Competitive Recruitment Research Articles

HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT Conference Paper Abstracts.

Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings includes abstracts of all papers and symposia presented at the annual conference, plus 6-page abridged versions of the “Best Papers” accepted for inclusion in the program (approximately 10%). Papers published in the Proceedings are abridged because presenting papers at their full length could preclude subsequent journal publication. Please contact the author(s) directly for the full papers. ArticlesHEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT Conference Paper Abstracts.Published Online:30 Nov 2017https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2007.26536352AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsDownload CitationsAdd to favoritesTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail AbstractThe article presents abstracts concerning issues related to health care management. They include "A House Divided: Cooperative and Competitive Recruitment in Vital Industries," "A Study of Institutional Effects on the Practice of Evidence-Based Medicine," and "A Taxonomy of Biotechnology IPOS and A Measure of Their Market Influence."FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 2007, No. 1 Permissions Metrics in the past 12 months History Published online 30 November 2017 Published in print 1 August 2007 InformationCopyright of Academy of Management Journal is the property of Academy of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.KeywordsABSTRACTSMEDICAL care -- AbstractsBIOTECHNOLOGY -- AbstractsMANAGEMENT -- AbstractsMEDICINE -- AbstractsCAPITAL market -- AbstractsDownload PDF

Molecular Mimicry Enables Competitive Recruitment by a Natively Disordered Protein

We report the crystal structure of the Escherichia coli TolB-Pal complex, a protein-protein complex involved in maintaining the integrity of the outer membrane (OM) in all Gram-negative bacteria that is parasitized by colicins (protein antibiotics) to expedite their entry into cells. Nuclease colicins competitively recruit TolB using their natively disordered regions (NDRs) to disrupt its complex with Pal, which is thought to trigger translocation of the toxin across a locally destabilized OM. The structure shows induced-fit binding of peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (Pal) to the beta-propeller domain of TolB causing the N-terminus of one of its alpha-helices to unwind and several residues to undergo substantial changes in conformation. The resulting interactions with TolB are known to be essential for the stability of the complex and the bacterial OM. Structural comparisons with a TolB-colicin NDR complex reveal that colicins bind at the Pal site, mimicking rearranged Pal residues while simultaneously appearing to block induced-fit changes in TolB. The study therefore explains how colicins recruit TolB in the bacterial periplasm and highlights a novel binding mechanism for a natively disordered protein.

Engineering the Recruitment of Phosphotyrosine Binding Domain-containing Adaptor Proteins Reveals Distinct Roles for RET Receptor-mediated Cell Survival

The RET receptor tyrosine kinase is important for several different biological functions during development. The recruitment at the phosphorylated Tyr(1062) site in RET of a number of different phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain-containing adaptor proteins, including Shc and Frs2, plays a dominant role for the multiple different biological functions of the RET receptor during development, including stimulation of cell survival. Here, we demonstrate that a competitive recruitment of Shc as opposed to Frs2 mediates the survival signaling arising from RET activation. Based on results from a peptide array, we have genetically engineered the PTB domain binding site of RET to rewire its recruitment of the PTB proteins Shc and Frs2. An engineered RET that has a competitive interaction with Shc at the expense of Frs2, but not a RET receptor that only recruits Frs2, activates cell survival signaling pathways and is protective from cell death in neuronal SK-N-MC cells. Thus, cell type-specific functions involve a competitive recruitment of different PTB adaptor molecules by RET that activate selective signaling pathways.

BEHAVIORAL DIFFERENCES BETWEENPOGONOMYRMEX RUGOSUSAND DEPENDENT LINEAGE (H1/H2) HARVESTER ANTS

The discovery of genetic caste determination (GCD) in populations of Pogonomyrmex harvester ants raises many questions about the evolution and persistence of such populations. The genetic caste determination arises from the existence of two distinct, but mutually dependent, genetic lineages within a population. Workers always develop from a combination of the two lineages, but their sister queens develop from within-lineage matings. Maintaining genetic caste determination appears to be costly because many queen-destined eggs are wasted when a colony is not in the reproductive stage, yet these populations appear to be widespread. We investigated whether inter-lineage workers have novel traits that give GCD colonies a selective advantage in certain environments. In particular, we compared ecologically relevant behavioral characteristics of inter-lineage workers in H-lineage colonies with co-occurring normal colonies of P. rugosus. First, we measured colony defensive response toward a simulated vertebrate predator. Second, we set up direct competitive foraging and recruitment experiments between dependent lineage and P. rugosus colonies. Last, we measured individual aggressive response to foreign inter-lineage and P. rugosus workers. We found that H1/H2 inter-lineage workers explored objects on the nest more thoroughly and responded much more aggressively to simulated predator disturbance than the P. rugosus colonies. In individual encounters, H1/H2 inter-lineage and P. rugosus workers were equally aggressive toward foreign ants, but both worker types could discriminate P. rugosus from inter-lineage intruders and were more aggressive toward ants of the alternate type to themselves. When competing directly for resources, however, P. rugosus colonies consistently dominated seed piles. In summary, H1/H2 GCD colonies show distinct behavioral differences, but there is no clear ecological advantage from the traits we examined.

Competitive recruitment of the periplasmic translocation portal TolB by a natively disordered domain of colicin E9.

The natively disordered N-terminal 83-aa translocation (T) domain of E group nuclease colicins recruits OmpF to a colicin-receptor complex in the outer membrane (OM) as well as TolB in the periplasm of Escherichia coli, the latter triggering translocation of the toxin across the OM. We have identified the 16-residue TolB binding epitope in the natively disordered T-domain of the nuclease colicin E9 (ColE9) and solved the crystal structure of the complex. ColE9 folds into a distorted hairpin within a canyon of the six-bladed beta-propeller of TolB, using two tryptophans to bolt the toxin to the canyon floor and numerous intramolecular hydrogen bonds to stabilize the bound conformation. This mode of binding enables colicin side chains to hydrogen-bond TolB residues in and around the channel that runs through the beta-propeller and that constitutes the binding site of peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (Pal). Pal is a globular binding partner of TolB, and their association is known to be important for OM integrity. The structure is therefore consistent with translocation models wherein the colicin disrupts the TolB-Pal complex causing local instability of the OM as a prelude to toxin import. Intriguingly, Ca(2+) ions, which bind within the beta-propeller channel and switch the surface electrostatics from negative to positive, are needed for the negatively charged T-domain to bind TolB with an affinity equivalent to that of Pal and competitively displace it. Our study demonstrates that natively disordered proteins can compete with globular proteins for binding to folded scaffolds but that this can require cofactors such as metal ions to offset unfavorable interactions.

PATHWAY TO PETROLEUM—EASING SKILL SHORTAGES THROUGH AN INDUSTRY INDUCTION PROGRAM

To provide a pathway to employment, petroleum industry employers are sponsoring a standard induction program, delivered through a national network of training centres, which will be recognised as a passport for workers to gain access to oil and gas facilities.The Australian upstream petroleum industry faces many staffing challenges including: difficulties recruiting staff for new developments, competition from overseas projects for construction contractors, and the imminent retirement of an aging workforce. This growing employment demand and limited labour supply has created a strong competitive recruitment market that is characterised by skills shortages. Consequently, the industry is having to recruit workers from non-traditional labour pools and engage contractors whose workforce has limited oil and gas experience. Many of these workers are not familiar with petroleum industry processes, safety procedures, or environmental hazards.APPEA is supporting the development of the Induction Program to raise awareness and commence acquisition of these petroleum industry competencies; to facilitate wider staff recruitment; to up-skill contractors’ workforces; and, reduce repeated induction training while ensuring safety standards are maintained. The Induction Program will establish a qualification underpinned by a competency- based approach that is recognised as the minimum standard of entry level training for all workers in upstream petroleum workplaces. The Induction Program will be delivered through a national network of purpose-built Induction Centres designed to provide practical hands-on training in a simulated workplace environment.

Behavior analysis of epilepsy: Conditioning mechanisms, behavior technology and the contribution of ACT.

The conditioning mechanisms involved in the epileptic seizure behavior along with subsequent effective behavioral treatment have been known for more than a half a century. The behavior technology of seizure control provides low-cost, drug free treatment alternative for individual already suffering from seizures and the stigmatization of epilepsy. Despite this substantial amount of research, behavior therapy for seizures is not available to most people. This aim of this paper is to present the history of the behavior analysis and therapy developed in the last century. In addition to the established behavioral technology, a third wave contextual behavior therapy, Acceptance and Commitment therapy is shown in a recent study to contribute to new dimensions of treatment. Whereas, previous behavioral treatment regimens have aimed at seizure control, ACT aims at creating psychological flexibility around all of the experiential avoidance patterns associated with epilepsy and builds repertoire towards the individuals valued life. A treatment model that includes both the behavioral analysis and seizure control techniques along with ACT components: acceptance, defusion skills, mindfulness, and committed action in valued direction may have greater success than behavioral treatments alone. While behavioral control strategies may be used for preventing, predicting and actually interrupting seizure behavior, acceptance-based skills are used for creating flexibility around resistance to having seizures. While more research is needed, this combination represents a viable alternative and or compliment to drug and surgical therapy. Key words: Epilepsy, applied behavior analysis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, third wave contextual behavior therapy EARLY DOCUMENTATION OF CONDITIONING USED TO STOP SEIZURES Among the earliest medical documentations of epileptic seizures we find stories of conditioning mechanisms and how they can be used to control seizures. Already in ancient Greek medicine, Galen, describes seizures as a process or predicable chain of behavior that can be interrupted by different stimulation to the body (Temkin, 1945). Much later, the British Neurologist Gowers (1881) is the first to classify epilepsy: grand mal, petit mal, and hysteroid and he publishes case studies where behavioral techniques are applied and successfully stop seizures. Epileptic seizure behavior is carefully documented and treatment interventions entail different ways of stimulating around the area of the seizure start. Both specific and stimulation are described. In one example a specific stimuli like pressure is put on the hand where the seizure starts and in other more general, strong smells are used to evoke a contingent on seizure start. A French physician/physiologist presents a review of cases studies (Brown-Sequard, 1858) also demonstrating how seizures can be successfully aborted by the use of stimulating contingent on seizure start. Documentation of these behavioral interventions continues into the 19th century with a renown epileptologist, Jackson, who describes certain seizures as a march throughout the body and how it is brought to a halt by vigorous rubbing of that affect limb (Jackson, 1931). From these early studies the principle of competitive recruitment evolves. At this point, based on clinical observations, the assumption is that by localizing hyper excitable brain areas, competitive recruitment stimulated in relatively normal brain areas will increase normal activity and reduce synchronization and prevent seizures. In other words, if you can identify an early link in the chain of seizure behavior, and either apply stimulation around that area or initiate a general arousal you are likely to stop the seizure. Drug industry: conditioning and behavioral know-how gets lost by the wayside At the turn of the century, the drug industry enters the scene with the promise of a chemical solution to stop seizures. …

Overexpression of FAK promotes Ras activity through the formation of a FAK/p120RasGAP complex in malignant astrocytoma cells.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling may be mediated through the modulation of Ras activity. We have shown previously that grade III malignant astrocytoma biopsy samples exhibit elevated levels of FAK, and that overexpression of FAK in U-251MG malignant astrocytoma cells promotes the phosphorylation of Shc, a potential upstream mediator of Ras activity. Here, we report that overexpression of FAK promotes Ras activity in U-251MG malignant astrocytoma cells cultured in aggregate suspension or as monolayers adherent to vitronectin. The overexpression of FAK also promoted the association of FAK with p120RasGAP, which is a negative regulator of Ras activity, in the U-251MG cells cultured in aggregate suspension, with this association being abrogated upon plating of the cells onto vitronectin. An association of FAK with p120RasGAP also was observed in malignant astrocytoma biopsy samples, but not in normal brain samples. As overexpression of FAK in U-251MG cells in aggregate suspension culture reduced the amount of p120RasGAP complexed with active Ras, we hypothesize that the association of FAK with p120 RasGAP may facilitate Ras activity. The overexpression of a mutated FAK in which the Y397 had been mutated to F did not result in the formation of the FAK/p120RasGAP complex and did not promote Ras activity, indicating that the Y397 residue of FAK plays a role in the formation of this complex and in the activation of Ras. Moreover, the overexpression of mutated FAK (397F) was found to inhibit anchorage-independent growth. These data provide the basis for a previously undescribed mechanism in which the elevated expression of FAK can promote Ras activity through its competitive recruitment of p120RasGAP, thereby diminishing the association of p120RasGAP with active Ras.

The Rising Tide of For-Profit Universities: Ebb and Flow Management for Academic Advisors

While public universities grapple with sharp budget cuts from state legislatures and private colleges face the ongoing challenges of competitive student recruitment and retention activities, for-profit universities have been growing rapidly. Much of the for-profit growth is attributed to a perspicacious student-as-customer approach, a well-defined target market, and significant legislative influence. Urban and metropolitan universities with significant numbers of nontraditional and minority students are most affected. As enrollment in for-profit universities continues to increase, attention to student advising and other forms of student support services could be a key comparative advantage for traditional postsecondary institutions.

Communal roosts as structured information centres in the raven, Corvus corax

Summary Ravens (Corvus corax, L.) feed on rich but ephemeral carcasses of large animals. Non‐breeding juveniles forage socially and aggregate in communal winter roosts, which may function as ‘information centres’ regarding food locations. In a large roost in North Wales, regurgitated pellets on the forest floor contained a variety of prey remains, which were more similar for ravens that had roosted close together the same night. Sheep carcasses placed at varying distances from the roost were baited with colour‐coded plastic beads. These were ingested and regurgitated in pellets back at the roost in aggregations, the spatial distribution of which consistently reflected the geographical location of bait sites. Aggregations of beads at the roost grew daily with an increasing radius centred upon the first pellet per carcass. This mirrored the linear increase of six birds per day in the size of groups flying between roost and carcass each morning. Rates of recruitment were greater for carcasses closer to the roost. Groups were led by a single bird roosting centrally within the aggregation. When individually identifiable (37·5% of cases), these individuals were dominant at the carcass and were among the minority of birds involved in acrobatic display flights at preroost gatherings. When contrasted with data on two alternative groups of ravens peripheral to the main roost which foraged and roosted collectively, these results provide strong circumstantial evidence for raven roosts as structured information centres. The adaptive basis for competitive recruitment resulting in excessively large group sizes is also discussed.

Inhibition of interleukin-4 production in CD4+ T cells by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligands: involvement of physical association between PPAR-gamma and the nuclear factor of activated T cells transcription factor.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) has been implicated in the regulation of multiple inflammatory processes. However, little is known of PPAR-gamma in the regulation of interleukin (IL)-4 expression in T cells. In this study, the effects of PPAR-gamma ligands on production of IL-4, a pro-inflammatory cytokine associated with the pathophysiology of allergic diseases, were investigated. 15-Deoxy-Delta12,14 prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and ciglitazone, two representative PPAR-gamma ligands, significantly inhibited IL-4 production in both antigen-stimulated primary CD4+ T cells and the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)/ionomycin-activated EL-4 T cell line. 15d-PGJ2 and ciglitazone inhibited the activation of IL-4 gene promoter in EL-4 T cells transiently transfected with IL-4 promoter/reporter constructs, and the repressive effect mapped to a region in the IL-4 promoter containing binding sites for nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT). The activation of T cells by PMA/ionomycin resulted in a marked enhancement of the binding activities to the NF-AT site that was significantly inhibited by the addition of PPAR-gamma ligands. In cotransfected EL-4 T cells, PPAR-gamma also inhibited the activation of the IL-4 promoter at multiple NF-AT sites in a ligand-dependent manner. NF-ATc1 bound PPAR-gamma both in vivo and in vitro, and the interaction interfaces involved the Rel similarity domain of NF-ATc1. In cotransfections of HeLa cells, PPAR-gamma inhibited the NF-ATc1 transactivation in a ligand-dependent manner. Coexpression of p300 or AP-1 relieved the PPAR-gamma ligand-mediated inhibition of the NF-AT transactivation. From these results, we propose that PPAR-gamma ligand-mediated suppression of IL-4 production in CD4+ T cells may involve both inhibition of the NFAT-DNA interactions and competitive recruitment of transcription integrators between NF-AT and PPAR-gamma.

Competitive cofactor recruitment by orphan receptor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha1: modulation by the F domain.

For most ligand-dependent nuclear receptors, the status of endogenous ligand modulates the relative affinities for corepressor and coactivator complexes. It is less clear what parameters modulate the switch between corepressor and coactivator for the orphan receptors. Our previous work demonstrated that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha1 (HNF4alpha1, NR2A1) interacts with the p160 coactivator GRIP1 and the cointegrators CBP and p300 in the absence of exogenously added ligand and that removal of the F domain enhances these interactions. Here, we utilized transient-transfection analysis to demonstrate repression of HNF4alpha1 activity by the corepressor silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid receptors (SMRT) in several cell lines and on several HNF4alpha-responsive promoter elements. Glutathione S-transferase pulldown assays confirmed a direct interaction between HNF4alpha1 and receptor interaction domain 2 of SMRT. Loss of the F domain resulted in marked reduction of the ability of SMRT to interact with HNF4alpha1 in vitro and repress HNF4alpha1 activity in vivo, although the isolated F domain itself failed to interact with SMRT. Surprisingly, loss of both the A/B and F domains restored full repression by SMRT, suggesting involvement of both domains in the SMRT interaction. Finally, we show that when coexpressed along with HNF4alpha1 and GRIP1, CBP, or p300, SMRT can titer out HNF4alpha1-mediated transactivation in a dose-dependent manner and that this competition derives from mutually exclusive binding. Collectively, these results suggest that HNF4alpha can functionally interact with both a coactivator and a corepressor without altering the status of any putative ligand and that the presence of the F domain may play a role in discriminating between the different coregulators.

Competitive Recruitment of CBP and Rb-HDAC Regulates UBF Acetylation and Ribosomal Transcription

RNA polymerase I (PolI) transcription is activated by the HMG box architectural factor UBF, which loops approximately 140 bp of DNA into the enhancesome, necessitating major chromatin remodeling. Here we show that the acetyltransferase CBP is recruited to and acetylates UBF both in vitro and in vivo. CBP activates PolI transcription in vivo through its acetyltransferase domain and acetylation of UBF facilitates transcription derepression and activation in vitro. CBP activation and Rb suppression of ribosomal transcription by recruitment to UBF are mutually exclusive, regulating in vivo PolI transcription through an acetylation-deacetylation “flip-flop.” Thus, PolI transcription is regulated by protein acetylation, and the competitive recruitment of CBP and Rb.

Retinoids Inhibit Interleukin-12 Production in Macrophages through Physical Associations of Retinoid X Receptor and NFκB

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increases the production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) from mouse macrophages via a kappaB site within the IL-12 p40 promoter. In this study, we found that retinoids inhibit this LPS-stimulated production of IL-12 in a dose-dependent manner. The NFkappaB components p50 and p65 bound retinoid X receptor (RXR) in a ligand-independent manner in vitro, and the interaction interfaces involved the p50 residues 1-245, the p65 residues 194-441, and the N-terminal A/B/C domains of RXR. Activation of macrophages by LPS resulted in markedly enhanced binding activities to the kappaB site, which significantly decreased upon addition of retinoids, as demonstrated by the electrophoretic mobility shift assays. In cotransfections of CV-1 and HeLa cells, RXR also inhibited the NFkappaB transactivation in a ligand-dependent manner, whereas a mutant RXR lacking the AF2 transactivation domain, which serves as ligand-dependent binding sites for transcription integrators SRC-1 and p300, was without any effect. In addition, coexpression of increasing amounts of SRC-1 or p300 relieved the retinoid-mediated inhibition of the NFkappaB transactivation. From these results, we propose that retinoid-mediated suppression of the IL-12 production from LPS-activated macrophages may involve both inhibition of the NFkappaB-DNA interactions and competitive recruitment of transcription integrators between NFkappaB and RXR.

GM-CSF downregulates expression of tryptase, Fc epsilon RI and histamine in HMC-1 mast cells.

Fibroblast-derived growth factors like SCF are able to upregulate the expression of mast cell characteristics in human multilineage hematopoietic progenitor cells. Other factors, like GM-CSF, have been reported to inhibit this process, probably by the competitive recruitment of cells not belonging to the mast cell lineage. In this study, we investigated the influence of GM-CSF on immature mast cells of the HMC-1 cell line which already show low-level expression of mast cell tryptase, histamine and Fc epsilonRI alpha. Culture of HMC-1 cells with mast-cell-conditioning medium, containing fibroblast supernatants, upregulated tryptase activity, histamine contents and expression of Fc epsilonRI alpha. However, addition of GM-CSF (10 ng/ml) markedly downregulated these mast cell markers, without affecting proliferation and viability of cells. Thus, GM-CSF may provide an inhibitory signal during mast cell differentiation and probably even downregulates mast cell characteristics in more differentiated cells.

Inhibition of stem cell factor dependent formation of human mast cells by interleukin-3 and interleukin-4.

In murines, interleukins (IL) 3, 4, 9, and 10, nerve growth factor, and stem cell factor induce or promote growth and differentiation of mast cells (MC). Increased stimulation and synergy was observed when combinations of cytokines were used. In man, no growth factor for human MCs had been identified until recently, when SCF was found to induce in vitro growth and differentiation of human MCs. In the present study, the effects of recombinant human IL-3 and IL-4 on SCF-dependent differentiation of human MCs from their circulating progenitor cells in long-term culture were analyzed. Surprisingly, both IL-3 and IL-4 were found to inhibit SCF-dependent formation of human MCs (SCF, 100 ng/ml: 36.4 +/- 18.7 x 10(3)/ml; SCF + IL-3, 100 U/ml: 23.4 +/- 4.2 x 10(3)/ml; SCF + IL-4, 100 U/ml: 7.4 +/- 4.4 x 10(3)/ml) and synthesis of MC tryptase (SCF, 100 ng/ml: 73.2 +/- 17.6 ng/ml; SCF + IL-3, 100 U/ml: 10.8 +/- 3.1 ng/ml [p < 0.01]; SCF + IL-4, 100 U/ml: 8.1 +/- 1.5 ng/ml, [p = 0.02]). The inhibitory effects of these cytokines on SCF-dependent formation of human MCs were associated with an increase in the number of macrophages (IL-3) or lymphocytes (IL-4) in the same cultures and may be due to competitive recruitment of cells from a pool of multilineage hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Student nurse recruitment: determinants for choosing a nursing program.

Competitive recruitment of nursing school applicants requires a thorough understanding of why they pick a particular school. By applying marketing techniques, nursing schools can identify their institutions' perceived strengths and tailor their recruitment efforts to applicants' needs. Students and alumni (n = 228) responding to a mail survey indicated that their awareness of the nursing program was primarily through personal contacts and direct mail. Other marketing media were perceived as ineffective. Several market segments were identified through canonical correlation analysis: traditional and nontraditional students. Traditional students (under age 25, unmarried, local, in the baccalaureate program) chose the program due to quality of clinical instruction and financial aid. Nontraditional students (age 25 or older, married, returning LPN or RN, transfer, in generic BSN or associate programs) decided to attend based on convenience. The research resulted in the development of recruiting materials emphasizing the unique strengths of the nursing program.

Rabbit Grazing, Plant Competition and Seedling Recruitment in Acid Grassland

(1) Two experiments were done to determine the effect of grazing by rabbits on plant recruitment in mature grassland and on cultivated soil. The first was a factorial experiment, with and without rabbit fencing, and with and without soil cultivation, carried out between 1986 and 1989 in acid grassland with a long history of rabbit grazing. In the second, carried out between 1982 and 1985 in two contrasting arable fields, rabbits grazed crops of winter wheat, with fencing enclosures erected at different times and for different durations. (2) Rabbit grazing affected the stature and composition of the grassland throughout the year. Species that increased in cover in rabbit-grazed grassland included the grass Anthoxanthum odoratum and the forb Rumex acetosella. Species that decreased included the grasses Festuca rubra and Agrostis capillaris and the forbs Vicia sativa and Trifolium repens. There was negligible change in the total number of plant species with grazing. (3) The cultivated treatments showed that the seed bank under the acid grassland was extremely heterogeneous. (4) Eight of the twenty-three commonest ruderal species beneath acid grassland decreased in cover significantly (e.g. Capsella bursa-pastoris and Papaver dubium), and none increased significantly. In contrast, most of the ruderal species in the seed bank of nearby arable soils increased under grazing. (5) Most plant species on cultivated grassland soils regenerated from vegetative fragments (e.g. Holcus mollis, Stellaria graminea, Rumex acetosa and R. acetosella), rather than by germination of seed. Regrowth shoots outnumbered seedlings by a factor of between 3 and 23 3. (6) The extent of spatial heterogeneity within and between plots in both the composition of the buried seed bank, and in recruitment by vegetative regrowth, highlights the need for large sample sizes in this kind of study. (7) The mechanisms that determine whether a plant species increases or decreases under grazing are discussed.

Recruitment for fashion careers: A case study of organizational conning

We report a participant‐observation‐based analysis of the recruitment strategies, the formal organization, and the organizational underlife of a privately owned, profit‐making “conning” organization that calls itself a fashion school for girls. Two variations of interactionist sociology, negotiated order theory and dramaturgical sociology, are used. Beyond expanding understanding of how conning organizations operate, implications extend to the issue of deceit in competitive recruitment for scarce human resources as, for instance, in the current practices of some colleges and universities to ensure enrollment minima in the context of a dwindling marketplace.

Interdisciplinary and military determinants of scientific productivity: A cross-lagged correlation analysis

This paper explores the contemporaneous and intergenerational relationships among various scientific endeavors and military activity. Using European historical data from 1500 to 1900 A.D., generational (or 25-yr) fluctuations were examined for nine categories of scientific discovery and invention and for two aspects of military activity. A cross-lagged correlational analysis indicated that (a) casualties (but not war duration) has a significant negative contemporaneous association with medical discoveries, (b) several scientific disciplines display positive intergenerational influences (e.g., medicine, geology, and chemistry on biology), and (c) astronomy exhibits a negative intergenerational impact on technology, medicine, biology, and geology. The findings were discussed in terms of both stimulating interdisciplinary information exchanges and inhibitory competitive recruitment.