bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Rice Aquaporin Lsi1 Mediates Uptake of Methylated Arsenic Species
Authors: Li Ren-Ying , Ago Yukiko , Liu Wen-Ju , Mitani Namiki , Feldmann Jörg , McGrath Steve P. , Ma Jian Feng , Zhao Fang-Jie 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Pentavalent methylated arsenic (As) species such as monomethylarsonic acid [MMA(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)] are used as herbicides or pesticides, and can also be synthesized by soil microorganisms or algae through As methylation. The mechanism of MMA(V) and DMA(V) uptake remains unknown. Recent studies have shown that arsenite is taken up by rice (Oryza sativa) roots through two silicon transporters, Lsi1 (the aquaporin NIP2;1) and Lsi2 (an efflux carrier). Here we investigated whether these two transporters also mediate the uptake of MMA(V) and DMA(V). MMA(V) was partly reduced to trivalent MMA(III) in rice roots, but only MMA(V) was translocated to shoots. DMA(V) was stable in plants. The rice lsi1 mutant lost about 80% and 50% of the uptake capacity for MMA(V) and DMA(V), respectively, compared with the wild-type rice, whereas Lsi2 mutation had little effect. The short-term uptake kinetics of MMA(V) can be described by a Michaelis-Menten plus linear model, with the wild type having 3.5-fold higher V max than the lsi1 mutant. The uptake kinetics of DMA(V) were linear with the slope being 2.8-fold higher in the wild type than the lsi1 mutant. Heterologous expression of Lsi1 in Xenopus laevis oocytes significantly increased the uptake of MMA(V) but not DMA(V), possibly because of a very limited uptake of the latter. Uptake of MMA(V) and DMA(V) by wild-type rice was increased as the pH of the medium decreased, consistent with an increasing proportion of the undissociated species. The results demonstrate that Lsi1 mediates the uptake of undissociated methylated As in rice roots.
The Plastidic Bile Acid Transporter 5 Is Required for the Biosynthesis of Methionine-Derived Glucosinolates inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Gigolashvili Tamara , Yatusevich Ruslan , Rollwitz Inga , Humphry Melanie , Gershenzon Jonathan , Flügge Ulf-Ingo 
Published: June 2009

AbstractAliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis is highly compartmentalized, requiring import of 2-keto acids or amino acids into chloroplasts for side chain elongation and export of the resulting compounds into the cytosol for conversion into glucosinolate. Aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana is regulated by three R2R3-MYB transcription factors, the major player being High Aliphatic Glucosinolate 1 (HAG1/MYB28). Here, we show that BAT5, which belongs to the putative bile acid transporter family, is the only member of this family that is transactivated by HAG1/MYB28, HAG2/MYB76, and HAG3/MYB29. Furthermore, two isopropylmalate isomerases genes, IPMI1 and IPMI2, and the isopropylmalate dehydrogenase gene, IPMDH1, were identified as targets of HAG1/MYB28 and the corresponding proteins localized to plastids, suggesting a role in plastidic chain elongation reactions. The BAT proteins also localized to plastids; however, only mutants defective in BAT5 function contained strongly reduced levels of aliphatic glucosinolates. The bat5 mutant chemotype was rescued by induced overexpression of BAT5. Feeding experiments using 2-keto acids and amino acids of different chain length suggest that BAT5 is a plastidic transporter of (chain-elongated) 2-keto acids. Mechanical stimuli and methyl jasmonate transiently induced BAT5 expression in inflorescences and leaves. Thus, BAT5 was identified as the first transporter component of the aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway.
Detection of Escherichia coli and Salmonella in chicken rinse carcasses
Authors: Asensi G.F. , dos Reis E.M.F. , Del Aguila E.M. , dos P. Rodrigues D. , Silva J.T. , Paschoalin V.M.F. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThis paper seeks to optimize a multiplex PCR in order to detect the incidence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in chicken carcasses, eliminating a pre‐culture enrichment step and the pathogen isolation.Design/methodology/approachA total of 30 chicken rinse carcasses were analysed by standard microbiological methods, and the isolates were identified by biochemical and serological tests. The results were compared with those obtained by a multiplex PCR using validated primers targeting for invA and lamB genes of Salmonella and E. coli, respectively.FindingsMicrobiological analysis showed the prevalence of Salmonella in 14 out of 30 chicken carcasses. The same rinse samples were also analysed by multiplex PCR, which allowed the simultaneous detection of both bacteria directly from the chicken rinse water microbial community.Originality/valueThe optimized mPCR detected enterobacteria directly from the rinse samples, a complex matrix food, in one workday. There was 100 per cent agreement of the conventional microbiological analysis with those results obtained by multiplex PCR.
Resource management and environmental health service delivery regarding milk hygiene
Authors: Agenbag M.H.A , Lues J.F.R. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeAs the regulatory authorities for registering, monitoring and controlling milk hygiene, metropolitan municipalities (metros) and district municipalities (DMs) should boast sufficient resources and systems to properly support the compliance of milk with legislative prescriptions and health standards. This paper aims to assess the availability and efficient management of resources for environmental health services (EHS), as well as the approach followed by local government (metropolitan and district municipalities as well as provincial health departments) in allocating available resources to monitor and control the informal milk‐producing sector in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire survey was conducted, targeting the cohort of municipal health service (MHS) managers (n=52) at the various metros and DMs in South Africa. Questions focused on physical and human resource management as well as the approach followed by MHS towards milk hygiene control.FindingsAt the time of the survey it was determined that resources (financial, human and to a lesser extent transport) available for MHS to effectively monitor, control and support the informal milk‐producing sector, were insufficient. Although food control enjoys high priority in MHS, activities such as sampling, premises inspections, and health and hygiene education at milking parlours, are predominantly performed on an ad hoc basis. This approach impacts negatively on the management of available resources and the effectiveness of interventions, leading to a need for national and provincial governments, industry and relevant associations to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to optimally exercise their powers and perform their functions.Originality/valueThe importance of the paper lies in its quantification and description of the current MHS situation in South Africa and thereby, via quantifiable results it makes an appeal to regulatory bodies towards channelling and effective management of resources by applying project management principles and skills.
Effect of composite flour fortification to wheat flour on the quality characteristics of unleavened bread
Authors: Khetarpaul Neelam , Goyal Rajni 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe unleavened bread called chapatis in vernacular language is the staple food of the majority of North Indians, which is generally prepared from wheat flour. However, wheat flour contains 8‐12 per cent protein and is limited in essential amino acid, so supplementation of partially defatted soy dhal, sorghum, rice, maize and pearl millet will help to improve the nutritional value of chapatis. This paper seeks to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachWheat flour was supplemented with salt‐treated partially defatted soy dhal, sorghum, rice, maize and pearl millet (50:10:10:10:10:10). Different salt treatments were given to soy dhal so as to remove its typical beany flavour. Different flours were mixed with water to form dough followed by preparation of chapati on flat iron plates. These were further evaluated organoleptically by the panel of judges. On the basis of organoleptic evaluation the best combination was used for nutritional evaluation.FindingsOrganoleptic evaluation of developed chapatis indicated that they were acceptable in terms of various sensory parameters. Nutritional evaluation of unprocessed composite flour, wheat flour chapatis and composite flour chapatis revealed a significant increase in moisture and protein content and non‐significant difference in ash and crude fibre contents of composite flour chapatis when compared with unprocessed composite flour and wheat flour chapatis. Various processing methods, namely dough making and roasting involved in chapati making, significantly (p<0.05) reduced the phytic (11 per cent) and polyphenol (64 per cent) content of the developed chapati compared with unprocessed composite flour. As a result the protein and starch digestibility of the developed chapati was improved over the unprocessed composite flour.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed regarding the amino acid profile of the developed chapati.Practical implicationsWheat flour should be supplemented with different cereals so as to improve the nutritional value.Originality/valueThe paper has significance in terms of improving the nutritional quality of the chapati without any extra input of time and energy.
Dublin Core Metadata Element Set usage in national libraries' web sites
Authors: Saadat Alijani Alireza , Jowkar Abdolrasool 
Published: June 2009

PurposeDublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES) is a standard metadata schema for describing electronic records, documents and web resources. Librarians have been influenced on its initial structure most efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the librarians' tendency and amount of their attention to this standard in national libraries of the world.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports an empirical study of how 70 National Library web sites (NLWs) from 62 countries use DCMES. The source of each library web site main page is viewed and the data gathered with a formed checklist. The paper is conducted to determine whether or not DCMES is used within NLWs. In this paper DCMES is divided into three: content description; intellectual property and rights; and structural manifestation. The tendency measurement of NLWs' designers to each purpose is the second objective of this paper.FindingsAccording to the results, 14 of all the NLWs use DCMES (20 percent). These 14 NLWs tendency ratio to each of the purposes are: content description 49 percent; intellectual properties and rights 57 percent; and structural manifestation 70 percent. The least‐used Dublin Core (DC) elements are source, relation and contributor – being used only once, and the most‐used DC element is title – used in 13 NLWs. The National Library of Serbia uses the most DC elements, using all 15, and the Bibliothèque Nationale Suisse uses the least DC elements by using two.Originality/valueThe results presented in this paper show that most of the national libraries, the main libraries of the world, do not pay much attention to DCMES in web pages' designation. On the other hand, some other nation libraries using DCMES do not consider the main purpose of DCMES – content description – to be more important than its other purposes. Ultimately, the paper presents five probable reasons why most NLWs do not use DCMES.
PORE: a personal ontology recommender system for digital libraries
Authors: Liao Shu‐Chuan , Kao Kuo‐Fong , Liao I‐En , Chen Hui‐Lin , Huang Shu‐O 
Published: June 2009

PurposeAs library collections increase rapidly, personalized recommender systems have become a very important service for library patrons. The purpose of this paper is to design and implement a personal ontology recommender (PORE) system by building personal ontologies based on patrons' borrowing records.Design/methodology/approachIn the PORE system, the traditional cataloging scheme, classification for Chinese libraries, is used as the reference ontology. This reference ontology is transformed to a unique personal ontology for each user based on the mining results from library borrowing records of that user.FindingsA personal ontology represents a unique user interest on specific subjects. The personal ontology can be used to filter out unsuitable recommendations based only on a keyword matching method. Besides, the recommended books can be organized into the personal ontology, and provide the patron with a user‐friendly interface to access library collections.Research limitations/implicationsThe PORE system is currently implemented for Chinese collections. From this paper builds a new version to support English collections by adopting the Library of Congress Classification as the reference ontology.Originality/valueThis paper represents a practical method of building a user's personal ontology and explains the functional use of ontology knowledge.
Multipurpose community telecentres in Bangladesh: problems and prospects
Authors: Islam Shariful , Hasan Nazmul 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss multipurpose community information and knowledge centres (MCTs) and then describes and assesses the telecommunication facilities (and hence information access and provision) of such telecentres in Bangladesh including radio, television, telephone and internet facilities. The paper then highlights problems and prospects, in rural areas of Bangladesh, of information access through the telecentres.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review of literature collected through the internet, personal visits and other secondary sources such as research reports and articles.FindingsThe paper highlights the existing MCT initiatives in rural Bangladesh and discusses their problems and prospects.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the very few studies which focuses on the prospects of MCTs for rural Bangladesh, particularly as regards information and knowledge access and provision, and proposes future directions for the development of MCTs in Bangladesh.
A model of consumer financial numeracy
Authors: Huhmann Bruce A. , McQuitty Shaun 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to develop a theoretical explanation – financial numeracy – for consumer proficiency with financial services. With sufficient financial numeracy, consumers benefit fully from financial services and make competent choices in regard to financial management.Design/methodology/approachThe article builds theory by combining consumer cognitive capacity and customer knowledge theories with findings from prior studies of consumer difficulties with financial services to introduce a comprehensive model of the antecedents and consequences of financial numeracy with testable propositions for many psychographic and cultural influences and moderators.FindingsFinancial numeracy demands that consumers possess sufficient financial information processing capacity and ability as well as sufficient prior knowledge of financial concepts. Although partly a function of individual cognitive ability, it can be enhanced through appropriate experience with financial instruments and familiarity through personal financial materials when consumers are motivated to process them. Financial numeracy directly affects financial management outcomes related to borrowing, saving, and taxes. It indirectly affects higher‐order financial consequences, such as a consumer's credit score, interest rates charged on subsequent loans, net worth, likelihood of bankruptcy, and size of inheritance.Originality/valueConsumers around the world are increasingly experiencing difficulties with financial services. To advance research in financial services marketing beyond documenting troublesome financial behaviours of consumers, this conceptual model provides insights to help increase consumer proficiency in comprehending and managing financial services based on knowledge about consumer information processing, learning, memory and the cultural and psychographic influences on these internal processes.
Using a multiple‐attribute approach for measuring customer satisfaction with retail banking services in Kuwait
Authors: Al‐Eisa Abdulkarim S. , Alhemoud Abdulla M. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to attempt to identify the most salient attributes that influence customer satisfaction with retail banks in Kuwait and to determine the level of the overall satisfaction of the customers of these banks.Design/methodology/approachA multiple‐attribute approach proposed by Shin and Elliott in 2001 was employed. This approach was applied in the analysis of data collected from a convenient sample of 863 actual customers of retail banks in Kuwait.FindingsThe most crucial attributes for predicting customer satisfaction with retail banks in Kuwait were fast service, courtesy and helpfulness of employees and availability of self‐banking services. The vast majority of the customers of retail banks in Kuwait (nearly 81 percent) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the services of their banks.Research limitations/implicationsA number of very important attributes, such as those related to loans and credit cards, were not examined due to social reasons. The unavailability of lists of existing customers and their contacts made it not possible to draw a random sample from the target population of this study.Practical implicationsTo maintain a competitive edge in the market, the managers of retail banks in Kuwait need to be updated about technological advances and to invest in those that satisfactorily enhance technology‐based encounters with their customers. These managers also need to focus on minimizing encounter failures in service delivery. For a retail bank in Kuwait, sufficient recovery efforts are needed so that dissatisfied customers do not end up defecting.Originality/valueUse of a single‐item approach to measure customer satisfaction is common. This approach has been shown to suffer from inherent drawbacks, rendering its practical utility questionable. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present study represents the first attempt to apply Shin and Elliott's multiple‐attribute methodology to retail banking services in a different culture.
The role of bank image for customers versus non‐customers
Authors: Bravo Rafael , Montaner Teresa , Pina José M. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the corporate image of financial institutions and its impact on consumer behaviour. More specifically, it aims to focus on the differences between customers and non‐customers of banking institutions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through five questionnaires involving five major Spanish commercial banks. The questionnaires were answered by 450 individuals and SEM methodology was used to test the hypotheses of the study.FindingsCorporate image of commercial banks includes dimensions related to the services offered, accessibility, corporate social responsibility, global impression, location and personnel. Two alternative models were validated for customers and non‐customers to explain how corporate associations influence intention to use the bank's services. For the case of current customers, satisfaction is a key mediating variable.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is focused on national commercial banks and corporate image of individuals. Different stakeholders like employees can hold a different corporate image. Moreover, the paper only considers intention to use as a dependant variable.Practical implicationsThe effect of corporate associations on purchase intentions depends on the specific type of associations and may be mediated through satisfaction. Results thus indicate that firms have to use different marketing strategies when considering the individuals' previous experience.Originality/valueThe paper extends previous research by showing the specific effect of corporate associations on intention to use the bank's services. It proposes two alternative models for explaining responses of both customers and non‐customers.
The illustrated Post Office: a layered account of organisational sexism, brutality and escape
Authors: Rippin Ann 
Published: June 2009

PurposeReading the works of Charles Bukowski is a male, and by extension, masculine activity, and as such it can make a female reader feel as if she is trespassing into some male preserve. Arguably, in entering many organisations, women experience similar feelings. The purpose of this paper is to offer an account of the process of reading Charles Bukowski's novel Post Office as a woman.Design/methodology/approachIn order to evoke her response to the text of Post Office and to reclaim her feminine identity in the face of Bukowski's masculinist project, the author adopts a multilayered, art‐based methodological approach using Bukowski's text as well as her own, Bukowski's biographer's, texts of a number of theorists of research methodology, visual illustrations and notes.FindingsThrough the original use of arts‐based methodology, the paper offers insights into the embodied, situated experience of reading Post Office, and gives an account of the author's reflections on organisational sexism, brutality and escape in the novel.Originality/valueDrawing the attention to the multilayered interweavings of novel, author, organisation, analyst and discipline, the paper moves us beyond a representational reading of Post Office to consider the materiality of the text within the productive assemblage of organisational theory.
Reliability analysis of a novel fan‐out type WLP
Authors: Yew Ming‐Chih , Tsai Mars , Hu Dyi‐Chung , Yang Wen‐Kun , Chiang Kuo‐Ning 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe wafer level package (WLP) is a cost‐effective solution for electronic packaging and has been increasingly applied in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to propose a newly developed packaging technology, based on the concepts of the WLP, the panel base package (PBP) technology, in order to further obtain the capability of signal fan‐out for fine‐pitched integrated circuits (ICc).Design/methodology/approachIn the PBP, the filler material is selected to fill the trench around the chip and provide a smooth surface for the redistribution lines. Therefore, the solder bumps could be located on both the filler and the chip surface and the pitch of the chip side is fanned‐out. The design concept and the manufacturing process of the PBP would first be described in this study. The three‐dimensional finite element model is established based on the real testing sample and the thermo‐mechanical behavior of the PBP is simulated.FindingsIt is found that the solder joint reliability of the PBP can be highly improved because of the applied stress buffer layer. However, the accumulated stress/strain from the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch may transfer to the metal lines in package. In order to enhance the robustness of the redistribution lines, the bypassed type interconnect is suggested. Moreover, the trace/pad connecting junction and the conductive via which have smooth outline are preferred to avoid stress concentration effects.Originality/valueIn this paper, a low‐cost and short time‐to‐market packaging technology is proposed which is especially suitable for high density IC devices. The PBP technology has the ability to meet the requirements of major reliability testing conditions and it will have a high potential for application in the near future.