bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cooperation in the Budgeting Process
Authors: Chen Qi 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACTIn this article I analyze the role of cooperation between firm divisions in the budgeting process. I study a setting in which cooperation is a necessary condition for information sharing among division managers, which in turn benefits the principal. The results in this article can help reconcile the differing views between practitioners and academic researchers on the desirability of cooperation in the budgeting process. The results also have implications for some common budgeting processes observed in practice, including bundling budgeting and bottom‐up budgeting.
Does Greater Firm‐Specific Return Variation Mean More or Less Informed Stock Pricing?
Authors: Durnev Artyom , Morck Randall , Yeung Bernard , Zarowin Paul 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACTRoll [1988] observes lowR2statistics for common asset pricing models due to vigorous firm‐specific return variation not associated with public information. He concludes that this implies “either private information or else occasional frenzy unrelated to concrete information”[p. 56]. We show that firms and industries with lower market modelR2statistics exhibit higher association between current returns and future earnings, indicating more information about future earnings in current stock returns. This supports Roll's first interpretation: higher firm‐specific return variation as a fraction of total variation signals more information‐laden stock prices and, therefore, more efficient stock markets.
Family influences on commitment: Examining the family of origin correlates of relationship commitment attitudes
Authors: Weigel Daniel J. , Bennett Kymberley K. , Ballard–Reisch Deborah S. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractTwo studies were conducted to investigate the lessons about relationship commitment that people gain from their families of origin. In the first study, participants identified a story from their families of origin that characterized a number of themes about commitment. In the second study, these themes were further refined to reveal eight factors underlying these themes: dedication to partner, constraints on relationships, relationships are impermanent, disillusionment, family and gender influences, approaching relationships with caution, relationships take work, and divorce has negative consequences. Ratings of the themes varied by the occurrence of parental divorce, perceived parental marital happiness, and gender. Commitment lessons remembered from families of origin also were associated with the participants’ reported level of commitment in their current relationships. Implications for current theory on commitment are discussed.
Helicobacter pylori and gastric malignancies
Authors: Nardone Gerardo , Morgner Andrea 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACT Despite decreasing incidence during the last 50 years, gastric cancer still ranks as one of the most frequent cancers. A multifactorial model of human gastric carcinogenesis is currently accepted in which different dietary and nondietary factors, including genetic susceptibility of the host and Helicobacter pylori infection are involved at different stages in the cancer process. On the molecular level, at least two phenotypes, associated with distinct pathways of genome destabilization, have been identified. However, applying new technologies such as cDNA microarrays a new era in the analysis of molecular markers has started. This molecular technology may open the path towards novel treatment modalities, i.e. gene therapy. Epidemiological, biological, and molecular genetic studies have also implicated the role of H. pylori in lymphomagenesis. Knowledge of pathogenesis and therapy is increasing while good epidemiological data are rare. Many studies have demonstrated that MALT‐type lymphomas develop along two different pathways: t(11;18)‐positive cases, and t(11;18)‐negative cases. Meanwhile, a third translocation could be detected, the t(14;18), opening the discussion of a possible third pathway of lymphoma development.
Chemolithoorganotrophic Growth of
Nitrosomonas europaea
on Fructose
Authors: Hommes Norman G. , Sayavedra-Soto Luis A. , Arp Daniel J. 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACT

The nitrifying bacterium
Nitrosomonas europaea
can obtain all its carbon for growth from CO
2
and all its energy and reductant for growth from the oxidation of NH
3
and is considered an obligate chemolithoautotroph. Previous studies have shown that
N. europaea
can utilize limited amounts of certain organic compounds, including amino acids, pyruvate, and acetate, although no organic compound has been reported to support the growth of
N. europaea
. The recently completed genomic sequence of
N. europaea
revealed a potential permease for fructose. With this in mind, we tested if
N. europaea
could utilize fructose and other compounds as carbon sources to support growth. Cultures were incubated in the presence of fructose or other organic compounds in sealed bottles purged of CO
2
. In these cultures, addition of either fructose or pyruvate as the sole carbon source resulted in a two- to threefold increase in optical density and protein content in 3 to 4 days. Studies with [
14
C]fructose showed that >90% of the carbon incorporated by the cells during growth was derived from fructose. Cultures containing mannose, glucose, glycerol, mannitol, citrate, or acetate showed little or no growth.
N. europaea
was not able to grow with fructose as an energy source, although the presence of fructose did provide an energy benefit to the cells. These results show that
N. europaea
can be grown in CO
2
-free medium by using fructose and pyruvate as carbon sources and may now be considered a facultative chemolithoorganotroph.
The
Vibrio
Pathogenicity Island of Epidemic
Vibrio cholerae
Forms Precise Extrachromosomal Circular Excision Products
Authors: Rajanna C. , Wang J. , Zhang D. , Xu Zheng , Ali A. , Hou Y.-M. , Karaolis D. K. R. 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACT

The
Vibrio
pathogenicity island (VPI) in epidemic
Vibrio cholerae
is an essential virulence gene cluster. Like many pathogenicity islands, the VPI has at its termini a phage-like integrase gene (
int
), a transposase-like gene (
vpiT
), and phage-like attachment (
att
) sites, and is inserted at a tRNA-like locus (
ssrA
). We report that the VPI precisely excises from the chromosome and that its left and right ends join to form an extrachromosomal circular excision product (pVPI). Two-stage nested PCR analysis and DNA sequencing confirmed the
int-att-vpiT
junction and that the core
attP
of pVPI is identical to the chromosomal VPI
attR
site. Excision was independent of
toxR
and
toxT
. Excision was independent of
recA
, suggesting that it is mediated by site-specific recombination. Interestingly, while excision was detected in
int
and
vpiT
mutants, excision was abolished in a double (
int vpiT
) mutant and was restored by plasmids containing genes for either recombinase. Excision results in deletion of A361 in the
ssrA
locus, which flanks the right junction of the VPI. Since A361 encodes U70 in the critical G · U base pair in the acceptor stem of the
ssrA
RNA that is the determinant for aminoacylation with alanine, this deletion might have deleterious effects on
ssrA
function. Also,
vpiT
may have undergone interchromosomal translocation or may represent an independent integration event, as it was found downstream of
hutA
in some isolates. Our results provide new insight into the molecular biology of the VPI, and we propose that the process of excision and circularization is important in the emergence, pathogenesis, and persistence of epidemic
V. cholerae
.
Anabaena
sp. Strain PCC 7120
hetY
Gene Influences Heterocyst Development
Authors: Yoon Ho-Sung , Lee Martin H. , Xiong Jin , Golden James W. 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACT

The filamentous cyanobacterium
Anabaena
(
Nostoc
) sp. strain PCC 7120 responds to starvation for fixed nitrogen by producing a semiregular pattern of nitrogen-fixing cells called heterocysts. Overexpression of the
hetY
gene partially suppressed heterocyst formation, resulting in an abnormal heterocyst pattern. Inactivation of
hetY
increased the time required for heterocyst maturation and caused defects in heterocyst morphology. The 489-bp
hetY
gene (alr2300), which is adjacent to
patS
(asl2301), encodes a protein that belongs to a conserved family of bacterial hypothetical proteins that contain an ATP-binding motif.
The Quorum Sensing Negative Regulators EsaR and ExpR

Ecc

, Homologues within the LuxR Family, Retain the Ability To Function as Activators of Transcription
Authors: von Bodman Susanne B. , Ball Jessica K. , Faini Marie A. , Herrera Carmen M. , Minogue Timothy D. , Urbanowski Mark L. , Stevens Ann M. 
Published: November 2003

ABSTRACT

Most LuxR homologues function as activators of transcription during the process of quorum sensing, but a few, including EsaR and ExpR

Ecc

, negatively impact gene expression. The LuxR-activated
luxI
promoter and LuxR binding site, the
lux
box, were used in artificial contexts to assess the potential for transcriptional activation and DNA binding by EsaR and ExpR

Ecc

. Although the acyl-homoserine lactone responsiveness of both proteins is the opposite of that shown by most LuxR family members, EsaR and ExpR

Ecc

have preserved the ability to interact with RNA polymerase and activate transcription despite their low affinity for the
lux
box DNA.
Electrochemical Reduction of Monochlorinated Hydrocarbons at a Hydrophobic Zn/PTFE Composite‐Electroplated Zn Electrode in a Water‐Acetonitrile Mixture
Authors: Wiyaratn Wisitsree , Somasundrum Mithran , Surareungchai Werasak 
Published: November 2003

AbstractComposite‐electroplating of zinc particles with polytetrafluoroethylene at a zinc substrate resulted in a working electrode which could be used at high negative potentials (to −2.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl) without significant hydrogen evolution. The electrodes were characterized by SEM and CV and were used to detect organochloride compounds in a water‐acetonitrile mixture, by potential step methods.
Fabrication of Covalently Attached Multilayer Film Electrode Containing Iron Porphyrin and Its Electrocatalysis Toward Sulfite
Authors: Li Xiaofang , Fu Yaqin , Sun Changqing 
Published: November 2003

AbstractConstruction of a highly stable covalently attached multilayer film electrode containing iron porphyrin was achieved by UV irradiation of ionic self‐assembled multilayer films of diazo‐resins (DAR) and anionic Fe(III)tetrakis(p‐sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (FeTSPP). The multilayer films had been characterized by UV, IR spectra and cyclic valtammetry. The electrocatalytic transformation of sulfite to SO42− by the multilayer film electrode containing FeTSPP was investigated. In 0.1 M NH4OHNH4Cl buffer solution (pH 8.74) and 0.1 M borate buffer solution (pH 9.18) the electrocatalytic oxidation of sulfite through the multilayer film electrode can be performed. However, in acetate buffer solution (pH 4.0) the electrocatalytic reduction of sulfite by the multilayer film electrode had also good activity. The modified electrode also exhibited a fast response and good stability.
Sonoelectrochemistry in Acoustically Emulsified Media: The Detection of Lead
Authors: Tomčík Peter , Banks Craig E. , Compton Richard G. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractThe double extraction of target lead ions which are then voltammetrically quantified via acoustically assisted anodic stripping voltammetry is demonstrated. The technique involves first the extraction of lead from the aqueous volume into an organic phase containing the ligand dithizone (diphenylthiocarbazone). Second, the chelated lead is then stripped into a clean electrochemically clean aqueous solution where the lead from the original solution can be quantified. This method is shown to be applicable in electrochemically fouling media, providing a high sensitivity with a limit of detection for lead in the order of 10−7 mol dm−3. A theoretical extraction model is presented for the optimal conditions of extraction. The technique is applied to the analysis of lead in wine samples offering quantitative data, which is in good agreement with those obtained from an independent technique (AAS).
Identification of yeasts isolated from Nigerian sugar cane peels
Authors: Olasupo N. A. , Bakre S. , Teniola O. D. , James S. A. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractA pilot study was carried out to determine the yeast species associated with sugar cane peels recovered from three separate dumping sites found in Ojo, a typical market town in Nigeria. Species identities were determined by 26S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing. By using this method, a total of 6 different yeasts were identified, with Candida tropicalis, a recognised human yeast pathogen, being the species most frequently isolated from these dumping sites. The implications of this and other findings of the study, the apparent first of its kind, are discussed in detail.
Increased solubility of (heavy) metals in soil during microbial transformations of sucrose and casein amendments
Authors: Gramss Gerhard , Voigt Klaus‐Dieter , Bublitz Friedemann , Bergmann Hans 
Published: November 2003

AbstractUnsterile soil samples pH 6.8 were amended with 10% sucrose or 0.1% NH4NO3/2% casein to influence solubility of metal cations. Microbial formation of aliphatic carboxylic acids reduced pH of sucrose soil to 4.3 and increased the solubility of heavy metals by 60‐fold due to the increased presence of H+, and the metal‐chelating and humic‐molecule fragmenting properties of carboxylic acids. Soil pH increased finally to 7.8 upon the degradation of the carboxylic acids. In casein soil, ammonia production increased pH initially to 8.5 and promoted solubility of metal‐containing humic compounds. Subsequent nitrification reduced pH to 5.6 to increase concentations of Ca and Mg in the soil solution, which prevented a comparable increase in the solubility of heavy metals competitively. It is concluded that amendment with sugar and nitrogen occasionally increases the concentrations of (hazardous) elements in the soil solution to facilitate their uptake by metal hyperaccumulating plants.
Virulence of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida in cultured cobia Rachycentron canadum
Authors: Liu Ping‐Chung , Lin Ji‐Yang , Lee Kuo‐Kau 
Published: November 2003

AbstractAn outbreak of serious mortality among the cultured cobia Rachycentron canadum (weighing 3 kg) characterized by the presence of whitish granulomatous deposits on the kidney, liver and spleen occurred in July of 2000 in Taiwan. A non‐motile strain CP1 was isolated from kidney and/or liver on tryptic soy agar and/or brain heart infusion agar plates (both supplemented with 1% NaCl, w/v). This strain was characterized and identified as Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida using biochemical characteristics and Bionor mono‐Pp tests. The bacterium and its extracellular products (ECP) were lethal to the cobia (weighing 10 g) with LD50 values of 1.03 × 104 colony forming units and 1.26 μg protein/g fish body weight, respectively. All the moribund/dead fish exhibited darkness in color with no gross or internal leasions. However, the bacteria could be reisolated from kidney and liver after bacterial challenge. The present results reveal that Ph. damselae subsp. piscicida is the causative agent of fish photobacteriosis in the cobia and the bacterium isolated from sub‐adult cobia (chronic form) is virulent to young cobia causing acute form of the disease.
Shock tube measurements of branched alkane ignition times and OH concentration time histories
Authors: Oehlschlaeger M. A. , Davidson D. F. , Herbon J. T. , Hanson R. K. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractIgnition times and hydroxyl (OH) radical concentration time histories were measured behind reflected shock waves during the oxidation of three branched alkanes: iso‐butane (2‐methylpropane), iso‐pentane (2‐methylbutane), and iso‐octane (2,2,4‐trimethylpentane). Initial reflected shock conditions ranged from 1177 to 2009 K and 1.10 to 12.58 atm with dilute fuel/O2/Ar mixtures varying in fuel concentration from 100 ppm to 1.25% and in equivalence ratio from 0.25 to 2. Ignition times were measured using endwall CH emission and OH concentrations were measured using narrow‐linewidth ring‐dye laser absorption of the R1(5) line of the OH A‐X (0,0) band at 306.7 nm. The ignition times and OH concentration time histories were compared to modeled predictions of seven branched alkane oxidation mechanisms currently available in the literature and the implications of these comparisons are discussed. These data provide a unique database for the validation of detailed hydrocarbon oxidation mechanisms of propulsion related fuels. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 67–78 2004
Comparison of PDQuest and Progenesis software packages in the analysis of two‐dimensional electrophoresis gels
Authors: Rosengren Arsi T. , Salmi Jussi M. , Aittokallio Tero , Westerholm Jan , Lahesmaa Riitta , Nyman Tuula A. , Nevalainen Olli S. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractEfficient analysis of protein expression by using two‐dimensional electrophoresis (2‐DE) data relies on the use of automated image processing techniques. The overall success of this research depends critically on the accuracy and the reliability of the analysis software. In addition, the software has a profound effect on the interpretation of the results obtained, and the amount of user intervention demanded during the analysis. The choice of analysis software that best meets specific needs is therefore of interest to the research laboratory. In this paper we compare two advanced analysis software packages, PDQuest and Progenesis. Their evaluation is based on quantitative tests at three different levels of standard 2‐DE analysis: spot detection, gel matching and spot quantitation. As test materials we use three gel sets previously used in a similar comparison of Z3 and Melanie, and three sets of gels from our own research. It was observed that the quality of the test gels critically influences the spot detection and gel matching results. Both packages were sensitive to the parameter or filter settings with respect to the tendency of finding true positive and false positive spots. Quantitation results were very accurate for both analysis software packages.
Mapping, characterisation, and comparison of the spatio‐temporal distributions of cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala), carabids, and Collembola in a crop of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus)
Authors: Warner D. J. , Allen‐Williams L. J. , Warrington S. , Ferguson A. W. , Williams I. H. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractThe spatio‐temporal distribution of Psylliodes chrysocephala (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a pest of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) (L.) (Cruciferae) and its potential predators, carabid beetles, within a crop of winter oilseed rape is described. The distribution of Collembola, a potential alternative food source for the predators, is also investigated. Insects were collected from spatially referenced sampling points across the crop and the counts mapped, analysed, and the degree of spatial association between the distributions determined using Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs (SADIE). Immigration into the crop by adult P. chrysocephala occurred from two edges and resulted in a non‐uniform distribution of the pest within the crop. Infestation of rape plants by P. chrysocephala larvae was greatest within the central area of the crop. Significant spatial association between adult female P. chrysocephala and the larval infestation of plants occurred throughout October. Three carabid species were active and abundant during peak pest immigration into the crop, viz., Trechus quadristriatus (Schrank) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Pterostichus madidus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), and Nebria brevicollis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Two of these species, T. quadristriatus and P. madidus, showed significant spatial association with the larvae of P. chrysocephala during October. All three carabid species showed a significant spatial association with Collembola during mid‐September, indicating that the latter may be an important food source for carabids during this period. In laboratory feeding experiments, only T. quadristriatus consumed the eggs of P. chrysocephala suggesting that, in the adult stage, this species may be the most important of the naturally occurring carabids as a predator of P. chrysocephala in the field. Adult T. quadristriatus may be a valuable component of an Integrated Pest Management strategy for winter oilseed rape, and the conservation of this species could be beneficial.
Interpopulation Variation in the Social Organization of Female Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus collaris
Authors: Baird Troy A. , Sloan Chris L. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractWe tested the hypotheses that levels of intrasexual aggression and the social structure among neighboring females differed in two central Oklahoma populations of collared lizards, Crotaphytus collaris, and examined the extent to which variation in aggression might be related to differences in the availability of arthropods, elevated perches used by females to scan for prey, and crawlspace refugia. Because both the costs of aggression and access to resources may influence female fitness, we also compared growth and survival rates and the number of clutches produced. At Morningside Farms Ranch (MS), lizards occupied naturally‐formed sandstone washes with naturally‐sculpted irregular topographies, whereas they inhabited homogenous fields of boulders used to construct flood control spillways at the Arcadia Lake Dam (AL). The frequency of intrasexual aggression was markedly higher at MS, and groups of MS females had social hierarchies structured by size and age with older females defending territories, whereas no such social structure was apparent at AL. Moreover, experimental removal of individuals from female groups resulted in more pronounced changes by the remaining females at MS than at AL. Elevated perches and crawlspace refugia were much less abundant at MS. Arthropod availability was similar at the two sites, but at AL arthropods were clustered near the edges of rock patches where elevated perches overlooking adjacent grassy areas were particularly abundant. MS females showed lower rates of survival, and growth during the first year (when growth is highest) than AL females, whereas the number of clutches produced by females at the two sites was similar. Our results suggest that variation in the availability of perch rocks may have resulted in differences in female social structure at the two sites, and relaxed intrasexual competition for perches may have resulted in higher female fitness at AL.