bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Medicago truncatula Natural Resistance-Associated Macrophage Protein1 Is Required for Iron Uptake by Rhizobia-Infected Nodule Cells
Authors: Tejada-Jiménez Manuel , Castro-Rodríguez Rosario , Kryvoruchko Igor , Lucas M. Mercedes , Udvardi Michael , Imperial Juan , González-Guerrero Manuel 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
Iron is critical for symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) as a key component of multiple ferroproteins involved in this biological process. In the model legume Medicago truncatula, iron is delivered by the vasculature to the infection/maturation zone (zone II) of the nodule, where it is released to the apoplast. From there, plasma membrane iron transporters move it into rhizobia-containing cells, where iron is used as the cofactor of multiple plant and rhizobial proteins (e.g. plant leghemoglobin and bacterial nitrogenase). MtNramp1 (Medtr3g088460) is the M. truncatula Natural Resistance-Associated Macrophage Protein family member, with the highest expression levels in roots and nodules. Immunolocalization studies indicate that MtNramp1 is mainly targeted to the plasma membrane. A loss-of-function nramp1 mutant exhibited reduced growth compared with the wild type under symbiotic conditions, but not when fertilized with mineral nitrogen. Nitrogenase activity was low in the mutant, whereas exogenous iron and expression of wild-type MtNramp1 in mutant nodules increased nitrogen fixation to normal levels. These data are consistent with a model in which MtNramp1 is the main transporter responsible for apoplastic iron uptake by rhizobia-infected cells in zone II.
Specific Membrane Lipid Composition Is Important for Plasmodesmata Function in Arabidopsis
Authors: Grison Magali S. , Brocard Lysiane , Fouillen Laetitia , Nicolas William , Wewer Vera , Dörmann Peter , Nacir Houda , Benitez-Alfonso Yoselin , Claverol Stéphane , Germain Véronique , Boutté Yohann , Mongrand Sébastien , Bayer Emmanuelle M. 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
Plasmodesmata (PD) are nano-sized membrane-lined channels controlling intercellular communication in plants. Although progress has been made in identifying PD proteins, the role played by major membrane constituents, such as the lipids, in defining specialized membrane domains in PD remains unknown. Through a rigorous isolation of “native” PD membrane fractions and comparative mass spectrometry-based analysis, we demonstrate that lipids are laterally segregated along the plasma membrane (PM) at the PD cell-to-cell junction in Arabidopsis thaliana. Remarkably, our results show that PD membranes display enrichment in sterols and sphingolipids with very long chain saturated fatty acids when compared with the bulk of the PM. Intriguingly, this lipid profile is reminiscent of detergent-insoluble membrane microdomains, although our approach is valuably detergent-free. Modulation of the overall sterol composition of young dividing cells reversibly impaired the PD localization of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins Plasmodesmata Callose Binding 1 and the β-1,3-glucanase PdBG2 and altered callose-mediated PD permeability. Altogether, this study not only provides a comprehensive analysis of the lipid constituents of PD but also identifies a role for sterols in modulating cell-to-cell connectivity, possibly by establishing and maintaining the positional specificity of callose-modifying glycosylphosphatidylinositol proteins at PD. Our work emphasizes the importance of lipids in defining PD membranes.
Usage of e-journals in French business schools
Authors: Leduc Claire , Schöpfel Joachim 
Published: March 2015

Purpose
– The paper of this paper is to explore the usage patterns of e-journals in French business schools.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper exploits COUNTER-compliant usage statistics from a nationwide usage study with data from journal collections of an international academic publisher.

Findings
– With regard to online collections, the usage appears to be relatively intensive, especially when compared to usage statistics from universities in the same fields. This result may reflect an emerging research activity in business schools and a projected and required international orientation. However, the study also reveals important differences between schools, a fact that should not be overestimated because of the small sample size, even if the sample is a representative of French business schools.

Research limitations/implications
– The paper uses empirical data from a national usage study to identify specific patterns in business schools. It does not integrate qualitative survey data or deep log file analysis.

Originality/value
– Very few studies provide empirical evidence of e-journal usage in business schools. The paper enhances the knowledge on usage in specific environments in higher education. This is the first usage study with French business schools.
Critical success factors for institutional repositories implementation
Authors: Lagzian Fatemeh , Abrizah A , Wee Mee Chin 
Published: March 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to explore the critical factors that contribute to the success of institutional repositories worldwide. Previous research indicates that there is little agreement surrounding what constitutes a successful institutional repository.

Design/methodology/approach
– Possible key factors were extracted from literature review and responses from expert panels. A web-based survey questionnaire forming a total of 69-item statements was developed. The questionnaire, when pilot-tested, was found highly reliable. The questionnaire was then distributed to 322 institutional repository managers, who are representative of the population, via the OpenDOAR email distribution service. Data collection ended in four months, once the sample volume of usable questionnaires reached 295, which is 91.6 per cent response rate.

Findings
– The results of the factor analysis indicate the possibility of 46 variables under six factors being important for the success of institutional repository implementation. These six factors are “Management”, “Services”, “Technology”, “Self-archive Practices”, “People” and “Resources”.

Practical implications
– This study has empirically tested and consolidated the factors which are important in institutional repository implementation worldwide and documented them as critical success factors.

Originality/value
– It also frames questions about the possible value of developing some guidelines or standards related to success factors to be able to monitor the deployment of institutional repositories.
Sustaining Lesson Study in schools with positive peer leadership
Authors: Zhang Yuefeng 
Published: March 2015

Purpose
– Multi-cycle Learning Study and multi-cycle Lesson Study are the main collaborative action research approaches for teacher professional development in Hong Kong. The sustaining of these Lesson Study innovations may be inhibited by many challenges. The purpose of this paper is to identify the strategies school leaders utilized to overcome challenges and sustain Lesson Study innovations successfully in a Hong Kong primary school.

Design/methodology/approach
– In-depth case study was adopted as the methodological approach to explore how Lesson Study was implemented to improve teaching and learning in the school and what leadership practices were enacted to sustain Lesson Study in the case school.

Findings
– It was found that the leadership team under study had adopted positive peer leadership to successfully implement Lesson Study activities. The strategies of positive peer leadership will be discussed in detail.

Research limitations/implications
– The paper concludes with implications for sustaining school development and professional development with Lesson Study and a checklist of positive peer leadership practices for school leaders, teacher leaders and teacher trainers.

Originality/value
– This paper will enrich the understanding of successful leadership practices for sustaining Lesson Study innovations in schools, on which few empirical studies have been conducted.
Developing mathematics teachers’ competence through parallel lesson study
Authors: Huang Rongjin , Han Xue 
Published: March 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine practicing mathematics teachers’ learning through parallel lesson study in China. Lesson study in China has been practiced for decades. Parallel lesson is an enriched mode of lesson study to address the implementation of new curriculum.Design/methodology/approach– The expansive learning perspective has been used to explore the ways practicing teachers learned to improve teaching through the transformation of learning objects and boundary crossing.Findings– Two cases are illustrated and compared to highlight features of teachers’ learning through parallel lesson study. The practicing teachers developed their competence in transforming instructional objectives and task selection and implementation. In addition, they also developed professional vision in alignment with the reform-oriented curriculum.Originality/value– This study makes significant contribution to understanding teachers’ learning through lesson study in China. Meanwhile, it also demonstrates how the theory of expansive learning could be used as a conceptual framework to examine teachers’ learning through lesson study.
Developing a model for an agile supply chain in pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Mehralian Gholamhossein , Zarenezhad Forouzandeh , Rajabzadeh Ghatari Ali 
Published: March 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to develop a model for an agile supply chain in the pharmaceutical industry. In a continuous changing global competitive environment, an organization’s supply chain agility directly impacts its ability to produce and deliver novel products to its customers in a timely and cost-effective manner. While the beneficial effect of supply chain agility is generally appreciated, the literature addressing how a pharmaceutical company can achieve supply chain agility is limited.Design/methodology/approach– This paper analyzes the three parts of pharmaceutical supply chain including supply of active pharmaceutical ingredient, manufacturing and distribution based on the supply chain operations reference model to assess agile supply chains by using three diverse questionnaires. In addition, to prioritize critical factors, TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) algorithm as a common technique of multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) model has been used.Findings– Achieving supply chain agility is dependent on other capabilities; including flexibility, responsibility, competency and quickness. Findings reveal several factors identified as critical factors to being agile in each part of pharmaceutical supply chain.Research limitations/implications– This research was challenged with some limitations such as novelty of the subject in this environment, and the lake of data in this area is also another constraint.Originality/value– This is an initial and pioneering study to highlight the importance of agility concept in the pharmaceutical industry. The present study also provides a new aspect of supply chain management for such industry, and would be a good topic for further research. Finally, this study contributes to highlight and prioritize factors involved in this area.
Prevalence and Characterization of Salmonella Isolated from Chicken Meat in Turkey
Authors: Siriken Belgin , Türk Haldun , Yildirim Tuba , Durupinar Belma , Erol Irfan 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis study was conducted in a Turkish province to investigate the presence of Salmonella spp. in 150 chicken meat samples using 2 phenotyping techniques: classic culture technique (CCT) and immunomagnetic separation (IMS). For the confirmation of the isolates at molecular levels, invA gene was detected in these isolates. The presence of invA, class 1 (Cls1) integrons, and integrase (Int1) genes was demonstrated by PCR assay; and the resistance of the isolated Salmonella spp. strains to antibiotics was determined by disk diffusion test. All the cultural and PCR results were evaluated together; Salmonella spp. were detected in a total of 64 (42.66%) chicken meat samples. Contamination rate was higher in carcasses (53.33%, n = 75) than in meat pieces (32%, n = 75). When results of standard culture were compared with IMS technique, IMS (n = 54) showed a clear superiority over the CCT (n = 38). A very high resistance rate (≥89.28%) to vancomycin, tetracycline, streptomycin, or nalidixic acid was found. Trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole resistance was present in 32.14%. Relatively lower incidence of resistance (≤8.33%) to gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and ceftriaxone was observed. Concurrent resistance to at least 4 antibiotics was detected in 92.85% of the isolates. Cls1 integrons and Int1 were positive in 80.95% and 95.23% of the isolates, respectively. However, Int1 alone was detected in 15.47% (n = 13). In conclusion, the high prevalence of Salmonella spp. in chicken meat may pose a potential public health risk, and the presence of antibiotic‐resistant Salmonella spp. isolate together with Cls1 integron and/or integrase might play an important role in horizontal antibiotic gene transfer.
Total and Inorganic Arsenic in Iranian Rice
Authors: Cano‐Lamadrid Marina , Munera‐Picazo Sandra , Burló Francisco , Hojjati Mohammad , Carbonell‐Barrachina Ángel A. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIt is well known that arsenic (As) exposure, particularly to inorganic species (i‐As), has adverse effects on humans. Nowadays, the European Union (EU) has still not regulated the maximum residue limit of As in commercial samples of rice and rice‐based products, although it is actively working on the topic. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is collecting data on total arsenic (t‐As) and i‐As from different rice‐producing regions not only from EU countries but also from other parts of the world to finally set up this maximum threshold. As Iran is a rice‐producing country, the aim of this work was to evaluate the contents of t‐As and i‐As in 15 samples of Iranian white, nonorganic, and aromatic rice collected from the most important rice‐producing regions of the country. The means of t‐As and i‐As were 120 and 82 μg/kg, respectively. The experimental i‐As mean in Iranian rice was below the Chinese standard for the i‐As in rice, 150 μg/kg, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) limit, 200 μg/kg. Therefore, Iranian rice seems to have reasonable low i‐As content and it is safe to be marketed in any market, including China and the EU.
A persistently high body mass index increases the risk of atopic asthma at school age
Authors: Loid Petra , Goksör Emma , Alm Bernt , Pettersson Rolf , Möllborg Per , Erdes Laslo , Åberg Nils , Wennergren Göran 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAimBeing overweight has been associated with the risk of developing childhood asthma, but studies have produced conflicting results, for example with regard to possible links to allergic diseases. This study aimed to explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and school‐age asthma.MethodsData were obtained from a prospective, longitudinal study of 5044 children born in western Sweden. The parents answered questionnaires at six months and one, four‐and‐a‐half and eight years of age. The response rate to the final questionnaire at the age of eight was just over 80%. BMI was adjusted for age and gender, and a high BMI was defined as the 85th percentile and above.ResultsA multivariate analysis showed an independently increased risk of doctor‐diagnosed asthma among children with a persistently high BMI, both in infancy and at school age, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 2.9 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.3–6.4. In addition, persistently high BMI was associated with an increased risk of atopic asthma (aOR 4.7, 95% CI 2.0–11.0).ConclusionA persistently high BMI during childhood increased the risk of doctor‐diagnosed asthma at school age. The increased risk of atopic asthma suggests an effect mediated via the immune system.
The percentage of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) isoform [–2]proPSA and the Prostate Health Index improve the diagnostic accuracy for clinically relevant prostate cancer at initial and repeat biopsy compared with total PSA and percentage free PSA in men aged ≤65 years
Authors: Boegemann Martin , Stephan Carsten , Cammann Henning , Vincendeau Sébastien , Houlgatte Alain , Jung Klaus , Blanchet Jean‐Sebastien , Semjonow Axel 
Published: March 2015

ObjectivesTo prospectively test the diagnostic accuracy of the percentage of prostate specific antigen (PSA) isoform [–2]proPSA (%p2PSA) and the Prostate Health Index (PHI), and to determine their role for discrimination between significant and insignificant prostate cancer at initial and repeat prostate biopsy in men aged ≤65 years.Patients and MethodsThe diagnostic performance of %p2PSA and PHI were evaluated in a multicentre study. In all, 769 men aged ≤65 years scheduled for initial or repeat prostate biopsy were recruited in four sites based on a total PSA (t‐PSA) level of 1.6–8.0 ng/mL World Health Organization (WHO) calibrated (2–10 ng/mL Hybritech‐calibrated). Serum samples were measured for the concentration of t‐PSA, free PSA (f‐PSA) and p2PSA with Beckman Coulter immunoassays on Access‐2 or DxI800 instruments. PHI was calculated as (p2PSA/f‐PSA × √t‐PSA). Uni‐ and multivariable logistic regression models and an artificial neural network (ANN) were complemented by decision curve analysis (DCA).ResultsIn univariate analysis %p2PSA and PHI were the best predictors of prostate cancer detection in all patients (area under the curve [AUC] 0.72 and 0.73, respectively), at initial (AUC 0.67 and 0.69) and repeat biopsy (AUC 0.74 and 0.74). t‐PSA and %f‐PSA performed less accurately for all patients (AUC 0.54 and 0.62). For detection of significant prostate cancer (based on Prostate Cancer Research International Active Surveillance [PRIAS] criteria) the %p2PSA and PHI equally demonstrated best performance (AUC 0.70 and 0.73) compared with t‐PSA and %f‐PSA (AUC 0.54 and 0.59). In multivariate analysis PHI we added to a base model of age, prostate volume, digital rectal examination, t‐PSA and %f‐PSA. PHI was strongest in predicting prostate cancer in all patients, at initial and repeat biopsy and for significant prostate cancer (AUC 0.73, 0.68, 0.78 and 0.72, respectively). In DCA for all patients the ANN showed the broadest threshold probability and best net benefit. PHI as single parameter and the base model + PHI were equivalent with threshold probability and net benefit nearing those of the ANN. For significant cancers the ANN was the strongest parameter in DCA.ConclusionThe present multicentre study showed that %p2PSA and PHI have a superior diagnostic performance for detecting prostate cancer in the PSA range of 1.6–8.0 ng/mL compared with t‐PSA and %f‐PSA at initial and repeat biopsy and for predicting significant prostate cancer in men aged ≤65 years. They are equally superior for counselling patients before biopsy.
Dietary patterns and asthma prevalence, incidence and control
Authors: Barros R. , Moreira A. , Padrão P. , Teixeira V.H. , Carvalho P. , Delgado L. , Lopes C. , Severo M. , Moreira P. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryBackgroundThe increased asthma prevalence in westernized societies has been suggested to be related to environment exposures and lifestyle changes, particularly diet. We aimed to explore the association between dietary patterns and asthma prevalence, incidence and control in a nationally representative population.MethodsData from 32 644 adults, 53% female, from the 4th Portuguese National Health Survey were analysed. Prevalence of asthma was 5.3%; ‘current asthma’, defined by asthma symptoms within previous year, 3.5%; ‘current medicated asthma’ defined by use of asthma medication within previous year, 3.0%; ‘current severe asthma’ defined by emergency visit because of asthma within previous year, 1.4%; and ‘incident asthma’, 0.2%. Dietary patterns (DP) were identified by latent trait models based on dietary intake. Unconditional logistic regression models were performed to analyse association between DP and asthma. Age, gender, education, family income, proxy reporting information, smoking, body mass index and physical activity level were analysed as confounders.ResultsTwo of the five identified DP were associated with asthma: ‘high fat, sugar and salt’ DP (positively correlated with pastry, chocolate and sweet desserts, candies, salty snacks, chips, fruit juices, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages consumption at snacks) was associated with asthma prevalence (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.24) and current severe asthma (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.48), while ‘fish, fruit and vegetables’ DP (positively correlated with fish, vegetables and fruit intake at meals) was negatively associated with current (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.73, 0.98), and current medicated asthma (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72, 0.98), after adjustment for confounders.Conclusion & Clinical RelevanceOur results suggest a protective association between ‘fish, vegetables and fruit’ DP and current asthma and current medicated asthma, and a detrimental association between ‘high fat, sugar and salt’ DP and severe asthma prevalence, further supporting the rational for diet and lifestyle intervention studies in asthma based on whole dietary patterns and physical activity.
Visual Similarity of Words Alone Can Modulate Hemispheric Lateralization in Visual Word Recognition: Evidence From Modeling Chinese Character Recognition
Authors: Hsiao Janet H. , Cheung Kit 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIn Chinese orthography, the most common character structure consists of a semantic radical on the left and a phonetic radical on the right (SP characters); the minority, opposite arrangement also exists (PS characters). Recent studies showed that SP character processing is more left hemisphere (LH) lateralized than PS character processing. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether this is due to phonetic radical position or character type frequency. Through computational modeling with artificial lexicons, in which we implement a theory of hemispheric asymmetry in perception but do not assume phonological processing being LH lateralized, we show that the difference in character type frequency alone is sufficient to exhibit the effect that the dominant type has a stronger LH lateralization than the minority type. This effect is due to higher visual similarity among characters in the dominant type than the minority type, demonstrating the modulation of visual similarity of words on hemispheric lateralization.