bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Divergent DNA-Binding Specificities of a Group of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR Transcription Factors Involved in Plant Defense
Authors: Shoji Tsubasa , Mishima Masaki , Hashimoto Takashi 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) recognize target DNA sequences with distinct DNA-binding domains (DBDs). The DBD of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR1 (AtERF1) uses three consecutive β-strands to recognize a GCC-containing sequence, but tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) ERF189 and periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) Octadecanoid-derivative Responsive Catharanthus AP2-domain protein3 (ORCA3) of the same TF subgroup appear to target similar but divergent DNA sequences. Here, we examined how DNA-binding specificities of these TFs have diverged in each plant lineage to regulate distinct defense metabolisms. Extensive mutational analyses of these DBDs suggest that two modes of protein-DNA interactions independently contribute to binding specificity and affinity. Substitution of a conserved arginine to lysine in the first β-strand of ERF189 relaxes its interaction with the second GC pair of the GCC DNA sequence. By contrast, an increased number of basic amino acids in the first two β-strands of ORCA3 allows this TF to recognize more than one GCC-related target, presumably via increased electrostatic interactions with the negatively charged phosphate backbone of DNA. Divergent DNA-binding specificities of the ERFs may have arisen through mutational changes of these amino acid residues.
Turbulent flow and heat transfer enhancement of forced convection over heated baffles in a channel
Authors: Saim Rachid , Benzenine Hamidou , Öztop Hakan F. , Al‐Salem Khaled 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics for rectangular channel provided with solid plate baffles which are arranged on the bottom and top channel walls in a periodically staggered way.Design/methodology/approachThe turbulent governing equations are solved by a finite volume method with the second‐order up winding scheme and the k‐ω turbulence model to describe the turbulent structure. The velocity and pressure terms of momentum equations are solved by SIMPLE (semi‐implicit method for pressure‐linked equation) algorithm. The parameters studied include the entrance Reynolds number Re (5.103‐2.104), the baffles height are fixed at (h=0.08 m); whereas three different baffle spacing were considered S1 = D, S2 = D/2 and S3=3D/2 and the working medium is air.FindingsIn this work, it is found that vortex shedding generated by the baffle on the upper wall can additionally enhance heat transfer along the baffle surfaces. The wavy flow significantly changes the recirculating zone behind the last baffle. Finally, changing the baffles spacing seemed to reduce to changing the heat transfer surface between the solid and the fluid in the sense that higher heat transfer is obtained for lower spacing between baffles.Originality/valueThe results of the numerical calculations of the flow field indicate that the flow patterns around the solid baffles depending on the spacing of the baffles and it significantly influences the local heat transfer coefficient distributions. The problem is inversely proportional for the friction factor.
A bottom‐up approach for productivity measurement and improvement
Authors: Jagoda Kalinga , Lonseth Robert , Lonseth Adam 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe steady incline in oil prices combined with the recent credit crisis and downturns in financial markets has driven organizations to re‐evaluate their manufacturing processes and bottom line. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a bottom‐up approach that may be used by firms in planning, managing and forecasting productivity improvements.Design/methodology/approachA multiple‐case study approach was used: two comprehensive cases and seven short cases were used to illustrate the model.FindingsThe lack of understanding of the relationship between productivity, profitability and performance has led to the application of piece‐meal solutions for problems in productivity. Bottom‐up approach in improving productivity will provide better results than top‐down approach.Originality/valueThis paper describes the bottom‐up approach which has been successfully used for managing productivity improvement initiatives.
Critical evaluation of project‐based performance management
Authors: Parker D. , Verlinden A. , Nussey R. , Ford M. , Pathak R.D. 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate project‐based management in the context of interventions to initiate improved organisation performance.Design/methodology/approachThe work draws on literature from project management, change management (CM) and performance management.FindingsResults identify the interrelated aspects of project management, CM, and performance management. Conclusions indicate that improved organizational performance and increased productivity would be achieved by adopting an integrative approach to project‐based interventions.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research into specific integrated techniques and tools for delivering change would be valuable with particular focus on technical contributions to CM. Moreover, the PM field could gain from utilising CM processes in implementation of projects.Practical implicationsWhilst a number of theories of CM are widely accepted, literature suggests they are falling short of their endeavours as a result of the theories lacking a useful framework to successfully plan, implement and manage change.Social implicationsThe rapidly changing business environment has required organisations to seek out effective processes, tools and techniques to implement successful change. Whilst there is a significant body of literature surrounding CM, the high failure rate of change interventions suggests improvements could be made to its management, monitoring and control. The analytical focus of this research was in how the common and most utilised CM models could be improved with PM processes, in order to appropriately deliver successful change.Originality/valueThis article critically argues the value of project‐based management in the CM process, with particular focus on the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBoK). As such, change interventions to bring about improved organizational performance can be considered a project; as such, a new approach to project‐based change interventions is proposed.
Critiquing of higher education policy in Saudi Arabia: towards a new neoliberalism
Authors: Elyas Tariq , Picard Michelle 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the impact of 9/11 on education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The authors take a historical approach in order to speak more broadly about higher education policy in Saudi Arabia and show how the post 9/11 context of education in Saudi Arabia has led to a new paradigm in educational policy, which has moved away from what McCarthy et al. call “safe harbors” in schooling and education.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first define neoliberalism and then describe its manifestations and impact on the Saudi Arabian educational context, particularly post‐9/11. The authors also describe the arguments against adopting a neoliberal approach and suggest a new neoliberalism that addresses the needs of a glocalized Saudi higher educational community.FindingsA neoliberalism paradigm has been adopted by education policy writers and university academics. In addition, the university learners have enthusiastically embraced neoliberalism and globalization. However, the authors argue that the local conditions make a complete transformation to neoliberalism inappropriate and that, instead, a glocalized form of neoliberalism is required to meet national and individual needs and to ensure the buy‐in of local teachers/lecturers.Practical implicationsThis paper has implications both locally and internationally. It provides insight into the changes that occurred in the educational policy of Saudi Arabia post 9/11. This in turn explains how Saudi Arabia's sudden shift in education gears towards the local market needs. Hence, this “glocalized” neoliberalism could hopefully address the needs of local learners and teachers to operate in a globally competitive environment, as well as address the fears of local critics.Originality/valueThis is the first paper in the context of Saudi Arabia that deals with a “Neoliberalism approach” in unpacking the educational policy paradigm shift post 9/11.
Job insecurity: a whirlpool of chronic powerlessness
Authors: Karkoulian Silva , Mukaddam Wassim , McCarthy Richard , Canaan Messarra Leila 
Published: April 2013

PurposeOrganizational downsizing, right sizing, layoffs, and restructuring that attempt to reduce labour cost and increase competitiveness, have generated considerable feelings of job insecurity among today's employees. Conversely, the rapidity of change in the Middle Eastern region, coupled with the unpredictability of economic conditions, the inevitable need to survive and the ever‐lasting craving for organizational success merge to aggravate the adverse effects of job insecurity. The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between job insecurity and powerlessness, management trust, peer trust and job satisfaction within Lebanon.Design/methodology/approachEmployees working within medium‐sized organizations in Lebanon were surveyed to measure their perceptions of job insecurity, job satisfaction, powerlessness, and interpersonal trust. Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson correlation matrix and linear regression tests.FindingsThe study identified significant positive relationship between job insecurity and powerlessness, and negative relationships between job insecurity and management trust and job satisfaction. No significant relationship was found between job insecurity and peer trust.Research limitations/implicationsThe study adds to the existing job insecurity literature by empirically testing the relationship between job insecurity and powerlessness, peer trust, management trust and job satisfaction within Lebanese organizations. The researchers hope that this study will assist managers in understanding the importance of earning their subordinates' trust and its implications on job insecurity which could also negatively affect job satisfaction. Also, the issue of powerlessness should be seriously considered by management since it triggers the feeling of job insecurity.Originality/valueWestern organizational behavior literature has given the topic of job insecurity significant attention. However, no scholarly research has yet examined the topic of job insecurity within the Middle East. This paper sheds light on important results regarding job insecurity and its consequences. Powerlessness predicts and aggravates job insecurity, and is affected by the nature of the job; trust in management has a negative effect on job insecurity, while peer trust has no influence. Also, job satisfaction is influenced by the perceptions of job insecurity.
CFO financial expertise and corporate social responsibility
Authors: Sun Li , Rakhman Fuad 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the association between a chief finance officer's (CFO's) financial expertise and corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachThe paper's sample consists of firms from the 2005 S&P 500 Index. Data on CSR come from Kinder, Lydenberg, and Domini (KLD), Inc. Data on CFO financial expertise were had collected. Consistent with prior research, experience (tenure), education (masters of business administration degree), and professional experience (certified public accountant designation) are used to measure the CFO's financial expertise.FindingsUsing a sample of S&P 500 firms from 2005, it is found that CFO experience (measured by tenure) is positively related to CSR at a significant level. In addition, the results indicate that CSR activities are not related to the CFO's education (measured as a Master's of Business Administration degree) or accounting expertise (measured as certified public accountant designation). The findings suggest that CFOs with more experience engage in more CSR activities than CFOs with less experience.Originality/valueThis study is valuable for several reasons: First, the study contributes to both the CSR literature and the CFO financial expertise literature by delivering new evidence on the link between CFO financial expertise and corporate social responsibility. Second, the study provides useful information to boards of directors, corporations and investors on certain CFO characteristics associated with effective CSR. Third, the study provides empirical evidence to support the suggested shift in the CFO's role from accountant to co‐driver of a firm's long‐term strategy.
Two new graphical methods for mapping trait evolution on phylogenies
Authors: Revell Liam J. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryModern phylogenetic comparative biology uses data from the relationships between species (phylogeny) combined with comparative information for phenotypic traits to draw model‐based statistical inferences about the evolutionary past. Recent years have seen phylogeny methods for evolutionary inference become central in the study of organic evolution.Here, I present two different graphical methods for visualizing phenotypic evolution on the tree. Method 1 is a new approach for plotting the posterior density of stochastically mapped character histories for a binary (two‐state) phenotypic trait on a phylogeny. Method 2 is a closely related technique that uses ancestral character estimation to visualize historical character states for a continuous trait along the branches of a tree.One shortcoming of Method 2 is that by mapping the point estimates of ancestral states along the branches of the tree, we have effectively ignored the uncertainty associated with ancestral character estimation of continuous traits. To alleviate this issue, I propose a new method for visualizing ancestral state uncertainty using a type of projection of the tree into morphospace called a ‘traitgram.’All of these approaches should prove useful in summarizing complex comparative inferences about ancestral character reconstruction. They are implemented in the freely available and open‐source R phylogenetics package ‘phytools.’
Drought‐induced woody plant mortality in an encroached semi‐arid savanna depends on topoedaphic factors and land management
Authors: Twidwell Dirac , Wonkka Carissa L. , Taylor Charles A. , Zou Chris B. , Twidwell Jeremiah J. , Rogers William E. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractQuestionsHow do recent patterns of drought‐induced woody plant mortality inTexas semi‐arid savanna compare to the extended drought of the 1950s? Does the relative composition of the woody plant community shift ubiquitously across the landscape following woody plant mortality and dieback or are shifts dependent on differences among species, soils, land use and plant demography?LocationTexasAgrilifeResearchStation,Sonora,Texas,USA(30.1° N 100.3° W).MethodsFollowing an exceptional drought from 1951 to 1957, a study was conducted to quantify rates of mortality for various woody plant species. In 2011, we repeated this study within three long‐term grazing treatments that were established in 1948. Ten transects were established in each treatment to quantify the frequency and cover of live and dead woody individuals for all woody species. Rates of woody plant dieback were determined for each species and tested for differences among height classes, soil categories, total woody densities and pastoral treatments.ResultsFlash droughts (defined as rapidly intensifying droughts characterized by moisture deficits and high temperatures) from 2000 to 2011 were the second most severe since 1919 (lowPDSI = −4) and were only surpassed by the prolonged drought from 1951 to 1957 (lowPDSI = −5.17). Drought‐induced shifts from one woody plant community to another did not occur uniformly across the landscape. Instead, high mortality rates of matureJuniperus asheitrees in deep soils (67.3%, 33 of 49 trees), combined with the recruitment ofQuercusspecies where grazing had been excluded for the last 60 yr, were the only patch types to shift from aJuniperus–Quercuswoodland to an alternate state.ConclusionsFlash droughts since 2000 resulted in significant mortality and dieback, but dieback in cover was 28% higher following the more severe drought of the 1950s. Legacies from long‐term land management practices interacted with localized differences in topoedaphic factors to drive patch‐level shifts in woody vegetation following drought.
Palliative resection of the primary tumour in patients with Stage IV colorectal cancer: systematic review and meta‐analysis of the early outcome after laparoscopic and open colectomy
Authors: Yang T. X. , Billah B. , Morris D. L. , Chua T. C. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractAimResection of the primary tumour in patients with Stage IV colorectal cancer may be performed to avoid future tumour‐related complications whilst on systemic treatment. We compared the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic and open colectomy in this patient group.MethodPubMed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library were searched in the English literature for studies between January 2000 and October 2012 dealing with laparoscopic resection of the primary tumour in Stage IV disease. Single‐arm laparoscopic studies were systematically reviewed. Prospective and retrospective studies were included for meta‐analysis. End‐points include safety, complications, mortality and cancer specific outcome including 5‐year and median survival.ResultsEleven studies comprising 1165 patients undergoing palliative laparoscopic colectomy for Stage IV colorectal cancer were included. Five studies were comparative studies of laparoscopic and open colectomy. The former took longer (pooled mean difference (MD) = 41.52, 95% CI = 11.47–71.56, Z = 2.71, P = 0.007), but resulted in a shorter length of stay (pooled MD = −2.41, 95% CI = −3.84 to −0.99, Z = 3.32, P = 0.0009), with fewer postoperative complications (pooled odds ratio = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.32–0.87, Z = 2.51, P = 0.01) and lower estimated blood loss (pooled MD = −47.71, 95% CI = −80.00 to −15.42, Z = 2.90, P = 0.004). Median survival ranged between 11.4 and 30.1 months.ConclusionPalliative colectomy performed laparoscopically is associated with a better perioperative outcome than open colectomy. Survival is dependent on the response to systemic chemotherapy.
Human papillomavirus infection and colorectal cancer risk: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Damin D. C. , Ziegelmann P. K. , Damin A. P. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractAimHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with cervical cancer, but whether it is involved in colorectal carcinogenesis is controversial. We conducted a meta‐analysis to evaluate the association between HPV and colorectal adenocarcinoma.MethodA search of the MEDLINE database was performed using the MESH terms ‘HPV’, ‘human papillomavirus’, and ‘colon cancer’, ‘rectal cancer’, ‘colorectal cancer’. The prevalence of HPV infection in colorectal cancer was estimated by pooling data from 16 studies (involving 1436 patients) published up to July 2012, taking into consideration methodological heterogeneity between studies. The association of HPV with colorectal cancer risk was estimated from case–control studies.ResultsThe HPV overall prevalence was 31.9% (95% CI: 19.3–47.9). It was lowest in Europe (14.1%, 95% CI: 4.9–34.1) and highest in South America (60.8%, 95% CI: 42.7–76.4). Eight studies presented the results of HPV typing in 302 HPV‐positive colorectal carcinomas. HPV 18 was the virus more frequently found in colorectal cancer cases from Asia (73.34%, 95% CI: 44.9–90.7) and Europe (47.3%, 95% CI: 34.5–60.4). In contrast, HPV 16 was more prevalent in colorectal tumours from South America (58.3%, 95% CI: 45.5–69.9). The analysis of five case–control studies showed an increase in colorectal carcinoma risk with HPV positivity (OR = 10.04; 95% CI: 3.7–27.5).ConclusionThe results provide quantitative evidence for an association between HPV infection and colorectal cancer risk.
Redox control on carbon mineralization and dissolved organic matter along a chronosequence of paddy soils
Authors: Hanke A. , Cerli C. , Muhr J. , Borken W. , Kalbitz K. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryPaddy soils are subjected to periodically changing redox conditions. In order to understand better the redox control on long‐term carbon turnover, we assessed carbon mineralization and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of paddy topsoils sampled along a chronosequence spanning 2000 years of rice cultivation. Non‐paddy soils were used as references. We exposed soils to alternating redox conditions for 12 weeks in incubation experiments. Carbon mineralization of paddy soils was independent of redox conditions. Anoxic conditions caused increasing DOC concentrations for paddy soils, probably because of desorption induced by increasing pH. We assume desorption released older, previously stabilized carbon, which then was respired by a microbial community well adapted to anoxic conditions. This assumption is supported by the 14C signatures of respired CO2, indicating larger mineralization of older carbon under anoxic than under oxic conditions. The increasing DOC concentrations under anoxic conditions did not result in an equivalent increase in carbon mineralization, possibly because of little reducible iron oxide. Therefore, net DOC and CO2 production were not positively related under anoxic conditions. The overall 20–75% smaller carbon mineralization of paddy soils than of non‐paddy soils resulted from less respiration under oxic conditions. We conclude that carbon accumulation in paddy as well as in other wetland soils results from a microbial community well adapted to anoxic conditions, but less efficient in mineralizing carbon during transient oxic periods. Carbon accumulation might be even larger when mineralization under anoxic conditions is restricted by a lack of alternative electron acceptors.
Carbon use efficiency of microbial communities: stoichiometry, methodology and modelling
Authors: Sinsabaugh Robert L. , Manzoni Stefano , Moorhead Daryl L. , Richter Andreas 
Published: April 2013

AbstractCarbon use efficiency (CUE) is a fundamental parameter for ecological models based on the physiology of microorganisms. CUE determines energy and material flows to higher trophic levels, conversion of plant‐produced carbon into microbial products and rates of ecosystem carbon storage. Thermodynamic calculations support a maximum CUE value of ~ 0.60 (CUE
max). Kinetic and stoichiometric constraints on microbial growth suggest that CUE in multi‐resource limited natural systems should approach ~ 0.3 (CUE
max/2). However, the mean CUE values reported for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems differ by twofold (~ 0.26 vs. ~ 0.55) because the methods used to estimate CUE in aquatic and terrestrial systems generally differ and soil estimates are less likely to capture the full maintenance costs of community metabolism given the difficulty of measurements in water‐limited environments. Moreover, many simulation models lack adequate representation of energy spilling pathways and stoichiometric constraints on metabolism, which can also lead to overestimates of CUE. We recommend that broad‐scale models use a CUE value of 0.30, unless there is evidence for lower values as a result of pervasive nutrient limitations. Ecosystem models operating at finer scales should consider resource composition, stoichiometric constraints and biomass composition, as well as environmental drivers, to predict the CUE of microbial communities.