bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lysinibacillus fusiformisM5 induces increased complexity inBacillus subtilis168 colony biofilms via hypoxanthine
Authors: Gallegos-Monterrosa Ramses , Kankel Stefanie , Götze Sebastian , Barnett Robert , Stallforth Pierre , Kovács Ákos T. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTIn recent years, biofilms have become a central subject of research in the fields of microbiology, medicine, agriculture, or systems biology amongst others. The sociomicrobiology of multispecies biofilms, however, is still poorly understood. Here, we report a screening system that allowed us to identify soil bacteria, which induce architectural changes in biofilm colonies when cocultured withB. subtilis. We identified the soil bacteriumLysinibacillus fusiformisM5 as inducer of wrinkle-formation inB. subtiliscolonies mediated by a diffusible signaling molecule. This compound was isolated by bioassay-guided chromatographic fractionation. The elicitor was identified to be the purine hypoxanthine using mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We show that the induction of wrinkle formation by hypoxanthine is not dependent on signal recognition by the histidine kinases KinA, KinB, KinC, and KinD, which are generally involved in phosphorylation of the master regulator Spo0A. Likewise, we show that hypoxanthine signaling does not induce the expression of biofilm-matrix related operonsepsA-OandtasA-sipW-tapA. Finally, we demonstrate that the purine permease PbuO, but not PbuG, is necessary for hypoxanthine to induce an increase in wrinkle formation ofB. subtilisbiofilm colonies. Our results suggest that hypoxanthine-stimulated wrinkle development is not due to a direct induction of biofilm-related gene expression, but rather caused by the excess of hypoxanthine withinB. subtiliscells, which may lead to cell stress and death.IMPORTANCEBiofilms are a bacterial lifestyle with high relevance regarding diverse human activities. Biofilms can be favorable, for instance in crop protection. In nature, biofilms are commonly found as multispecies communities displaying complex social behaviors and characteristics. The study of interspecies interactions will thus lead to a better understanding and use of biofilms as they occur outside laboratory conditions. Here, we present a screening method suitable for the identification of multispecies interactions, and showcaseL. fusiformisas a soil bacterium that is able to live alongsideB. subtilisand modify the architecture of its biofilms.
Synthesis and modification of a mesoporous material type MCM-41 by an amine for the adsorption of organic pollutants: anionic and cationic dyes
Authors: Nassima Benyoub , Abdallah Benhamou , Abdelkader Debab 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTThe main objective of this work was to synthesize the MCM-41 material from optimized protocols. In the second step, the pore size and the specific surface area of the parent material was increased by the incorporation of swelling agents (long chain carbon amines N-N, Dimethyl-dodecylamine « DMDDA ») in post-synthesis. Then the selective extraction of the amine and the calcination allowed us to obtain materials with pore sizes and even larger surfaces than those of the starting materials (parent materials). The adsorbents, identified as MCM-41 (P), DMDDA-41 (A), DMDDA-41 (B), DMDDA-41 (C) and MCM-41 (P/C), were characterized regarding their texture, mesoscopic ordering and chemical surface and finally their adsorption capacity was evaluated using two diffrent dyes (anionic: Orange II sodium and cationic: Janus Green B). The results obtained during the adsorption study show the efficiency of these materials, in particular the "amine and calcined" materials for decolorizing aqueous media contaminated with organic dyes. The kinetic studies and the adsorption isotherms were carried out to clarify the method of fixing each of the two dyes on the two materials tested. The experiments showed that the amine material had a maximum capacity for fixing Orange II (221.06 mg / g) (anionic dye), whereas for a maximum adsorption capacity (455.23 mg / g) Of the Janus GB (cationic dye), the calcined material is more efficient.
The genomic footprint of climate adaptation inChironomus riparius
Authors: Waldvogel Ann-Marie , Wieser Andreas , Schell Tilman , Patel Simit , Schmidt Hanno , Hankeln Thomas , Feldmeyer Barbara , Pfenninger Markus 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe gradual heterogeneity of climatic factors pose varying selection pressures across geographic distances that leave signatures of clinal variation in the genome. Separating signatures of clinal adaptation from signatures of other evolutionary forces, such as demographic processes, genetic drift, and adaptation to non-clinal conditions of the immediate local environment is a major challenge. Here, we examine climate adaptation in five natural populations of the harlequin flyChironomus ripariussampled along a climatic gradient across Europe. Our study integrates experimental data, individual genome resequencing, Pool-Seq data, and population genetic modelling. Common-garden experiments revealed a positive correlation of population growth rates corresponding to the population origin along the climate gradient, suggesting thermal adaptation on the phenotypic level. Based on a population genomic analysis, we derived empirical estimates of historical demography and migration. We used an FSToutlier approach to infer positive selection across the climate gradient, in combination with an environmental association analysis. In total we identified 162 candidate genes as genomic basis of climate adaptation. Enriched functions among these candidate genes involved the apoptotic process and molecular response to heat, as well as functions identified in other studies of climate adaptation in other insects. Our results show that local climate conditions impose strong selection pressures and lead to genomic adaptation despite strong gene flow. Moreover, these results imply that selection to different climatic conditions seems to converge on a functional level, at least between different insect species.
A library of structurally homogeneous humanN-glycans synthesized from microbial oligosaccharide precursors
Authors: Hamilton Brian S. , Wilson Joshua D. , Shumakovich Marina A. , Fisher Adam C. , Brooks James C. , Pontes Alyssa , Naran Radnaa , Heiss Christian , Gao Chao , Kardish Robert , Heimburg-Molinaro Jamie , Azadi Parastoo , Cummings Richard D. , Merritt Judith H. , DeLisa Matthew P. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSynthesis of homogenous glycans in quantitative yields represents a major bottleneck to the production of molecular tools for glycoscience, such as glycan microarrays, affinity resins, and reference standards. Here, we describe a combined biological/enzymatic method termed bioenzymatic synthesis that is capable of efficiently converting microbially-derived precursor oligosaccharides into structurally uniform human-type N-glycans. Unlike starting material obtained by chemical synthesis or direct isolation from natural sources, which can be time consuming and costly to generate, bioenzymatic synthesis involves precursors derived from renewable sources including wild-typeSaccharomyces cerevisiaeglycoproteins and lipid-linked oligosaccharides from glycoengineeredEscherichia coli.Following deglycosylation of these biosynthetic precursors, the resulting microbial oligosaccharides are subjected to a greatly simplified purification scheme followed by structural remodeling using commercially available and recombinantly produced glycosyltransferases including keyN-acetylglucosaminyltransferases (e.g., GnTI, GnTII, and GnTIV) involved in early remodeling of glycans in the mammalian glycosylation pathway. Using this approach, preparative quantities of hybrid and complex-typeN-glycans including asymmetric multi-antennary structures were generated all without the need of a specialized skillset. Collectively, our results reveal bioenzymatic synthesis to be a user-friendly methodology for rapidly supplying homogeneous oligosaccharide structures that can be used to understand the human glycome and probe the biological roles of glycans in health and disease.
Bacterial glycoengineering as a biosynthetic route to customized glycomolecules
Authors: Yates Laura E. , Mills Dominic C. , DeLisa Matthew P. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBacteria have garnered increased interest in recent years as a platform for the biosynthesis of a variety of glycomolecules such as soluble oligosaccharides, surface-exposed carbohydrates and glycoproteins. The ability to flexibly engineer commonly used laboratory species such asEscherichia colito efficiently synthesize non-native sugar structures by recombinant expression of enzymes from various carbohydrate biosynthesis pathways has allowed for the facile generation of important products such as conjugate vaccines, glycosylated outer membrane vesicles, and a variety of other research reagents for studying and understanding the role of glycans in living systems. This chapter highlights some of the key discoveries and technologies for equipping bacteria with the requisite biosynthetic machinery to generate such products. As the bacterial glyco-toolbox continues to grow, these technologies are expected to expand the range of glycomolecules produced recombinantly in bacterial systems, thereby opening up this platform to an even larger number of applications.
Analysis of sea star larval regeneration reveals conserved processes of whole-body regeneration across the metazoa
Authors: Cary Gregory , Wolff Andrew , Olga  , Pattinato Joseph , Hinman Veronica 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTBackgroundMetazoan lineages exhibit a wide range of regenerative capabilities that vary among developmental stage and tissue type. The most robust regenerative abilities are apparent in the phyla Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, and Echinodermata, whose members are capable of whole-body regeneration (WBR). This phenomenon has been well-characterized in planarian and hydra models, but the molecular details of WBR are less established within echinoderms, or any other deuterostome system. Thus, it is not clear to what degree aspects of this regenerative ability are due to deeply conserved mechanisms.ResultsWe characterize regeneration in the larval stage of the Bat Star (Patiria miniata). Following bisection along the anterior-posterior axis, larvae progress through phases of wound healing and re-proportioning of larval tissues. The overall number of proliferating cells is reduced following bisection and we find evidence for a re-deployment of genes with known roles in embryonic axial patterning. Following axial re-specification, we observe a significant localization of proliferating cells to the wound region. Analyses of transcriptome data highlight the molecular signatures of functions that are common to regeneration, including specific signaling pathways and cell cycle controls. Notably, we find evidence for temporal conservation among orthologous genes involved in regeneration from published Platyhelminth and Cnidarian regeneration datasets.ConclusionsThese analyses show that sea star larval regeneration includes phases of wound response, axis respecification, and wound proximal proliferation. Commonalities of the overall process of regeneration, as well as gene usage between this deuterostome and other species with divergent evolutionary origins suggest a deep conservation of whole-body regeneration among the metazoa.
Coordination and responsiveness issues in SME supply chains: a review
Authors: Kumar Ravinder , Kumar Singh Rajesh 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
Globalization and liberalization of the world economy have leveled the field for all competitors across the globe. To face global competition successfully, SMEs have to break their isolation in the value chain. To overcome the dynamic challenges of the market, supply chain management can be an important tool for SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize different issues related to the coordination and responsiveness of supply chain management in SMEs, through a review of the literature.

Design/methodology/approach
In all, 116 research papers, mainly from referred international journals, are reviewed to identify the thrust areas of research. On the basis of the review, gaps are identified and a research agenda is proposed.

Findings
It is observed from the review that SMEs have not been very proactive in implementing supply chain management. These organizations face a lot of problems in coordinating their operations with other members of the supply chain. They are localized in functioning. On export fronts SMEs face many constraints due to lack of resources and poor innovative capabilities. To face the challenges of open global market, SMEs have to manage their problems and supply chain risks effectively. Research gaps are identified in different areas of the supply chain such as coordination and responsiveness issues, service quality issues, and performance benchmarking for future directions of research.

Originality/value
This paper explores the major areas for research on coordination and responsiveness of SME supply chains. The findings of the paper will be highly useful for the researchers to decide the direction of their research.
Conquering in emerging markets: critical success factors to enhance supply chain performance
Authors: Kumar Vimal , Verma Pratima , Sharma R.R.K. , Khan Ahmad Faraz 
Published: March 2017

PurposeIn the context of emerging economies, the purpose of this paper is to seek the critical success factors (CSFs) of supply chain and identify their relationships to enhance the supply chain performance (SCP) in a sample of Indian manufacturing firms.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of a comprehensive literature review, the authors conducted this study and proposed a new model of antecedent and outcomes for SCP in emerging markets. The empirical data for this study were drawn from a survey of 227 Indian firms, resulting in a response rate of 52 percent. The method of confirmatory factor analysis was applied to refine the CSFs and SCP scale for empirical analysis. The data were analyzed by employing the structural equation modeling technique.FindingsThe results reveal that all the identified CSFs, namely, agility, flexibility, flexible innovation, information and communication technology, collaboration among conglomerate divisions, process structure, and training and leadership programs, are positively associated with SCP. The empirical study of 227 Indian firms lent good support to the hypotheses and validates it by the data analysis. Consequently, these findings highlight the prominence of these factors of supply chain for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage in emerging market scenario.Research limitations/implicationsThe study emphasizes on CSFs in emerging markets that will help to boost the organization’s SCP through agility and flexibility in supply chain. This study is applicable for growing markets in which there is ample amount of resources.Originality/valueAs economic growth stagnates in developed economies, emerging markets grow at near double-digit rates. Somehow, this study is pioneer in terms of enhance SCP in emerging market scenario. Moreover, the outcome of the study could provide empirical evidence of the effects of CSFs on SCPs.
A hybrid grey based artificial neural network and C&R tree for project portfolio selection
Authors: Faezy Razi Farshad , Hooman Shariat Seyed 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: the selection of project portfolios through hybrid artificial neural network algorithms, feature selection based on grey relational analysis, decision tree and regression; and the identification of the features affecting project portfolio selection using the artificial neural network algorithm, decision tree and regression. The authors also aim to classify the available options using the decision tree algorithm.

Design/methodology/approach
In order to achieve the research goals, a project-oriented organization was selected and studied. In all, 49 project management indicators were chosen from A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), and the most important indicators were identified using a feature selection algorithm and decision tree. After the extraction of rules, decision rule-based multi-criteria decision making matrices were produced. Each matrix was ranked through grey relational analysis, similarity to ideal solution method and multi-criteria optimization. Finally, a model for choosing the best ranking method was designed and implemented using the genetic algorithm. To analyze the responses, stability of the classes was investigated.

Findings
The results showed that projects ranked based on neural network weights by the grey relational analysis method prove to be better options for the selection of a project portfolio. The process of identification of the features affecting project portfolio selection resulted in the following factors: scope management, project charter, project management plan, stakeholders and risk.

Originality/value
This study presents the most effective features affecting project portfolio selection which is highly impressive in organizational decision making and must be considered seriously. Deploying sensitivity analysis, which is an innovation in such studies, played a constructive role in examining the accuracy and reliability of the proposed models, and it can be firmly argued that the results have had an important role in validating the findings of this study.
The excellence quest: a study of business excellence award-winning organizations in UAE
Authors: Lasrado Flevy , Uzbeck Christopher 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
Organizations worldwide use national quality awards for improving organizational excellence. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its business excellence awards for the private and public sectors almost two decades ago. Within the past dozen years, UAE companies have made considerable progress in introducing and developing their quality management systems. The purpose of this paper is to report the advance of UAE organizations in business excellence initiatives and highlight the contributions of the award-winning organizations in adopting business excellence approach.

Design/methodology/approach
This research used a qualitative approach to study award-winning organizations. Initially, secondary data were gathered from the Office of Department of Economic Development which is responsible for the administration of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA). Data were entered and categorized according to the description of organizational practice, company name, industrial sector and DQA criteria. The data were then analyzed using NVivo 10.0 software.

Findings
The DQA fosters and guides the excellence journey of aspiring organizations not only to win a quality award, but to strengthen their quality initiative through an informative assessment report. The DQA model was perceived by all organizations as a useful approach to quality improvement. Winning organizations have exhibited unique programs developed to embrace the DQA factors. Recommendations for aspiring organizations are discussed.

Originality/value
This paper should help managers to plan their journey toward business excellence and to create greater awareness of excellence frameworks and their usefulness when embarking on the path of excellence. This paper adds to the knowledge of the UAE’s excellence awards scheme and to the knowledge of business excellence best practices deep rooted in multi-cultural organizational environments. It highlights future research avenues for excellence frameworks.
Managing social responsibility in Chinese agriculture supply chains through the “a company + farmers” model
Authors: Fu Shaoling , Zhan Yuanzhu , Tan Kim Hua 
Published: March 2017

PurposeCorporate social responsibility (CSR) has received a large amount of attention in research and in practice. As a response to the growing awareness of and concern about social and environmental issues, an increasing number of companies are integrating their supply chains and building an alliance of “a company + farmers”. The overall research question of this study is derived from the literature, and this paper aims to identify factors that influence the integration of the agriculture supply chain and to explore the relationship between these factors and quality performance.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on questionnaire survey data collected from 462 Chinese farmers under the organization pattern of “a company + farmers”. A structural equation model is applied in the empirical analysis of the relations among trust, relationship commitments of different types (normative and instrumental), supply chain integration and quality performance.FindingsAn understanding of the various influences on supply chain integration and quality performance is important in relation to CSR in Chinese agriculture. The results show that supply chain integration has positive effects on quality performance. Moreover, farmers’ normative relationship commitment to the company is positively related to supply chain integration. However, farmers’ instrumental relationship commitment to the company does not significantly affect the degree of integration between farmers and companies. Furthermore, trust has positive influences on the two types of relationship commitment and on supply chain integration.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide a theoretical basis and practice guidelines for agricultural enterprises to manage CSR under the pattern of “a company + farmers”. The results help enterprises to acquire detailed information about the entire process of agricultural production, improve the quality and safety of primary agricultural products and enhance the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural products in the market.Originality/valueThe e-book shows that enterprises working within Chinese agriculture supply chains have a long tradition of working with CSR and supports cooperation between the European Union and China on food and agriculture.