SummaryThe relationship between sex role stereotypes and characteristics perceived as necessary for management success was examined among 361 male and 228 female management students in Japan and the People's Republic of China. The results revealed that males and females in both countries perceive that successful middle managers possess characteristics, attitudes and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men in general than to women in general. These results were compared with previous studies done in the US., Great Britain and Germany, using the same Schein 92-item Descriptive Index, and similar samples and procedures. The comparison supports the view that 'think manager-think male' is a global phenomenon, especially among males. Regardless of country context, there was a strong and similar degree of managerial sex typing among male management students in all five countries. Among females, the managerial sex typing hypothesis was confirmed in every country except the US., in which men and women are seen as equally likely to possess requisite management characteristics. Unlike those of their male counterparts, the females' pattern of outcomes varied across countries, possibly a reflection of their respective opportunities for managerial participation. The implications of managerial sex typing as a global phenomenon are discussed.

A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza A viruses predominated in the 2013–2014 USA influenza season, and although most of these viruses remain sensitive to Food and Drug Administration-approved neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors, alternative therapies are needed. Here we show that monoclonal antibody CD6, selected for binding to the NA of the prototypic A(H1N1)pdm09 virus, A/California/07/2009, protects mice against lethal virus challenge. The crystal structure of NA in complex with CD6 Fab reveals a unique epitope, where the heavy-chain complementarity determining regions (HCDRs) 1 and 2 bind one NA monomer, the light-chain CDR2 binds the neighbouring monomer, whereas HCDR3 interacts with both monomers. This 30-amino-acid epitope spans the lateral face of an NA dimer and is conserved among circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses. These results suggest that the large, lateral CD6 epitope may be an effective target of antibodies selected for development as therapeutic agents against circulating H1N1 influenza viruses.

The predominance of A(H3N2) virus in recent influenza seasons has resulted in rigorous investigation on hemagglutinin, but little attention has been paid to the potential role of neuraminidase (NA). Here we show that since 2016, the S245N/S247T (introducing an N-linked glycosylation site at residue 245) and P468H mutations contributed to antigenic drift of the NA of circulating A(H3N2) viruses, compared with earlier viruses represented by the A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 vaccine strain. As a result, some human monoclonal antibodies, including those that have broad-reactivity with NA of the reference 1957 A(H2N2) and 1968 A(H3N2) pandemic viruses as well as contemporary seasonal A(H3N2) strains, lost binding to NA. This antigenic drift also reduced NA antibody-based protection against in vivo virus challenge. X-ray crystallography showed that the NA245 glycosylation site is within a conserved epitope that overlaps the NA active site, explaining why it impacts antibody binding. Our findings suggest that NA antigenic drift may impact protection against influenza virus infection, highlighting the importance of including NA antigenicity for consideration in optimizing influenza vaccines.

Apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) is a micronemal protein of apicomplexan parasites that appears to be essential during the invasion of host cells. In this study, a full-length cDNA of AMA1 was identified from Eimeria tenella (Et) using expressed sequence tag and the rapid amplification of cDNA ends technique. EtAMA1 had an open reading frame of 1608 bp encoding a protein of 535 amino acids. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that EtAMA1 was expressed at higher levels in sporozoites than in the other developmental stages (unsporulated oocysts, sporulated oocysts and second-generation merozoites). The ectodomain sequence was expressed as recombinant EtAMA1 (rEtAMA1) and rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against the rEtAMA1 recognized a 58-kDa native parasite protein by Western Blotting and had a potent inhibitory effect on parasite invasion, decreasing it by approximately 70%. Immunofluorescence analysis and immunohistochemistry analysis showed EtAMA1 might play an important role in sporozoite invasion and development.