bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does cannabis use predict the first incidence of mood and anxiety disorders in the adult population?
Authors: Van Laar Margriet , Van Dorsselaer Saskia , Monshouwer Karin , De Graaf Ron 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTAims  To investigate whether cannabis use predicted the first incidence of mood and anxiety disorders in adults during a 3‐year follow‐up period.Design and participants  Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS), a prospective study in the adult population of 18–64 years. The analysis was carried out on 3881 people who had no life‐time mood disorders and on 3854 people who had no life‐time anxiety disorders at baseline.Measurements  Life‐time cannabis use and DSM‐III‐R mood and anxiety disorders, assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).Findings  After adjustment for strong confounders, any use of cannabis at baseline predicted a modest increase in the risk of a first major depression (odds ratio 1.62; 95% confidence interval 1.06–2.48) and a stronger increase in the risk of a first bipolar disorder (odds ratio 4.98; 95% confidence interval 1.80–13.81). The risk of ‘any mood disorder’ was elevated for weekly and almost daily users but not for less frequent use patterns. However, dose–response relationships were less clear for major depression and bipolar disorder separately. None of the associations between cannabis use and anxiety disorders remained significant after adjustment for confounders.Conclusions  The associations between cannabis use and the first incidence of depression and bipolar disorder, which remained significant after adjustment for strong confounders, warrant research into the underlying mechanisms.
Influence of residual milk‐clotting enzyme and proteolysis on melting properties of soft cheese
Authors: CANDIOTI M C , ALONSO M J , HYNES E 
Published: July 2007

In this work, we assessed the influence of coagulant residual activity and primary proteolysis on Cremoso Argentino cheese melting properties. For that purpose, we made Cremoso soft cheeses using different amounts of coagulant, and also obtained samples in which milk‐clotting enzyme was inactivated. Primary proteolysis correlated with residual activity of coagulant in early stages of cheese ripening; however, it was similar in all cheeses after 30 days. The hydrolysis of caseins did not significantly affect the melting ability of the cheeses, expressed as the area increase after heating samples under standardized conditions. Samples with similar proximate composition showed some changes in meltability; those seemed related to pH evolution during ripening.
Temporal Dynamics and Impact of Manure Storage on Antibiotic Resistance Patterns and Population Structure of
Escherichia coli
Isolates from a Commercial Swine Farm
Authors: Duriez Patrick , Topp Edward 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

Many confined-livestock farms store their wastes for several months prior to use as a fertilizer. Storing manure for extended periods could significantly bias the composition of enteric bacterial populations subsequently released into the environment. Here, we compared populations of
Escherichia coli
isolated from fresh feces and from the manure-holding tank (stored manure) of a commercial swine farm, each sampled monthly for 6 months. The 4,668 confirmed
E. coli
isolates were evaluated for resistance to amikacin, ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, trimethoprim, and trimethoprim plus sulfamethoxazole. A subset of 1,687 isolates was fingerprinted by repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) with the BOXA1R primer to evaluate the diversity and the population structure of the collection. The population in the stored manure was generally more diverse than that in the fresh feces. Half of the genotypes detected in the stored manure were never detected in the fresh fecal material, and only 16% were detected only in the fresh feces. But the majority of the isolates (84%) were assigned to the 34% of genotypes shared between the two environments. The structure of the
E. coli
population showed important monthly variations both in the extent and distribution of the diversity of the observed genotypes. The frequency of detection of resistance to specific antibiotics was not significantly different between the two collections and varied importantly between monthly samples. Resistance to multiple antibiotics was much more temporally dynamic in the fresh feces than in the stored manure. There was no relationship between the distribution of rep-PCR fingerprints and the distribution of antibiotic resistance profiles, suggesting that specific antibiotic resistance determinants were dynamically distributed within the population.
NADP(H) Phosphatase Activities of Archaeal Inositol Monophosphatase and Eubacterial 3′-Phosphoadenosine 5′-Phosphate Phosphatase
Authors: Fukuda Chikako , Kawai Shigeyuki , Murata Kousaku 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

NADP(H) phosphatase has not been identified in eubacteria and eukaryotes. In archaea, MJ0917 of hyperthermophilic
Methanococcus jannaschii
is a fusion protein comprising NAD kinase and an inositol monophosphatase homologue that exhibits high NADP(H) phosphatase activity (S. Kawai, C. Fukuda, T. Mukai, and K. Murata, J. Biol. Chem. 280:39200-39207, 2005). In this study, we showed that the other archaeal inositol monophosphatases, MJ0109 of
M. jannaschii
and AF2372 of hyperthermophilic
Archaeoglobus fulgidus
, exhibit NADP(H) phosphatase activity in addition to the already-known inositol monophosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activities. Kinetic values for NADP
+
and NADPH of MJ0109 and AF2372 were comparable to those for inositol monophosphate and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. This implies that the physiological role of the two enzymes is that of an NADP(H) phosphatase. Further, the two enzymes showed inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase activity but not 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphate phosphatase activity. The inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase activity of archaeal inositol monophosphatase was considered to be compatible with the similar tertiary structures of inositol monophosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase, and 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphate phosphatase. Based on this fact, we found that 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphate phosphatase (CysQ) of
Escherichia coli
exhibited NADP(H) phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activities, although inositol monophosphatase (SuhB) and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (Fbp) of
E. coli
did not exhibit any NADP(H) phosphatase activity. However, the kinetic values of CysQ and the known phenotype of the
cysQ
mutant indicated that CysQ functions physiologically as 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphate phosphatase rather than as NADP(H) phosphatase.
G-Protein Control of the Ribosome-Associated Stress Response Protein SpoT
Authors: Jiang Mengxi , Sullivan Susan M. , Wout Patrice K. , Maddock Janine R. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACTThe bacterial response to stress is controlled by two proteins, RelA and SpoT. RelA generates the alarmone (p)ppGpp under amino acid starvation, whereas SpoT is responsible for (p)ppGpp hydrolysis and for synthesis of (p)ppGpp under a variety of cellular stress conditions. It is widely accepted that RelA is associated with translating ribosomes. The cellular location of SpoT, however, has been controversial. SpoT physically interacts with the ribosome-associated GTPase CgtA, and we show here that, under an optimized salt condition, SpoT is also associated with a pre-50S particle. Analysis ofspoTandcgtAmutants and strains overexpressing CgtA suggests that the ribosome associations of SpoT and CgtA are mutually independent. The steady-state level of (p)ppGpp is increased in acgtAmutant, but the accumulation of (p)ppGpp during amino acid starvation is not affected, providing strong evidence that CgtA regulates the (p)ppGpp level during exponential growth but not during the stringent response. We show that CgtA is not associated with pre-50S particles during amino acid starvation, indicating that under these conditions in which (p)ppGpp accumulates, CgtA is not bound either to the pre-50S particle or to SpoT. We propose that, in addition to its role as a 50S assembly factor, CgtA promotes SpoT (p)ppGpp degradation activity on the ribosome and that the loss of CgtA from the ribosome is necessary for maximal (p)ppGpp accumulation under stress conditions. Intriguingly, we found that in the absence ofspoTandrelA,cgtAis still an essential gene inEscherichia coli.
Control of DegP-Dependent Degradation of
c
-Type Cytochromes by Heme and the Cytochrome
c
Maturation System in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Gao Tao , O'Brian Mark R. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

c
-type cytochromes are located partially or completely in the periplasm of gram-negative bacteria, and the heme prosthetic group is covalently bound to the protein. The cytochrome
c
maturation (Ccm) multiprotein system is required for transport of heme to the periplasm and its covalent linkage to the peptide. Other cytochromes and hemoglobins contain a noncovalently bound heme and do not require accessory proteins for assembly. Here we show that
Bradyrhizobium japonicum
cytochrome
c
550
polypeptide accumulation in
Escherichia coli
was heme dependent, with very low levels found in heme-deficient cells. However, apoproteins of the periplasmic
E. coli
cytochrome
b
562
or the cytosolic
Vitreoscilla
hemoglobin (Vhb) accumulated independently of the heme status. Mutation of the heme-binding cysteines of cytochrome
c
550
or the absence of Ccm also resulted in a low apoprotein level. These levels were restored in a
degP
mutant strain, showing that apocytochrome
c
550
is degraded by the periplasmic protease DegP. Introduction of the cytochrome
c
heme-binding motif CXXCH into cytochrome
b
562
(
c-b
562
) resulted in a
c
-type cytochrome covalently bound to heme in a Ccm-dependent manner. This variant polypeptide was stable in heme-deficient cells but was degraded by DegP in the absence of Ccm. Furthermore, a Vhb variant containing a periplasmic signal peptide and a CXXCH motif did not form a
c
-type cytochrome, but accumulation was Ccm dependent nonetheless. The data show that the cytochrome
c
heme-binding motif is an instability element and that stabilization by Ccm does not require ligation of the heme moiety to the protein.
Claims provisions in liability insurance
Authors: Lemaire Jean 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe settlement delay for very large claims in liability insurance may extend to quite a few years; a delay often years in automobile third‐party liability is by no means an exception. The companies consequently have to set aside huge amounts as provisions for outstanding claims. As the total provision may attain 100 times the underwriting profit, an underestimation of this provision of a few per cent could mean short‐term bankruptcy for the company. A precise forecast of those outstanding liabilities is therefore of crucial importanceOwing to the special nature of the information set (a triangular array of cumulative payments, called the‘run‐off triangle’), actuaries have in the past neglected the time series analysis approach and devised their own forecasting models. Those methods are reviewed, and illustrated by a real‐life example. Two new autoregressive methods are proposed.
The implementation of forecasting models
Authors: Schultz Randall L. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe use of forecasting models can help managers make better decisions, a fact that motivates this study. Findings from research on the implementation of operations research/management science are generalized to include forecasting models. The similarity between forecasting and other models allows conclusions to be drawn about managing forecasting model implementation: these include better management support, closer links to management performance, improved user–preparer relationships, more goal congruence, minimized perception of change and an appropriate configuration of the forecasting system to user needs, style, resources and environment.
Strategic issues in development management: Learning from successful experience. Part I
Authors: Conyers Diana , Kaul Mohan 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper draws general conclusions from a set of case‐studies presented at two Round Tables organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The paper is in two Parts. Part I, published here, deals with the choice of criteria for determining the success of local development initiatives. The approach adopted at the two Round Tables was judgemental. However, an attempt is made to measure ‘success’ more systematically by defining development and classifying the indicators that might be used to measure the achievement of such development as quantifiable, partly quantifiable and qualitative. A set of hypotheses concerning the factors contributing to the success of local development projects was put forward at the Warwick meeting and amended in Livingstone. Part I of the paper classifies the factors contributing to success into four groups: the project environment, the basic character of the project, the mode of project initiation, and project organization and management. Three environmental factors are emphasized: the political environment, local leadership and the history of self‐reliance. Three basic characteristics of a project are of particular importance: the level of beneficiary involvement, the use made of local resources, and the prevailing ‘organizational culture’. Two aspects of project initiation are particularly important: the source of a project and its scale. Five major organizational factors are stressed: the clarity of project goals; flexibility and responsiveness to needs; autonomy and accountability; a ‘learning process’ approach to project planning and management; and human resource development. Part II will discuss the broader implications of these factors in the local, national and international contexts.
Understanding administrative bottlenecks
Authors: Werlin Herbert 
Published: July 2007

AbstractWhile the administrative bottlenecks presented in this Special Issue appear obvious, perceptions of them are confused with unanswerable questions of organization, policy, procedure, and technology. This leads to contradictory conclusions and the so‐called ‘mysteries of development’. To separate out what we can generalize about from what we cannot, a ‘political software’ approach is suggested, using the common sense steps that a serious, enlightened, and experienced businessperson might take in facilitating a development project. Combining these steps or requirements into ‘the theory of political elasticity’, we can see why violations of them lead to the bottlenecks illustrated in this issue. While reform is difficult, the effort must be made, encouraged by examples of success. The World Bank can play a useful role, if it can insist and build upon the borrower's commitment to reform and use a learning process approach.
Monitoring and evaluating (M&E): The South Asian experience
Authors: Ahmed Viqar , Bamberger Michael 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAccording to a 1987 monitoring and evaluation (M&E) conference in Pakistan, South Asian M&E efforts have been undermined by organizational confusion, overcentralization, neglect of evaluation, weakness of data, and inadequate training, among other problems. Studies from India, Pakistan, and Nepal, among other South Asian countries, indicate the impact of these problems. In reducing the problems, efforts should be made to make the collection and use of M&E data less threatening, more practical, and more relevant to the intended beneficiaries of development projects.This article summarizes material presented in Ahmed, V. and Bamberger, M. (1989). Monitoring and Evaluating Development Projects: the South Asian Experience. The World Bank ED1 Seminar Series, Washington D.C.
Environment and development: Concepts and practices in transition
Authors: Atkinson Adrian 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis article starts by sketching the shape of the institutions and mechanisms which currently aim to protect the environment in developing countries. The form these have taken is largely based upon the environmental institutions created in the United States in the early 1970s, under the influence of the outburst of environmental concern at that time. The sudden reemergence of environmental concern at the top of the political agenda in the 1980s is attributable in significant measure to the ‘Green Movement’, that has evolved out of the concerns originally expressed in the early 1970s. The new institutions and mechanisms have, however, failed to check environmental deterioration in many developing countries; it is necessary to focus on the macroframework determining development priorities and practices if environmental problems are to be adequately addressed. The root of the problem is not merely institutional, or even macroeconomic, but is primarily cultural, stemming more specifically from the imposition of European cultural values. The environmental crisis is not restricted to developing countries and is unlikely to be solved without considerably more far‐reaching initiatives than we have seen so far. According to the literature of the Green Movement, the process of the ‘greening of development’ is far from completed in the creation of current environmental agencies and management mechanisms.
Civil service reform and retraining in transitional economies: Strategic issues and options
Authors: Collins Paul 
Published: July 2007

AbstractCentrally planned and erstwhile centrally‐planned economies in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America are variously reforming their systems of production and exchange, sometimes in response to a breakdown in or declining performance of existing models and sometimes in consequence of the need to meet the challenges of a changing global economic environment. The developments that are taking place pose great challenges for governments in managing the process of transition as well as for donors in supporting the bold endeavours of the former. State institutions are also undergoing change, usually as a consequence of the economic reforms underway. This article reviews the experience of Eastern Europe, CIS and selected countries in other regions in three critical areas: policy making capacities and coordination, civil service legislation and reform and civil service training and retraining. Lessons are drawn from international technical cooperation projects being undertaken by both bilateral and multilateral donors in a variety of national contexts.
Managing organizations in the third world: A case study of management control in a Bangladeshi jute mill
Authors: Hoque Zahirul , Siddiquee Noore Alam , Hopper Trevor 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis article reports on a study of the operation of management control systems in a large nationalized jute mill of Bangladesh. The study seeks to describe how ‘control’ operated in practice and to explain why the systems of control worked in these ways. Investigations revealed a number of significant factors. First, the organization operated in both competitive and regulated environments; it had little authority over its operational activities and, head office and the sponsoring ministry were prominent in organizational planning and control. Second, the accounting system in the mill was mainly a response to external legitimacy (e.g. stewardship and tax matters). Third, although budgeting was perceived as part of the formal structure of control, it was not a dominant mode of control in the organization; the budgeting system was created to comply with head office and state requirements. Fourthly, the mill managers used a variety of social/informal control and mechanisms to cope with the complexity and uncertainty around the mill's operations. This study reinforces the conclusions of other research claiming that the wider social, economic, political and institutional contexts govern the ways management control operates in an organization.
Financing growth in the 1990s: New challenges for OECS countries
Authors: Simmonds Keith C. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis article argues that the world as we know it is becoming increasingly integrated and that the traditional providers of foreign assistance for infrastructure and other purposes, are about to increase the demand that poorer nations like the OECS countries must do more for themselves during the process of social development. The article admits that poorer countries like the OECS have developed revenue raising structures that facilitate indigenous development but the post‐Cold War reality intensifies the need for countries like the OECS to do more for themselves than ever before. The reasons for this occurrence have been stated largely as being attributed to financial, economic, attitudinal changes in major industrial countries, particularly in North America. These changes suggest difficult limes for industrial countries in the future and are likely to have serious impacts on countries like the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).The article offers a specific approach to dealing with this anticipated demand from donor countries to do more for themselves. The author advocates the following: (1) expand the existing revenue structure of the OECS countries to include specific revenue instruments to finance new growth and development in these countries; (2) broaden the concept and practice of ‘pay‐as‐you‐go’ to ‘pay‐as‐you‐grow;’ (3) require new growth to pay its own way or at a minimum, to shoulder a large proportion of the cost; (4) let those who primarily benefit from new growth pay for it. ‘Impact’ or ‘development’ fees have been suggested to be a new method of financing growth, particularly in countries that are experiencing new levels of growth. The author argues that this method will not be unusual to developers‐foreign investors from North America, or OECS nationals who may be returning temporarily or otherwise to their home country. This discussion on pay‐as‐you‐grow, it is hoped, will contribute to the growing literature on Caribbean public finance.
Civil service reform in Uganda: Lessons learned
Authors: Langseth Petter 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis article presents the Civil Service Reform Programme (CSRP) in Uganda. It outlines the context in which the CSRP is being implemented and establishes the link between the CSRP and other reform programmes, particularly constitutional decentralization, liberalization/privatization and army demobilization. It also analyses the progress made so far, given certain obstacles, and attempts to assess and make some suggestions for the road ahead. The issues of civil service reform go beyond addressing the need for pay reform and improving organizational structure. While these are important pieces of the puzzle, they cannot stand alone. Issues of greater participation, transparency and accountability in decision making—all of which strangthen democratization—are also at stake. The aim of these reforms is to enable the state to function more rationally and effectively, as the duties it performs—as well as the country's needs—become more complex and varied. The overarching theme is to develop the state's own capacity in order to create sustainable reforms in the quest for long‐term development. The close of the cold war has brought many changes. In recent years, for example, the international donor community has paid increasing attention to reform issues. It has called on recipient governments to participate in the design and implementation of these programmes. In recipient countries, the movement toward decentralization, privatization and commercialization of many government functions has increased the range of opportunities available to citizens. It has also brought demands for greater responsiveness on the part of the government and parastatal agencies. Moreover, in an era of dwindling aid budgets, donors are now seeking better value for their money, and they are less willing to excuse widespread graft and corruption on geopolitical grounds.