bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
AtGEN1 and AtSEND1, Two Paralogs in Arabidopsis, Possess Holliday Junction Resolvase Activity
Authors: Bauknecht Markus , Kobbe Daniela 
Published: July 2014

AbstractHolliday junctions (HJs) are physical links between homologous DNA molecules that arise as central intermediary structures during homologous recombination and repair in meiotic and somatic cells. It is necessary for these structures to be resolved to ensure correct chromosome segregation and other functions. In eukaryotes, including plants, homologs of a gene called XPG-like endonuclease1 (GEN1) have been identified that process HJs in a manner analogous to the HJ resolvases of phages, archaea, and bacteria. Here, we report that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), a eukaryotic organism, has two functional GEN1 homologs instead of one. Like all known eukaryotic resolvases, AtGEN1 and Arabidopsis single-strand DNA endonuclease1 both belong to class IV of the Rad2/XPG family of nucleases. Their resolvase activity shares the characteristics of the Escherichia coli radiation and UV sensitive C paradigm for resolvases, which involves resolving HJs by symmetrically oriented incisions in two opposing strands. This leads to ligatable products without the need for further processing. The observation that the sequence context influences the cleavage by the enzymes can be interpreted as a hint for the existence of sequence specificity. The two Arabidopsis paralogs differ in their preferred sequences. The precise cleavage positions observed for the resolution of mobile nicked HJs suggest that these cleavage positions are determined by both the substrate structure and the sequence context at the junction point.
Chloroplast Dysfunction Causes Multiple Defects in Cell Cycle Progression in the Arabidopsis crumpled leaf Mutant
Authors: Hudik Elodie , Yoshioka Yasushi , Domenichini Séverine , Bourge Mickaël , Soubigout-Taconnat Ludivine , Mazubert Christelle , Yi Dalong , Bujaldon Sandrine , Hayashi Hiroyuki , De Veylder Lieven , Bergounioux Catherine , Benhamed Moussa , Raynaud Cécile 
Published: July 2014

Abstract
The majority of research on cell cycle regulation is focused on the nuclear events that govern the replication and segregation of the genome between the two daughter cells. However, eukaryotic cells contain several compartmentalized organelles with specialized functions, and coordination among these organelles is required for proper cell cycle progression, as evidenced by the isolation of several mutants in which both organelle function and overall plant development were affected. To investigate how chloroplast dysfunction affects the cell cycle, we analyzed the crumpled leaf (crl) mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which is deficient for a chloroplastic protein and displays particularly severe developmental defects. In the crl mutant, we reveal that cell cycle regulation is altered drastically and that meristematic cells prematurely enter differentiation, leading to reduced plant stature and early endoreduplication in the leaves. This response is due to the repression of several key cell cycle regulators as well as constitutive activation of stress-response genes, among them the cell cycle inhibitor SIAMESE-RELATED5. One unique feature of the crl mutant is that it produces aplastidic cells in several organs, including the root tip. By investigating the consequence of the absence of plastids on cell cycle progression, we showed that nuclear DNA replication occurs in aplastidic cells in the root tip, which opens future research prospects regarding the dialogue between plastids and the nucleus during cell cycle regulation in higher plants.
Construction workplace discrimination
Authors: Kwok Wai Wong Johnny , H.Q. Lin Autumn 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The construction industry has been criticized for cultural intolerance and its poor industrial image. The ethnically diverse construction workplace in Hong Kong (HK) is frequently noted as a place in which racial harassment and discrimination occurs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the discriminatory experiences and working conditions experienced by ethnic minority (EM) construction operatives in HK.

Design/methodology/approach
– A mixed-method approach was adopted, including a questionnaire survey and focus group discussions. The survey identified the thoughts of EM construction workers about racial discrimination and harassment in the workplace. The focus group discussions were aimed at further exploring the discriminatory practices on HK construction sites and possible discrimination-coping strategies.

Findings
– Questionnaire data from 100 EM site operatives and labourers mainly from Nepal and Pakistan, but some few from other Asian countries as well as, plus two focus group discussions suggested that indirect and subtle forms of racial harassment do exist on HK construction sites. The operatives sampled reported the existence of inequality of treatment in their working life. Communication difficulties caused by language barriers affect work relationships between different cultural groups on construction sites. EM site operatives tend to interact with workers of similar cultural and ethnic groups. On the corporate/company level, language support and translations of safety procedures notices and policies, should be established to bring staff together and promote a more inclusive and harmonious workplace.

Originality/value
– The paper offers insights into the racial discrimination problems in the construction sector in an Asian context, which has been less explored. It aims to provide insight into the EM construction worker's situation in HK as well as the need for developing workplace-specific policies that protect against discrimination and protect the rights of EM workers.
An investigation of service quality assessments across retail formats
Authors: Amorim Marlene , Bashashi Saghezchi Fatemeh 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of differences in service quality assessments across distinct retail store formats. We address customers’ quality assessments for physical aspects, personal interactions, reliability and policies dimensions in hypermarkets and supermarkets to analyse the impacts for satisfaction and loyalty.Design/methodology/approach– The study builds on previous scales for service retail quality to develop a survey addressing customers of hypermarkets and supermarkets in Portugal. Data analysis addressed 248 complete questionnaires and involved statistical testing to explore differences in service quality expectations across retail store formats. The regression analysis was used to estimate impacts of each service quality dimension for customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions.Findings– The results support the existence of differences in customers’ service quality assessments across retail store formats, notably for the expectations about different quality dimensions. Differences were also observed on the impacts for customer satisfaction and loyalty, in particular for the dimensions of reliability and personal interaction.Research limitations/implications– The results suggest that managerial decisions regarding service in stores should be adjusted to the characteristics of each retail format. The generalizability of the results should be assessed by means of further investigation in other retail contexts.Originality/value– Retail customers patronize multiple types of retail stores that compete on diverse service attributes. Building on existing service measurement scales, this paper provides a contribution to understand customer’s quality assessments across distinct store types to inform retail quality and service differentiation strategies.
Preliminary insights and analysis into weapon enabled sexual offenders
Authors: Dawson Paul , M. Goodwill Alasdair , Dixon Louise 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– Weapon use is recognised as a key crime concern in England and Wales but has received relatively little focused research. The purpose of this paper is to examine weapon use by sexual offenders to develop new insights relevant for a police audience. Specifically, to examine the prevalence of weapons within sexual offenders and explore the differences between weapon and non-weapon enabled offenders on a range of characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach
– A sample of 1,618 single, stranger, solved, serious sexual assaults were provided by the Serious Crime Analysis Section of the Serious Organised Crime Agency. In all, 20 per cent of offenders were weapon enabled.

Findings
– There were almost no demographic differences between weapon enabled and non-weapon enabled offenders. In terms of the offence itself, there were many significant differences between the groups in terms of precautions used, victim involvement, injury, attack behaviours, victim approach and attack location. Further multivariate analysis revealed aspects of the offence that were associated with weapon use; these are broadly discussed within themes of violence and evidence of planning.

Originality/value
– The authors argue that an examination of weapon use is valuable in illustrating how offenders differ in their offence and provide insights for the investigation of such crime.
Critical thinkers and capable practitioners
Authors: Schoenberger-Orgad Michèle , Spiller Dorothy 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– Educating the students to be capable practitioners for the future suggests that teachers be visionaries and futurologists to identify the skills required for the communication needs of society. The purpose of this paper is to argue for a sustainable curriculum – one that meets the needs of the present and prepares students to meet the demands of the future. Such a curriculum identifies the importance of developing student capability in critical thinking and in research methodology. It is an approach in which discussion, research activities and peer assessment can help to develop these dispositions and prepare students for effective participation in work and society for the long term.Design/methodology/approach– The paper draws on the pedagogical literature on discussion-led learning for critical inquiry and the use of peer review and feedback to provide the theoretical framework for the paper. Response data were collected from a postgraduate public relations (PR) class where two initiatives were introduced.Findings– Student responses to discussion-led inquiry and peer review were positive and provided an excellent basis for ongoing critical practice in the workplace. By encouraging criticality through small interventions at the undergraduate level, postgraduate and entry-level practitioners will sustain strong critical thinking abilities to apply in the work place.Research limitations/implications– The initiatives were introduced in one year and reviewed and adapted for the second iteration. The postgraduate classes are small which limits the implications of the research recommendations and conclusions.Practical implications– By modelling the discussion process in class and encouraging students to articulate their thoughts and arguments, teachers are able to introduce learning moments and opportunities which can lead to further discussion. By these means, students learn to evaluate arguments and make ethical judgments about the practice of PR in a variety of different contexts.Social implications– Practising critical thinking skills, alongside the tactical vocational skills, provide future practitioners with the ability to extend their creativity in search of practical solutions to issues faced by society and organizations in the twenty-first century. University-educated graduates of PR can make a strong, ethical and creative contribution to society through constant questioning of basic assumptions and through their curiosity about power balances and issues. They will embrace technological innovation as another tool in the PR toolkit to engage stakeholders in creative ways.Originality/value– By using a range of pedagogical strategies, it is possible for teachers to promote a critically informed approach to practice. Students learn to question basic assumptions and biases and to develop strong intellectual skills. These, in turn, will provide the basis for ethical communication practices and contribute to new and creative ways of thinking about society and its communication needs.
Ageing gracefully: physiology but not behaviour declines with age in a diving seabird
Authors: Elliott Kyle H. , Hare James F. , Le Vaillant Maryline , Gaston Anthony J. , Ropert‐Coudert Yan , Anderson W. Gary 
Published: July 2014

Summary

A higher proportion of long‐lived animals die from senescence than short‐lived animals, yet many long‐lived homeotherms show few signs of physiological ageing in the wild. This may, however, differ in long‐lived diving homeotherms that frequently encounter hypoxic conditions and have very high metabolic rates.

To examine ageing within a long‐lived diving homeotherm, we studied resting metabolism and thyroid hormones (N = 43), blood oxygen stores (N = 93) and foraging behaviour (N = 230) of thick‐billed murres (Uria lomvia). Because murres dive exceptionally deep for their size and have a very high metabolism, we expected that ageing murres would show signs of physiological senescence. We paid particular attention to resting metabolism as we argue that these maintenance costs reflect those experienced during deep dives.

Blood oxygen stores (haematocrit), resting metabolic rate and thyroid hormone levels all declined significantly with age in incubating murres 3–30 years of age. In birds measured longitudinally 3 years apart, thyroid hormone levels and haematocrit were both significantly lower, suggesting progressive changes within individuals rather than selective disappearance of individuals with high metabolic rates. Within our longitudinal data set, we found no effect of age on dive depth, dive shape or behavioural aerobic dive limit.

A meta‐analysis of changes in resting metabolism with age across 15 animal species demonstrated that such declines are pervasive across most of the kingdom. The rate of decline was highest in species with high energy expenditure supporting a linkage between metabolism and senescence.

Physiological changes occurred in tandem with advancing age in murres, but offset each other such that there was no detectable decline in behavioural performance.
Oven, Microwave, and Combination Roasting of Peanuts: Comparison of Inactivation of Salmonella Surrogate Enterococcus faecium, Color, Volatiles, Flavor, and Lipid Oxidation
Authors: Smith Alicia L. , Perry Jennifer J. , Marshall Julie A. , Yousef Ahmed E. , Barringer Sheryl A. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractPeanut safety and quality were evaluated for different roasting technologies. Shelled raw peanuts were roasted using an oven at 163 to 204 °C, microwave, or oven and microwave combinations. The lethal effect of these treatments was investigated on peanuts inoculated with the Salmonella surrogate, Enterococcus faecium and stored at room temperature for 1 h, 24 h, or 7 d before roasting. Roasted peanut color, odor activity values (OAVs), descriptive sensory panel analysis, free fatty acid, and peroxide values were determined. Color and OAVs were also analyzed on 2 commercial peanut butters. OAVs were calculated using volatile levels quantified with selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry and known odor thresholds. All treatments resulted in a minimum of 3 log reduction of inoculated bacterial population. Resistance to the process was not influenced by storage of inoculated peanuts prior to treatment. Roasting by different methods produced equivalent, commercially ideal L* color. Based on the OAVs, treatments had similar volatiles important to flavor compared to the commercial samples. Descriptive sensory analysis showed no significant difference between the roasting treatments for most of the sensory attributes. Lipid oxidation was not significantly different between the roasting methods, displaying no evidence that roasting time or temperature affected lipid oxidation, when ideal color was produced. These results suggest that oven, microwave, or combination roasting should be sufficient to mitigate the threat of Salmonella contamination and produce similar color, OAVs, sensory attributes, and lipid oxidation results.
Rphylip: anRinterface forPHYLIP
Authors: Revell Liam J. , Chamberlain Scott A. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryThe phylogeny methods software packagePHYLIPhas long been among the most widely used packages for phylogeny inference and phylogenetic comparative biology. Numerous methods available inPHYLIP, including several new phylogenetic comparative analyses of considerable importance, are not implemented in any other software.Over the past decade, the popularity of the R statistical computing environment for many different types of phylogenetic analyses has soared, particularly in phylogenetic comparative biology. There are now numerous packages and methods developed for the R environment.In this article, we present Rphylip, a new R interface for thePHYLIPpackage. Functions of Rphylip interface seamlessly with all of the major analysis functions of thePHYLIPpackage. This new interface will enable the much easier use ofPHYLIPprograms in an integrated R workflow.In this study, we describe our motivation for developing Rphylip and present an illustration of how functions in the Rphylip package can be used for phylogenetic analysis in R.
Ultrasonic Assessment of Mucosal Thickness around Implants: Validity, Reproducibility, and Stability of Connective Tissue Grafts at the Buccal Aspect
Authors: Eghbali Aryan , De Bruyn Hugo , Cosyn Jan , Kerckaert Ingrid , Van Hoof Tom 
Published: July 2014

AbstractPurpose(1) To assess validity and reproducibility of mucosal thickness (MT) registration by means of an ultrasonic device and (2) to determine the MT stability of connective tissue grafts (CTGs) when applied at the buccal aspect of single implants demonstrating alveolar process deficiency.Materials and MethodsFor the validity assessment, four human cadaver edentulous maxillae were used to determine MT at 100 different sites. Soft tissue thickness as recorded with the ultrasonic device was compared with MT as registered with Micro‐CT (UGent, Ghent, Belgium), taking the latter as gold standard. For the reproducibility assessment, 50 duplicate ultrasonic registrations were used. For the clinical part, 10 non‐smoking patients with a single implant were included. All demonstrated alveolar process deficiency and had been provided with a provisional screw‐retained crown at the time of inclusion. Following an intrasulcular incision at the buccal aspect, a CTG was inserted to thicken soft tissues. MT was assessed at t0 (before CTG), t1 (immediately after CTG), t2 (suture removal), t3 (permanent crown installation), and t4 (9 months after CTG).ResultsThere was a strong correlation between ultrasonic and Micro‐CT measurements (r = 0.89, p < .001). However, the former significantly underrated MT by 0.13 mm (p = .030). There was a strong correlation between duplicate ultrasonic recordings (r = 0.99, p < .001). Seven females and three males were included in the clinical study with a mean age of 52. MT significantly increased by 0.92 mm between t0 and t1 (p = .005). Between t3 and t4, there was a slight, yet significant decrease of 0.15 mm (p = .047).ConclusionThe ultrasonic device can be used as a non‐invasive, reliable, and reproducible method to evaluate MT. Using this technology around single implants demonstrated that CTG may substantially thicken the peri‐implant mucosa with acceptable stability over a 9‐month period.
Self‐rated health, nutritional intake and mortality in adult hospitalized patients
Authors: Lainscak Mitja , Farkas Jerneja , Frantal Sophie , Singer Pierre , Bauer Peter , Hiesmayr Michael , Schindler Karin 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackgroundIn the general population, poor self‐rated health (SRH) is associated with malnutrition; however, these associations have not been studied in hospitalized patients. We aimed to evaluate SRH, indicators of nutrition, nutritional status and their association with in‐hospital mortality.Materials and methodsThe study is based on data from the nutritionDay, a multinational, multicentre European‐wide standardized 1‐day cross‐sectional survey of nutritional factors, food intake and in‐hospital mortality in hospitalized patients. A data set of surveys on SRH in 2010 and 2011 was used in the analysis.ResultsComplete sets of data were available for 28 106 patients (64 ± 18 years, 50% men, 7% terminally ill). In relation to body mass index, 7% were undernourished and 16% were obese. Fair/poor SRH was reported by 59% of patients and was associated with low food intake during the previous week or on survey day (P < 0·005). Thirty‐day in‐hospital mortality was 3%; in adjusted multivariate survival analysis, fair/poor SRH [hazard ratio (HR) 1·53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·14–2·05] and reduced food intake [nothing eaten (HR 2·13, 95% CI 1·46–3·11) or not allowed to eat on nutritionDay (HR 2·01, 95% CI 1·30–3·11)] predicted fatal outcome. At particularly high risk were patients who rated their health poor and had reduced food intake on the survey day or within the previous week with relative risks of 7·37 and 8·80, respectively.ConclusionsWe demonstrated high prevalence of poor SRH and insufficient food intake in hospitalized patients. This was associated, particularly in combination, with increased risk of in‐hospital mortality.
Strain rate concentration and dynamic stress concentration for double‐edge‐notched specimens subjected to high‐speed tensile loads
Authors: Noda N.‐A. , Ohtsuka H. , Zheng H. , Sano Y. , Ando M. , Shinozaki T. , Guan W. 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACTEngineering plastics provide superior performance to ordinary plastics for wide range of the use. For polymer materials, dynamic stress and strain rate may be major factors to be considered when the strength is evaluated. Recently, high‐speed tensile test is being recognized as a standard testing method to confirm the strength under dynamic loads. In this study, therefore, high‐speed tensile test is analysed by the finite element method; then, the maximum dynamic stress and strain rate are discussed with varying the tensile speed and maximum forced displacement. The maximum strain rate increases with increasing the tensile speed u/t, but the strain rate concentration factor is found to be constant independent of tensile speed, which is defined as the maximum strain rate appearing at the notch root over the average nominal strain rate at the minimum section . It is found that the strain rate at the notch root depends on the dynamic stress rate at the notch root and independent of the notch root radius ρ. It is found that the difference between the static and dynamic maximum stress concentration (σyA,max − σyA,st) at the notch root is proportional to the tensile speed when u/t = 5000 mm/s. Strain rate concentration factors are also discussed with varying the notch depth and specimen length. Based on the elastic strain rate concentration factor, the master curve is obtained useful for understanding the impact fracture of polycarbonate for the wide range of temperature and impact speed.