bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adverse selection in China's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme
Authors: Qin Lijian , Pan Suwen , Wang Chenggang , Jiang Zhongyi
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the adverse selection in participation in the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS), as well as in outpatient and inpatient service utilization, in Chaoyang, Beijing, China.

Design/methodology/approach

Probit model is established to test whether the rural Hukou family member in Combined Household (CH) is statistically different from the Pure Rural Household (PRH) in enrollment in NRCMS. Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) model is adopted to examine the difference in the utilization of outpatient and inpatient between the rural Hukou family members in the two kinds of households.

Findings

This paper finds that the rural Hukou family member in CH has more probability to enroll in NRCMS than the counterpart in PRH. In the period of six months, the rural Hukou family member in CH exceeds PRH by 0.73 times in outpatient visit number per capita. The former average spends yuan 157 more in outpatient service and is reimbursed yuan 53 more from NRCMS than the latter. Moreover, on average, rural Hukou family member has no difference in the inpatient service utilization between the two kinds of households in the period of 12 months.

Originality/value

This is the first study to empirically test the adverse selection in China's medical insurance market from the perspective of two different types of households, which are CH and PRH.
China's farmer perception of pesticide residues and the impact factors
Authors: Wu Linhai , Hou Bo
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Pesticide residue is a stubborn problem affecting the quality and safety of agricultural products in China, and has not yet been fundamentally resolved. The purpose of this paper is to study farmers' perception of pesticide residues, as well as the main factors affecting their perception from the viewpoint of farmers. Additionally, this research attempts to explore the basic characteristics of pesticide residues arising in the process of producing agricultural products under the prevailing policy background, so as to provide decision‐making references for the Chinese government to deepen the security management system of agricultural products.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation model (SEM) is an analytical tool for the observation and treatment of latent variables that are difficult to observe directly, and for the consideration of inevitable errors. This paper investigates the main factors affecting farmers' perception of pesticide residues in the investigated regions based on the SEM and samples of 241 farmers in six counties (cities and regions) of three districts in the Jiangsu Province of China.

Findings

According to the research, regional difference, farmers' gender, age, years of education, pesticide training and their own demand for safe agricultural products had different influences on their perception of pesticide residues. Additionally, it was difficult to measure the influence of family characteristics on farmers' perception of pesticide residues. Although the present paper only shows a preliminary study, its conclusion provides a reference value for the Chinese government to deepen the reform of the quality and safety regulatory system of agricultural products.

Originality/value

There are many similar studies in overseas countries, but the application of SEM in the study of the main factors affecting farmers' perception of pesticide residues has not been completely reported previously in domestic literatures. The research assumption of this paper has practically verified that corresponding research conclusions of foreign scholars in this field have universality in China.
Farmers' adoption of new plant varieties under variety property right protection
Authors: Zheng Shi , Xu Pei , Wang Zhigang
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that affect farm acceptance of the new seeds. This paper develops a Bivariate Probit model with adjusted sample selection bias to analyze Chinese farmers' sequential decision‐making process in their adoption of plant new varieties (new seeds) under the new Variety Property Right Protection System.

Design/methodology/approach

Face‐to‐face interviews with farm households in 22 provinces were used to gather questionnaire information. A total of 341 surveys were collected and analyzed using a Bivariate Probit model adjusted for sample selection bias problems. Descriptive statistics for each selected variable used in the model are also presented.

Findings

This study concluded that farm location, land size, farm perceived dealer reputation, and farmer‐to‐farmer word‐of‐mouth information were found to be important factors that affect farm adoption of new seeds.

Originality/value

This study is based on first‐hand survey information collected by the researchers. Thus, the results are original and were not published elsewhere.
What we did when it happened: a timeline analysis of the social disorder in London
Authors: Briggs Daniel
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Over the course of the early part of August 2011, we saw revolving images of social disorder in London yet very thin explanations for the events. Yet the disorder continued and each time it evolved in different areas. Then the politicians came back from holiday and all the usual suspects were thrown in the mix: “gangs” “problem youth” “dysfunctional families” “single parents” “the underclass”; the familiar list went on. The debates which followed revolved around the violence, victims, effective policing, and sentencing but rarely went into depth about the causes or how the disorder evolved so quickly and why. This paper tries to place the events in London in context by using the testimonies of those involved to show: why the social disorder developed when it did; and how it evolved so quickly.

Design/methodology/approach

In his spare time since the events, the author has undertaken short interviews with as many people as possible who were involved in some capacity (instigators, fringe participants, spectators, local residents, professionals) because collectively, they hold the clues with regard to how and why this occurred. Ethical approval was granted by the University of East London Ethics Committee.

Findings

This paper shows how relations between the authorities and the public in certain urban communities are extremely fragile and that it doesn't take much to stimulate public action on perceived injustices. Importantly, however, it demonstrates how exactly social networking played a significant role in the way the social disorder started and evolved, concluding that the reasons for involvement were collective as well as subjective. Lastly, it highlights the one‐sided nature of the media depictions and how the knee‐jerk government response was hard‐line and blatantly disregarded established criminal justice processes.

Research limitations/implications

To date, discussions have only taken place with 30 participants and what is offered here is a “work in progress”.

Originality/value

This is likely one of the first attempts based on empirical data to conceptualise the motivations for involvement in the social disorder in London.
Deconstructing the rioters: a case study of individuals convicted and sentenced in Greater Manchester
Authors: Clarke Becky
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Between the 6th and 10th of August 2011, a number of cities in England experienced serious civil disorders now commonly referred to as the English riots. The riots are being regarded by many as the most serious disturbances in the UK since the Brixton riots of the early 1980s, resulting in over 3,000 arrests and by mid‐September, over 300 convictions. Whilst the post‐mortem into the “causes” for the English riots continues, the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is rapidly dispensing severe punishments upon those who have been identified. Yet, despite the “informed” commentary and assertions espoused within the national and local media, there is still little information about those who were processed though the CJS as a consequence of their “involvement” in the riots. Arguably, the social, political, and media reactions have impeded a clear and considered exploration of the rioters (characteristics and previous experiences) and what factors may have contributed to their involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon a specially configured dataset, incorporating social, economic, and criminogenic information of those convicted and sentenced by the courts in the initial weeks following the riots in Manchester, this paper is concerned with providing a case study of the individuals involved. In doing so, it inevitably explores the potential limits of any data constructed through the lens of the CJS.

Findings

The emerging profile demonstrates that the individuals convicted as “rioters” are often assessed as having multiple and entrenched issues around housing, employment, finances, and mental health. Agencies such as the Probation Service must now carefully reflect upon such profile information in developing their response to this type of offending behaviour, understanding the risks such individuals may pose but also the potential for the “rioters” to establish an offence‐free life on completion of their order or prison sentence.

Originality/value

Whilst acknowledging its limitations, the findings from this analysis make an early contribution to an important debate regarding the response of CJS agencies supervising the “rioters”.
From the criminal crowd to the “mediated crowd”: the impact of social media on the 2011 English riots
Authors: Baker Stephanie Alice
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This article aims to explore the impact of new social media on the 2011 English riots.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper suggests that discourse on the riots in the news and popular press is obscured by speculation and political rhetoric about the role of social media in catalysing the unrest that overlooks the role of individual agency and misrepresents the emotional dimensions of such forms of collective action.

Findings

In considering the riots to be symptomatic of criminality and austerity, commentators have tended to revive nineteenth‐ and twentieth‐century crowd theories to make sense of the unrest, which are unable to account for the effect of new social media on this nascent twenty‐first century phenomenon.

Research limitations/implications

Here, the notion of the “mediated crowd” is introduced to argue that combining emotions research with empirical analysis can provide an innovative account of the relationship between new social media and the type of collective action that took place during the riots. Such a concept challenges orthodox nineteenth‐ and twentieth‐century crowd theories that consider crowds to be a corollary of “emotive contagion” in spatial proximity, with “the mediated crowd” mobilised in the twenty‐first century through social networking in both geographic and virtual arenas.

Originality/value

The paper proposes that this original approach provides insight into the particular conditions in which the 2011 English riots emerged, while advancing crowd theory in general.
How “sick” is our society?
Authors: Durkin Catherine
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This article aims to explore whether the behaviour displayed during the UK Riots in 2011 justifies a label of “sickness” or a psychiatric diagnosis, and if so, is there a role for the medical profession in treating this “sickness”?

Design/methodology/approach

The article is structured in four sections. The first two sections focus on the use of illness as a metaphor and the spread of “sickness” in society. The third and fourth sections examine the role of mental health professionals in diagnosing bad behaviour and the use of a medical model to offer a “cure”.

Findings

The article highlights the implications of labelling behaviour as “sick”. It recognises the role that mental health professionals can play in diagnosing and treating certain behaviours and the importance of understanding behaviour in its wider context.

Practical implications

Adoption of a mental health framework when evaluating the riots and consideration of the use of mental health services for some of those involved are considered.

Originality/value

This article offers a medical perspective when assessing the cause and management of the UK riots.
“We've got to be tough, we've got to be robust, we've got to score a clear line between right and wrong right through the heart of this country”: can and should the post‐riot populist rhetoric be translated into reality?
Authors: Heap Vicky , Smithson Hannah
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically appraise how the coalition government intends to respond to the riots and disorder that took place in England in 2011, with particular reference to conduct regulation legislation and policy.

Design/methodology/approach

Coalition government policies announced post‐riots have been reflected upon and considered alongside flagship policies from the previous New Labour government (1997‐2010), as well as coalition policies introduced when they came to power in May, 2010.

Findings

Coalition policy post‐riots appears to have shifted from a localism agenda, to be replaced by a default reliance upon conduct regulation directed by central government. Furthermore, a number of these rhetoric laden policies are perceived to lack the focus and detail required to provide an effective policy response.

Originality/value

Post‐riot policy announcements are placed in the wider criminal justice context, highlighting some of the practical issues that may require consideration upon policy implementation.
Women as perpetrators of IPV: the experience of Mozambique
Authors: Eugenio Zacarias Antonio , Macassa Gloria , Soares Joaquim J.F.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the occurrence, severity, chronicity, and predictors of inflicted IPV among women visiting the Forensic Services in Maputo city (Mozambique) as victims of IPV by their partner.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was cross‐sectional: the data were collected from 1,442 women over 12 months (consecutive cases) and were analysed with bivariate and multivariate methods.

Findings

The overall occurrence of inflicted IPV across severity (one or more types) was 69.4 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 44.8±65.8). Psychological aggression was reported by 64 percent of women (chronicity, mean/SD 23.1±32.4); physical assault by 38.2 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 10.3±24.6); sexual coercion by 39.1 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 7.2±16.2); and injuries by 22.6 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 4.2±12.4). Further, 14.5 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 140.2±86.3) of the women used all abuse types against their partners: 18.2 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 113.1±75.9) injury, and psychological and physical abuse; 14.7 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 64.9±64.3) injury, and physical and sexual abuse; 16.3 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 94.1±57.2) injury, and psychological and sexual abuse; and 24.9 percent (chronicity, mean/SD 99.5±72) psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. Controlling behaviours, co‐occurring perpetration, abuse as a child, and certain types of own victimization were the more important factors associated with the inflicted abuse.

Research limitations/implications

More research into women's experiences of IPV as perpetrators, particularly in relation to co‐occurring inflicted abuse, control, and abuse as a child, is warranted in Sub‐Saharan Africa. An important limitation here is the lack of a control group (e.g. general population).

Practical implications

The present findings may be useful for the development of strategies to prevent/treat IPV in Mozambique.

Originality/value

In spite of its limitations, the current study may have provided new insights into women's use of violence against their partners.
Wife‐battering and traditional methods of its control in contemporary Datoga pastoralists of Tanzania
Authors: Butovskaya Marina L.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The main goal of this project is to study the wife‐battering in one of the traditional groups of semi‐nomadic herders of Eastern Africa, the Datoga of Northern Tanzania.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examines wife‐battering among the Datoga pastoralists of Tanzania. The interviews with 142 women provide the information on types and regularity of wife‐beating in the Datoga. Data were collected by means of interviews. Women were asked if they quarreled with husbands or had ever been beaten by them. If the answer was positive, a woman was asked for details of the physical violence and post‐conflict interactions between the spouses and with relatives from the wife's side.

Findings

According to these data, wife‐battering is a widespread practice among the traditionally‐living Datoga of Northern Tanzania – 47.19 percent of women in this study said that they had been beaten by husbands and of these, 14.79 percent stated that they had been injured by husbands. Aggression between spouses was highly asymmetrical; women were never trying to aggress back. The culture‐specific mechanisms of coping with wife‐battering were found to be still effective nowadays. The woman's father or brother is able to reprimand her husband for misbehavior and to demand a fine for the woman herself and for her relatives.

Research limitations/implications

Current research is limited by sample size, as well as due to the fact that interviews were mainly conducted with wives only.

Practical implications

Cultural mechanisms of control over wife‐battering should be taken into consideration by local officials, while developing violence‐reduction programs.

Social implications

While discussing wife‐battering issues, cultural norms and mechanisms of conflict resolution should be considered even though information has been collected in a modern, urban environment.

Originality/value

The severity and frequency of wife‐battering in Datoga is positively related to the number of co‐wives, as well as to the history of a woman's physical aggression. To social workers and governmental organizations dealing with conflicts between spouses in multiethnic communities, it should be important to take the cultural context and to look for traditional mechanisms of conflict resolution, if such mechanisms are available.
Transitional processes culminating in extreme violence
Authors: Dutton Donald G.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to review transitional processes that foster transitions from non‐aggression to extreme aggression. Most studies on aggression focus either on traits within violent individuals or social contexts that generate violence, less attention has been paid to transitional mechanisms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews “long‐term”, i.e. societal transitions that occur prior to and during genocides; mid‐term transitions such as induction into a military or paramilitary societies; and short‐term (situational) transitions that occurin situ. It reviews alterations in emotion, cognition, and behaviour that occur in these transitions and concludes with a description of the generated output behaviours of an extreme and often sadistic nature.

Findings

The paper concludes with a review of Nell's “Pain‐Blood‐Death” complex as a hypothetical inherited disposition that may be triggered by any or all of these transitional processes leading to cruel aggression.

Originality/value

The paper raises new concerns about the conceptualizing of extreme violence purely as an outcome of individual pathology and posits instead that a potential for cruelty may be part of our sociobiological heritage as a species. Furthermore, this potential may be tapped into by exposure to toxic war situations resulting in the manifestation of cruel and inhumane treatment of outgroups by soldiers from disparate societies and eras.
Physical assaults against children
Authors: Davis Richard L.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

A fundamental purpose of Massachusetts' General Law 209A is to prevent the use of physically assaultive behavior between family members and intimate partners to change or alter their behavior. This Massachusetts Law is similar to laws in all 50 states. Despite the fact that the vast majority of domestic violence laws contain no exceptions for age, the acceptance of physical assaults against children continues. This paper aims to investigate physical assaults on children.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper compares and contrasts corporal punishment and domestic violence laws and explores what role cognitive dissonance plays in the acceptance of physical assaults against children by parents or guardians. It questions how or why public policy makers, domestic violence interveners and the majority of American adults continue to accept that the goal of preventing family physical assaults is possible in a family or a society that condones rather than condemns the use of physical assaults against children, including the use of belts or other injurious instruments.

Findings

This paper presents corporal punishment and criminal justice data that suggest that when some states did end corporal punishment in schools, the use of violence in general in that state was reduced.

Originality/value

These data suggest it may be possible to end or reduce the use of all physically assaultive behavior against another person in general when society condemns the use of all physically assaultive behavior regardless of age.
The shape of option implied volatility: a study based on market net demand pressure
Authors: Mo Tianyu , Zheng Zhenlong , Lin William T.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Due to disequilibrium between supply and demand in the option market, the option market‐maker is under exposure to certain risks because of their net option positions. This paper aims to pay attention to whether the risk award affects the option price and the shape of implied volatility in the market‐maker system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first eliminates the part of implied volatility explained by underlying asset's stochastic volatility‐jump price process, and second sorts out market investors' net demand data from TAIEX Options tick by tick deal data and then finally considers three market maker's risks – unhedgeable risk, capital constrain risk and asymmetric information risk, and how they affect implied volatility's level and slope.

Findings

Through the research in the TAIEX Option market, the paper finds that, under unhedgeable risk, net demand pressure has a significant impact on implied volatility. Especially, unhedgeable risk due to underlying asset's stochastic volatility has the best explanation for implied volatility level, and unhedgeable risk due to underlying asset's jump can explain implied volatility slope to some extent. Capital constrain risk and asymmetric information risk have an insignificant impact on implied volatility.

Research limitations/implications

The findings in this study suggest that the risk award affects the option price and the shape of implied volatility in the market‐maker system and different risks have different effects on the level and slope of option implied volatility.

Practical implications

This paper finds the influence factors of the option price in the market‐maker system. It's useful for China's financial government and investors to learn the price tendency and regular pattern in the future China option market.

Originality/value

This is the first time that a net demand pressure based option pricing model is used, which is derived by Garleanu, Pedersen and Poteshman, to study the TAIEX Options' implied volatility. And the paper improves the methods eliminating the part of implied volatility explained by underlying asset's stochastic volatility‐jump price process.
Accounting conservatism, ultimate ownership and investment efficiency
Authors: Xu Xiaodong , Wang Xia , Han Nina
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the role of accounting conservatism on firm investment behavior in China.

Design/methodology/approach

By combining a developed theoretical framework and empirical study, this paper examines the impacts of accounting conservatism on firm investment. The sample and data are all collected from Wind and CAMAR databases.

Findings

The paper finds that the association between accounting conservatism and capital expenditure is significantly positive when inside capital is not enough to use for investment, suggesting that conservatism can expend the level of investment by decreasing information asymmetry and cost of capital; however, the association between accounting conservatism and capital expenditure is significantly negative when inside capital is enough to use for investment, suggesting that conservatism can curtail the level of investment by mitigating the interest conflicts between management and outside shareholders and decreasing agency costs. Additionally, the paper finds that the severity of information asymmetry and agency problem affects the role of accounting conservatism on firm investment behaviour, and the association between accounting conservatism and capital expenditure is weaker for firms with ultimate ownership controller as local government or individuals.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to analyze and examine the impacts of accounting conservatism on firm investment in China directly. The findings are also useful to explain the awkward predicament found by prior literature.
Technology spillovers of FDI in ASEAN sourcing from local and abroad
Authors: Tu Yonghong , Tan Xiao
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to empirically analyze the role of FDI technology spillover effects in the development patterns of ASEAN.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on the analytical framework of Borensztein by utilizing time‐series data between 1990 and 2008 in ASEAN countries. Models (1)‐(3) estimate parameters by adopting OLS, and Model (4) uses dummy saturation methods in PC Give, Oxmetrics 6 to determine significant dummy variables automatically. By judging the overall significance of each variable and the model, Model (4) has a substantial improvement, and is finally selected to judge the education threshold of each country.

Findings

The empirical results render support to the existence of technology spillovers in ASEAN. The regression results also suggest that it is necessary to combine FDI technology spillovers with domestic human capital, that is, in the process of promoting economic development. China's FDI in ASEAN requires lower education threshold, and also has positive effect on economy growth in six countries of ASEAN.

Research limitations/implications

As this paper investigates data from many countries, there are some unavoidable differences in the statistical sources and the calibre of data. It is inevitable to have some inaccuracies. This paper tries to process the data into similar calibres and units.

Practical implications

The paper examined whether total FDI, intra‐ASEAN FDI and FDI from China have played exactly the same role in ASEAN countries. Accordingly, the paper put forward suggestions after combining the characteristics of FDI from China with different local situations of ASEAN host countries.

Originality/value

The paper, respectively, takes data of total FDI, intra‐ASEAN FDI, FDI from China into the FDI variable in the model, and get three sets of results for each country. The year dummy variable is newly added to the original framework of Borensztein in order to test whether the dependent variable can be affected to a large extent by potential great changes in macro‐economies.
Vascular health in the ageing athlete
Authors: DeVan Allison E. , Seals Douglas R.
Published: January 2012

The demographics of ageing are changing dramatically such that there will be many more older adults in the near future. This setting is projected to produce a new ‘boomer‐driven’ epidemic of physiological dysfunction, disability and risk of chronic degenerative disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. Standing out against this dreary biomedical forecast are Masters athletes, a group of middle‐aged and older adults who engage in regular vigorous physical training and competitive sport. Compared with their sedentary/less active (untrained) peers, Masters athletes who perform endurance training‐based activities demonstrate a more favourable arterial function–structure phenotype, including lower large elastic artery stiffness, enhanced vascular endothelial function and less arterial wall hypertrophy. As such, they may represent an exemplary model of healthy or ‘successful’ vascular ageing. In contrast, Masters athletes engaged primarily/exclusively in intensive resistance training exhibit less favourable arterial function–structure than their endurance‐trained peers and, in some instances, untrained adults. These different arterial properties are probably explained in large part by the different intravascular mechanical forces generated during endurance versus resistance exercise‐related training activities. The more favourable arterial function–structure profile of Masters endurance athletes may contribute to their low risk of clinical cardiovascular diseases.
Behavior and Target Site Selection of Conjugative Transposon Tn
916
in Two Different Strains of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile
Authors: Mullany Peter , Williams Rachel , Langridge Gemma C. , Turner Daniel J. , Whalan Rachael , Clayton Chris , Lawley Trevor , Hussain Haitham , McCurrie Katherine , Morden Nicky , Allan Elaine , Roberts Adam P.
Published: January 2012

The insertion sites of the conjugative transposon Tn
916
in the anaerobic pathogen
Clostridium difficile
were determined using Illumina Solexa high-throughput DNA sequencing of Tn
916
insertion libraries in two different clinical isolates: 630ΔE, an erythromycin-sensitive derivative of 630 (ribotype 012), and the ribotype 027 isolate R20291, which was responsible for a severe outbreak of
C. difficile
disease. A consensus 15-bp Tn
916
insertion sequence was identified which was similar in both strains, although an extended consensus sequence was observed in R20291. A search of the
C. difficile
630 genome showed that the Tn
916
insertion motif was present 100,987 times, with approximately 63,000 of these motifs located in genes and 35,000 in intergenic regions. To test the usefulness of Tn
916
as a mutagen, a functional screen allowed the isolation of a mutant. This mutant contained Tn
916
inserted into a gene involved in flagellar biosynthesis.
Association with an Ammonium-Excreting Bacterium Allows Diazotrophic Culture of Oil-Rich Eukaryotic Microalgae
Authors: Ortiz-Marquez Juan Cesar Federico , Do Nascimento Mauro , Dublan Maria de los Angeles , Curatti Leonardo
Published: January 2012

Concerns regarding the depletion of the world's reserves of oil and global climate change have promoted an intensification of research and development toward the production of biofuels and other alternative sources of energy during the last years. There is currently much interest in developing the technology for third-generation biofuels from microalgal biomass mainly because of its potential for high yields and reduced land use changes in comparison with biofuels derived from plant feedstocks. Regardless of the nature of the feedstock, the use of fertilizers, especially nitrogen, entails a potential economic and environmental drawback for the sustainability of biofuel production. In this work, we have studied the possibility of nitrogen biofertilization by diazotrophic bacteria applied to cultured microalgae as a promising feedstock for next-generation biofuels. We have obtained an
Azotobacter vinelandii
mutant strain that accumulates several times more ammonium in culture medium than wild-type cells. The ammonium excreted by the mutant cells is bioavailable to promote the growth of nondiazotrophic microalgae. Moreover, this synthetic symbiosis was able to produce an oil-rich microalgal biomass using both carbon and nitrogen from the air. This work provides a proof of concept that artificial symbiosis may be considered an alternative strategy for the low-N-intensive cultivation of microalgae for the sustainable production of next-generation biofuels and other bioproducts.
Dynamics and Persistence of Dead Sea Microbial Populations as Shown by High-Throughput Sequencing of rRNA
Authors: Rhodes Matthew E. , Oren Aharon , House Christopher H.
Published: January 2012

16S rRNA amplicon libraries from a haloarchaeal bloom in the hypersaline Dead Sea in 1992 were analyzed together with the 2007 residual population and simulated blooms in experimental mesocosms. Significant population shifts were observed during the bloom, and surprisingly a signature from the bloom was retained 15 years later.
Large Crystal Toxin Formation in Chromosomally Engineered Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai Due to σ
E
Accumulation
Authors: Buasri Wasin , Panbangred Watanalai
Published: January 2012

Seven distinct
Bacillus thuringiensis
subsp.
aizawai
integrants were constructed that carried the chitinase (
chiBlA
) gene from
B. licheniformis
under the control of the
cry11Aa
promoter and terminator with and without
p19
and
p20
genes. The toxicity of
B. thuringiensis
subsp.
aizawai
integrants against second-instar
Spodoptera litura
larvae was increased 1.8- to 4.6-fold compared to that of the wild-type strain (BTA1). Surprisingly, the enhanced toxicity in some strains of
B. thuringiensis
subsp.
aizawai
integrants (
Bta
P19CS,
Bta
P19CSter, and
Bta
CAT) correlated with an increase in toxin formation. To investigate the role of these genes in toxin production, the expression profiles of the toxin genes,
cry1Aa
and
chiBlA
, as well as their transcriptional regulators (
sigK
and
sigE
), were analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qPCR) from BTA1,
Bta
P19CS, and
Bta
CAT. Expression levels of
cry1Aa
in these two integrants increased about 2- to 3-fold compared to those of BTA1. The expression of the transcription factor
sigK
also was prolonged in the integrants compared to that of the wild type; however,
sigE
expression was unchanged. Western blot analysis of σ
E
and σ
K
showed the prolonged accumulation of σ
E
in the integrants compared to that of BTA1, resulting in the increased synthesis of pro-σ
K
up to
T
17
after the onset of sporulation in both
Bta
P19CS and
Bta
CAT compared to that of
T
13
in BTA1. The results from qPCR indicate clearly that the
cry1Aa
promoter activity was influenced most strongly by σ
E
, whereas
cry11Aa
depended mostly on σ
K
. These results on large-crystal toxin formation with enhanced toxicity should provide useful information for the generation of strains with improved insecticidal activity.
Use of Amplified-Fragment Length Polymorphism To Study the Ecology of Campylobacter jejuni in Environmental Water and To Predict Multilocus Sequence Typing Clonal Complexes
Authors: Lévesque Simon , St-Pierre Karen , Frost Eric , Arbeit Robert D. , Michaud Sophie
Published: January 2012

We determined the genetic variability among water isolates of
Campylobacter jejuni
by using amplified-fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Across a highly diverse collection of isolates, AFLP clusters did not correlate with MLST clonal complexes, suggesting that AFLP is not reliable for deciphering population genetic relationships and may be problematic for larger epidemiologic analyses.
Comparative Analysis of 16S rRNA andamoAGenes from Archaea Selected with Organic and Inorganic Amendments in Enrichment Culture
Authors: Xu Mouzhong , Schnorr Jon , Keibler Brandon , Simon Holly M.
Published: January 2012

We took advantage of a plant-root enrichment culture system to characterize mesophilic soil archaea selected through the use of organic and inorganic amendments. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA andamoAgenes indicated that specific archaeal clades were selected under different conditions. ThreeamoAsequence clades were identified, while for a fourth group, identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis alone and referred to as the “root” clade, we detected no correspondingamoAgene. TheamoA-containing archaea were present in media with either organic or inorganic amendments, whereas archaea representing the root clade were present only when organic amendment was used. Analysis ofamoAgene abundance and expression, together with nitrification-coupled growth assays, indicated potential growth by autotrophic ammonia oxidation for members of two group 1.1b clades. Increased abundance of one of these clades, however, also occurred upon the addition of organic amendment. Finally, althoughamoA-containing group 1.1a archaea were present in enrichments, we detected neither expression ofamoAgenes nor evidence for nitrification-coupled growth of these organisms. These data support a model of a diverse metabolic community in mesophilic soil archaea that is just beginning to be characterized.
SlyA Regulates Type III Secretion System (T3SS) Genes in Parallel with the T3SS Master Regulator HrpL in Dickeya dadantii 3937
Authors: Zou Lifang , Zeng Quan , Lin Haiping , Gyaneshwar Prasad , Chen Gongyou , Yang Ching-Hong
Published: January 2012

The hypersensitive response and pathogenicity (
hrp
) genes of
Dickeya dadantii
3937 encode a type III secretion system (T3SS) which is essential for its full virulence. Previous studies of the T3SS regulation in
D. dadantii
3937 revealed that the expression of the
hrp
genes is regulated by a master regulator, HrpL, through the HrpX-HrpY-HrpS-HrpL and GacS-GacA-
rsmB
-RsmA pathways. In this work, we identified a novel regulator of the SlyA/MarR family, SlyA, which regulates
hrp
genes of the HrpL regulon in parallel with HrpL in
D. dadantii
. SlyA regulates the T3SS in a two-tier manner. It negatively regulates the expression of
hrpL
by downregulating
hrpS
and upregulating
rsmA
. Interestingly, concomitant with its downregulation of the
hrpL
, SlyA positively regulates the expression of
hrpA
and
hrpN
, two
hrp
genes located in the HrpL regulon. In contrast to
Pectobacterium carotovorum
, the expression of
slyA
is not controlled by ExpR and ExpI in
D. dadantii
3937. We further show that SlyA is involved in controlling swimming motility and pellicle formation in
D. dadantii
3937.
Functional Identification of Two Novel Genes from Pseudomonas sp. Strain HZN6 Involved in the Catabolism of Nicotine
Authors: Qiu Jiguo , Ma Yun , Wen Yuezhong , Chen Liansheng , Wu Lifei , Liu Weiping
Published: January 2012

Nicotine is a natural alkaloid produced by tobacco plants, and the mechanisms of its catabolism by microorganisms are diverse. In the present study, we reported the mutation, cloning, and identification of two novel genes involved in nicotine degradation from the newly isolated
Pseudomonas
sp. strain HZN6. Transposon mutagenesis identified a HZN6 mutant in which the nicotine-degrading pathway was blocked at pseudooxynicotine. A 3,874-bp DNA fragment flanking the transposon insertion site was obtained through self-formed adaptor PCR. Two open reading frames (designated
pao
and
sap
) were analyzed, and the deduced amino acid sequences shared 29% identity with 6-hydroxy-
l
-nicotine oxidase from
Arthrobacter nicotinovorans
and 49% identity with an aldehyde dehydrogenase from
Bartonella henselae
. Both
pao
and
sap
were cloned and functionally expressed in recombinant
Escherichia coli
BL21. The
pao
gene encoded a novel pseudooxynicotine amine oxidase with noncovalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and exhibited substrate specificity removing the methylamine from pseudooxynicotine with the formation of 3-succinoylsemialdehyde-pyridine and hydrogen dioxide. The
sap
gene encoded a NADP
+
-dependent 3-succinoylsemialdehyde-pyridine dehydrogenase that catalyzed the dehydrogenation of 3-succinoylsemialdehyde-pyridine to 3-succinoyl-pyridine. Genetic analyses indicated that the
pao
gene played an essential role in nicotine or pseudooxynicotine mineralization in strain HZN6, whereas the
sap
gene did not. This study provides novel insight into the nicotine-degrading mechanism at the genetic level in
Pseudomonas
spp.
Effect of Streptococcus salivarius K12 on the In Vitro Growth of Candida albicans and Its Protective Effect in an Oral Candidiasis Model
Authors: Ishijima Sanae A. , Hayama Kazumi , Burton Jeremy P. , Reid Gregor , Okada Masashi , Matsushita Yuji , Abe Shigeru
Published: January 2012

Oral candidiasis is often accompanied by severe inflammation, resulting in a decline in the quality of life of immunosuppressed individuals and elderly people. To develop a new oral therapeutic option for candidiasis, a nonpathogenic commensal oral probiotic microorganism,
Streptococcus salivarius
K12, was evaluated for its ability to modulate
Candida albicans
growth
in vitro
, and its therapeutic activity in an experimental oral candidiasis model was tested.
In vitro
inhibition of mycelial growth of
C. albicans
was determined by plate assay and fluorescence microscopy. Addition of
S. salivarius
K12 to modified RPMI 1640 culture medium inhibited the adherence of
C. albicans
to the plastic petri dish in a dose-dependent manner. Preculture of
S. salivarius
K12 potentiated its inhibitory activity for adherence of
C. albicans
. Interestingly,
S. salivarius
K12 was not directly fungicidal but appeared to inhibit
Candida
adhesion to the substratum by preferentially binding to hyphae rather than yeast. To determine the potentially anti-infective attributes of
S. salivarius
K12 in oral candidiasis, the probiotic was administered to mice with orally induced candidiasis. Oral treatment with
S. salivarius
K12 significantly protected the mice from severe candidiasis. These findings suggest that
S. salivarius
K12 may inhibit the process of invasion of
C. albicans
into mucous surfaces or its adhesion to denture acrylic resins by mechanisms not associated with the antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin.
S. salivarius
K12 may be useful as a probiotic as a protective tool for oral care, especially with regard to candidiasis.
Characterization of the Amicetin Biosynthesis Gene Cluster from Streptomyces vinaceusdrappus NRRL 2363 Implicates Two Alternative Strategies for Amide Bond Formation
Authors: Zhang Gaiyun , Zhang Haibo , Li Sumei , Xiao Ji , Zhang Guangtao , Zhu Yiguang , Niu Siwen , Ju Jianhua , Zhang Changsheng
Published: January 2012

Amicetin, an antibacterial and antiviral agent, belongs to a group of disaccharide nucleoside antibiotics featuring an α-(1→4)-glycoside bond in the disaccharide moiety. In this study, the amicetin biosynthesis gene cluster was cloned fromStreptomyces vinaceusdrappusNRRL 2363 and localized on a 37-kb contiguous DNA region. Heterologous expression of the amicetin biosynthesis gene cluster inStreptomyces lividansTK64 resulted in the production of amicetin and its analogues, thereby confirming the identity of theamigene cluster.In silicosequence analysis revealed that 21 genes were putatively involved in amicetin biosynthesis, including 3 for regulation and transportation, 10 for disaccharide biosynthesis, and 8 for the formation of the amicetin skeleton by the linkage of cytosine,p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and the terminal (+)-α-methylserine moieties. The inactivation of the benzoate coenzyme A (benzoate-CoA) ligase geneamiLand theN-acetyltransferase geneamiFled to two mutants that accumulated the same two compounds, cytosamine and 4-acetamido-3-hydroxybenzoic acid. These data indicated that AmiF functioned as an amide synthethase to link cytosine and PABA. The inactivation ofamiR, encoding an acyl-CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase, resulted in the production of plicacetin and norplicacetin, indicating AmiR to be responsible for attachment of the terminal methylserine moiety to form another amide bond. These findings implicated two alternative strategies for amide bond formation in amicetin biosynthesis.
Germinant-Enhanced Decontamination of Bacillus Spores Adhered to Iron and Cement-Mortar Drinking Water Infrastructures
Authors: Szabo Jeffrey G. , Muhammad Nur , Heckman Lee , Rice Eugene W. , Hall John
Published: January 2012

Germination was evaluated as an enhancement to decontamination methods for removing
Bacillus
spores from drinking water infrastructure. Germinating spores before chlorinating cement mortar or flushing corroded iron was more effective than chlorinating or flushing alone.
Iridescence of a Marine Bacterium and Classification of Prokaryotic Structural Colors
Authors: Kientz Betty , Vukusic Peter , Luke Stephen , Rosenfeld Eric
Published: January 2012

Iridescence is a property of structural color that is occasionally encountered in higher eukaryotes but that has been poorly documented in the prokaryotic kingdom. In the present work, we describe a marine bacterium, identified as
Cellulophaga lytica
, isolated from the surface of an anemone, that exhibits bright green iridescent colonies under direct epi-illumination. This phenomenon has not previously been investigated in detail. In this study, color changes of
C. lytica
colonies were observed at various angles of direct illumination or observation. Its iridescent green appearance was dominant on various growth media. Red and violet colors were also discerned on colony edges. Remarkable
C. lytica
bacterial iridescence was revealed and characterized using high-resolution optical spectrometry. In addition to this, by culturing other bacterial strains to which various forms of faintly iridescent traits have previously been attributed, we identify four principal appearance characteristics of structural color in prokaryotes. A new general classification of bacterial iridescence is therefore proposed in this study. Furthermore, a specific separate class is described for iridescent
C. lytica
strains because they exhibit what is so far a unique intense glitter-like iridescence in reflection.
C. lytica
is the first prokaryote discovered to produce the same sort of intense iridescence under direct illumination as that associated with higher eukaryotes, like some insects and birds. Due to the nature of bacterial biology, cultivation, and ubiquity, this discovery may be of significant interest for both ecological and nanoscience endeavors.
Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping of Yield-Related Components and Oligogenic Control of the Cap Color of the Button Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus
Authors: Foulongne-Oriol Marie , Rodier Anne , Rousseau Thierry , Savoie Jean-Michel
Published: January 2012

As in other crops, yield is an important trait to be selected for in edible mushrooms, but its inheritance is poorly understood. Therefore, we have investigated the complex genetic architecture of yield-related traits in
Agaricus bisporus
through the mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL), using second-generation hybrid progeny derived from a cross between a wild strain and a commercial cultivar. Yield, average weight per mushroom, number of fruiting bodies per m
2
, earliness, and cap color were evaluated in two independent experiments. A total of 23 QTL were detected for 7 yield-related traits. These QTL together explained between 21% (two-flushes yield) and 59% (earliness) of the phenotypic variation. Fifteen QTL (65%) were consistent between the two experiments. Four regions underlying significant QTL controlling yield, average weight, and number were detected on linkage groups II, III, IV, and X, suggesting a pleiotropic effect or tight linkage. Up to six QTL were identified for earliness. The
PPC1
locus, together with two additional genomic regions, explained up to 90% of the phenotypic variation of the cap color. Alleles from the wild parent showed beneficial effects for some yield traits, suggesting that the wild germ plasm is a valuable source of variation for several agronomic traits. Our results constitute a key step toward marker-assisted selection and provide a solid foundation to go further into the biological mechanisms controlling productive traits in the button mushroom.