bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enabling urban development in India through technology: making change effective
Authors: Venkataraman Susheela 
Published: May 2010

PurposeIn the increasingly global world, there will be additional pressures on urban infrastructure, societies and organisations. Many factors cause these additional pressures, such as compression of time, competitiveness of organisations and economies and the demand for higher levels of transparency. Under these circumstances, a focus on sustainability becomes even more important than in the past. Evidence from several developed and emerging economies shows that technology can enable efforts towards sustainable urban development. However, in order for such efforts to yield results, the focus has to extend well beyond technology to balancing economic, environmental and socio‐cultural issues. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors critical to making the additional investments required for sustainable urban development worthwhile in a country such as India.Design/methodology/approachThere is not much documented evidence of such urban development projects in India. This paper explored two cases of large‐scale, multi‐year systems implementations in the public sector, in the expectation that lessons learned from those projects would be applicable to urban projects too. The findings are primarily based on interviews with senior government officials involved in such projects.FindingsWhile technology no longer poses major limitations, the return on investment of such projects is determined by large‐scale adoption. Most issues raised in the course of this research study pointed to a lack of robust change management in the implementation process. The framework and principles followed by organisational transformation initiatives are seen to be applicable in such cases too. Differences in scale and approach are highlighted in the analysis. In arriving at the return on investment, an approach using a “benefits index” is also proposed.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research would involve in‐depth study of many more instances of such projects. While this paper looks back at the projects several years after their inception, ongoing longitudinal studies taking an in‐process view might also add insight.Practical implicationsThis paper proposes that in such projects, as much focus must be placed on human transition as is placed on the technical aspects of the project itself.Originality/valueThere is hardly any documented evidence of such large‐scale public purpose projects in India. There are, however, several such projects planned or being executed. This paper is an attempt to identify the issues likely to be faced, so that there might be a higher probability of success for all stakeholders – government, citizens and private companies alike.
Independent directors: time to introspect, suspect, respect – an Indian perspective
Authors: Aggarwal Rashmi 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the culpability of independent directors (IDs) in a public listed company under clause 49 of the listing agreement of the Securities Exchange Board of India, which, primarily, is the corporate governance mandate in India.Design/methodology/approachThis paper has been developed on the basis of intensive interviews conducted with 16 legal experts working with 50 top listed companies and seven advocates from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, literature survey from research papers, bare acts and policy guidelines on corporate governance by the Government of India.FindingsTwo contrary opinions are being rendered on the culpability of IDs. The first proposes a strict and absolute penalty on all directors which would deter them from colluding with promoters. The second proposes that IDs should not be tarred with the same brush unless conclusive evidence of collusion is produced. These contrary opinions are herein analyzed and recommendations put forward.Research limitations/implicationsThe research paper attempts to study only the culpability of IDs. It envisages the appointments of IDs onto boards without deliberation on the issue assuming that these appointments are made in good faith and trust.Originality/valueThe research paper attempts to study whether the IDs who are non‐executive directors and who do not have a pecuniary relationship with the company actually share a fiduciary relationship with the shareholders and observe the principle of conflict of interest. There are some compelling reasons for them to alienate liabilities given the dramatic effects of financial disarray as in the case of Satyam.
Alternative splicing expands the repertoire of dominant JAZ repressors of jasmonate signaling
Authors: Chung Hoo Sun , Cooke Thomas F. , DePew Cody L. , Patel Lalita C. , Ogawa Narihito , Kobayashi Yuichi , Howe Gregg A. 
Published: May 2010

SummaryJasmonates (JAs) are fatty acid‐derived signaling compounds that control diverse aspects of plant growth, development and immunity. The F‐box protein COI1 functions both as a receptor for jasmonoyl‐l‐isoleucine (JA‐Ile) and as the component of an E3‐ubiquitin ligase complex (SCFCOI1) that targets JAZ transcriptional regulators for degradation. A key feature of JAZ proteins is the C‐terminal Jas motif that mediates the JA‐Ile‐dependent interaction with COI1. Here, we show that most JAZ genes from evolutionarily diverse plants contain a conserved intron that splits the Jas motif into 20 N‐terminal and seven C‐terminal (X5PY) amino acid submotifs. In most members of the Arabidopsis JAZ family, alternative splicing events involving retention of this intron generate proteins that are truncated before the X5PY sequence. In vitro pull‐down and yeast two‐hybrid assays indicate that these splice variants have reduced capacity to form stable complexes with COI1 in the presence of the bioactive stereoisomer of the hormone (3R,7S)‐JA‐Ile. cDNA overexpression studies showed that some, but not all, truncated splice variants are dominant repressors of JA signaling. We also show that strong constitutive expression of an intron‐containing JAZ10 genomic clone is sufficient to repress JA responses. These findings provide evidence for functional differences between JAZ isoforms, and establish a direct link between the alternative splicing of JAZ pre‐mRNA and the dominant repression of JA signal output. We propose that production of dominant JAZ repressors by alternative splicing reduces the negative consequences associated with inappropriate or hyperactivation of the JA response pathway.
Measuring the turnover rates of Arabidopsis proteins using deuterium oxide: an auxin signaling case study
Authors: Yang Xiao‐Yuan , Chen Wen‐Ping , Rendahl Aaron K. , Hegeman Adrian D. , Gray William M. , Cohen Jerry D. 
Published: May 2010

SummaryRapid environmental responses in plants rely on endogenous signaling mechanisms, which in many cases are mediated by changes in protein turnover rates. It is therefore necessary to develop methods for measuring protein dynamics that monitor large sets of plant proteins to begin to apply a systems biology approach to the study of plant behavior. The use of stable isotope labeling strategies that are adaptable to proteomic methods is particularly attractive for this purpose. Here, we explore one example of such methods that is particularly suitable for plants at the seedling stage, where measurement of amino acid and protein turnover rates is accomplished using a heavy water labeling strategy. The method is backed by microarray evaluation to define its feasibility for specific experimental approaches, and the CULLIN‐ASSOCIATED AND NEDDYLATION DISSOCIATED 1 (CAND1) and TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE 1 (TIR1) proteins are used to illustrate the potential utility in understanding hormonal signaling regulation. These studies provide insight not only into the potential utility of the method, but also address possible areas of concern regarding the use of heavy water labeling during plant growth. These considerations suggest a prescription for specific experimental designs that minimize interference resulting from the induction of treatment‐specific gene expression in the results obtained.
Clinical significance of occult cerebrospinal fluid involvement assessed by flow cytometry in non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients at high risk of central nervous system disease in the rituximab era
Authors: Sancho Juan‐Manuel , Orfao Alberto , Quijano Sandra , García Olga , Panizo Carlos , Pérez‐Ceballos Elena , Deben Guillermo , Salar Antonio , González‐Barca Eva , Alonso Natalia , García‐Vela Jose‐Antonio , Capote Javier , Peñalver Francisco‐Javier , Provencio Mariano , Arias Jesús , Plaza Josefa , Caballero Dolores , Morado Marta , Feliu Evarist , Ribera Josep‐Maria ,   for the Spanish Group for the Study of CNS Disease in NHL
Published: May 2010

AbstractBackground and aim:  Flow cytometry (FCM) analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is more sensitive than conventional cytology (CC) for diagnosis of lymphomatous meningeosis, but the clinical significance of occult central nervous system (CNS) disease (positive FCM with negative CC) remains unknown.Patients and methods:  CSF samples from 105 patients with newly diagnosed aggressive lymphomas at high risk of CNS involvement were prospectively studied by both CC and FCM, and results were correlated with cumulative incidence of CNS relapse and overall survival (OS). Patients were divided into three groups: 1) patients without CNS involvement (CC−/FCM−; n = 83); 2) individuals with occult CNS disease (FCM+/CC−; n = 15); and 3) cases with CNS disease (CC+/FCM+; n = 7).Results:  Six cases showed CNS relapse or progression: two in Group 1 (2.4%), two in Group 2 (13%) and two in Group 3 (28.5%) (Group 2 vs. 1, P = 0.04; Group 3 vs. 1, P < 0.001). Patients from Groups 2 (P = 0.05) and 3 (P < 0.001) also showed a higher cumulative incidence of CNS relapse than those from Group 1. Significant differences were observed in OS between FCM−/CC− and FCM+/CC+ cases (P = 0.02), while patients with occult CNS disease (FCM+/CC−) displayed intermediate OS rates, although differences did not reach statistical significance.Conclusions:  The presence of occult CNS involvement at diagnosis in patients with NHL at high risk of CNS disease is associated with a higher probability of CNS relapse.
Maternal serum hepcidin is low at term and independent of cord blood iron status
Authors: Rehu Mari , Punnonen Kari , Ostland Vaughn , Heinonen Seppo , Westerman Mark , Pulkki Kari , Sankilampi Ulla 
Published: May 2010

AbstractObjectives:  Hepcidin is the key regulator of iron homeostasis. The aims of this study were to determine serum hepcidin concentrations and reference ranges in pregnant women and cord blood of newborns at term and to evaluate the associations between hepcidin concentrations and iron status parameters.Methods:  A total of 191 pregnant women–newborn pairs were studied in Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. The measured parameters were serum hepcidin, ferritin, transferrin receptor, transferrin saturation, red cell indices, and erythropoietin.Results:  The hepcidin concentration in pregnant women was significantly lower than in cord blood at term [geometric mean concentration (GMC) (95% confidence intervals) in pregnant women 10.7 ng/mL (8.5–13.4 ng/mL) vs. GMC of cord blood hepcidin 69.3 ng/mL (55.3–86.8 ng/mL), P < 0.001, adjusted analysis of variance]. Hepcidin was undetectable in 12% of mothers. Hepcidin concentration in pregnant women was the lowest in those who had the lowest iron status. However, maternal hepcidin concentration was not associated with cord blood hepcidin or iron status markers. Hepcidin concentration in cord blood was associated with cord blood iron status, but not with maternal iron status.Conclusions:  At term pregnancy, hepcidin concentrations are very low, allowing maximal availability of iron for the fetus. Maternal and cord blood hepcidin levels were independently associated with either maternal or cord blood iron status.
Stimulation of duodenal HCO3−secretion by hydrogen sulphide in rats: relation to prostaglandins, nitric oxide and sensory neurones
Authors: Ise F. , Takasuka H. , Hayashi S. , Takahashi K. , Koyama M. , Aihara E. , Takeuchi K. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAim: We examined the effect of H2S on duodenal HCO3−secretion in rats and investigated the mechanism involved in this response.Methods: Animals were fasted for 18 h and anaesthetized with urethane. A duodenal loop was perfused with saline, and HCO3−secretion was measured at pH 7.0 using a pH stat‐method. The loop was perfused at a rate of 0.2 mL min−1with NaHS (H2S donor: 0.1–1 mm) for 5 min or 10 mmHCl for 10 min. Indomethacin orl‐NAME [nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor) was given s.c. 30 min or 3 h, respectively, before NaHS or acidification, while glibenclamide (KATPchannel blocker) or propargylglycine (cystathionine‐g‐lyase inhibitor) was given i.p. 30 min before.Results: Mucosal perfusion with NaHS dose dependently increased the HCO3−secretion, and this effect was significantly attenuated by indomethacin andl‐NAME as well as by sensory deafferentation, but not by glibenclamide. Mucosal prostaglandin E2(PGE2) production and luminal release of NO were both increased by NaHS perfusion. Mucosal acidification stimulated HCO3−secretion concomitant with an increase in PGE2and NO production, and these responses were mitigated by propargylglycine. The duodenal damage induced by acid (100 mmHCl for 4 h) was aggravated by pre‐treatment with propargylglycine.Conclusion: These results suggest that H2S increases HCO3−secretion in the rat duodenum, and that this action is partly mediated by PG and NO as well as by capsaicin‐sensitive afferent neurones. It is assumed that endogenous H2S is involved in the regulatory mechanism of acid‐induced HCO3−secretion and mucosal protection in the duodenum.
Beneficial Effect of
Verminephrobacter
Nephridial Symbionts on the Fitness of the Earthworm
Aporrectodea tuberculata
Authors: Lund Marie B. , Holmstrup Martin , Lomstein Bente A. , Damgaard Christian , Schramm Andreas 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACT

Almost all lumbricid earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) harbor species-specific
Verminephrobacter
(
Betaproteobacteria
) symbionts in their nephridia (excretory organs). The function of the symbiosis, and whether the symbionts have a beneficial effect on their earthworm host, is unknown; however, the symbionts have been hypothesized to enhance nitrogen retention in earthworms. The effect of
Verminephrobacter
on the life history traits of the earthworm
Aporrectodea tuberculata
(Eisen) was investigated by comparing the growth, development, and fecundity of worms with and without symbionts given high (cow dung)- and low (straw)-nutrient diets. There were no differences in worm growth or the number of cocoons produced by symbiotic and aposymbiotic worms. Worms with
Verminephrobacter
symbionts reached sexual maturity earlier and had higher cocoon hatching success than worms cured of their symbionts when grown on the low-nutrient diet. Thus,
Verminephrobacter
nephridial symbionts do have a beneficial effect on their earthworm host. Cocoons with and without symbionts did not significantly differ in total organic carbon, total nitrogen, or total hydrolyzable amino acid content, which strongly questions the hypothesized role of the symbionts in nitrogen recycling for the host.
Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assays for Sensitive Detection of Canada Goose-Specific Fecal Pollution in Water Sources
Authors: Fremaux B. , Boa T. , Yost C. K. 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACT

Canada geese (
Branta canadensis
) are prevalent in North America and may contribute to fecal pollution of water systems where they congregate. This work provides two novel real-time PCR assays (CGOF1-
Bac
and CGOF2-
Bac
) allowing for the specific and sensitive detection of
Bacteroides
16S rRNA gene markers present within Canada goose feces.
Enrichment and Physiological Characterization of a Novel
Nitrospira
-Like Bacterium Obtained from a Marine Sponge
Authors: Off Sandra , Alawi Mashal , Spieck Eva 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACT

Members of the nitrite-oxidizing genus
Nitrospira
are most likely responsible for the second step of nitrification, the conversion of nitrite (NO
2
−
) to nitrate (NO
3
−
), within various sponges. We succeeded in obtaining an enrichment culture of
Nitrospira
derived from the mesohyl of the marine sponge
Aplysina aerophoba
using a traditional cultivation approach. Electron microscopy gave first evidence of the shape and ultrastructure of this novel marine
Nitrospira
-like bacterium (culture Aa01). We characterized these bacteria physiologically with regard to optimal incubation conditions, especially the temperature and substrate range in comparison to other
Nitrospira
cultures. Best growth was obtained at temperatures between 28°C and 30°C in mineral medium with 70% North Sea water and a substrate concentration of 0.5 mM nitrite under microaerophilic conditions. The
Nitrospira
culture Aa01 is very sensitive against nitrite, because concentrations higher than 1.5 mM resulted in a complete inhibition of growth. Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the novel
Nitrospira
-like bacterium is separated from the sponge-specific subcluster and falls together with an environmental clone from Mediterranean sediments (98.6% similarity). The next taxonomically described species
Nitrospira marina
is only distantly related, with 94.6% sequence similarity, and therefore the culture Aa01 represents a novel species of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.
Coupled Arsenotrophy in a Hot Spring Photosynthetic Biofilm at Mono Lake, California
Authors: Hoeft Shelley E. , Kulp Thomas R. , Han Sukkyun , Lanoil Brian , Oremland Ronald S. 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACT

Red-pigmented biofilms grow on rock and cobble surfaces present in anoxic hot springs located on Paoha Island in Mono Lake. The bacterial community was dominated (∼ 85% of 16S rRNA gene clones) by sequences from the photosynthetic
Ectothiorhodospira
genus. Scraped biofilm materials incubated under anoxic conditions rapidly oxidized As(III) to As(V) in the light via anoxygenic photosynthesis but could also readily reduce As(V) to As(III) in the dark at comparable rates. Back-labeling experiments with
73
As(V) demonstrated that reduction to
73
As(III) also occurred in the light, thereby illustrating the cooccurrence of these two anaerobic processes as an example of closely coupled arsenotrophy. Oxic biofilms also oxidized As(III) to As(V). Biofilms incubated with [
14
C]acetate oxidized the radiolabel to
14
CO
2
in the light but not the dark, indicating a capacity for photoheterotrophy but not chemoheterotrophy. Anoxic, dark-incubated samples demonstrated As(V) reduction linked to additions of hydrogen or sulfide but not acetate. Chemoautotrophy linked to As(V) as measured by dark fixation of [
14
C]bicarbonate into cell material was stimulated by either H
2
or HS
−
. Functional genes for the arsenate respiratory reductase (
arrA
) and arsenic resistance (
arsB
) were detected in sequenced amplicons of extracted DNA, with about half of the
arrA
sequences closely related (∼98% translated amino acid identity) to those from the family
Ectothiorhodospiraceae
. Surprisingly, no authentic PCR products for arsenite oxidase (
aoxB
) were obtained, despite observing aerobic arsenite oxidation activity. Collectively, these results demonstrate close linkages of these arsenic redox processes occurring within these biofilms.
Antibiotic Resistance Markers for Genetic Manipulations of
Leptospira
spp
Authors: Poggi Dante , Oliveira de Giuseppe Priscila , Picardeau Mathieu 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACT

We measured the frequency of appearance of spontaneous mutants resistant to gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and spectinomycin in saprophytic and pathogenic
Leptospira
strains. The mutations responsible for the spontaneous resistance to streptomycin and spectinomycin were identified in the
rpsL
and
rrs
genes, respectively. We also generated a gentamicin resistance cassette that allows the use of a third selectable marker in leptospires. These results may facilitate further advances in gene transfer systems in
Leptospira
spp.
Spatiotemporal Variations in Microcystin Concentrations and in the Proportions of Microcystin-Producing Cells in Several
Microcystis aeruginosa
Populations
Authors: Sabart M. , Pobel D. , Briand E. , Combourieu B. , Salençon M. J. , Humbert J. F. , Latour D. 
Published: May 2010

ABSTRACT

With the aim of explaining the variations in microcystin (MC) concentrations during cyanobacterial blooms, we studied several
Microcystis aeruginosa
populations blooming in different freshwater ecosystems located in the same geographical area. As assessed by real-time PCR, it appeared that the potentially MC-producing cells (
mcyB
+
) were predominant (70 to 100%) in all of these
M. aeruginosa
populations, with the exception of one population in which non-MC-producing cells always dominated. Apart from the population in the Grangent Reservoir, we found that the proportions of potentially MC-producing and non-MC-producing cells varied little over time, which was consistent with the fact that according to a previous study of the same populations, the intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) genotype composition did not change (38). In the Grangent Reservoir, the MC-RR variant was the dominant microcystin variant throughout the bloom season, despite changes in the ITS composition and in the proportions of
mcyB
+
cells. Finally, the variations in total MC concentrations (0.3 to 15 μg liter
−1
) and in the MC cellular quotas (0.01 to 3.4 pg cell
−1
) were high both between and within sites, and no correlation was found between the MC concentrations and the proportion of
mcyB
+
cells. All of these findings demonstrate that very different results can be found for the proportions of potentially MC-producing and non-MC-producing cells and MC concentrations, even in
M. aeruginosa
populations living in more or less connected ecosystems, demonstrating the importance of the effect of very local environmental conditions on these parameters and also the difficulty of predicting the potential toxicity of
Microcystis
blooms.