthesis complexes are encoded by the genome of the chloroplast and synthesized by bacterium-like ribosomes within this organelle. To determine where proteins are synthesized for the de novo assembly and repair of photosystem II (PSII) in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence staining, and confocal microscopy. These locations were defined as having colocalized chloroplast mRNAs encoding PSII subunits and proteins of the chloroplast translation machinery specifically under conditions of PSII subunit synthesis. The results revealed that the synthesis of the D1 subunit for the repair of photodamaged PSII complexes occurs in regions of the chloroplast with thylakoids, consistent with the current model. However, for de novo PSII assembly, PSII subunit synthesis was detected in discrete regions near the pyrenoid, termed T zones (for translation zones). In two PSII assembly mutants, unassembled D1 subunits and incompletely assembled PSII complexes localized around the pyrenoid, where we propose that they mark an intermediate compartment of PSII assembly. These results reveal a novel chloroplast compartment that houses de novo PSII biogenesis and the regulated transport of newly assembled PSII complexes to thylakoid membranes throughout the chloroplast.
Cell-Fate Switch of Synergid to Egg Cell inArabidopsis eostreMutant Embryo Sacs Arises from Misexpression of the BEL1-Like Homeodomain GeneBLH1
Authors: Pagnussat Gabriela Carolina , Yu Hee-Ju , Sundaresan Venkatesan 
Published: December 2007

AbstractIn Arabidopsis thaliana, the female gametophyte is a highly polarized structure consisting of four cell types: one egg cell and two synergids, one central cell, and three antipodal cells. In this report, we describe the characterization of a novel female gametophyte mutant, eostre, which affects establishment of cell fates in the mature embryo sac. The eostre phenotype is caused by misexpression of the homeodomain gene BEL1-like homeodomain 1 (BLH1) in the embryo sac. It is known that BELL-KNAT proteins function as heterodimers whose activities are regulated by the Arabidopsis ovate family proteins (OFPs). We show that the phenotypic effect of BLH1 overexpression is dependent upon the class II knox gene KNAT3, suggesting that KNAT3 must be expressed and functional during megagametogenesis. Moreover, disruption of At OFP5, a known interactor of KNAT3 and BLH1, partially phenocopies the eostre mutation. Our study indicates that suppression of ectopic activity of BELL-KNOX TALE complexes, which might be mediated by At OFP5, is essential for normal development and cell specification in the Arabidopsis embryo sac. As eostre-1 embryo sacs also show nuclear migration abnormalities, this study suggests that a positional mechanism might be directing establishment of cell fates in early megagametophyte development.
Bibliotek.dk: opening the Danish union catalogue to the public
Authors: Larsen Kirsten 
Published: December 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the development of bibliotek.dk (library.dk) – how to open a union catalogue to the public.Design/methodology/approachbibliotek.dk – the end‐user web interface to the public union catalogue is described and challenges in these features are examined: the user interface, end‐user loan requests, cooperation with Google, library 2.0 characteristics etc. Usage statistics are presented.FindingsIt was found that it is possible to make requesting library material (almost) as easy and fast as searching Google.Originality/valueThe paper will be of interest to librarians working with opening their services to the public.
New processes of governance: cases for deliberative decision‐making?
Authors: Benn Suzanne 
Published: December 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the new forms of governance that are emerging to facilitate corporate sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe research methodology draws on multiple case study research, examining the research question through the lens of two case examples: a government/industry partner program, itself comprising multiple cases, and an industry consultative committee.FindingsWhile these cases involve different motivations for collaborative decision‐making, they each involve inter‐organisational decision‐making. Such decision‐making requires the establishment of new processes of governance.Research limitations/implicationsMore case examples need to be explored and subjected to more detailed discourse analysis.Practical implicationsSuggestions for new decision‐making models that could be usefully taken up by governments and corporations to address stakeholder disputes.Originality/valueThe paper makes suggestions for appropriate forms of governance by process if sustainability outcomes are to be achieved that are acceptable to a range of corporate stakeholders.