bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Restoring coverage area for WSN through simulated annealing
Authors: Habib Sami J. , Marimuthu Paulvanna N. 
Published: September 2011

PurposeContinuous exposure and over‐utilization of sensors in harsh environments can lead some sensors to fail, and thereby not covering the service area effectively and efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to propose a two‐level coverage restoration scheme for the failing sensors by the existing sensors deployed in the immediate neighborhood of the failing sensors. The restoration scheme extends the search process to the set of failed sensors' corner neighbors at a second stage, with non‐available immediate active neighboring sensors at its first stage. Thus, the coverage restoration scheme attempts to sustain a maximum area of coverage with failed sensors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have considered a wireless sensor network (WSN), comprised of sensors deployed in a grid‐based arrangement in an inaccessible arena. The authors have formulated the coverage restoration problem as an optimization problem, to find the nearest and most apt neighbor sensors to reach solutions of maximizing the coverage area with failed sensors, while minimizing the energy consumption. Simulated annealing has been utilized as a search algorithm to find out the neighboring sensors with maximal energy in the vicinity of the failed node to cover its area.FindingsThe experimental results within the optimization algorithm have demonstrated that the restoration scheme shows a better trade‐off in maximizing the coverage area up to 90 per cent with a decrease of 26 per cent lifespan. The performance of the algorithm is further improved with extended search space including the corner neighbors in addition to the immediate neighbors.Practical implicationsThe proposed coverage restoration can be embedded within applications using WSN to restore the coverage and maintain its functionality with optimized energy consumption.Originality/valueThe paper employs a novel framework to restore the coverage of the failed sensors by doubling the sensing area of the neighborhood sensors, and it utilizes an optimization scheme to search for neighborhood sensors with maximal energy to extend the lifespan of WSN.
A method to reduce waiting time on node relay‐based webcast for selective contents
Authors: Gotoh Yusuke , Yoshihisa Tomoki , Taniguchi Hideo , Kanazawa Masanori 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reduce the waiting time on webcast for selective contents, by proposing a scheduling method called the “contents prefetched broadcasting considering user participation” (CPB‐CP) method.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyze and evaluate the performance of the proposed CPB‐CP method.FindingsIt is confirmed that the proposed method gives shorter average waiting time than the conventional methods.Research limitations/implicationsA future direction of this study will involve making a scheduling method in the case where the playing time of each content item is different.Practical implicationsIn selective contents delivery, users may wait for the next bit of content to start playing after watching the previous one. In quiz programs, users may wait to receive the content data for their selected answer after they select their answer.Originality/valueIn the CPB‐CP method, when a provider node pulls out of the network while delivering contents, waiting time is reduced effectively by reconstructing a delivery schedule that considers the available bandwidth of each provider node.
Does a web site's country of origin impact equally on young and adult consumers?
Authors: Hadjikhani Amjad , Safari Aswo , Thilenius Peter 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose is to gain deeper knowledge of young consumers' purchasing behaviour towards web sites' country of origin and compare this with the behaviour of adults. The question is why web sites from some countries are perceived as safe and others as risky and insecure.Design/methodology/approachThe approach was to undertake a focus group methodology for data collection. Two young consumers' groups and two adults' groups are interviewed. Their behaviours towards web sites from Sweden, Russia and Australia are examined. The theoretical view is constructed on relationship elements of trust, commitment and the surrounding networks.FindingsThe research provides an insight into the young consumers' purchasing behaviour towards web sites from different countries and concludes how and why this is similar to or different from that of the adult consumers.Practical implicationsThe higher risk‐taking manner of young consumers can help families to pay more attention to their youngsters' purchasing behaviour. It aids business firms to understand why some groups of consumers avoid purchasing from their web sites.Originality/valueIt is an answer to the recent researchers' claim for the need to understand young consumers' behaviour towards web sites from different countries. The development of the theoretical view and the results obtained can add new knowledge and construct new understanding of the phenomenon.
Brand personality and customer trust in community pharmacies
Authors: Perepelkin Jason , Di Zhang David 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe community pharmacy industry is an increasingly competitive sector, where independent pharmacies must compete with national and multinational chains for market share. Each pharmacy seeks to differentiate and earn customer trust. The purpose of this paper is to seek to better understand the effectiveness of differentiating via developing a unique corporate brand personality in the pursuit of customer trust.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted in a small city in Western Canada. Patients who have recently filled a prescription were asked to assess their perceptions about the brand personality of the pharmacy they last visited, and evaluate how much they trust the pharmacy. Data were analyzed using SPSS and structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe results indicated that significant brand personality differences exist among various types of pharmacies. Customers rated independent pharmacies slightly more trustworthy than multinational mass merchandise and national chain pharmacies. SEM analysis revealed that sincerity and competence have the most significant impact on building customer trust.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that independent pharmacies may be able to differentiate themselves by developing a brand personality that is competent and sincere, whereby they earn the trust from their customers. The authors' findings also suggest that a sophisticated appearance might be an expensive option that does not provide satisfactory return on the investment.
Talent reviews: the key to effective succession management
Authors: Stadler Karien 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to discuss succession management within the context of talent management, with specific reference to the role of talent reviews in the identification, development and retention of potential successors for critical job roles at different organizational levels.Design/methodology/approachThe article utilizes a case study of talent reviews from a Saudi Arabian mining company, explores the different succession management approaches and highlights emerging best practice solutions in the field. In the case study, the primary task was to evaluate a sample of 59 executives and senior managers against the company's leadership competency framework in order to support them in a structured career development process within the context of the company's talent strategy.FindingsThe main findings indicate that the sample's strategic thinking ability and leadership skills are generally weak and that the current leadership capabilities might not be aligned with the company's growth strategy.Practical implicationsTo enhance the talent review process, companies should: apply additional measures to develop a more complete picture of individual capability; fast‐track the talent review process; create a talent score card; review selection practice; determine retention risk by means of a risk‐criticality analyses; and implement individual conversations about performance and career development.Originality/valueThe article has found that talent review is a powerful intervention tool that helps to identify high‐potential employees and future leaders, determine bench strength at a specific level and identify talent gaps, organizational capability and risks. This study contributes to the practice of strategic human resources management with implications for succession management.
Managing bilingual employees: communication strategies for hospitality managers
Authors: Dawson Mary , Madera Juan M. , Neal Jack A. 
Published: September 2011

PurposeOne out of four foodservice employees speaks a foreign language at home. Furthermore, 37 percent of those employees speak limited English. Given this, hospitality managers must find ways to effectively communicate with their employees. This paper seeks to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology employed a perspective‐taking manipulation. Participants were placed in the role of an individual that does not speak the native language that is used in the workplace. Groups were measured on performance, quality, and accuracy. Groups were video‐taped to measure frequency of non‐verbal behaviors. Participants were surveyed to measure their levels of positivity.FindingsThe results of this study identified effective non‐verbal communication strategies for managers (combination of gestures, demonstrating, and pointing). When the leader used these strategies, the groups were able to complete the recipes faster. Managers who spoke another language expressed a more positive behavior towards the group. The group also expressed more positive behaviors towards each other when they had a second language leader.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation is that data were collected from students and the methodology simulated an environment of limited language proficiency. Although this method has been shown to be effective, the true experiences of what non‐English speaking workers might face include more complex processes.Practical implicationsThis research suggests that non‐verbal tools are effective when communication barriers exist. Managers who are multiculturally competent are more efficient in leading employees. Positive feedback must be given even if it is non‐verbal.Originality/valueThis research offers valuable strategies for hospitality managers to communicate with those employees who speak limited English.
Delay discounting by adolescents experimenting with cigarette smoking
Authors: Reynolds Brady , Fields Sherecce 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTAims  To evaluate delay discounting and self‐reported impulsive behavior in a sample of adolescents experimenting with cigarette smoking compared with adolescents who had never smoked or were daily smokers.Design  A cross‐sectional design was used to compare smoking‐status groups.Setting  Columbus, Ohio, a city of approximately 780 000 people.Participants  A sample of 141 male and female adolescents with a mean age of 15.37 (standard deviation = 1.09) years.Measurements  Primary measures included a computerized assessment of delay discounting, a self‐report assessment of impulsivity [Barratt Impulsiveness Scale—adolescent (BIS‐11‐A)] and verifications of cigarette smoking status (breath carbon monoxide and urinary cotinine level).Findings  Smokers discounted more by delay and had higher impulsivity scores than non‐smokers. Experimenters had scores intermediate to those of smokers and non‐smokers on both measures. In some analyses the difference between experimenters and non‐smokers was significant, with experimenters showing greater delay discounting, but in no case did experimenters differ significantly from the smokers.Conclusions  Young people who experiment with cigarettes appear to be similar to those who smoke regularly in terms of tendency to discount future gains and report impulsive tendencies, and generally higher in these traits than non‐smokers.
Generalized Schemes for High-Throughput Manipulation of the Desulfovibrio vulgaris Genome
Authors: Chhabra S. R. , Butland G. , Elias D. A. , Chandonia J.-M. , Fok O.-Y. , Juba T. R. , Gorur A. , Allen S. , Leung C. M. , Keller K. L. , Reveco S. , Zane G. M. , Semkiw E. , Prathapam R. , Gold B. , Singer M. , Ouellet M. , Szakal E. D. , Jorgens D. , Price M. N. , Witkowska H. E. , Beller H. R. , Arkin A. P. , Hazen T. C. , Biggin M. D. , Auer M. , Wall J. D. , Keasling J. D. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTThe ability to conduct advanced functional genomic studies of the thousands of sequenced bacteria has been hampered by the lack of available tools for making high-throughput chromosomal manipulations in a systematic manner that can be applied across diverse species. In this work, we highlight the use of synthetic biological tools to assemble custom suicide vectors with reusable and interchangeable DNA “parts” to facilitate chromosomal modification at designated loci. These constructs enable an array of downstream applications, including gene replacement and the creation of gene fusions with affinity purification or localization tags. We employed this approach to engineer chromosomal modifications in a bacterium that has previously proven difficult to manipulate genetically,Desulfovibrio vulgarisHildenborough, to generate a library of over 700 strains. Furthermore, we demonstrate how these modifications can be used for examining metabolic pathways, protein-protein interactions, and protein localization. The ubiquity of suicide constructs in gene replacement throughout biology suggests that this approach can be applied to engineer a broad range of species for a diverse array of systems biological applications and is amenable to high-throughput implementation.
Burkholderia Species Are Major Inhabitants of White Lupin Cluster Roots
Authors: Weisskopf Laure , Heller Stefanie , Eberl Leo 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

The formation of cluster roots by plants represents a highly efficient strategy for acquisition of sparingly available phosphate. This particular root type is characterized by a densely branched structure and high exudation of organic acids and protons, which are likely to influence the resident bacterial community. Until now, the identity of the bacterial populations living in cluster roots has not been investigated. We applied cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods to characterize the dominant bacterial genera inhabiting the growing cluster roots of white lupin. We observed a high relative abundance of
Burkholderia
species (up to 58% of all isolated strains and 44% of all retrieved 16S rRNA sequences) and a significant enrichment with increasing cluster root age. Most of the sequences retrieved clustered together with known plant- or fungus-associated
Burkholderia
species, while only one of 98 sequences was affiliated with the
Burkholderia cepacia
complex.
In vitro
assays revealed that
Burkholderia
strains were much more tolerant to low pH than non-
Burkholderia
strains. Moreover, many strains produced large amounts of siderophores and were able to utilize citrate and oxalate as carbon sources. These features seem to represent important traits for the successful colonization and maintenance of
Burkholderia
species in white lupin cluster roots.
Molecular Detection and Identification of Bartonella Species in Xenopsylla cheopis Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Collected from Rattus norvegicus Rats in Los Angeles, California
Authors: Billeter Sarah A. , Gundi Vijay A. K. B. , Rood Michael P. , Kosoy Michael Y. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

Of 200 individual
Xenopsylla cheopis
fleas removed from
Rattus norvegicus
rats trapped in downtown Los Angeles, CA, 190 (95%) were positive for the presence of
Bartonella
DNA. Ninety-one amplicons were sequenced:
Bartonella rochalimae
-like DNA was detected in 66 examined fleas, and
Bartonella tribocorum
-like DNA was identified in 25 fleas. The data obtained from this study demonstrate an extremely high prevalence of
Bartonella
DNA in rat-associated fleas.
In Vitro
Detection and Quantification of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type E Activity in Avian Blood
Authors: Piazza Timothy M. , Blehert David S. , Dunning F. Mark , Berlowski-Zier Brenda M. , Zeytin Füsûn N. , Samuel Michael D. , Tucker Ward C. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) outbreaks in the Great Lakes region cause large annual avian mortality events, with an estimated 17,000 bird deaths reported in 2007 alone. During an outbreak investigation, blood collected from bird carcasses is tested for the presence of BoNT/E using the mouse lethality assay. While sensitive, this method is labor-intensive and low throughput and can take up to 7 days to complete. We developed a rapid and sensitive
in vitro
assay, the BoTest Matrix E assay, that combines immunoprecipitation with high-affinity endopeptidase activity detection by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to rapidly quantify BoNT/E activity in avian blood with detection limits comparable to those of the mouse lethality assay. On the basis of the analysis of archived blood samples (
n
= 87) collected from bird carcasses during avian mortality investigations, BoTest Matrix E detected picomolar quantities of BoNT/E following a 2-h incubation and femtomolar quantities of BoNT/E following extended incubation (24 h) with 100% diagnostic specificity and 91% diagnostic sensitivity.
Curcumin Inhibits Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae through Iron Chelation
Authors: Minear Steven , O'Donnell Allyson F. , Ballew Anna , Giaever Guri , Nislow Corey , Stearns Tim , Cyert Martha S. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from turmeric, is an ancient therapeutic used in India for centuries to treat a wide array of ailments. Interest in curcumin has increased recently, with ongoing clinical trials exploring curcumin as an anticancer therapy and as a protectant against neurodegenerative diseases.
In vitro
, curcumin chelates metal ions. However, although diverse physiological effects have been documented for this compound, curcumin's mechanism of action on mammalian cells remains unclear. This study uses yeast as a model eukaryotic system to dissect the biological activity of curcumin. We found that yeast mutants lacking genes required for iron and copper homeostasis are hypersensitive to curcumin and that iron supplementation rescues this sensitivity. Curcumin penetrates yeast cells, concentrates in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, and reduces the intracellular iron pool. Curcumin-treated, iron-starved cultures are enriched in unbudded cells, suggesting that the G
1
phase of the cell cycle is lengthened. A delay in cell cycle progression could, in part, explain the antitumorigenic properties associated with curcumin. We also demonstrate that curcumin causes a growth lag in cultured human cells that is remediated by the addition of exogenous iron. These findings suggest that curcumin-induced iron starvation is conserved from yeast to humans and underlies curcumin's medicinal properties.
MdoR Is a Novel Positive Transcriptional Regulator for the Oxidation of Methanol in Mycobacterium sp. Strain JC1
Authors: Park Hyuk , Ro Young T. , Kim Young M. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACTMycobacteriumsp. strain JC1 is able to grow on methanol as a sole source of carbon and energy using methanol:N,N′-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline oxidoreductase (MDO) as a key enzyme for methanol oxidation. The second open reading frame (mdoR) upstream of, and running divergently from, themdogene was identified as a gene for a TetR family transcriptional regulator. The N-terminal region of MdoR contained a helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) indicated that MdoR could bind to amdopromoter region containing an inverted repeat. ThemdoRdeletion mutant did not grow on methanol, but growth on methanol was restored by a plasmid containing an intactmdoRgene. In DNase I footprinting and EMSA experiments, MdoR bound to two inverted repeats in the putativemdoRpromoter region. Reverse transcription-PCR indicated that themdoRgene was transcribed only in cells growing on methanol, whereas β-galactosidase assays showed that themdoRpromoter was activated in the presence of methanol. These results indicate that MdoR serves as a transcriptional activator for the expression ofmdoand its own gene. Also, MdoR is the first discovered member of the TetR family of transcriptional regulators to be involved in the regulation of the methanol oxidation, as well as to function as a positive autoregulator.
Transcriptional Profiling Analysis of the Global Regulator NorG, a GntR-Like Protein of Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Truong-Bolduc Q. C. , Dunman P. M. , Eidem T. , Hooper D. C. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

The GntR-like protein NorG has been shown to affect
Staphylococcus aureus
genes involved in resistance to quinolones and β-lactams, such as those encoding the NorB and AbcA transporters. To identify the target genes regulated by NorG, we carried out transcriptional-profiling assays using
S. aureus
RN6390 and its isogenic
norG
::
cat
mutant. Our data showed that NorG positively affected the transcription of global regulators
mgrA
,
arlS
, and
sarZ
. The three putative drug efflux pump genes most positively affected by NorG were the NorB efflux pump (5.1-fold), the MmpL-like protein SACOL2566 (5.2-fold), and the BcrA-like drug transporter SACOL2525 (5.7-fold) genes. The
S. aureus
predicted MmpL protein showed 53% homology with the MmpL lipid transporter of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, and the putative SACOL2525 protein showed 87% homology with the bacitracin drug transporter BcrA of
Staphylococcus hominis
. Two pump genes most negatively affected by NorG were the NorC (4-fold) and AbcA (6-fold) genes. Other categories of genes, such as those participating in amino acid, inorganic ion, or nucleotide transporters and metabolism, were also affected by NorG. Real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assays for
mgrA
,
arlS
,
sarZ
,
norB
,
norC
,
abcA
,
mmpL
, and
bcrA
-like were carried out to verify microarray data and showed the same level of up- or downregulation by NorG. The
norG
mutant showed a 2-fold increase in resistance to norfloxacin and rhodamine, both substrates of the NorC transporter, which is consistent with the resistance phenotype conferred by overexpression of
norC
on a plasmid. These data indicate that NorG has broad regulatory function in
S. aureus
.