bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICIPANTS IN AN EMPLOYEE SUGGESTION PLAN1
Authors: HARDIN EINAR 
Published: December 2006

Summary and DiscussionNonparticipants, unawarded suggesters and award recipients in a medium‐sized insurance company that had recently installed an employee suggestion plan were compared as to personal characteristics, own attitudes, and attitudes of supervisors. Participants were found to be more concentrated in the age group 25–44, have greater labor force attachment and work experience, and place higher value on order and regularity than did the nonparticipants. No support was found for the common notions that suggesters are prone to gripe and to be hurt by rejection of suggestions or, by contrast, to be “company men.” Nervous, undogmatic, unauthoritarian and fairly well satisfied supervisors tended to have more suggesters among their subordinates than did other supervisors. This provides some support for the assertions of much management literature that the supervisors can greatly affect the success of a suggestion plan.
INCENTIVE PRACTICES AS VIEWED BY SCIENTISTS AND MANAGERS OF PHARMACEUTICAL LABORATORIES 1
Authors: CHALUPSKY ALBERT B. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryIN an effort to determine the incentives currently being used to motivate scientists and to explore incentive effectiveness, a questionnaire survey was conducted of research directors of 13 pharmaceutical companies and a sample of 75 scientists in one laboratory. In general there was high agreement between research management and scientists on the success of merit salary increases, promotions, and increase in complexity and challenge of assignments. These same three incentives were valued highly both by the more productive scientists as well as by their less productive colleagues. The more productive scientists also considered the incentives of greater freedom to come and go, and time off for attendance at professional meetings to be influential in motivating research output. However, neither of these incentives was ranked highly by the managers nor by the less productive scientists. Understandably, the younger scientists appeared to value educational assistance more than did their elders; while commendations for superior performance, stock options and purchases, and participation in company seminars or meetings made a greater impression on the older group.The area of recognition of performance received the greatest number of write‐in comments from both managers and scientists as the most effective nonfinancial incentive. Scientists, however, placed more stress upon the role of the supervisor in appraising and recognizing research performance.
Evaluation of a Reading Development Program For Scientists And Engineers
Authors: Jones Dan H. , Carron Theodore J. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryPrevious investigations of reading improvement have failed to agree on the relative effectiveness of machine vs. book‐centered training methods. In this report of gains achieved and retained by 114 scientists and engineers, 42 subjects were trained with the aid of mechanical equipment and 72 by means of a book‐centered method. Equated forms of the Diagnostic Reading Tests were used as criteria of success. All participants had gained significantly in rate, comprehension, and index at the completion of training. However, follow‐up eighteen months later clearly showed the superiority of book‐centered training. A statistical analysis of pre‐, post‐, and follow‐up scores is presented, as well as correlation of reading gains with other psychometric data.
SELECTION INTERVIEW DECISIONS: FIRST RESULTS FROM A LONG‐TERM RESEARCH PROJECT
Authors: MAYFIELD EUGENE C. , CARLSON ROBERT E. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractRecent reviews of the literature have pointed out the need for additional knowledge of the decision‐making process as it occurs in the selection interview. The present paper reports the first results from a long‐term project designed to investigate this process in a life insurance context. These results provided valuable information on which additional work could be based. The research presently being undertaken is briefly described and discussed.
UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES CAN A UNIONIZED COMPANY USE TESTING FOR PROMOTION?1
Authors: Biddle R. E.ichard , Jacobs LaureenM. 
Published: December 2006

SummaryA job‐related, “fair test” of ability, when used as one tool and not as the sole determining factor, has been established by arbitrators to be an appropriate selection instrument. If a test has been determined as being job‐related (i.e., related to the actual performance of the job), has been administered and scored both fairly and consistently, it will be considered a “fair test.” Generally, in unioncompany contracts that mention testing, a “fair test” contains the above qualifications. Arbitrators have indicated that the union involved should be afforded the opportunity to see the test; it was made quite clear, however, that the union should not have the test.In all cases reviewed, tests were upheld by arbitrators when they (1) were “fair tests,” and (2) did not conflict with the contract language. Past testing practice was not a determining factor when these two conditions existed.A total of 69 cases between 1953 and 1967 have been found relevant–27 from 1953 to 1962 and 42 from 1963 to 1967. In the first study, 13 cases were lost by a company; in six of these cases a company violated the union‐company contract and in seven cases the test used did not qualify as a “fair test.” A total of twelve cases were lost by a company in the second study; in two cases a company violated the union‐company contract and in ten cases the test used did not qualify as a “fair test.”
Basel II: The Route Ahead or Cul‐de‐Sac?
Authors: Brealey Richard 
Published: December 2006

Despite the best efforts of regulators, banking crises throughout the world have been on the rise and proved costly both in terms of the burden on taxpayers and the effect on output. The revised Basel Accord establishes new procedures for measuring the risk of bank loans and for calculating the capital that needs to be held against these loans. But if these new rules are undoubtedly an improvement on the existing ones, their continued focus on the risk of individual loans suggests that bank regulation is heading down a cul‐de‐sac.Ideally, one would like to be able to view individual loans as parts of portfolios, with better diversified portfolios assigned lower risks and capital requirements. But because of the difficulty of measuring the risk of loan portfolios (which stems from their complicated covariance structure), the author suggests that the regulators and their constituencies would be better served by requiring more realistic valuations of loan portfolios and other bank assets. In this sense, the design of effective capital adequacy rules involves a trade‐off between developing developing more precise measures of risk, on the one hand, and improving the frequency and accuracy of asset valuations, on the other. The author urges bank regulators to focus less on refinements of risk measurement and more on efforts to incorporate fair value accounting.
Navigating in the Midst of More Uncertainty and Risk
Authors: Butcher Jim , Turner Nick , Drenth Gerard 
Published: December 2006

With the steady increase in the variety and scale of uncertainties and risks, the challenges for today's executives have become ever more complex and daunting. One powerful tool for navigating among different risks and uncertainties is scenario planning. From its early days of use within Shell, scenario planning has evolved in ways that make it better suited to the tasks of identifying, analyzing, and managing various financial risks across different industries. During the last ten years, Morgan Stanley has also been using scenario planning to gain a better understanding of key risks and uncertainties facing the financial services industry, ranging from the consequences of possible changes in the dollar to the emergence of hedge funds and the remarkable growth of China and India.In discussing the benefits of scenario planning, the authors note its potential to help management in a number of ways:

By challenging conventional thinking and current assumptions about its industry and world;
By identifying key signals or potential direction changes ahead of time, which is especially important when lead times to invest, hedge, or change assets are limiting factors;
By identifying and assessing the value of strategic or “real” options—options to invest in new opportunities or limit downside risks that may suddenly open up or disappear, and that man‐ agement must be prepared to “exercise” quickly and decisively;
By reinforcing the recognition that value added comes not just from better strategic thinking and planning, but from the role of risk management in helping companies take advantage of new opportunities;
By encouraging more cross‐divisional and firm‐wide conversations about strategic choices and options, thereby creating a shared understanding of and greater consensus about chosen strategies; and
By forcing them to go beyond the limits of typical three‐to‐five year forecasting limitations to think hard about longer‐term strategic choices.
Antibiotic Administration Early in Life Impairs Specific Humoral Responses to an Oral Antigen and Increases Intestinal Mast Cell Numbers and Mediator Concentrations
Authors: Nutten S. , Schumann A. , Donnicola D. , Mercenier A. , Rami S. , Garcia-Rodenas C. L. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTIn this study, we assessed the effect of administering the antibiotic amoxicillin to rat pups on the immune response to orally fed ovalbumin (OVA). We first established that amoxicillin administration durably altered the gut microbiota of these animals. In parallel, we observed that the induction of the specific humoral response to ovalbumin was impaired when it occurred during antibiotic administration to the rat pups. We also examined the consequences of those observations on further allergic reactions. Amoxicillin administration had no significant impact on subsequent sensitization to OVA, as nonexacerbated systemic allergic responses were induced in antibiotic-treated animals. However, increased rat mast cell protease II levels and higher mast cell numbers were detected in their small intestines, independently of the antigen administration. Globally, our data suggest that antibiotic administration early in life negatively affects the specific immune response to a luminal antigen when it is first introduced during antibiotic administration. The increased mast cell numbers and mediator concentrations in the intestinal mucosae of the antibiotic-treated animals may testify to the early stages of an altered immune system homeostasis.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay with Conserved Immunoreactive Glycoproteins gp36 and gp19 Has Enhanced Sensitivity and Provides Species-Specific Immunodiagnosis ofEhrlichia canisInfection
Authors: Cárdenas Ana Maria , Doyle C. Kuyler , Zhang Xiaofeng , Nethery Kimberly , Corstvet Richard E. , Walker David H. , McBride Jere W. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACTEhrlichia canisis the primary etiologic agent of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, a globally distributed and potentially fatal disease of dogs. We previously reported on the identification of two conserved major immunoreactive antigens, gp36 and gp19, which are the first proteins to elicit anE. canis-specific antibody response, and gp200 and p28, which elicit strong antibody responses later in the acute phase of the infection. In this report, the sensitivities and specificities of five recombinantE. canisproteins for the immunodiagnosis ofE. canisinfection by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were evaluated. Recombinant polypeptides gp36, gp19, and gp200 (N and C termini) exhibited 100% sensitivity and specificity for immunodiagnosis by the recombinant glycoprotein ELISA compared with the results obtained by an indirect fluorescent-antibody assay (IFA) for the detection of antibodies in dogs that were naturally infected withE. canis. Moreover, the enhanced sensitivities of gp36 and gp19 for immunodiagnosis by the recombinant glycoprotein ELISA compared to those obtained by IFA were demonstrated with dogs experimentally infected withE. canis, in which antibodies were detected as much as 2 weeks earlier, on day 14 postinoculation. gp36 and gp19 were not cross-reactive with antibodies in sera fromE. chaffeensis-infected dogs and thus provided species-specific serologic discrimination betweenE. canisandE. chaffeensisinfections. This is the first demonstration of the improved detection capability of the recombinant protein technology compared to the capability of the “gold standard” IFA and may eliminate the remaining obstacles associated with the immunodiagnosis ofE. canisinfections, including species-specific identification and the lack of sensitivity associated with low antibody titers early in the acute phase of the infection.
Capsular Serotype K1 or K2, Rather than
magA
and
rmpA
, Is a Major Virulence Determinant for
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Liver Abscess in Singapore and Taiwan
Authors: Yeh Kuo-Ming , Kurup A. , Siu L. K. , Koh Y. L. , Fung Chang-Phone , Lin Jung-Chung , Chen Te-Li , Chang Feng-Yee , Koh Tse-Hsien 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Capsular serotypes,
magA
, and
rmpA
have been documented in high prevalence for
Klebsiella pneumoniae
liver abscess. To investigate the regional difference and the correlation of capsular serotype,
magA
, and
rmpA
with virulence, 73 isolates were collected in Singapore and Taiwan. Capsular serotypes were determined by countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis, the presence of
magA
and
rmpA
was determined by PCR, and virulence was determined by phagocytosis and mouse inoculation. Isolates from Singapore were similar to those from Taiwan in genomic heterogeneity, prevalence of serotype, and the presence of
magA
and
rmpA.
The most common serotype was K1 (34/73; 46.6%), followed by K2 (15/73; 20.5%).
magA
was restricted to serotype K1. All K1 or K2 isolates and 66.7% (16/24) of isolates that were neither serotype K1 nor serotype K2 (non-K1/K2) carried
rmpA
. Serotype K1 or K2 isolates demonstrated significantly more phagocytic resistance and virulence than did
rmpA
-positive and -negative groups of non-K1/K2 isolates. In the non-K1/K2 group, the virulence profiles of
rmpA
-positive strains from Taiwan and Singapore were different by phagocytosis assay and in the mouse model, indicating that factors other than
rmpA
contributed to virulence. The characteristics of
K. pneumoniae
liver abscess in Singapore and Taiwan are similar. Capsular serotype K1 or K2 plays a more important role than
magA
and
rmpA
in determining virulence in
K. pneumoniae
liver abscess.
Recurrent Disseminated Skin Lesions Due to
Metarrhizium anisopliae
in an Adult Patient with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
Authors: Osorio S. , de la Cámara R. , Monteserin M. C. , Granados R. , Oña F. , Rodriguez-Tudela J. L. , Cuenca-Estrella M. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Metarrhizium anisopliae
is a common insect pathogen that rarely causes infection in animals and humans. We report the first case of a disseminated skin infection in an immunocompromised adult patient. To date, only five cases of the disease in humans have been reported. There is no standard treatment for this infection.
Comparison of Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis, Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, and Phage Typing for Subtype Analysis of
Salmonella enterica
Serotype Enteritidis
Authors: Boxrud D. , Pederson-Gulrud K. , Wotton J. , Medus C. , Lyszkowicz E. , Besser J. , Bartkus J. M. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

Strain subtyping is an important tool for detection of outbreaks caused by
Salmonella enterica
serotype Enteritidis. Current subtyping methods, however, yield less than optimal subtype discrimination. In this study, we describe the development and evaluation of a multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) method for subtyping
Salmonella
serotype Enteritidis. The discrimination ability and epidemiological concordance of MLVA were compared with those of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and phage typing. MLVA provided greater discrimination among non-epidemiologically linked isolates than did PFGE or phage typing. Epidemiologic concordance was evaluated by typing 40 isolates from four food-borne disease outbreaks. MLVA, PFGE, and, to a lesser extent, phage typing exhibited consistent subtypes within an outbreak. MLVA was better able to differentiate isolates between the individual outbreaks than either PFGE or phage typing. The reproducibility of MLVA was evaluated by subtyping sequential isolates from an infected individual and by testing isolates following multiple passages and freeze-thaw cycles. PFGE and MLVA patterns were reproducible for isolates that were frozen and passaged multiple times. However, 2 of 12 sequential isolates obtained from an individual over the course of 36 days had an MLVA type that differed at one locus and one isolate had a different phage type. Overall, MLVA typing of
Salmonella
serotype Enteritidis had enhanced resolution, good reproducibility, and good epidemiological concordance. These results indicate that MLVA may be a useful tool for detection and investigation of outbreaks caused by
Salmonella
serotype Enteritidis.
Structural Shifts of Mucosa-Associated Lactobacilli and
Clostridium leptum
Subgroup in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Zhang Meiling , Liu Bianying , Zhang Yan , Wei Hua , Lei Yufeng , Zhao Liping 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

To understand the role of mucosa-associated microbiota in the pathogenicity of ulcerative colitis (UC), paired biopsies were obtained during colonoscopy from the ulcerated and nonulcerated gut mucosa of 24 patients with UC. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis was employed to profile the composition of the dominant bacteria (16S rRNA gene V3 region) and three important groups: lactobacilli, the
Clostridium leptum
subgroup, and
Bacteroides
spp. The Pearson coefficient was used to estimate similarities between the bacterial communities of the paired biopsies for each patient. The average similarity values of bacterial composition between the paired samples were 94.8 ± 3.8% for dominant bacteria, 59.9 ± 26.1% for lactobacilli, 79.2 ± 22.6% for the
Clostridium leptum
subgroup, and 88.7 ± 16.4% for
Bacteroides
spp. The data revealed that lactobacilli and the
Clostridium leptum
subgroup were significantly different between the ulcerated and the nonulcerated regions. It also was noted that for lactobacilli, the composition varied significantly between biopsy sites irrespective of the location of UC in the gut but that the composition of the
Clostridium leptum
subgroup showed significant differences between paired samples from UC in the rectum and not in the left colon. Localized dysbiosis of the mucosa-associated intestinal microflora, especially for lactobacilli and the
Clostridium leptum
subgroup, may be closely related to UC.
Multitarget PCR for Diagnosis of Pertussis and Its Clinical Implications
Authors: Qin Xuan , Galanakis Emmanouil , Martin Emily T. , Englund Janet A. 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

PCR has greatly facilitated pertussis diagnosis due to the speed, sensitivity, and specificity of this assay compared to other detection methods. Various single-target PCR assays are currently utilized, but none is universally considered to be the “gold standard.” Our aim was to assess the use of multitarget versus single-target PCR for the diagnosis of pertussis in clinical samples. PCR assays targeting insertion sequence IS
481
(IS), pertussis toxin
ptxA
promoter region (PT), and outer membrane porin (PO), or
recA
(RA) were evaluated in respiratory specimens collected from 4,442 patients with suspected pertussis. The diagnosis of pertussis was confirmed in 309 (6.96%) patients by the 3-target IS-PT-PO/RA PCR versus 247 (5.56%) by the conventional single-target IS (
P
= 0.007). Compared to single-target IS, the three-target combination increased the proportion of positive specimens by 1.25-fold, and two-target combinations increased the proportion of positive specimens by 1.10- to 1.24-fold. In addition, nine cases of
B. parapertussis
infection were also confirmed by using the discriminative features of this multitarget PCR. Of the 89 culture-proven pertussis cases, 17 (19.1%) and 5 of the 16 patients (31.3%) admitted to intensive care unit would have been missed had only the single-target IS PCR been applied. Patients with mild disease (
P
= 0.004) and shorter hospitalization (
P
= 0.006) were less likely to have positive cultures. This consensus generating real-time PCR approach permits a sensitive detection, as well as an accurate species identification of the causative
Bordetella
pathogens for the timely management of patients.
The VP35 Protein of Ebola Virus Inhibits the Antiviral Effect Mediated by Double-Stranded RNA-Dependent Protein Kinase PKR
Authors: Feng Zongdi , Cerveny Melissa , Yan Zhipeng , He Bin 
Published: December 2006

ABSTRACT

The VP35 protein of Ebola virus is a viral antagonist of interferon. It acts to block virus or double-stranded RNA-mediated activation of interferon regulatory factor 3, a transcription factor that facilitates the expression of interferon and interferon-stimulated genes. In this report, we show that the VP35 protein is also able to inhibit the antiviral response induced by alpha interferon. This depends on the VP35 function that interferes with the pathway regulated by double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase PKR. When expressed in a heterologous system, the VP35 protein enhanced viral polypeptide synthesis and growth in Vero cells pretreated with alpha/beta interferon, displaying an interferon-resistant phenotype. In correlation, phosphorylation of PKR and eIF-2α was suppressed in cells expressing the VP35 protein. This activity of the VP35 protein was required for efficient viral replication in PKR
+/+
but not PKR
−/−
mouse embryo fibroblasts. Furthermore, VP35 appears to be a RNA binding protein. Notably, a deletion of amino acids 1 to 200, but not R312A substitution in the RNA binding motif, abolished the ability of the VP35 protein to confer viral resistance to interferon. However, the R312A substitution rendered the VP35 protein unable to inhibit the induction of the beta interferon promoter mediated by virus infection. Together, these results show that the VP35 protein targets multiple pathways of the interferon system.