Southern Illinois University System

A field study of 29 resource-constrained firms that varied dramatically in their responses to similar objective environments is used to examine the process by which entrepreneurs in resource-poor environments were able to render unique services by recombining elements at hand for new purposes that challenged institutional definitions and limits. We found that Lévi-Strauss's concept of bricolage—making do with what is at hand—explained many of the behaviors we observed in small firms that were able to create something from nothing by exploiting physical, social, or institutional inputs that other firms rejected or ignored. We demonstrate the socially constructed nature of resource environments and the role of bricolage in this construction. Using our field data and the existing literature on bricolage, we advance a formal definition of entrepreneurial bricolage and induce the beginnings of a process model of bricolage and firm growth. Central to our contribution is the notion that companies engaging in bricolage refuse to enact the limitations imposed by dominant definitions of resource environments, suggesting that, for understanding entrepreneurial behavior, a constructivist approach to resource environments is more fruitful than objectivist views.

The contributions of current models of ethical decision making are described and evaluated on a comparative basis. From the synthesis of these frameworks an integrated model is derived. The integrated model combines both cognitive-affect and social-learning theory to produce a more complete perspective of the ethical decision process. This perspective acknowledges that ethical decision making is affected by both external (environment, peers, situation) as well as internal (moral value structure) constructs.

Environmental contamination with compounds containing oxyanions of chlorine, such as perchlorate or chlorate [(per)chlorate] or chlorine dioxide, has been a constantly growing problem over the last 100 years. Although the fact that microbes reduce these compounds has been recognized for more than 50 years, only six organisms which can obtain energy for growth by this metabolic process have been described. As part of a study to investigate the diversity and ubiquity of microorganisms involved in the microbial reduction of (per)chlorate, we enumerated the (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria (ClRB) in very diverse environments, including pristine and hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, aquatic sediments, paper mill waste sludges, and farm animal waste lagoons. In all of the environments tested, the acetate-oxidizing ClRB represented a significant population, whose size ranged from 2.31 x 10(3) to 2.4 x 10(6) cells per g of sample. In addition, we isolated 13 ClRB from these environments. All of these organisms could grow anaerobically by coupling complete oxidation of acetate to reduction of (per)chlorate. Chloride was the sole end product of this reductive metabolism. All of the isolates could also use oxygen as a sole electron acceptor, and most, but not all, could use nitrate. The alternative electron donors included simple volatile fatty acids, such as propionate, butyrate, or valerate, as well as simple organic acids, such as lactate or pyruvate. Oxidized-minus-reduced difference spectra of washed whole-cell suspensions of the isolates had absorbance maxima close to 425, 525, and 550 nm, which are characteristic of type c cytochromes. In addition, washed cell suspensions of all of the ClRB isolates could dismutate chlorite, an intermediate in the reductive metabolism of (per)chlorate, into chloride and molecular oxygen. Chlorite dismutation was a result of the activity of a single enzyme which in pure form had a specific activity of approximately 1,928 micromol of chlorite per mg of protein per min. Analyses of the 16S ribosomal DNA sequences of the organisms indicated that they all belonged to the alpha, beta, or gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria. Several were closely related to members of previously described genera that are not recognized for the ability to reduce (per)chlorate, such as the genera Pseudomonas and Azospirllum. However, many were not closely related to any previously described organism and represented new genera within the Proteobacteria. The results of this study significantly increase the limited number of microbial isolates that are known to be capable of dissimilatory (per)chlorate reduction and demonstrate the hitherto unrecognized phylogenetic diversity and ubiquity of the microorganisms that exhibit this type of metabolism.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend a previous study (Stevenson, Bruner, and Kumar, 2000) by further exploring the advertising hierarchy-of-effects and its antecedents in the context of the world wide web. In doing this, the effects of webpage complexity and dynamic content (e.g., animated graphics and commercials) on the hierarchy-of-effects were experimentally tested using non student subjects. It concludes that consumers experiences with the web, and their attitudes-towards-websites are important factors in assessing advertising effects.

Parahydrogen is demonstrated to efficiently transfer its nuclear spin hyperpolarization to nitrogen-15 in pyridine and nicotinamide (vitamin B(3) amide) by conducting "signal amplification by reversible exchange" (SABRE) at microtesla fields within a magnetic shield. Following transfer of the sample from the magnetic shield chamber to a conventional NMR spectrometer, the (15)N NMR signals for these molecules are enhanced by ∼30,000- and ∼20,000-fold at 9.4 T, corresponding to ∼10% and ∼7% nuclear spin polarization, respectively. This method, dubbed "SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei" or "SABRE-SHEATH", promises to be a simple, cost-effective way to hyperpolarize heteronuclei. It may be particularly useful for in vivo applications because of longer hyperpolarization lifetimes, lack of background signal, and facile chemical-shift discrimination of different species.

Previous studies on the ubiquity and diversity of microbial (per)chlorate reduction resulted in the isolation of 20 new strains of dissimilatory (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all of the isolates were members of the Proteobacteria with representatives in the alpha-, beta- and gamma-subclasses. The majority of the new isolates were located in the beta-subclass and were closely related to each other and to the phototrophic Rhodocyclus species. Here an in-depth analysis of these organisms which form two distinct monophyletic groups within the Rhodocyclus assemblage is presented. Two new genera, Dechloromonas and Dechlorosoma, are proposed for these beta-subclass lineages which represent the predominant (per)chlorate-reducing bacteria in the environment. The type species and strains for these new genera are Dechloromonas agitata strain CKBT and Dechlorosoma suillum strain PST, respectively.

A widely held view of land plant relationships places liverworts as the first branch of the land plant tree, whereas some molecular analyses and a cladistic study of morphological characters indicate that hornworts are the earliest land plants. To help resolve this conflict, we used parsimony and likelihood methods to analyze a 6, 095-character data set composed of four genes (chloroplast rbcL and small-subunit rDNA from all three plant genomes) from all major land plant lineages. In all analyses, significant support was obtained for the monophyly of vascular plants, lycophytes, ferns (including PSILOTUM: and EQUISETUM:), seed plants, and angiosperms. Relationships among the three bryophyte lineages were unresolved in parsimony analyses in which all positions were included and weighted equally. However, in parsimony and likelihood analyses in which rbcL third-codon-position transitions were either excluded or downweighted (due to apparent saturation), hornworts were placed as sister to all other land plants, with mosses and liverworts jointly forming the second deepest lineage. Decay analyses and Kishino-Hasegawa tests of the third-position-excluded data set showed significant support for the hornwort-basal topology over several alternative topologies, including the commonly cited liverwort-basal topology. Among the four genes used, mitochondrial small-subunit rDNA showed the lowest homoplasy and alone recovered essentially the same topology as the multigene tree. This molecular phylogeny presents new opportunities to assess paleontological evidence and morphological innovations that occurred during the early evolution of terrestrial plants.

Abstract NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is a NMR hyperpolarization technique that enables nuclear spin polarization enhancement of molecules via concurrent chemical exchange of a target substrate and parahydrogen (the source of spin order) on an iridium catalyst. Recently, we demonstrated that conducting SABRE in microtesla fields provided by a magnetic shield enables up to 10% 15N-polarization (Theis, T.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 1404). Hyperpolarization on 15N (and heteronuclei in general) may be advantageous because of the long-lived nature of the hyperpolarization on 15N relative to the short-lived hyperpolarization of protons conventionally hyperpolarized by SABRE, in addition to wider chemical shift dispersion and absence of background signal. Here we show that these unprecedented polarization levels enable 15N magnetic resonance imaging. We also present a theoretical model for the hyperpolarization transfer to heteronuclei, and detail key parameters that should be optimized for efficient 15N-hyperpolarization. The effects of parahydrogen pressure, flow rate, sample temperature, catalyst-to-substrate ratio, relaxation time (T1), and reversible oxygen quenching are studied on a test system of 15N-pyridine in methanol-d4. Moreover, we demonstrate the first proof-of-principle 13C-hyperpolarization using this method. This simple hyperpolarization scheme only requires access to parahydrogen and a magnetic shield, and it provides large enough signal gains to enable one of the first 15N images (2 × 2 mm2 resolution). Importantly, this method enables hyperpolarization of molecular sites with NMR T1 relaxation times suitable for biomedical imaging and spectroscopy.

As the oldest extant lineages of land plants, bryophytes provide a living laboratory in which to evaluate morphological adaptations associated with early land existence. In this paper we examine reproductive and structural innovations in the gametophyte and sporophyte generations of hornworts, liverworts, mosses and basal pteridophytes. Reproductive features relating to spermatogenesis and the architecture of motile male gametes are overviewed and evaluated from an evolutionary perspective. Phylogenetic analyses of a data set derived from spermatogenesis and one derived from comprehensive morphogenetic data are compared with a molecular analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial small subunit rDNA sequences. Although relatively small because of a reliance on water for sexual reproduction, gametophytes of bryophytes are the most elaborate of those produced by any land plant. Phenotypic variability in gametophytic habit ranges from leafy to thalloid forms with the greatest diversity exhibited by hepatics. Appendages, including leaves, slime papillae and hairs, predominate in liverworts and mosses, while hornwort gametophytes are strictly thalloid with no organized external structures. Internalization of reproductive and vegetative structures within mucilage-filled spaces is an adaptive strategy exhibited by hornworts. The formative stages of gametangial development are similar in the three bryophyte groups, with the exception that in mosses apical growth is intercalated into early organogenesis, a feature echoed in moss sporophyte ontogeny. A monosporangiate, unbranched sporophyte typifies bryophytes, but developmental and structural innovations suggest the three bryophyte groups diverged prior to elaboration of this generation. Sporophyte morphogenesis in hornworts involves non-synchronized sporogenesis and the continued elongation of the single sporangium, features unique among archegoniates. In hepatics, elongation of the sporophyte seta and archegoniophore is rapid and requires instantaneous wall expandability and hydrostatic support. Unicellular, spiralled elaters and capsule dehiscence through the formation of four regular valves are autapomorphies of liverworts. Sporophytic sophistications in the moss clade include conducting tissue, stomata, an assimilative layer and an elaborate peristome for extended spore dispersal. Characters such as stomata and conducting cells that are shared among sporophvtes of mosses, hornworts and pteridophytes are interpreted as parallelisms and not homologies. Our phylogenetic analysis of three different data sets is the most comprehensive to date and points to a single phylogenetic solution for the evolution of basal embryophytes. Hornworts are supported as the earliest divergent embryophyte clade with a moss/liverwort clade sister to tracheophytes. Among pteridophytes, lycophytes are monophyletic and an assemblage containing ferns, Equisetum and psilophytes is sister to seed plants. Congruence between morphological and molecular hypotheses indicates that these data sets are tracking the same phylogenetic signal and reinforces our phylogenetic conclusions. It appears that total evidence approaches are valuable in resolving ancient radiations such as those characterizing the evolution of early embryophytes. More information on land plant phylogeny can be found at: http: //www.science.siu.edu/ landplants/index.html.

Substantial advancement in the understanding of the neuronal basis of behavior and the treatment of neurological disorders has been achieved via the implantation of various devices into the brain. To design and optimize the next generation of neuronal implants while striving to minimize tissue damage, it is necessary to understand the mechanics of probe insertion at relevant length scales. Unfortunately, a broad-based understanding of brain-implant interactions at the necessary micrometer scales is largely missing. This paper presents a generalizable description of the micrometer-scale penetration mechanics and material properties of mouse brain tissue in vivo. Cylindrical stainless steel probes were inserted into the cerebral cortex and olfactory bulb of mice. The effects of probe size, probe geometry, insertion rate, insertion location, animal age, and the presence of the dura and pia on the resulting forces were measured continuously throughout probe insertion and removal. Material properties (modulus, cutting force, and frictional force) were extracted using mechanical analysis. The use of rigid, incompressible, cylindrical probes allows for a general understanding of how probe design and insertion methods influence the penetration mechanics of brain tissue in vivo that can be applied to the quantitative design of most future implantable devices.

Brassinolide (BR), a naturally‐occurring‐steroidal lactone from rape (Brassica napus L.) pollen, was compared with auxin for activity in a number of bioassay systems. Responses similar to IAA were elicited by BR in bioassays based upon bean hypocotyl hook opening, elongation of maize mesocotyl, pea epicotyl and azuki bean epicotyl sections, and fresh weight increase in Jerusalem artichoke (2,4‐D used) and pea epicotyl sections. The azuki bean and dwarf pea epicotyl bioassays were much more responsive to BR than IAA (at 10 μM). Responses approximately two‐fold greater in magnitude were elicited by IAA in the maize mesocotyl, bean hypocotyl hook and Jerusalem artichoke bioassays. Little or no response was elicited by BR (0.01 to μM) in the cress root or decapitated pea‐lateral bud bioassays. A powerful synergism between BR and IAA was observed in the azuki bean, pea epicotyl and bean hypocotyl hook bioassays. Although, as previously reported, other steroidal substances are active in some of the bioassay systems tested, none compared with BR in magnitude and diversity of elicited responses.

Primer sets were designed to target specific 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences of photosynthetic bacteria, including the green sulfur bacteria, the green nonsulfur bacteria, and the members of the Heliobacteriaceae (a gram-positive phylum). Due to the phylogenetic diversity of purple sulfur and purple nonsulfur phototrophs, the 16S rDNA gene was not an appropriate target for phylogenetic rDNA primers. Thus, a primer set was designed that targets the pufM gene, encoding the M subunit of the photosynthetic reaction center, which is universally distributed among purple phototrophic bacteria. The pufM primer set amplified DNAs not only from purple sulfur and purple nonsulfur phototrophs but also from Chloroflexus species, which also produce a reaction center like that of the purple bacteria. Although the purple bacterial reaction center structurally resembles green plant photosystem II, the pufM primers did not amplify cyanobacterial DNA, further indicating their specificity for purple anoxyphototrophs. This combination of phylogenetic- and photosynthesis-specific primers covers all groups of known anoxygenic phototrophs and as such shows promise as a molecular tool for the rapid assessment of natural samples in ecological studies of these organisms.

Direct NMR hyperpolarization of naturally abundant (15)N sites in metronidazole is demonstrated using SABRE-SHEATH (Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange in SHield Enables Alignment Transfer to Heteronuclei). In only a few tens of seconds, nuclear spin polarization P(15)N of up to ∼24% is achieved using parahydrogen with 80% para fraction corresponding to P(15)N ≈ 32% if ∼100% parahydrogen were employed (which would translate to a signal enhancement of ∼0.1-million-fold at 9.4 T). In addition to this demonstration on the directly binding (15)N site (using J(2)H-(15)N), we also hyperpolarized more distant (15)N sites in metronidazole using longer-range spin-spin couplings (J(4)H-(15)N and J(5)H-(15)N). Taken together, these results significantly expand the range of molecular structures and sites amenable to hyperpolarization via low-cost parahydrogen-based methods. In particular, hyperpolarized nitroimidazole and its derivatives have powerful potential applications such as direct in vivo imaging of mechanisms of action or hypoxia sensing.

Activation of a catalyst [IrCl(COD)(IMes)] (IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene; COD = cyclooctadiene)] for signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) was monitored by in situ hyperpolarized proton NMR at 9.4 T. During the catalyst-activation process, the COD moiety undergoes hydrogenation that leads to its complete removal from the Ir complex. A transient hydride intermediate of the catalyst is observed via its hyperpolarized signatures, which could not be detected using conventional nonhyperpolarized solution NMR. SABRE enhancement of the pyridine substrate can be fully rendered only after removal of the COD moiety; failure to properly activate the catalyst in the presence of sufficient substrate can lead to irreversible deactivation consistent with oligomerization of the catalyst molecules. Following catalyst activation, results from selective RF-saturation studies support the hypothesis that substrate polarization at high field arises from nuclear cross-relaxation with hyperpolarized (1)H spins of the hydride/orthohydrogen spin bath. Importantly, the chemical changes that accompanied the catalyst's full activation were also found to endow the catalyst with water solubility, here used to demonstrate SABRE hyperpolarization of nicotinamide in water without the need for any organic cosolvent--paving the way to various biomedical applications of SABRE hyperpolarization methods.

Although the adoption of e-commerce is widely studied in the industrialized world, only a small number of these studies focus on developing countries. An even smaller fraction of these studies focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for a high percent of the economy generated in developing countries. In this study, managers/owners of SMEs in Chile identified variables that differentiate between adopters and non-adopters of e-commerce. The analysis suggests that Chilean managers/owners most receptive to adopting e-commerce possess the financial and technological resources to implement it, see e-commerce as increasing managerial productivity and supporting strategic decisions, feel external pressure to put e-commerce into operation, perceive e-commerce as compatible with preferred work practices and existing technology infrastructure, and perceive e-commerce as useful for their firms.

Abstract 15N nuclear spins of imidazole-15N2 were hyperpolarized using NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei (SABRE-SHEATH). A 15N NMR signal enhancement of ∼2000-fold at 9.4 T is reported using parahydrogen gas (∼50% para-) and ∼0.1 M imidazole-15N2 in methanol:aqueous buffer (∼1:1). Proton binding to a 15N site of imidazole occurs at physiological pH (pKa ∼ 7.0), and the binding event changes the 15N isotropic chemical shift by ∼30 ppm. These properties are ideal for in vivo pH sensing. Additionally, imidazoles have low toxicity and are readily incorporated into a wide range of biomolecules. 15N-Imidazole SABRE-SHEATH hyperpolarization potentially enables pH sensing on scales ranging from peptide and protein molecules to living organisms.

Every article on stimulus equivalence or derived stimulus relations published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis was evaluated in terms of characteristics that are relevant to the development of applied technologies: the type of participants, settings, procedure (automated vs. tabletop), stimuli, and stimulus sensory modality; types of relations targeted and emergent skills demonstrated by participants; and presence versus absence of evaluation of generalization and maintenance. In most respects, published reports suggested the possibility of applied technologies but left the difficult work of technology development to future investigations, suggestions for which are provided.

The fundamentals of electrokinetic remediation (the removal of contaminants from soils by the application of electrical current across electrodes inserted in a soil mass) are presented and the findings of recent studies are reviewed. An improved theoretical formalism is presented for conduction phenomena under electrical currents. Predictions of effluent pH using this model compared excellently with the results of one-dimensional experimental studies. The results of four one-dimensional tests conducted to assess the removal of 99-114 pg/g of Cd(II) loaded on kaolinite specimens are presented. The flow conditions, chemistry, efficiency of removal and energy expenditure in these tests are evaluated. Cd(II) was removed from the kaolinite specimens by 90-95%. It was deposited close to the cathode and on the cathode due to the basic environment and electrodeposition. The energy expenditure in these tests was 50-106 kW h/m3 of soil processed. The test results also showed that when the initial pH in the specimen is low, high removal rates are achieved by electrical migration rather than electro-osmotic flow. L'article présente les principes du traitement électrocinétique qui permet d'éliminer les contaminants du sol par application d'un courant électrique dans deux électrodes plantées dans le sol. Il présente également les résultats des études les plus récentes ainsi que le formalisme théorique amélioré permettant de décrire les phénomènes de conduction sous courants électriques. Les résultats de pH des effluents obtenus à l'aide de ce modèle sont en très bon accord avec ceux des études expérimentales unidimensionnelles. On présente également les résultats de quatre essais unidimensionnels qui ont permis d'éliminer de 99-114 pg/g de Cd(II) sur des échantillons de kaolinite. Les conditions d'écoulement, la chimie, l'efficacité de l'élimination et les besoins en énergie des essais ont été évalués. 90-95% du Cd(II) a été éliminé des échantillons de kaolinite. A cause de l'environnement basique et du dépôt électronique, le Cd(II) s'est déposé à proximité de, voire sur la cathode. La consommation d'énergie lors des essais varie entre 50 et 106 kW h/m3 de sol traité. Les résultats des essais montrent également que si le pH initial de l'échantillon est faible, les vitesses d'élimination sont fortes et sont plus dues à une migration électrique qu'à un écoulement électro-osmotique.

Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in agriculture worldwide, has been reported to promote adipogenesis and cause insulin resistance in vitro. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of imidacloprid and its interaction with dietary fat in the development of adiposity and insulin resistance using male C57BL/6J mice. Imidacloprid (0.06, 0.6, or 6 mg/kg bw/day) was mixed in a low-fat (4% w/w) or high-fat (20% w/w) diet and given to mice ad libitum for 12 weeks. Imidacloprid significantly promoted high fat diet-induced body weight gain and adiposity. In addition, imidacloprid treatment with the high fat diet resulted in impaired glucose metabolism. Consistently, there were significant effects of imidacloprid on genes regulating lipid and glucose metabolisms, including the AMP-activated protein kinase-α (AMPKα) pathway in white adipose tissue and liver. These results suggest that imidacloprid may potentiate high fat diet-induced adiposity and insulin resistance in male C57BL/6J mice.

This article describes the results of three pilot studies that were conducted to evaluate the recently developed Strong Kids and Strong Teens social-emotional learning programs in increasing students' knowledge of healthy social-emotional behavior and decreasing their symptoms of negative affect and emotional distress. The first study included 120 middle school students (in grade 5) from a general education student population. The second study included 65 general education students in grades 7–8. The third study included 14 high school students (grades 9–12) from a regional special education high school, who were identified as having emotional disturbance. The three groups participated in either the Strong Kids (groups 1 and 2) or Strong Teens (group 3) programs, receiving one-hour lessons and associated assignments once a week for 12 weeks. Social-emotional knowledge and negative emotional symptoms of participants were assessed using brief self-report measures, in pretest-posttest intervention designs. All three studies showed that, following participation in the respective programs, students evidenced statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes in desired directions on the target variables. Implications for future research are discussed, as is the importance of social and emotional learning as a prevention and intervention strategy to promote mental health among students in schools.