bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
GOONJ – success through innovation
Authors: Sanjeev Gunjan 
Published: October 2011

Subject area
Management (interdisciplinary): corporate social responsibility/financial management/social entrepreneurship.

Study level/applicability
Undergraduate/MBA.

Case overview
The case revolves around a Delhi-based non-governmental organization (NGO), GOONJ founded by 40-year-old social activist, Mr Anshu Gupta. Winner of several awards, this NGO is trying to highlight some ignored but basic needs of the poor by using the surplus of the cities (supply of discarded commodities: clothes, furniture, toys, waste paper, utensils stationary, etc. due to space constraints and the growing consumerism) to address scarcity of essential commodities to the poor in the rural areas and creating it as a powerful developmental resource. GOONJ has a number of collection centers across the nation through which the old clothes are collected. Thereafter, the clothes are washed, dried, repaired and packed and then reached to the far flung villages with help of partner grassroots NGO, panchayats, Indian army, etc.There are three key issues raised in the case:

This NGO has been operating without any formal funding for last many years. With annual expenses over ten million, how does NGO operate so successfully. Also, it is interesting to find out how they are able to maintain cost of just 97 paisa (1 paisa=1/100 rupee) from the time old clothing is collected to the point where it has been delivered to a needy.
The second issue about the synergy that is created by the NGO – corporate partnership. Further, this case also gives the audience to explore synergy between NGO and B-schools.
To understand the problem areas of distribution management when so many different stakeholders are involved.

Expected learning outcomes

To explore innovations in resource mobilization (sources of financing) and cost management.
To appreciate the synergy created by forming partnerships between different stakeholders: NGO, corporate houses, B-schools.
To appreciate issues and problems of distribution management – especially in the case when there are different stakeholders involved.
SELCO: lighting rural India
Authors: Pati Rakesh Kumar , Garud Niharika 
Published: October 2011

Subject area
Social entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Human Resource.

Study level/applicability
The case study is relevant for students of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. This case can be used as a case in strategy (growth strategy), marketing and innovation subjects as well.

Case overview
The case study revolves around Mr Harish Hande and his efforts to build a for–profit social enterprise Solar Electric Light Company (SELCO) to provide electricity to poor and under–served. Harish focused on providing cheap, clean and sustainable energy sources to rural customers at bottom of the pyramid of the society. From the conception of SELCO, Harish has been on a roller–coaster ride of success and failure. Harish has used the problems as a learning ground and improved his business model successfully. But, when Harish tried to scale his operations in 2005–2006 he failed miserably. Some errors in the decision coupled with external pressure had brought SELCO to a verge of collapse. Owing to the determination of Harish and his team, SELCO was able to revive from the difficult times to generate profits again. Harish now again wants to expand but this time he would not take any chances. He wants to analyze and discuss every possible issue, he might face during his expansion plans.

Expected learning outcomes
The key learning aspects of this case is to understand importance and practice of talent management. The case also highlights the best practices that SELCO uses to reach its clients and provide them complete solution.

Supplementary materials
Teaching note.
Evaluation of a new simple treatment for positional sleep apnoea patients
Authors: VAN MAANEN J. PETER , RICHARD WIETSKE , VAN KESTEREN ELLEN R. , RAVESLOOT MADELINE J. L. , LAMAN D. MARTIN , HILGEVOORD ANTONIUS A. J. , DE VRIES NICO 
Published: October 2011

SummaryObstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a common clinical problem. Positional sleep apnoea syndrome, defined as having a supine apnoea–hypopnoea index of twice or more compared to the apnoea–hypopnoea index in the other positions, occurs in 56% of obstructive sleep apnoea patients. A limited number of studies focus on decreasing the severity of sleep apnoea by influencing sleep position. In these studies an object was strapped to the back (tennis balls, squash balls, special vests), preventing patients from sleeping in the supine position. Frequently, this was not successful due to arousals while turning from one lateral position to the other, thereby disturbing sleep architecture and sleep quality. We developed a new neck‐worn device which influences sleep position by offering a vibration when in supine position, without significantly reducing total sleep time. Thirty patients with positional sleep apnoea were included in this study. No side effects were reported. The mean apnoea–hypopnoea index dropped from 27.7 ± 2.4 to 12.8 ± 2.2. Seven patients developed an overall apnoea–hypopnoea index below 5 when using the device in ON modus. We expect that positional therapy with such a device can be applied as a single treatment in many patients with mild to moderate position‐dependent obstructive sleep apnoea, while in patients with a more severe obstructive sleep apnoea such a device could be used in combination with other treatment modalities.
Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction detection of haemoplasmas in healthy and unhealthy dogs from Central Macedonia, Greece
Authors: Tennant K. V. , Barker E. N. , Polizopoulou Z. , Helps C. R. , Tasker S. 
Published: October 2011

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of canine haemoplasmas, Mycoplasma haemocanis and “Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum” infection in Central Macedonia, Greece, and to evaluate any associations between canine haemoplasma infection and clinical presentation, selected laboratory data or the presence of ticks.Methods: Genomic DNA was purified from excess blood (n=151) submitted for haematological examination. Purified DNA was subjected to species‐specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays duplexed with a canine DNA control quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Clinical records were retrospectively examined and selected clinical parameters were compared to haemoplasma infection status.Results: Nine samples were excluded due to inadequate canine DNA polymerase chain reaction results. Of the remaining 142 samples: eight (5·6%) were positive for M. haemocanis alone, six (4·2%) were positive for “Ca. M. haematoparvum” alone and one (0·7%) was dual positive. No association was found between haemoplasma status and age, sex, breed, health status, presence of anaemia, selected biochemistry parameters, presence of ectoparasites, routine ectoparasiticide treatment or the presence of selected tick‐borne diseases.
Canine obesity: is there a difference between veterinarian and owner perception?
Authors: White G. A. , Hobson‐West P. , Cobb K. , Craigon J. , Hammond R. , Millar K. M. 
Published: October 2011

Objectives: The overall aim of this study was to examine the nature of the relationship between dog‐ownership and canine obesity, explored in two cohorts of overweight/obese or non‐overweight dogs (n=125). This paper concentrates on the owners’ perception of dog weight.Methods: A researcher‐mediated questionnaire was used to collect data from dog owners attending a small veterinary practice. Interviewees (n=121) were asked qualitative and quantitative questions, designed to examine the owners’ views of their relationship with their dogs.Results: Although a high proportion of owners claimed to have discussed the dog's weight with their veterinarian, some discrepancies were apparent between owner perception of animal weight and the veterinarian's evaluation of body condition score. Owner disagreement was significantly greater for the veterinarian‐defined overweight dogs (P=0·005). Owners often provide personal narratives to account for their dog's weight status.Clinical Significance: This study confirms the important role of the vet in providing information about the issue of dog weight but also suggests that providing verbal information is sometimes insufficient. The study also indicates the potential value of qualitative research methods to further understand client perception of complex animal care issues and highlights the need for further in‐depth research.
Conversion of Sterically Demanding α,α-Disubstituted Phenylacetonitriles by the Arylacetonitrilase from Pseudomonas fluorescens EBC191
Authors: Baum Stefanie , Williamson Dael S. , Sewell Trevor , Stolz Andreas 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTThe nitrilase fromPseudomonas fluorescensEBC191 converted 2-methyl-2-phenylpropionitrile, which contains a quaternary carbon atom in the α-position toward the nitrile group, and also similar sterically demanding substrates, such as 2-hydroxy-2-phenylpropionitrile (acetophenone cyanohydrin) or 2-acetyloxy-2-methylphenylacetonitrile. 2-Methyl-2-phenylpropionitrile was hydrolyzed to almost stoichiometric amounts of the corresponding acid. Acetophenone cyanohydrin was transformed to the corresponding acid (atrolactate) and amide (atrolactamide) at a ratio of about 3.4:1. The (R)-acid and the (S)-amide were formed preferentially from acetophenone cyanohydrin. A homology model of the nitrilase suggested that steric hindrance with amino acid residue Tyr54 could impair the binding or conversion of sterically demanding substrates. Therefore, several enzyme variants that carried mutations in the respective residues were generated and subsequently analyzed for the substrate specificity and enantioselectivity of the reactions. Enzyme variants that demonstrated increased relative activities for the conversion of acetophenone cyanohydrin were identified. The chiral analysis of these reactions demonstrated peculiar reaction kinetics, which suggested that the enzyme variants converted the nonpreferred (S)-enantiomer of acetophenone cyanohydrin with a higher reaction rate than that of the (preferred) (R)-enantiomer. Recombinant whole-cell catalysts that simultaneously produced the nitrilase fromP. fluorescensEBC191 and a plant-derived (S)-oxynitrilase from cassava (Manihot esculenta) converted acetophenone plus cyanide at pH 4.5 to (S)-atrolactate and (S)-atrolactamide. These recombinant cells are promising catalysts for the synthesis of stable chiral quaternary carbon centers from ketones.
Experimental Evolution of a Facultative Thermophile from a Mesophilic Ancestor
Authors: Blaby Ian K. , Lyons Benjamin J. , Wroclawska-Hughes Ewa , Phillips Grier C. F. , Pyle Tyler P. , Chamberlin Stephen G. , Benner Steven A. , Lyons Thomas J. , de Crécy-Lagard Valérie , de Crécy Eudes 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Experimental evolution via continuous culture is a powerful approach to the alteration of complex phenotypes, such as optimal/maximal growth temperatures. The benefit of this approach is that phenotypic selection is tied to growth rate, allowing the production of optimized strains. Herein, we demonstrate the use of a recently described long-term culture apparatus called the Evolugator for the generation of a thermophilic descendant from a mesophilic ancestor (
Escherichia coli
MG1655). In addition, we used whole-genome sequencing of sequentially isolated strains throughout the thermal adaptation process to characterize the evolutionary history of the resultant genotype, identifying 31 genetic alterations that may contribute to thermotolerance, although some of these mutations may be adaptive for off-target environmental parameters, such as rich medium. We undertook preliminary phenotypic analysis of mutations identified in the
glpF
and
fabA
genes. Deletion of
glpF
in a mesophilic wild-type background conferred significantly improved growth rates in the 43-to-48°C temperature range and altered optimal growth temperature from 37°C to 43°C. In addition, transforming our evolved thermotolerant strain (EVG1064) with a wild-type allele of
glpF
reduced fitness at high temperatures. On the other hand, the mutation in
fabA
predictably increased the degree of saturation in membrane lipids, which is a known adaptation to elevated temperature. However, transforming EVG1064 with a wild-type
fabA
allele had only modest effects on fitness at intermediate temperatures. The Evolugator is fully automated and demonstrates the potential to accelerate the selection for complex traits by experimental evolution and significantly decrease development time for new industrial strains.
Isolation of Bacterial Strains Capable of Sulfamethoxazole Mineralization from an Acclimated Membrane Bioreactor
Authors: Bouju Helene , Ricken Benjamin , Beffa Trello , Corvini Philippe F.-X. , Kolvenbach Boris A. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

In this study, we isolated five strains capable of degrading
14
C-labeled sulfamethoxazole to
14
CO
2
from a membrane bioreactor acclimatized to sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac. Of these strains, two belonged to the phylum
Actinobacteria
, while three were members of the
Proteobacteria
.
Silicon and Phosphorus Linkage with Iron via Oxygen in the Amorphous Matrix of Gallionella ferruginea Stalks
Authors: Suzuki Tomoko , Hashimoto Hideki , Itadani Atsushi , Matsumoto Nobuyuki , Kunoh Hitoshi , Takada Jun 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Bacterial species belonging to the genus
Gallionella
are Fe-oxidizing bacteria that produce uniquely twisted extracellular stalks consisting of iron-oxide-encrusted inorganic/organic fibers in aquatic environments. This paper describes the degree of crystallinity of
Gallionella
stalks and the chemical linkages of constituent elements in the stalk fibers. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the matrix of the fiber edge consisted of an assembly of primary particles of approximately 3 nm in diameter. Scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed the rough granular surfaces of the fibers, which reflect the disordered assembly of the primary particles, indicating a high porosity and large specific surface area of the fibers. This may provide the surface with broader reactive properties. X-ray diffractometry, selected-area electron diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy together showed that the primary particles had an amorphous structure. Furthermore, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detected the bands characteristic of the vibrational modes assigned to O-H, Fe-O-H, P-O-H, Si-O-H, Si-O-Fe, and P-O-Fe bonds in the stalks, suggesting that the minor constituent elements P and Si could affect the degree of crystallinity of the fibers by linking with Fe via O. This knowledge about the mutual associations of these elements provides deeper insights into the unique inorganic/organic hybrid structure of the stalks.
HupW Protease Specifically Required for Processing of the Catalytic Subunit of the Uptake Hydrogenase in the Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. Strain PCC 7120
Authors: Lindberg Pia , Devine Ellenor , Stensjö Karin , Lindblad Peter 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

The maturation process of [NiFe] hydrogenases includes a proteolytic cleavage of the large subunit. We constructed a mutant of
Nostoc
strain PCC 7120 in which
hupW
, encoding a putative hydrogenase-specific protease, is inactivated. Our results indicate that the protein product of
hupW
selectively cleaves the uptake hydrogenase in this cyanobacterium.
Modular Engineering of
l
-Tyrosine Production in Escherichia coli
Authors: Juminaga Darmawi , Baidoo Edward E. K. , Redding-Johanson Alyssa M. , Batth Tanveer S. , Burd Helcio , Mukhopadhyay Aindrila , Petzold Christopher J. , Keasling Jay D. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Efficient biosynthesis of
l
-tyrosine from glucose is necessary to make biological production economically viable. To this end, we designed and constructed a modular biosynthetic pathway for
l
-tyrosine production in
E. coli
MG1655 by encoding the enzymes for converting erythrose-4-phosphate (E4P) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to
l
-tyrosine on two plasmids. Rational engineering to improve
l
-tyrosine production and to identify pathway bottlenecks was directed by targeted proteomics and metabolite profiling. The bottlenecks in the pathway were relieved by modifications in plasmid copy numbers, promoter strength, gene codon usage, and the placement of genes in operons. One major bottleneck was due to the bifunctional activities of quinate/shikimate dehydrogenase (YdiB), which caused accumulation of the intermediates dehydroquinate (DHQ) and dehydroshikimate (DHS) and the side product quinate; this bottleneck was relieved by replacing YdiB with its paralog AroE, resulting in the production of over 700 mg/liter of shikimate. Another bottleneck in shikimate production, due to low expression of the dehydroquinate synthase (AroB), was alleviated by optimizing the first 15 codons of the gene. Shikimate conversion to
l
-tyrosine was improved by replacing the shikimate kinase AroK with its isozyme, AroL, which effectively consumed all intermediates formed in the first half of the pathway. Guided by the protein and metabolite measurements, the best producer, consisting of two medium-copy-number, dual-operon plasmids, was optimized to produce >2 g/liter
l
-tyrosine at 80% of the theoretical yield. This work demonstrates the utility of targeted proteomics and metabolite profiling in pathway construction and optimization, which should be applicable to other metabolic pathways.
Requirement of a Tsp2-Type Tetraspanin for Laccase Repression and Stress Resistance in the Basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Li Zhongming , Bi Jiannan , Yang Jiao , Pan Jiao , Sun Zhixiong , Zhu Xudong 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Fungal laccases have been widely used in industry. The expression of laccase often is repressible by the primary carbon source glucose in many fungi. The underlying basis is largely unclear. We demonstrate here that a gene,
TSP2
-
1
, was required for laccase repression by glucose in the basidiomycete
Cryptococcus neoformans
.
TSP2
-
1
encodes a Tsp2-type tetraspanin. The disruption of
TSP2
-
1
resulted in constant melanin formation and the expression of the laccase gene
LAC1
. This derepression phenotype was restorable by 10 mM exogenous cyclic AMP (cAMP). A capsule defect in the mutant
tsp2
-
1
Δ also was restored by cAMP. The results indicate an interaction of Tsp2-1 with the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) pathway that has been shown to modulate laccase repression and capsule biosynthesis in this fungus. Other roles of
TSP2
-
1
, e.g., in maintaining cell membrane integrity and stress resistance, also were defined. This work reveals a Tsp2-1-dependent glucose repression in
C. neoformans
. The function of Tsp2-type tetraspanin Tsp2-1 is described for the first time.
Genotypes and Antibiotic Resistances of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli Isolates from Domestic and Travel-Associated Human Cases
Authors: Niederer Lilian , Kuhnert Peter , Egger Ralph , Büttner Sabina , Hächler Herbert , Korczak Bożena M. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) extended with
flaB
typing of 425
Campylobacter jejuni
isolates and 42
Campylobacter coli
isolates revealed quite a low overlap between human isolates from travel-associated and domestic cases in Switzerland. Men were more frequently affected by
Campylobacter
than women, but strains from women and, overall, from travel-associated cases showed mutations conferring quinolone resistance more frequently than strains from men and domestic cases, respectively.
Characterization and Comparative Genomic Analysis of a Novel Bacteriophage, SFP10, Simultaneously Inhibiting both Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7
Authors: Park Minjung , Lee Ju-Hoon , Shin Hakdong , Kim Minsik , Choi Jeongjoon , Kang Dong-Hyun , Heu Sunggi , Ryu Sangryeol 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Salmonella enterica
and
Escherichia coli
O157:H7 are major food-borne pathogens causing serious illness. Phage SFP10, which revealed effective infection of both
S. enterica
and
E. coli
O157:H7, was isolated and characterized. SFP10 contains a 158-kb double-stranded DNA genome belonging to the Vi01 phage-like family
Myoviridae
.
In vitro
adsorption assays showed that the adsorption constant rates to both
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium and
E. coli
O157:H7 were 2.50 × 10
−8
ml/min and 1.91 × 10
−8
ml/min, respectively. One-step growth analysis revealed that SFP10 has a shorter latent period (25 min) and a larger burst size (>200 PFU) than ordinary
Myoviridae
phages, suggesting effective host infection and lytic activity. However, differential development of resistance to SFP10 in
S.
Typhimurium and
E. coli
O157:H7 was observed; bacteriophage-insensitive mutant (BIM) frequencies of 1.19 × 10
−2
CFU/ml for
S.
Typhimurium and 4.58 × 10
−5
CFU/ml for
E. coli
O157:H7 were found, indicating that SFP10 should be active and stable for control of
E. coli
O157:H7 with minimal emergence of SFP10-resistant pathogens but may not be for
S.
Typhimurium. Specific mutation of
rfaL
in
S.
Typhimurium and
E. coli
O157:H7 revealed the O antigen as an SFP10 receptor for both bacteria. Genome sequence analysis of SFP10 and its comparative analysis with homologous
Salmonella
Vi01 and
Shigella
phiSboM-AG3 phages revealed that their tail fiber and tail spike genes share low sequence identity, implying that the genes are major host specificity determinants. This is the first report identifying specific infection and inhibition of
Salmonella
Typhimurium and
E. coli
O157:H7 by a single bacteriophage.
High Frequency of a Novel Filamentous Phage, VCYϕ, within an Environmental Vibrio cholerae Population
Authors: Xue Hong , Xu Yan , Boucher Yan , Polz Martin F. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Environmental
Vibrio cholerae
strains isolated from a coastal brackish pond (Oyster Pond, Woods Hole, MA) carried a novel filamentous phage, VCYϕ, which can exist as a host genome integrative form (IF) and a plasmid-like replicative form (RF). Outside the cell, the phage displays a morphology typical of
Inovirus
, with filamentous particles ∼1.8 μm in length and 7 nm in width. Four independent RF isolates had identical genomes, except for 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms clustered in two regions. The overall genome size is 7,103 bp with 11 putative open reading frames organized into three functional modules (replication, structure and assembly, and regulation). VCYϕ shares sequence similarity with other filamentous phages (including cholera disease-associated CTX) in a highly mosaic manner, indicating evolution by horizontal gene transfer and recombination. VCYϕ integrates in the vicinity of the putative translation initiation factor Sui1 in chromosome II of
V. cholerae
. A screen of 531 closely related host isolates showed that ∼40% harbored phages, with 27% and 13% carrying the IF and RF, respectively. The relative frequencies of the RF and IF differed among strains isolated from the pond or lagoon of Oyster Pond, suggesting that the host habitat influences intracellular phage biology. The overall high prevalence within the host population shows that filamentous phages can be an important component of the environmental biology of
V. cholerae
.