bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictable activation of tissue‐specific expression from a single gene locus using the pOp/LhG4 transactivation system in Arabidopsis
Authors: Baroux Célia , Blanvillain Robert , Betts Hazel , Batoko Henri , Craft Judith , Martinez Alberto , Gallois Patrick , Moore Ian 
Published: January 2005

SummaryThe pOp/LhG4 transcription factor system was used to determine whether the synthetic pOp promoter, integrated at one position in the Arabidopsis genome, could be efficiently and faithfully activated by the heterologous transcription factor, LhG4, expressed in a variety of different patterns. This is a precondition for the development and exploitation of large collections of LhG4 activation lines that direct predictable tissue‐specific expression of transgenes. We selected a pOp‐GUS reporter insertion that was efficiently activated after crossing to an activator line that expressed the synthetic transcription factor LhG4 from the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter. This reporter line, pOp‐GUS(g2), was then combined with activator loci that expressed LhG4 from one of seven different promoters, each with a different tissue specificity. pOp‐GUS(g2) was activated faithfully in combination with six of these seven activator constructs, but generated an unexpected expression pattern in combination with the seventh construct, a fusion to a cyclin promoter (CYC‐LhG4). The aberrant expression pattern could be attributed to the pOp‐GUS(g2) insertion site, as the CYC‐LhG4 activator lines directed the expected pattern of expression from a second pOp‐GUS insertion. These results show that it is feasible to construct an activator collection in which LhG4 is expressed from diverse promoters or enhancer traps, but that individual pOp reporter loci can vary in their competence to respond to certain activator patterns. We discuss the implications for the design and use of mis‐expression technology in Arabidopsis.
Expression of the sweet protein brazzein in maize for production of a new commercial sweetener
Authors: Lamphear Barry J. , Barker Donna K. , Brooks Christopher A. , Delaney Donna E. , Lane Jeffrey R. , Beifuss Katherine , Love Robert , Thompson Kevin , Mayor Jocelyne , Clough Rich , Harkey Robin , Poage Miranda , Drees Carol , Horn Michael E. , Streatfield Stephen J. , Nikolov Zivko , Woodard Susan L. , Hood Elizabeth E. , Jilka Joseph M. , Howard John A. 
Published: January 2005

SummaryThe availability of foods low in sugar content yet high in flavour is critically important to millions of individuals conscious of carbohydrate intake for diabetic or dietetic purposes. Brazzein is a sweet protein occurring naturally in a tropical plant that is impractical to produce economically on a large scale, thus limiting its availability for food products. We report here the use of a maize expression system for the production of this naturally sweet protein. High expression of brazzein was obtained, with accumulation of up to 4% total soluble protein in maize seed. Purified corn brazzein possessed a sweetness intensity of up to 1200 times that of sucrose on a per weight basis. In addition, application tests demonstrated that brazzein‐containing maize germ flour could be used directly in food applications, providing product sweetness. These results demonstrate that high‐intensity sweet protein engineered into food products can give sweetener attributes useful in the food industry.
Politician control, agency problems and ownership reform
Authors: Xu Lixin Colin , Zhu Tian , Lin Yi‐min 
Published: January 2005

AbstractUsing data from a recent national survey on the ownership reform of state‐owned enterprises in China, we study the effects of reducing politician control and agency problems on a number of reform outcomes. Taking into account the endogenous nature of the reform, we find that these outcome measures of the reform's success are positively affected by the lessening of politician control through increasing the firm's flexibility in labour deployment and by the mitigation of agency costs through the introduction of more effective corporate governance mechanisms such as one‐share one‐vote and shareholding‐based board structure composition. Ownership structure also matters: relative to shareholding by the state, foreign ownership has a positive effect on reform outcomes; individual (mostly employee) shareholding has a negative or insignificant effect. Somewhat surprisingly, operating autonomy (excluding labour deployment flexibility) has a negative effect on firm performance, suggesting serious agency problems in the reformed enterprises.
Export variety and economic growth in East European transition economies*
Authors: Funke Michael , Ruhwedel Ralf 
Published: January 2005

AbstractUtilizing panel data for 14 East European transition economies, we discuss the link between product variety and growth. The empirical work relies upon some direct measures of product variety calculated from 5‐digit OECD trade data. On balance, the results suggest that the growth patterns of the East European transition countries may be best represented by Ventura's (1997) model of outward orientation and integration with the world economy.
Re‐entering Europe: Does European Union candidacy boost foreign direct investment?
Authors: Clausing Kimberly A. , Dorobantu Cosmina L. 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThis study examines the ability of the Central and Eastern European countries to attract foreign direct investment during the first decade of transition. After considering a model of profit maximizing firms, we undertake an empirical investigation of the factors that determine multinational firms’ location decisions within Europe. We find empirical support for the traditional market size and cost factors. In addition, we examine the effect of key European Union announcements regarding the accession process. Results indicate that the announcements had statistically significant and quantitatively important effects on foreign direct investment in the Central and Eastern European candidate countries.
Trade integration and synchronization of shocks*
Authors: Babetskii Ian 
Published: January 2005

AbstractAccording to the European Commission (1990), closer integration leads to less frequent asymmetric shocks and to more synchronized business cycles between countries. However, for Krugman (1993) closer integration implies higher specialization and, thus, higher risks of idiosyncratic shocks. Drawing on the evidence from a group of transition countries, this paper tries to determine whose argument is supported by the data. This is done by confronting estimated time‐varying coefficients of supply and demand shock asymmetry with indicators of trade intensity and exchange rates. We find that (i) an increase in trade intensity leads to higher symmetry of demand shocks: the effect of integration on supply shock asymmetry varies from country to country; and (ii) a decrease in exchange rate volatility has a positive effect on demand shock convergence. The results confirm ‘The European Commission view’ and also the argument by Kenen (2001) according to which the impact of trade integration on shock asymmetry depends on the type of shock.
Does fiscal redistribution discourage local public investment?
Authors: Matheson Thornton 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThis paper studies the determinants of regional (oblast‐level) public investment in transitional Russia, focusing on the effects of federal fiscal redistribution. A model of local government expenditure in the presence of regional asymmetries shows that revenue redistribution from wealthy to poor regions discourages local public investment. Random‐ and fixed‐effects estimation of regional panel data for 1994–97 supports the existence of a disincentive effect from fiscal redistribution on regional public investment, which varies according to a region's federal status and wealth: non‐republics have a lower propensity to invest out of transfers than out of own income, as do regions with above‐median per capita income. Republics reduce public investment more than current spending in response to higher federal taxation. Russia's ‘asymmetrical federalism’ thus creates different fiscal incentives for different types of regions.
Targeting child benefits in a transition economy
Authors: Edmonds Eric V. 
Published: January 2005

AbstractTransition economies use their child benefit programmes to provide additional economic support for families with children. However, budgetary pressures limit social spending in many countries. Therefore, targeting child benefit programmes to the poorest households may be a sensible solution to the problem of supporting families with children when social spending is in decline. Few transition economies have attempted to target child benefits. Hence evidence on the efficacy of means‐testing for child benefits is scarce. This study considers the implementation of one of the few means‐tested child benefit programmes in a transition economy and finds relatively little evidence of targeting problems. Moreover, means‐testing for child benefit substantially alters the distribution of benefits in comparison with the distribution in the more typical universal child benefit programme.
Pathways to conscience: early mother–child mutually responsive orientation and children's moral emotion, conduct, and cognition
Authors: Kochanska Grazyna , Forman David R. , Aksan Nazan , Dunbar Stephen B. 
Published: January 2005

Background:  Associations between early mother–child mutually responsive orientation (MRO) and children's conscience have been previously established, but the mechanisms accounting for those links are not understood. We examined three such mediational mechanisms: (a) the child's enhanced enjoyment of interactions with the mother, (b) increased committed, self‐regulated compliance with the mother, and/or (c) a decreased need for maternal use of power assertion. Children's conscience was seen as a complex system encompassing moral emotion (guilt), conduct, and cognition.Methods:  In a longitudinal design, MRO was observed in mothers’ and children's multiple naturalistic interactions at 9, 14, and 22 months. The mediators were observed at 33 months. Children's conscience was observed at 45 months (moral emotion) and at 56 months (moral conduct and cognition).Results:  The mediating paths were different for the three components of conscience. MRO had a direct, unmediated effect on moral emotion. MRO influenced moral conduct through two mediational paths: by promoting the child's enjoyment of interactions with the mother and by enhancing committed compliance. MRO influenced moral cognition by promoting the child's enjoyment of mother–child interactions. Maternal power assertion did not mediate the relation between MRO and conscience once the influence of the other mediators was considered.Conclusions:  The impact of the early mother–child relationship on future conscience appears to be a complex process that progresses along distinct paths.
The development of arithmetical abilities
Authors: Butterworth Brian 
Published: January 2005

Background:  Arithmetical skills are essential to the effective exercise of citizenship in a numerate society. How these skills are acquired, or fail to be acquired, is of great importance not only to individual children but to the organisation of formal education and its role in society.Method:  The evidence on the normal and abnormal developmental progression of arithmetical abilities is reviewed; in particular, evidence for arithmetical ability arising from innate specific cognitive skills (innate numerosity) vs. general cognitive abilities (the Piagetian view) is compared.Results:  These include evidence from infancy research, neuropsychological studies of developmental dyscalculia, neuroimaging and genetics. The development of arithmetical abilities can be described in terms of the idea of numerosity – the number of objects in a set. Early arithmetic is usually thought of as the effects on numerosity of operations on sets such as set union. The child's concept of numerosity appears to be innate, as infants, even in the first week of life, seem to discriminate visual arrays on the basis of numerosity. Development can be seen in terms of an increasingly sophisticated understanding of numerosity and its implications, and in increasing skill in manipulating numerosities. The impairment in the capacity to learn arithmetic – dyscalculia – can be interpreted in many cases as a deficit in the concept in the child's concept of numerosity. The neuroanatomical bases of arithmetical development and other outstanding issues are discussed.Conclusions:  The evidence broadly supports the idea of an innate specific capacity for acquiring arithmetical skills, but the effects of the content of learning, and the timing of learning in the course of development, requires further investigation.
What have we learned from 15 years of free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE)? A meta‐analytic review of the responses of photosynthesis, canopy properties and plant production to rising CO2
Authors: Ainsworth Elizabeth A. , Long Stephen P. 
Published: January 2005

SummaryFree‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments allow study of the effects of elevated [CO2] on plants and ecosystems grown under natural conditions without enclosure. Data from 120 primary, peer‐reviewed articles describing physiology and production in the 12 large‐scale FACE experiments (475–600 ppm) were collected and summarized using meta‐analytic techniques. The results confirm some results from previous chamber experiments: light‐saturated carbon uptake, diurnal C assimilation, growth and above‐ground production increased, while specific leaf area and stomatal conductance decreased in elevated [CO2]. There were differences in FACE. Trees were more responsive than herbaceous species to elevated [CO2]. Grain crop yields increased far less than anticipated from prior enclosure studies. The broad direction of change in photosynthesis and production in elevated [CO2] may be similar in FACE and enclosure studies, but there are major quantitative differences: trees were more responsive than other functional types; C4 species showed little response; and the reduction in plant nitrogen was small and largely accounted for by decreased Rubisco. The results from this review may provide the most plausible estimates of how plants in their native environments and field‐grown crops will respond to rising atmospheric [CO2]; but even with FACE there are limitations, which are also discussed.

Contents

Summary
351

I.
What is FACE?
352

II.
Materials and methods
352

III.
Photosynthetic carbon uptake
353

IV.
Acclimation of photosynthesis
356

V.
Growth, above‐ground production and yield
358

VI.
So, what have we learned?
360

Acknowledgements
361

References
361

Appendix 1. References included in the database for meta‐analyses
364

Appendix 2. Results of the meta‐analysis of FACE effects
368
Hybrid speciation in plants: new insights from molecular studies
Authors: Hegarty Matthew J. , Hiscock Simon J. 
Published: January 2005

SummaryAbrupt speciation through interspecific hybridisation is an important mechanism in angiosperm evolution. Flowering plants therefore offer excellent opportunities for studying genetic processes associated with hybrid speciation. Novel molecular approaches are now available to examine these processes at the level of both genome organization and gene expression – transcriptomics. Here, we present an overview of the molecular technologies currently used to study hybrid speciation and how they are providing new insights into this mode of speciation in flowering plants. We begin with an introduction to hybrid speciation in plants, followed by a review of techniques, such as isozymes and other markers, which have been used to study hybrid species in the past. We then review advances in molecular techniques that have the potential to be applied to studies of hybrid species, followed by an overview of the main genomic and transcriptomic changes suspected, or known, to occur in newly formed hybrids, together with commentary on the application of advanced molecular tools to studying these changes.
Consumer transactions with SMEs: implications for consumer scholars
Authors: McGregor Sue 
Published: January 2005

AbstractHistorically, the consumer movement has defined business as big business. This paper proposes that we shift the focus to consumer transactions with small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). After SMEs are defined, facts about the realities of SMEs are used as stepping stones to develop the idea that consumer interactions with SMEs are different than those with large firms and merit the attention of consumer scholars. Thirteen recommendations are tendered for future research including rethinking our traditional approach to consumer behaviour theory, consumer policy, and consumer movement theory.
The effect of sunlight and drying methods on the strength of Ghanaian Real Wax printed fabrics
Authors: Fianu Docea A.G. , Sallah Richard A. , Ayertey Augusta 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThe effect of sunlight and drying methods on the strength of Real Wax printed cotton fabrics produced in Ghana was determined. Warp and weft specimens were washed using the Standard Launder‐Ometer (Gyrowash 315). Each laundered or unlaundered specimen was aired or dried on a flat surface or on clothesline in the sun or shade for 42 h. The breaking strengths of controlled and treated specimens were determined using the tensile testing machine (Hounsfield H5K‐S) and the average percentage loss in strength calculated. The analysis of variance and least significant difference for the separation of means were used to test significant differences between the treatments. Whether dried or aired, sunlight caused more loss in strength than shade. Laundered specimens lost more strength in the sun or shade than those unlaundered. Specimens dried or aired on a flat surface in the sun or shade lost more strength than those on clothesline. There were significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) as a result of the different treatments in the warp direction. For the weft specimens, there was a significant difference between only the aired and washed specimens. Conclusions and future research directions are discussed.
Meat labels: consumer attitude and meat consumption pattern
Authors: Rimal Arbindra 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThis paper addressed consumers’ attitude towards food labels and the influence of different aspects of meat labels on beef, poultry and seafood consumption using data from a national survey in the USA. Approximately 70% of the respondents reported that food labels helped in the purchases of beef and other meat products. While 50% thought that the present level of information on meat labels was about right, about 30% thought that it was insufficient. Similarly, 80, 81, 60, and 80% of the respondents thought that it was very important that meat labels contain information regarding nutrition, ingredients, health claim, and production process respectively. Those respondents who thought that nutrition and ingredient information on food labels were very important also thought that meat labels helped them select beef and other meat products. Consumer preferences for nutrition and ingredient information on food labels were positively related with meat consumption frequency.
Exploring convenience orientation as a food motivation for college students living in residence halls
Authors: Marquis Marie 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThe main objective of this paper is to study the concept of convenience orientation among young adults. A project was conducted among students living in residence halls, where information on their food motivation and behaviour was obtained. Data were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire filled out by 319 students. Convenience ap‐pears  to  be  the  most  important  food  motivation  followed by price, pleasure, health and concern about weight. Positive correlations were obtained between convenience and: deciding what to eat, having a varied diet and lack of time, all of which were considered to be difficulties associated with living in residence. Negative correlations were obtained between convenience and total time spent cooking per day and having learned to be autonomous in the kitchen. For male, the perception of eating well, having a varied diet, and maintaining weight were negatively correlated to convenience. For female, the correlation between convenience and the difficulty of eating enough was significant and positive. Negative correlations were obtained between convenience and fresh vegetables, potatoes, eggs, fresh meat, fresh fish and fresh poultry, herbal tea and alcohol. Positive correlations were obtained between convenience, frozen foods and foods brought from the parents’ home. Findings are discussed from both a health and a family perspective.
Infant as a consumer: what to consume?
Authors: Yasmin Hena 
Published: January 2005

AbstractInfancy is the period in life from birth to the age of 1 year. An infant becomes a child and then an adolescent, passes through his/her parents’ lives and disappears into adulthood, a fully fledged person, with a life and a future all his/her own. What an infant eats at this stage is crucial to his/her future health. There are several feeding practices pertaining to infants, including breast‐feeding, artificial feeding, mixed feeding, formula feeding and weaning. A detailed comparative study of these feeding practices concludes that breast‐feeding is the best practice for infant feeding. It makes a unique fundamental contribution to the health and nutrition of infants. The ideal food for the young infant is human milk. It has specific characteristics that match the growing infant's nutritional requirements during the first year of life.
Appetizing learning in Swedish comprehensive schools: an attempt to employ food and tasting in a new form of experimental education
Authors: Jonsson Inger M. , Ekström Marianne P. , Gustafsson Inga‐Britt 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThe word taste has several meanings: biopsychological, and cultural and social. Taste also influences food choice, though there is a widespread belief that tasty food is not synonymous with healthy eating patterns. In Sweden compulsory school daily meals are provided and Home Economics is a compulsory subject, while tasting lessons form an additional experimental form of education. The aim of this study has been to make a general evaluation of tasting lessons in four fifth‐year classes. The focus of the results is on pupils’ learning about, and interest in, food, and the opinions and reflections of teachers, catering staff and school heads. The participants were three professional focus groups comprising staff from four schools, and 48 pupils (eight groups with boys and girls in separate groups) from the same schools. Results showed that the children wereprepared to be exposedto different foodstuffs, and the adultswere prepared to be exposedto new educational methods. Two stages of children's learning have been described in connection with tasting:practice and experience,andverbalization and reflection.