Emergence

A blocking ELISA targeting an immunodominant West Nile epitope on the West Nile Virus NSI protein was assessed for the detection of West Nile-specific antibodies in blood samples collected from 584 sentinel chickens and 238 wild birds collected in New Jersey from May-December 2000. Ten mallard ducks (Aftus plat!lrlry~fchos) experimentally infected with West Nile virus and six uninfected controls were also tested. WN antibodies by the blocking ELISA. These tests identified 30 positive specimens, 12 of which had formalin-fixed tissues available to allow detection of WN specific viral antigen in various tissues by WNV-specific immunohistochemistry. Our results indicate that rapid and specific detection of antibodies to WN virus in sera from a range of avian species by blocking ELISA is an effective strategy for WN Virus surveillance in avian hosts. In combination with detection of WN-specific antigens in tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC) the blocking ELISA will also be useful for confirming WN infection in diseased birds.

Invasive plants in wetlands may alter community composition through complex interactions related to elevated N inflows, plant size, litter production, and ecosystem N retention and recycling. To investigate these interactions, we constructed an individual-based model, Mondrian, that integrates individual growth and clonal reproduction, nutrient competitive interactions among species, and ecosystem processes. We conducted in silico experiments, parameterized for Great Lakes coastal marshes, where invaders that differed only in size attempted to invade native communities across a range of N inflows. Small invaders were able to persist only at low N inflow and never dominated. Large invaders were not able to reproduce clonally at low N inflow but they successfully coexisted with natives at intermediate N inflow and dominated at high N inflow, excluding natives in some cases. In both native and invaded communities, a positive feedback in plant-detritus N cycling emerged, amplifying ecosystem N cycling to nearly 2× the range of N inflows. The largest invaders augmented this N-cycling feedback over the native community by up to 23%, increasing with greater N inflow, driving community NPP higher than the native community by 33% and litter mass higher by 35%. In communities dominated by the largest invader, wetland N retention was increased but species diversity decreased. Results demonstrate that a single trait difference, plant size, simultaneously allows natives to resist invasion at low N inflows and allows invaders to dominate at high N inflows, partly through augmenting ecosystem N-cycling feedbacks. over the past several decades by large-size clonal plants includ-

This study provides theory and field evidence on the social process of hardening soft accounting information to make it persuasive for planning organizational change. Accounting information intended to support organizational change is often soft, that is, there is lack of interpersonal agreement about its quality. For example, employees can lack agreement about the quality of accounting information (e.g., activity-based costing) because the information is constructed from subjective information obtained from interviews and surveys. This information can contain unintentional errors as well as intentional distortions that are intended to avoid revealing embarrassing inefficiencies and/or to resist painful organizational change. We use concepts from applied game theory and social psychology to identify from the accounting literature four multi-person games that may be played to harden soft accounting information. These hardening games are characterized in terms of payoffs, players, the comparability of soft accounting information, and the rules of the games that are expected to emerge. We interpret the field evidence as indicating that the hardening games that emerge depend on who the players are and the comparability of their soft accounting information. In addition, we provide evidence on how the rules of the games that harden the information emerge from the players' social interactions. Finally, we provide evidence on how an organization learns by trial-and-error how to harden soft accounting information by changing the players and the comparability of the soft accounting information.

Rice production is vulnerable to floods brought about by excessive rainfall or La Niña, a phenomenon that is associated with climate change. Seed priming is a technique that has shown to improve the growth of seeds but has yet to be tested on a submergence tolerant variety of Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica Kato, the PSB Rc82. This study aimed to determine the morphological effects of seed priming on the germination and emergence of PSB Rc82 under different submergence levels. Four hundred fifty (450) PSB Rc82 seeds were divided into three groups—primed, soaked, and control, each further divided into subgroups and exposed to different submergence levels: 100%, 120%, 140%, and 160% water-holding capacity (WHC). Germination and emergence indices and morphological characteristics of the seedlings show that priming significantly affected the germination attributes of the seeds. Specifically, it significantly decreased germination time and increased the speed of germination, speed of accumulated germination, and coefficient of rate of germination. However, there is no significant difference in terms of the emergence responses. A negative correlation was observed between WHC and the growth parameters, root length, shoot length, and fresh weight.

This study aims to elaborate and advance a process approach for studying trust development in inter-personal work relationships examining the aspects of emergence in trust-building process in a team context.  As enrichment of methodological diversity has been called for in recent years in the field (Lewicki et al., 2006; Möllering, 2006), it is our intent to illustrate dynamics and forms of emergence of the development process through qualitative interview data from two teams. We do not intend to be exhaustive in this paper (within the scope of a single article). However, as qualitative empirical research on intra-organizational trust development in work relationships, from a process perspective in particular, is largely unexamined and needs more attention (Schilke & Cook, 2013), we aim to explore and add to the current knowledge of trust as a dynamic multiple process between individuals and within dyads and groups by focusing on studying interactions and activity of workplace trust in the team context. No doubt, the research problem and setting are highly complex, but it does not mean that the research is not worth pursuing. Empirical investigation endeavors also to produce findings, ideas and insights on a process view of trust at the micro-level processes for further research.

The theoretical framework of the study draws upon the current theoretical discussion and models of trust development – mainly on dimensional and stage-based models (Lewicki et al., 2006; Lewicki & Bunker, 1995; Dietz & den Hartog, 2006). The study suggests a way to study trust development as a process and an emergence of process. The empirical study is conducted within two teams: a sports team consisting of hired coaches and members and another team with a leader and members of a multi-professional team in a third-sector work organization. Furthermore, metaphors are used in a theory-constructive way in the analysis and description of the empirical findings. The innovative and generative power of metaphors is utilized in theorizing about the empirical findings (Boyd, 1993; Knudsen, 2003).