Protein Hydrolysis and Nitrogen Remobilisation in Plant Life and Senescence

In plant cells, as in all other cells, proteins are submitted to permanent turnover, and the intracellular content of a given protein depends on its rate of both synthesis and degradation. The life time of most proteins is shorter than that of the cell. Thus, in young leaves of Lemna minor, the average half-life of protein was estimated to be 7 days, and it was shorter under stress conditions (Davies 1982). Such observations mean that nitrogen and amino acid fluxes are both cylic and permanent. Although protein turnover may appear wasteful, in terms of energy, numerous studies have shown that proteolysis provides multiple functions in cell physiology, and is an essential regulatory mechanism of cell metabolism and development.

Characterization of heparin-binding site of tissue transglutaminase:its importance in cell surface targeting, matrix deposition, and cell signaling

Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a multifunctional Ca2+ activated protein crosslinking enzyme secreted into the extracellular matrix (ECM), where it is involved in wound healing and scarring, tissue fibrosis, celiac disease and metastatic cancer. Extracellular TG2 can also facilitate cell adhesion important in wound healing through a non-transamidating mechanism via its association with fibronectin (FN), heparan sulphates (HS) and integrins. Regulating the mechanism how TG2 is translocated into the ECM therefore provides a strategy for modulating these physiological and pathological functions of the enzyme. Here, through molecular modelling and mutagenesis we have identified the HS binding site of TG2 202KFLKNAGRDCSRRSSPVYVGR222. We demonstrate the requirement of this binding site for translocation of TG2 into the ECM through a mechanism involving cell surface shedding of HS. By synthesizing a peptide NPKFLKNAGRDCSRRSS corresponding to the HS binding site within TG2, we also demonstrate how this mimicking peptide can in isolation compensate the RGD-induced loss of cell adhesion on FN via binding to syndecan-4, leading to activation of PKCa, pFAK-397 and ERK1/2 and the subsequent formation of focal adhesions and actin cytoskeleton organization. A novel regulatory mechanism for TG2 translocation into the extracellular compartment that depends upon TG2 conformation and the binding of HS is proposed.

Autocrine activity of soluble Flt-1 controls endothelial cell function and angiogenesis

Background - The negative feedback system is an important physiological regulatory mechanism controlling angiogenesis. Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-1 (sFlt-1), acts as a potent endogenous soluble inhibitor of VEGF- and placenta growth factor (PlGF)-mediated biological function and can also form dominant-negative complexes with competent full-length VEGF receptors. Methods and results - Systemic overexpression of VEGF-A in mice resulted in significantly elevated circulating sFlt-1. In addition, stimulation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with VEGF-A, induced a five-fold increase in sFlt-1 mRNA, a time-dependent significant increase in the release of sFlt-1 into the culture medium and activation of the flt-1 gene promoter. This response was dependent on VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and phosphoinositide-3'-kinase signalling. siRNA-mediated knockdown of sFlt-1 in HUVEC stimulated the activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, increased basal and VEGF-induced cell migration and enhanced endothelial tube formation on growth factor reduced Matrigel. In contrast, adenoviral overexpression of sFlt-1 suppressed phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 at tyrosine 951 and ERK-1/-2 MAPK and reduced HUVEC proliferation. Preeclampsia is associated with elevated placental and systemic sFlt-1. Phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 tyrosine 951 was greatly reduced in placenta from preeclamptic patients compared to gestationally-matched normal placenta. Conclusion - These results show that endothelial sFlt-1 expression is regulated by VEGF and acts as an autocrine regulator of endothelial cell function.

Non-stationary stochastic inventory lot-sizing with emission and service level constraints in a carbon cap-and-trade system

Firms worldwide are taking major initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chains in response to the growing governmental and consumer pressures. In real life, these supply chains face stochastic and non-stationary demand but most of the studies on inventory lot-sizing problem with emission concerns consider deterministic demand. In this paper, we study the inventory lot-sizing problem under non-stationary stochastic demand condition with emission and cycle service level constraints considering carbon cap-and-trade regulatory mechanism. Using a mixed integer linear programming model, this paper aims to investigate the effects of emission parameters, product- and system-related features on the supply chain performance through extensive computational experiments to cover general type business settings and not a specific scenario. Results show that cycle service level and demand coefficient of variation have significant impacts on total cost and emission irrespective of level of demand variability while the impact of product's demand pattern is significant only at lower level of demand variability. Finally, results also show that increasing value of carbon price reduces total cost, total emission and total inventory and the scope of emission reduction by increasing carbon price is greater at higher levels of cycle service level and demand coefficient of variation. The analysis of results helps supply chain managers to take right decision in different demand and service level situations.

Characterization of the amp genes involved in the regulation of beta-lactamase expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Antibiotic resistance, production of alginate and virulence factors, and altered host immune responses are the hallmarks of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Failure of antibiotic therapy has been attributed to the emergence of P. aeruginosa strains that produce β-lactamase constitutively. In Enterobacteriaceae, β-lactamase induction involves four genes with known functions: ampC, ampR, ampD, and ampG, encoding the enzyme, transcriptional regulator, amidase and permease, respectively. In addition to all these amp genes, P. aeruginosa possesses two ampG paralogs, designated ampG and ampP. In this study, P. aeruginosa ampC, ampR, ampG and ampP were analyzed. Inactivation of ampC in the prototypic PAO1 failed to abolish the β-lactamase activity leading to the discovery of P. aeruginosa oxacillinase PoxB. Cloning and expression of poxB in Escherichia coli confers β-lactam resistance. Both AmpC and PoxB contribute to P. aeruginosa resistance against a wide spectrum of β-lactam antibiotics. The expression of PoxB and AmpC is regulated by a LysR-type transcriptional regulator AmpR that up-regulates AmpC but down-regulates PoxB activities. Analyses of P. aeruginosa ampR mutant demonstrate that AmpR is a global regulator that modulates the expressions of Las and Rhl quorum sensing (QS) systems, and the production of pyocyanin, LasA protease and LasB elastase. Introduction of the ampR mutation into an alginate-producing strain reveals the presence of a complex co-regulatory network between antibiotic resistance, QS alginate and other virulence factor production. Using phoA and lacZ protein fusion analyses, AmpR, AmpG and AmpP were localized to the inner membrane with one, 16 and 10 transmembrane helices, respectively. AmpR has a cytoplasmic DNA-binding and a periplasmic substrate binding domains. AmpG and AmpP are essential for the maximal expression of β-lactamase. Analysis of the murein breakdown products suggests that AmpG exports UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine-γ-D-glutamate-meso-diaminopimelic acid-D-alanine-D-alanine (UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide), the corepressor of AmpR, whereas AmpP imports N-acetylglucosaminyl-beta-1,4-anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid-Ala-γ-D-Glu-meso-diaminopimelic acid (GlcNAc-anhMurNAc-tripeptide) and GlcNAc-anhMurNAc-pentapeptide, the co-inducers of AmpR. This study reveals a complex interaction between the Amp proteins and murein breakdown products involved in P. aeruginosa β-lactamase induction. In summary, this dissertation takes us a little closer to understanding the P. aeruginosa complex co-regulatory mechanism in the development of β-lactam resistance and establishment of chronic infection. ^

Alternative splicing takes control of cytokine signaling

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Functional studies of lignin biosynthesis genes and putative flowering gene in Miscanthus x giganteus and studies on indolyl glucosinolate biosynthesis and translocation in Brassica oleracea

The first topic area of this thesis involved studies on the accumulation and translocation of glucosinolates (GSs), bioactive secondary plant compounds, in broccoli plants. Changes in GS accumulation and gene expression levels in response to exogeneous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment were analyzed in different tissue types at different developmental stages of broccoli. Greater accumulation of GSs with MeJA treatment was observed in apical leaves of broccoli seedlings and florets of plants at harvest maturity. Increases in indolyl GS in apical leaves of seedlings and florets were coupled with the up-regulation of indolyl GS biosynthesis genes. The accumulation of indolyl GSs appears to be modulated by MeJA treatment in an organ-specific manner for optimal distribution of defense substances in the plant. Metabolic profiling of hydrophilic metabolites using GC-MS demonstrated increased accumulation of various phenolics, ascorbates and amino acids in broccoli tissues after MeJA treatment. Distinct changes in carbohydrate levels observed between different tissues (vegetative leaves and floret tissues) of broccoli plants after treatment suggest that carbon metabolism is differentially modulated by MeJA treatment in different tissue types depending on sink-source relationships. Reduced levels of hexose sugars and tricarboxylic acid intermediates after MeJA treatment may reflect the increased requirement for carbon and energy needed to drive secondary product biosynthesis to accumulate metabolites for defense against insects and other herbivores. Substantial increases of indolyl and aromatic GSs after exogenous treatment with MeJA in stem and petioles of seedlings and the existence of intact indolyl-GS forms in phloem exudates suggest enhanced de novo synthesis in combination with active transport. Indoly GSs share structural similarities with the auxin, IAA, and may interact with components of the auxin transport system for intra- and extra-cellular transport or translocation. Application of the auxin efflux inhibitor, 1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) reduced MeJA-mediated accumulation of indolyl GSs in broccoli florets and seedling tissues. NPA did not inhibit expression of indolyl GS biosynthesis genes shown to be upregulated by MeJA treatment or the accumulation of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of indolyl GSs. Exogenous application of benzyl GS to Arabidopsis roots induced ectopic expression of the PIN1 protein associated with the auxin transport system similar to treatment with NPA, again suggesting GS interaction with the auxin efflux carrier system. The inhibitory effect of NPA on MeJA-mediated accumulation of GS may be due to competitive binding of NPA to auxin efflux carrier components and that GS transport is mediated by the auxin transport system. The inhibitory effect of NPA on indolyl and aromatic GS accumulation and the bioactivity of exogenous treatment of these GS compounds in PIN1 localization, Arabidopsis root growth, and gravitrophic response suggest that indolyl and aromatic GSs may be antagonistic to IAA transport and biosynthesis. Indolyl and aromatic GSs can also be potentially converted into IAA by hydrolysis. This intrinsic feature of GSs may be the part of a sophisticated regulatory process where the metabolic pathways in the plant shift from active growth to a reversible defense posture in response to biotic or abiotic stress. It seems likely that indolyl and aromatic GSs are important compounds that provide connections between jasmonate and auxin signaling. Further studies are required to reveal the regulatory mechanism for crosstalk between the two hormones. The third part of this research was to investigate effect of selenium fertilization and MeJA treatment on accumulation of GSs in broccoli florets. Increasing dietary intake of the element selenium (Se) has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. Simultaneous enhancement of both Se and GS concentrations in broccoli floret tissue were conducted through the combined treatment of MeJA with Se fertilization. A low level of Se fertilization (concentration) with MeJA treatment displayed no significant changes in total aliphatic GS concentrations with 90% and 50% increases in indolyl and total GSs concentrations, respectively. This result suggests that Se- and GS-enriched broccoli with improved health-promoting properties can be generated by this combined treatment. The second topic of this thesis was conducted to provide basic information required to improve biomass quality and productivity and develop tools for gene transformation in Miscanthus x giganteus. The perennial rhizomatous grass, Miscanthus x giganteus is an ideal biomass crop due to its rapid vegetative growth and high biomass yield potential. As a naturally occurring sterile hybrid, M. x giganteus must be propagated vegetatively by mechanicalling divided rhizomes or from micropropagated plantlets. The effect of callus type, age and culture methods on regeneration competence was studied to improve regeneration efficiency and shorten the period of tissue culture in M. x giganteus propagation. Seven lignin biosynthesis genes and one putative flowering gene were isolated from M. x giganteus by PCR reactions using maize othologous sequences. Southern hybridization and nuclear DNA content analysis indicated that the genes isolated from M. x giganteus exist in the genome of other Miscanthus species as multiple copies. Analysis of lignin content and histological staining of lignin deposition indicated that higher lignin content is found in mature stem node tissues compared to young leaves and apical stem nodal tissues. Cell wall lignification is associated with increasing tissue maturity in Miscanthus species. RNAi and antisense constructs harboring sequences of these genes were developed to generate Miscanthus transgenic plants with suppressed of lignin biosynthesis and delayed flowering.

Linfócitos T : uma análise do perfil diferencial da expressão gênica na imunorregulação

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, 2016.

Overexpression of the rhamnose catabolism regulatory protein, RhaR: a novel mechanism for metronidazole resistance in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

Objectives: The aim of the investigation was to use in vitro transposon mutagenesis to generate metronidazole resistance in the obligately anaerobic pathogenic bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and to identify the genes involved to enable investigation of potential mechanisms for the generation of metronidazole resistance.
Methods: The genes affected by the transposon insertion were identified by plasmid rescue and sequencing. Expression levels of the relevant genes were determined by semi-quantitative RNA hybridization and catabolic activity by lactate dehydrogenase/pyruvate oxidoreductase assays.
Results: A metronidazole-resistant mutant was isolated and the transposon insertion site was identified in an intergenic region between the rhaO and rhaR genes of the gene cluster involved in the uptake and catabolism of rhamnose. Metronidazole resistance was observed during growth in defined medium containing either rhamnose or glucose. The metronidazole-resistant mutant showed improved growth in the presence of rhamnose as compared with the wild-type parent. There was increased transcription of all genes of the rhamnose gene cluster in the presence of rhamnose and glucose, likely due to the transposon providing an additional promoter for the rhaR gene, encoding the positive transcriptional regulator of the rhamnose operon. The B. thetaiotaomicron metronidazole resistance phenotype was recreated by overexpressing the rhaR gene in the B. thetaiotaomicron wild-type parent. Both the metronidazole-resistant transposon mutant and RhaR overexpression strains displayed a phenotype of higher lactate dehydrogenase and lower pyruvate oxidoreductase activity in comparison with the parent strain during growth in rhamnose.
Conclusions: These data indicate that overexpression of the rhaR gene generates metronidazole resistance in B. thetaiotaomicron

Coordinate regulation of lipogenic gene expression by androgens: Evidence for a cascade mechanism involving sterol regulatory element binding proteins

To gain more insight into the molecular mechanisms by which androgens stimulate lipogenesis and induce a marked accumulation of neutral lipids in the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP, we studied their impact on the expression of lipogenic enzymes. Northern blot analysis of the steady-state mRNA levels of seven different lipogenic enzymes revealed that androgens coordinately stimulate the expression of enzymes belonging to the two major lipogenic pathways: fatty acid synthesis and cholesterol synthesis. In view of the important role of the recently characterized sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) in the coordinate induction of lipogenic genes, we examined whether the observed effects of androgens on lipogenic gene expression are mediated by these transcription factors. Our findings indicate that androgens stimulate the expression of SREBP transcripts and precursor proteins and enhance the nuclear content of the mature active form of the transcription factor. Moreover, by using the fatty acid synthase gene as an experimental paradigm we demonstrate that the presence of an SREBP-binding site is essential for its regulation by androgens. These data support the hypothesis that SREBPs are involved in the coordinate regulation of lipogenic gene expression by androgens and provide evidence for the existence of a cascade mechanism of androgen-regulated gene expression.

Mice mutant for glucokinase regulatory protein exhibit decreased liver glucokinase: A sequestration mechanism in metabolic regulation

The importance of glucokinase (GK; EC 2.7.1.12) in glucose homeostasis has been demonstrated by the association of GK mutations with diabetes mellitus in humans and by alterations in glucose metabolism in transgenic and gene knockout mice. Liver GK activity in humans and rodents is allosterically inhibited by GK regulatory protein (GKRP). To further understand the role of GKRP in GK regulation, the mouse GKRP gene was inactivated. With the knockout of the GKRP gene, there was a parallel loss of GK protein and activity in mutant mouse liver. The loss was primarily because of posttranscriptional regulation of GK, indicating a positive regulatory role for GKRP in maintaining GK levels and activity. As in rat hepatocytes, both GK and GKRP were localized in the nuclei of mouse hepatocytes cultured in low-glucose-containing medium. In the presence of fructose or high concentrations of glucose, conditions known to relieve GK inhibition by GKRP in vitro, only GK was translocated into the cytoplasm. In the GKRP-mutant hepatocytes, GK was not found in the nucleus under any tested conditions. We propose that GKRP functions as an anchor to sequester and inhibit GK in the hepatocyte nucleus, where it is protected from degradation. This ensures that glucose phosphorylation is minimal when the liver is in the fasting, glucose-producing phase. This also enables the hepatocytes to rapidly mobilize GK into the cytoplasm to phosphorylate and store or metabolize glucose after the ingestion of dietary glucose. In GKRP-mutant mice, the disruption of this regulation and the subsequent decrease in GK activity leads to altered glucose metabolism and impaired glycemic control.

Ccm1, a regulatory gene controlling the induction of a carbon-concentrating mechanism in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by sensing CO2 availability

Aquatic photosynthetic organisms, including the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, induce a set of genes for a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) to acclimate to CO2-limiting conditions. This acclimation is modulated by some mechanisms in the cell to sense CO2 availability. Previously, a high-CO2-requiring mutant C16 defective in an induction of the CCM was isolated from C. reinhardtii by gene tagging. By using this pleiotropic mutant, we isolated a nuclear regulatory gene, Ccm1, encoding a 699-aa hydrophilic protein with a putative zinc-finger motif in its N-terminal region and a Gln repeat characteristic of transcriptional activators. Introduction of Ccm1 into this mutant restored an active carbon transport through the CCM, development of a pyrenoid structure in the chloroplast, and induction of a set of CCM-related genes. That a 5,128-base Ccm1 transcript and also the translation product of 76 kDa were detected in both high- and low-CO2 conditions suggests that CCM1 might be modified posttranslationally. These data indicate that Ccm1 is essential to control the induction of CCM by sensing CO2 availability in Chlamydomonas cells. In addition, complementation assay and identification of the mutation site of another pleiotropic mutant, cia5, revealed that His-54 within the putative zinc-finger motif of the CCM1 is crucial to its regulatory function.

Monitoring and regulatory role of the balanced scorecard in controlling organisational identities

This thesis employs the theoretical fusion of disciplinary knowledge, interlacing an analysis from both functional and interpretive frameworks and applies these paradigms to three concepts—organisational identity, the balanced scorecard performance measurement system, and control. As an applied thesis, this study highlights how particular public sector organisations are using a range of multi-disciplinary forms of knowledge constructed for their needs to achieve practical outcomes. Practical evidence of this study is not bound by a single disciplinary field or the concerns raised by academics about the rigorous application of academic knowledge. The study’s value lies in its ability to explore how current communication and accounting knowledge is being used for practical purposes in organisational life. The main focus of this thesis is on identities in an organisational communication context. In exploring the theoretical and practical challenges, the research questions for this thesis were formulated as: 1. Is it possible to effectively control identities in organisations by the use of an integrated performance measurement system—the balanced scorecard—and if so, how? 2. What is the relationship between identities and an integrated performance measurement system—the balanced scorecard—in the identity construction process? Identities in the organisational context have been extensively discussed in graphic design, corporate communication and marketing, strategic management, organisational behaviour, and social psychology literatures. Corporate identity is the self-presentation of the personality of an organisation (Van Riel, 1995; Van Riel & Balmer, 1997), and organisational identity is the statement of central characteristics described by members (Albert & Whetten, 2003). In this study, identity management is positioned as a strategically complex task, embracing not only logo and name, but also multiple dimensions, levels and facets of organisational life. Responding to the collaborative efforts of researchers and practitioners in identity conceptualisation and methodological approaches, this dissertation argues that analysis can be achieved through the use of an integrated framework of identity products, patternings and processes (Cornelissen, Haslam, & Balmer, 2007), transforming conceptualisations of corporate identity, organisational identity and identification studies. Likewise, the performance measurement literature from the accounting field now emphasises the importance of ‘soft’ non-financial measures in gauging performance—potentially allowing the monitoring and regulation of ‘collective’ identities (Cornelissen et al., 2007). The balanced scorecard (BSC) (Kaplan & Norton, 1996a), as the selected integrated performance measurement system, quantifies organisational performance under the four perspectives of finance, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. Broadening the traditional performance measurement boundary, the BSC transforms how organisations perceived themselves (Vaivio, 2007). The rhetorical and communicative value of the BSC has also been emphasised in organisational self-understanding (Malina, Nørreklit, & Selto, 2007; Malmi, 2001; Norreklit, 2000, 2003). Thus, this study establishes a theoretical connection between the controlling effects of the BSC and organisational identity construction. Common to both literatures, the aspects of control became the focus of this dissertation, as ‘the exercise or act of achieving a goal’ (Tompkins & Cheney, 1985, p. 180). This study explores not only traditional technical and bureaucratic control (Edwards, 1981), but also concertive control (Tompkins & Cheney, 1985), shifting the locus of control to employees who make their own decisions towards desired organisational premises (Simon, 1976). The controlling effects on collective identities are explored through the lens of the rhetorical frames mobilised through the power of organisational enthymemes (Tompkins & Cheney, 1985) and identification processes (Ashforth, Harrison, & Corley, 2008). In operationalising the concept of control, two guiding questions were developed to support the research questions: 1.1 How does the use of the balanced scorecard monitor identities in public sector organisations? 1.2 How does the use of the balanced scorecard regulate identities in public sector organisations? This study adopts qualitative multiple case studies using ethnographic techniques. Data were gathered from interviews of 41 managers, organisational documents, and participant observation from 2003 to 2008, to inform an understanding of organisational practices and members’ perceptions in the five cases of two public sector organisations in Australia. Drawing on the functional and interpretive paradigms, the effective design and use of the systems, as well as the understanding of shared meanings of identities and identifications are simultaneously recognised. The analytical structure guided by the ‘bracketing’ (Lewis & Grimes, 1999) and ‘interplay’ strategies (Schultz & Hatch, 1996) preserved, connected and contrasted the unique findings from the multi-paradigms. The ‘temporal bracketing’ strategy (Langley, 1999) from the process view supports the comparative exploration of the analysis over the periods under study. The findings suggest that the effective use of the BSC can monitor and regulate identity products, patternings and processes. In monitoring identities, the flexible BSC framework allowed the case study organisations to monitor various aspects of finance, customer, improvement and organisational capability that included identity dimensions. Such inclusion legitimises identity management as organisational performance. In regulating identities, the use of the BSC created a mechanism to form collective identities by articulating various perspectives and causal linkages, and through the cascading and alignment of multiple scorecards. The BSC—directly reflecting organisationally valued premises and legitimised symbols—acted as an identity product of communication, visual symbols and behavioural guidance. The selective promotion of the BSC measures filtered organisational focus to shape unique identity multiplicity and characteristics within the cases. Further, the use of the BSC facilitated the assimilation of multiple identities by controlling the direction and strength of identifications, engaging different groups of members. More specifically, the tight authority of the BSC framework and systems are explained both by technical and bureaucratic controls, while subtle communication of organisational premises and information filtering is achieved through concertive control. This study confirms that these macro top-down controls mediated the sensebreaking and sensegiving process of organisational identification, supporting research by Ashforth, Harrison and Corley (2008). This study pays attention to members’ power of self-regulation, filling minor premises of the derived logic of their organisation through the playing out of organisational enthymemes (Tompkins & Cheney, 1985). Members are then encouraged to make their own decisions towards the organisational premises embedded in the BSC, through the micro bottom-up identification processes including: enacting organisationally valued identities; sensemaking; and the construction of identity narratives aligned with those organisationally valued premises. Within the process, the self-referential effect of communication encouraged members to believe the organisational messages embedded in the BSC in transforming collective and individual identities. Therefore, communication through the use of the BSC continued the self-producing of normative performance mechanisms, established meanings of identities, and enabled members’ self-regulation in identity construction. Further, this research establishes the relationship between identity and the use of the BSC in terms of identity multiplicity and attributes. The BSC framework constrained and enabled case study organisations and members to monitor and regulate identity multiplicity across a number of dimensions, levels and facets. The use of the BSC constantly heightened the identity attributes of distinctiveness, relativity, visibility, fluidity and manageability in identity construction over time. Overall, this research explains the reciprocal controlling relationships of multiple structures in organisations to achieve a goal. It bridges the gap among corporate and organisational identity theories by adopting Cornelissen, Haslam and Balmer’s (2007) integrated identity framework, and reduces the gap in understanding between identity and performance measurement studies. Parallel review of the process of monitoring and regulating identities from both literatures synthesised the theoretical strengths of both to conceptualise and operationalise identities. This study extends the discussion on positioning identity, culture, commitment, and image and reputation measures in integrated performance measurement systems as organisational capital. Further, this study applies understanding of the multiple forms of control (Edwards, 1979; Tompkins & Cheney, 1985), emphasising the power of organisational members in identification processes, using the notion of rhetorical organisational enthymemes. This highlights the value of the collaborative theoretical power of identity, communication and performance measurement frameworks. These case studies provide practical insights about the public sector where existing bureaucracy and desired organisational identity directions are competing within a large organisational setting. Further research on personal identity and simple control in organisations that fully cascade the BSC down to individual members would provide enriched data. The extended application of the conceptual framework to other public and private sector organisations with a longitudinal view will also contribute to further theory building.

Enforceable undertakings : a new mechanism for minimum labour standards’ enforcement

Regulatory commentators have identified the need for more responsive regulation to allow enforcement agencies to respond to different types and degrees of non-compliance. One tool considered to support responsive enforcement is the Enforceable Undertaking (EU). EUs are used extensively by Australian regulators in decisions that forego litigation in exchange for offenders promising to (amongst other things) correct behaviour and comply in the future. This arguably allows regulatory agencies greater flexibility in how they obtain compliance with regulations. EUs became an additional enforcement tool for the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) under the Fair Work Act 2009. This paper is a preliminary exploration of the comparative use of EUs by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the FWO to assess their effectiveness for the minimum labour standards' environment.

Book review : "Carbon Capture and Storage Emerging Legal and Regulatory Issues" edited by Ian Havercroft, Richard Macrory, Richard B Stewart, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2011

As the international community struggles to find a cost-effective solution to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has emerged as a project mechanism with the potential to assist in transitioning society towards its low carbon future. Being a politically attractive option, legal regimes to promote and approve CCS have proceeded at an accelerated pace in multiple jurisdictions including the European Union and Australia. This acceleration and emphasis on the swift commercial deployment of CCS projects has left the legal community in the undesirable position of having to advise on the strengths and weaknesses of the key features of these regimes once they have been passed and become operational. This is an area where environmental law principles are tested to their very limit. On the one hand, implementation of this new technology should proceed in a precautionary manner to avoid adverse impacts on the atmosphere, local community and broader environment. On the other hand, excessive regulatory restrictions will stifle innovation and act as a barrier to the swift deployment of CCS projects around the world. Finding the balance between precaution and innovation is no easy feat. This is an area where lawyers, academics, regulators and industry representatives can benefit from the sharing of collective experiences, both positive and negative, across the jurisdictions. This exemplary book appears to have been collated with this philosophy in mind and provides an insightful addition to the global dialogue on establishing effective national and international regimes for the implementation of CCS projects...