bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The appraisal of urban regeneration land
Authors: Adair Alastair , Hutchison Norman , Burgess Jim , Roulac Stephen 
Published: May 2005

PurposeThe value of land for development is normally estimated by the use of the comparative method or the residual approach. The aim of the paper is to examine appraisal practice, in particular the bases of valuation, availability and utilisation of data, reporting of the value figure and the management of risk.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports the findings of a survey of valuers from leading practices throughout the UK, bank lenders and developers. An example of an appraisal of an urban regeneration site is included in order to highlight the key issues within the discussion.FindingsA variety of reporting practices is found from a tightly drawn range of values to single‐point estimates along with a detailed explanation of the assumptions employed. Developers and lenders favoured the latter, but they appeared to be open‐minded about a range of values or an expression of uncertainty being reported, provided that there is a clear and well supported justification. Risk management approaches are underdeveloped within the profession.Originality/valueThe valuation of urban regeneration land is said to be one of the most vexed issues in the appraisal of projects due to a lack of data transparency in urban regeneration markets, shortcomings in traditional appraisal methodologies and complexities of public sector grant procedures.
An investigation into the expression of uncertainty in property valuations
Authors: Joslin Alexander 
Published: May 2005

PurposeValuation is a “snapshot” in time. It is an assessment of the market price at a single point in time. It is an estimate and any estimate is uncertain. This paper aims to investigate how the property profession conveys this uncertainty to their clients. Uncertainty must be dealt with in a professional manner in order to offer a reputable service to the general public. It is argued that uncertainty must be expressed within the valuation to offer each party a thorough understanding of the circumstances that surround that particular valuation. It is suggested that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) should develop a standard approach to uncertainty expression, not only for the valuer's peace of mind, but in order to offer the best possible service to the general public.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports the findings of a survey of valuers from leading practices throughout the UK. Examples of uncertainty are included in order to highlight the key issues within the discussion.FindingsThe concept of uncertainty within a valuation is poorly understood and is rarely conveyed to the client in any coherent form.Originality/value“What additional information does one need a valuer to provide, apart from the figure of his valuation?” In the majority of cases, the valuer's expression of uncertainty is integral, whereby one must express the amount of uncertainty present when undertaking a valuation. In order to offer a client an accurate valuation, the valuer should make clear the background to the value presented and offer evidence about which factors may affect the figure, with regard to variation.
Managing through measures: a study of impact on performance
Authors: Bourne Mike , Kennerley Mike , Franco‐Santos Monica 
Published: May 2005

PurposeThis study investigates the use of performance measures and how performance measurement impacts performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted through multiple case studies in a single organisation. Comparisons are made between performance measurement practices in comparable high and average‐performing business units.FindingsThe findings suggest that current research into the impact of performance measurement on performance may be too simplistic in its approach as much of the research relies on studying the physical and formal systems used, ignoring the types of factors found to be important in this study.Research limitations/implicationsBeing based on a single organisation, the wider applicability of the specific findings from this study should be questioned. However, if, as we suggest, the interactive nature of the use of the measurement system is important, future research will need to find ways of observing, measuring and quantifying this interactivity to allow a richer picture of the impact of performance measurement on performance to be developed.Practical implicationsThe differences observed between the high and average‐performing cases was in the way they managed with the measures. Average‐performing business units used the performance measurement system as a simple control system, whereas, high performing business units were using the measurement system much more interactively.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the importance of using performance measures interactively and suggests further research into Simons' concept of “interactive control”.
Formalising the ordering process to achieve responsiveness
Authors: Welker Gera A. , de Vries Jan 
Published: May 2005

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on the question whether formalisation of the ordering process can be helpful in achieving responsiveness, while remaining efficient.Design/methodology/approachThree dimensions of the ordering process are discussed, namely logistical control, information processing and the organisational setting of the ordering process. Data were gathered from case studies at five different production companies.FindingsIt is suggested that a highly formalised logistical control structure is essential in achieving responsiveness and efficiency. From the formalisation strategies applied by the companies it can also be concluded that a formalised organisational setting of the ordering process is necessary for being responsive in case the logistical control is characterised by a low degree of formalisation.Originality/valueThe paper presents a detailed operationalisation of the formalisation of three dimensions of the ordering process. This is helpful in formulating guidelines for structuring the ordering process to become more responsive.
Modelling complexity in the automotive industry supply chain
Authors: Turner Kevin , Williams Geoff 
Published: May 2005

PurposeIn most countries the distribution system for new cars has remained unchanged for many years, with the main emphasis on supplying customers from stock held at dealers. Despite high stocks, the performance of the supply chain has failed to meet customer expectations in terms of delivering the exact specification desired within an acceptable timescale. This paper investigates changes to the design of the supply chain which potentially offer significant improvements in performance.Design/methodology/approachA simulation of the supply of new cars, from ordering through the assembly plant and finished vehicle stocking to customer delivery, has been used to develop further understanding of the dynamic performance of the supply chain. The application of the simulation model is demonstrated through scenarios drawn from research into the UK car market.FindingsThe findings demonstrate the benefits of central stocking (storing new cars in distribution centres, rather than at dealers) for both manufactures and customers, supported by recent industry data.Research limitations/implicationsThe results presented are based on a representative vehicle model manufactured and sold in the UK; a range of alternative scenarios and changes to the supply chain design can be investigated using the simulation model.Practical implicationsFor the automotive industry, the research supports the introduction of central stocking, and demonstrates a methodology for assessing future changes to the supply chain.Originality/valueThe research extends the range of applications of simulation to investigating supply chain design, and demonstrates the feasibility of this approach in modelling complex supply chains.
The role of logistics in linking operations and marketing and influences on business performance
Authors: Sezen Bülent 
Published: May 2005

PurposeThis study explores the individual and joint effects of operations, marketing, and logistics functions on the level of business performance. The main purpose is to test whether the business performance achieved when logistics function is in complete coordination with operations and marketing functions is superior to the performance when the functions operate in a less coordinated manner.Design/methodology/approachStudy hypotheses regarding the links between coordinated and non‐coordinated performances and overall business performance are evaluated through a survey of automobile manufacturers in northwest Turkey. Separate regression analyses are conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsIt is shown that overall business performance achieved when there exists an effective coordination between the functions can be well above the performance achieved when the tasks are performed individually. Specifically, results from regression analyses performed to test the validations of study hypotheses indicate two important implications: coordination between operations and logistics functions in the specific sample is the most prominent issue for achievement of high performance; and logistics function carries an important role in linking the two most important functions of a company namely, operations and marketing.Originality/valueThis study adds some value to the current literature such that it empirically shows the links between coordinated and non‐coordinated functional performances and overall business performance, and eventually raises the importance of logistics function in a manufacturing‐oriented business environment.
Seed and fruit selection by harvester ants,Messor barbarus, in Mediterranean grassland and scrubland
Authors: AZCÁRATE F. M. , ARQUEROS L. , SÁNCHEZ A. M. , PECO B. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryWe analyse diet and propagule selection by the harvester antMessor barbarus(L.) in Mediterranean grassland and scrubland in central Spain.Diet was estimated by the identification of worker‐transported prey in 34 colonies per system type, and compared with seed and fruit availability in the foraging areas. Propagules were characterized by six morphological traits: total weight; weight of seed content; the three main dimensions; and shape.The effect of propagule attributes on selectivity was analysed after transforming data into phylogenetically independent contrasts. Propagules from a small number of species dominate the diet ofM. barbarusin the study area, in terms of both frequency and contribution in seed weight. In grassland, prey selection depends on ln(prey length) and ln(prey weight) (R2 = 0·57). In scrubland, ln(prey length) explains 64% of selection. Long and heavy propagules are preferred.This pattern of selection can be a mere effect of a time‐saving foraging strategy, as apparent preference for long propagules can be expected even if workers forage in a non‐selective way.Messorants are likely to play a role in the plant composition of Mediterranean grassland and scrubland, limiting the abundance of long propagules and thus indirectly favouring small‐seeded species without dispersal appendages.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease: role of amyloid‐β peptide alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD)
Authors: Yan Shi Du , Stern David M. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryAn important means of determining how amyloid‐beta peptide (Aβ) affects cells is to identify specific macromolecular targets and assess how Aβ interaction with such targets impacts on cellular functions. On the one hand, cell surface receptors interacting with extracellular Aβ have been identified, and their engagement by amyloid peptide can trigger intracellular signaling cascades. Recent evidence has indicated a potentially significant role for deposition of intracellular Aβ in cell stress associated with amyloidosis. Thus, specific intracellular targets of Aβ might also be of interest. Our review evaluates the potential significance of Aβ interaction with a mitochondrial enzyme termed Aβ‐binding alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD), a member of the short‐chain dehydrogenase‐reductase family concentrated in mitochondria of neurones. Binding of Aβ to ABAD distorts the enzyme's structure, rendering it inactive with respect to its metabolic properties, and promotes mitochondrial generation of free radicals. Double transgenic mice in which increased levels of ABAD are expressed in an Aβ‐rich environment, the latter provided by a mutant amyloid precursor protein transgene, demonstrate accelerated decline in spatial learning/memory and pathologic changes. These data suggest that mitochondria ABAD, ordinarily a contributor to metabolic homeostasis, has the capacity to become a pathogenic factor in an Aβ‐rich environment.
Role of water‐soluble amyloid‐β in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Tabaton Massimo , Piccini Alessandra 
Published: May 2005

SummaryWater‐soluble amyloid‐β (wsAβ) is present in cerebral cortex of subjects at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as in normal elderly subjects as a mixture of three major amyloid‐β (Aβ) species: 1–42, py3–42 and py11–42. The three wsAβ species are nondetectable in brains of young people, free of immunohistochemically detectable amyloid plaques. In the brains of Down's syndrome and APP‐mutant transgenic mice, wsAβ appears long time before amyloid deposition, indicating that it represent the first form of Aβ aggregation and accumulation. In normal brain, wsAβ is bound to apolipoprotein E that favours its degradation by proteases. The composition of wsAβ, in terms of the ratio between the full‐length 1–42 and the py3–42 peptides, correlates with the severity of clinical and pathological phenotype in familial early onset AD. Water‐soluble Aβ is the native counterpart of the Aβ small aggregates (soluble oligomers) that show in vitro an early and high neuronal toxicity.
Amyloid‐β in Alzheimer's disease: the horse or the cart? Pathogenic or protective?
Authors: Lee Hyoung‐Gon , Castellani Rudy J. , Zhu Xiongwei , Perry George , Smith Mark A. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryWhile the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unclear, amyloid‐β plaques remain major lesions in the brain of individuals with AD. Likewise, amyloid‐β is one of the best‐studied proteins relating to the pathogenesis of AD. Indeed, the pathological diagnosis of AD tends to be congruous with the quantity of amyloid‐β. However, it is important to recognize that pathological diagnosis merely represents the association of a pattern of pathological changes with a clinical phenotype. Therefore, it should be acknowledged that, although amyloid‐β detection and semiquantification have some diagnostic utility, the simple presence of amyloid plaques, as with proteinaceous accumulations in essentially all neurodegenerative diseases, does not presume aetiology. Thus, in this review, we discuss the role of amyloid‐β in the pathogenesis of AD and provide an alternative view to the widely accepted dogma.
Electrocardiographic characterization of stress‐induced myocardial infarction in atherosclerotic mice
Authors: Hemdahl A.‐L. , Caligiuri G. , Hansson G. K. , Thorén P. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractAim:  We have previously shown that mental and hypoxic stress can trigger the development of myocardial infarction (MI) in atherosclerotic apoE−/− × LDLR−/− mice. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the interval between stress and MI and determine whether electrophysiological changes precede the precipitation of an infarct by assessing telemetry recordings of the electrocardiogram.Methods:  Isoflurane anaesthetized apoE−/− × LDLR−/− (n = 16) and C57BL/6J (n = 8) mice were exposed to systemic hypoxia by reducing the inhaled oxygen concentration to 10% for 10 min. Mental stress was induced in eight conscious apoE−/− × LDLR−/− and eight C57BL/6J mice by blowing air into the cage. Physiological parameters were recorded every 30 min for 2–6 days by implanted transmitters.Results:  During stress all mice developed transient ischaemic STU‐area changes, which returned to normal at the end of stress. During the recovery phase (6 days) 50% (4/8) of the mentally stressed apoE−/− × LDLR−/− mice developed increased STU‐area variability (P < 0.05) followed by dramatic STU‐area elevations and spontaneous death at approximately 12–24 h. In hypoxia‐exposed apoE−/− × LDLR−/− mice 56% (9/16) developed MI as determined by elevated serum levels of the infarction marker troponin T which correlated with increased variability in the STU‐area (P < 0.05).Conclusion:  This is the first mouse model showing that increased STU‐area variability is indicative of MI development in atherosclerotic mice following ischaemic stress. Furthermore, our findings suggest a two‐phase pathway for the infarction development: an initial phase comprising a transient ischaemic response which triggers a delayed second phase of ischaemia and MI.
Cannabinoid influence on cytokine profile in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Katona S , Kaminski E , Sanders H , Zajicek J 
Published: May 2005

Summary
Cannabinoids have been suggested as possessing immunomodulatory properties, and cannabinoid receptors are present on leucocytes. Clinically, there is some evidence that cannabinoids may be therapeutically useful in treating multiple sclerosis, which is generally believed to be an autoimmune condition. This paper reports data derived from the Cannabinoids in MS (CAMS) study, which was the largest randomized controlled trial yet conducted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of cannabinoids. We found no evidence for cannabinoid influence on serum levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12 or C-reactive protein as measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in comparison to control values. Mitogenic stimulation experiments also failed to demonstrate any significant reduction in percentage of CD3+, IFN-γ producing cells after exposure to cannabinoids in vivo, although numbers were small. Further work is needed to establish the functional significance of cannabinoid receptors on immune cells.
Induction of proinflammatory mediators requires activation of the TRAF, NIK, IKK and NF-κB signal transduction pathway in astrocytes infected withEscherichia coli
Authors: Kim J M , Oh Y-K , Lee J H , Im D Y , Kim Y-J , Youn J , Lee C-H , Son H , Lee Y-S , Park J Y , Choi I-H 
Published: May 2005

SummaryEscherichia coli is associated with inflammation in the brain. To investigate whether astrocytes are involved in E. coil-induced inflammation, we assessed the levels of expression of proinflammatory mediators produced by E. coli-infected astrocytes. E. coli infection in primary human astrocytes and cell lines increased expression of the CXC chemokine IL-8/GRO-α, the CC chemokine MCP-1, TNF-α, and iNOS. E. coli infection activated p65/p50 heterodimeric NF-κB and concurrently decreased the signals of IκBα. Blocking the NF-κB signals by IκBα-superrepressor-containing retrovirus or antisense p50 oligonucleotide transfection resulted in down-regulation of expression of the proinflammatory mediators. Furthermore, superrepressors of IκBα, IκB kinase (IKK) or NF-κB inducing kinase (NIK) inhibited the up-regulated expression of the downstream target genes of NF-κB such as IL-8 and MCP-1, and superrepressors of TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF)2 and TRAF5 also inhibited expression of the E. coli-induced target genes of NF-κB. These results indicate that proinflammatory mediators such as the CXC chemokine IL-8/GRO-α, the CC chemokine MCP-1, TNF-α, and iNOS can be expressed in E. coli-infected astrocytes via an NF-κB pathway, suggesting that these mediators may contribute to inflammation in the brain, including infiltration of inflammatory cells.
Linking the global carbon cycle to individual metabolism
Authors: ALLEN A. P. , GILLOOLY J. F. , BROWN J. H. 
Published: May 2005

Summary

We present a model that yields ecosystem‐level predictions of the flux, storage and turnover of carbon in three important pools (autotrophs, decomposers, labile soil C) based on the constraints of body size and temperature on individual metabolic rate.
The model predicts a 10 000‐fold increase in C turnover rates moving from tree‐ to phytoplankton‐dominated ecosystems due to the size dependence of photosynthetic rates.
The model predicts a 16‐fold increase in rates controlled by respiration (e.g. decomposition, turnover of labile soil C and microbial biomass) over the temperature range 0–30 °C due to the temperature dependence of ATP synthesis in respiratory complexes.
The model predicts only a fourfold increase in rates controlled by photosynthesis (e.g. net primary production, litter fall, fine root turnover) over the temperature range 0–30 °C due to the temperature dependence of Rubisco carboxylation in chloroplasts.
The difference between the temperature dependence of respiration and photosynthesis yields quantitative predictions for distinct phenomena that include acclimation of plant respiration, geographic gradients in labile C storage, and differences between the short‐ and long‐term temperature dependence of whole‐ecosystem CO2 flux.
These four sets of model predictions were tested using global compilations of data on C flux, storage and turnover in ecosystems.
Results support the hypothesis that the combined effects of body size and temperature on individual metabolic rate impose important constraints on the global C cycle. The model thus provides a synthetic, mechanistic framework for linking global biogeochemical cycles to cellular‐, individual‐ and community‐level processes.
Picky predators and the function of the faecal shield of a cassidine larva
Authors: BACHER S. , LUDER S. 
Published: May 2005

Summary

The faecal shield of cassidine larvae is generally thought to have evolved as a defence against predators, but field evidence for this is only anecdotal. We investigated the effectiveness of the shield as defence against natural enemies and as protection from ultraviolet (UV‐B) radiation in the shield beetle Cassida rubiginosa Müller (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). We also investigated if the construction and bearing of the shield is associated with fitness costs for the larvae in the absence of natural enemies.
Using continuous video surveillance of individual prey, we determined the predator complex of the larvae in the field. Against the main predator, the paper wasp Polistes dominulus Christ (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), the faecal shield was not effective at all. Only few other generalist predators attacked the larvae and thus represented no major mortality factor. By contrast, the faecal shield was highly effective against parasitoids, an unexpected trait described here for the first time.
In dual‐choice bioassays we found no attractive effect of the faecal shield on the endoparasitoid Foersterella reptans (Hymenoptera, Tetracampidae), but a removed faecal shield facilitated oviposition.
There was no protective effect of the faecal shield against UV‐B radiation in a laboratory experiment. However, irradiated larvae suffered from a higher mortality rate and reached a lower pupal weight, independent of whether or not they carried a shield.
We found no measurable fitness costs for the larvae associated with bearing the faecal shield. Advantages (protection from desiccation, wind) seem to outweigh the costs, even in the absence of enemies.
Although many studies on the defensive function of Cassidine shields have been published, this is to our knowledge the first to consider the actual predation pressure in natural situations. This step is rarely undertaken in studies on proposed defensive traits. However, verification that a proposed selection pressure is in fact present in the field is crucial for demonstrating the value and function of any trait.