bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring psychological contract contents in India: the employee and employer perspective
Authors: Aggarwal Upasana , Bhargava Shivganesh 
Published: November 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to examine psychological contract contents, as perceived by two parties of the employment relationship, the employee and the employer.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conducted in two phases. Study 1 employs critical incidence technique (CIT) to elicit from individuals their perceptions regarding organization obligations. Study 2 is designed to corroborate the findings of the first study through a survey of 401 employees and 66 employer representatives (functional heads).FindingsThe results of the two studies are consonant with existing literature; nevertheless the role of culture on psychological contract contents is visible. The study reveals variation in employee and employer perspective regarding organizational obligations.Practical implicationsIn India, recruiters need to go far beyond the discussions on compensation and focus on building relational aspects of job such as the job content avenues for career growth as well as creating a supportive work culture.Originality/valueThe study contributes to existing literature by examining content of psychological contract, a relatively neglected area of research in a fast growing Asian economy, India.
Indian gamers' recall, recognition and perceptions of in‐game placements
Authors: Kureshi Sonal , Sood Vandana 
Published: November 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of in‐game placements on the explicit memory of Indian gamers and understand their attitude towards this form of communication. It attempts to find out whether the memory effects differ due to the nature of the games. The avenues for in‐game placements for the rapidly growing Indian video gaming industry are discussed.Design/methodology/approachThe effect of the nature of the game on the recall and recognition is measured using a sample of 240 gamers; two games of different nature (fast versus slow) are used as stimuli and the recall and recognition of the in‐game placements are compared. Subsequently the perceptions towards this type of placement are tapped. The moderating effect of gaming experience on the explicit memory is also tested.FindingsThe paper finds that in‐game placements do affect the explicit memory of gamers. Games with lower perceptual load (slow game) result in a significantly higher recall and recognition as compared to the games with higher perceptual load (fast game). Indian players have a positive attitude towards placements in this medium and do not find this practice either intrusive or unethical.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research using different combinations of games is required to confirm, expand and generalize the findings.Practical implicationsThis medium provides an opportunity to brand managers and game developers as an alternative communication vehicle. In‐game placements provide an avenue to companies as they are cost effective, they facilitate building brand awareness and are not viewed negatively.Originality/valueThe arena of in‐game placements is an unexplored one in India. This study is the first step towards understanding views and effects of in‐game placements on Indian gamers and may encourage more research in this field.
Technology development in China and India: a comparative evaluation
Authors: Bhaumik Pradip K. , Chakrabarti Alok K. , Mäkinen Saku 
Published: November 2009

PurposeDuring past ten years China and India have emerged as the favorite destination for R&D investment. In this paper a comparative evaluation of the process of technology development in China and India is carried out. The objective is to identify the rate of growth of technology and the patterns of development in different technology sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on the tangible, measurable and recorded output of the technology development process – namely grant of patents. The authors have used US patents as the surrogate measure for the technological output between 1992 to 2007. The authors obtained data on inventor's background, ownership pattern of the patents, as well as technology sectors and descriptive statistics are used to compare the trends between the two countries.FindingsThe paper finds that both China and India have achieved very high growth rates in patents granted with some resident research between 1992 and 2007. Both have a high percentage of foreign‐owned and low percentage of joint ownership of patents. Also, a clear polarization in the composition of research teams is detected in both China and India in that international researcher teams have largely been used only for foreign and jointly owned patents. The authors find that corporations have become much more active in recent years in patenting and multi national companies have led the local companies in patent development across many sectors. The authors also detect some significant differences in the Chinese and Indian pursuit of patent development. About 30 to 35 percent of all patents developed in China are design patents – the rest being utility patents. For India almost all such patents – more than 95 percent – are utility patents. The authors find a clear dominance along the mechanical trajectory among the patents developed in China, while for India a similar dominance is along the chemical trajectory that includes pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Another interesting finding is the growing share of ICT patents in both China and India, particularly in the last few years China has emerged ahead of India in terms of its patent development as well as in the internationalization of its patent development as reflected in the ownership of patents developed. However, even for foreign patents developed in these countries, researcher collaboration is showing a downward trend.Originality/valueThis paper carries out a comparative evaluation of the process of technology development in China and India. The analysis is based on the tangible, measurable and recorded output of the technology development process – namely grant of patents. The paper uses US patents as the surrogate measure for the technological output from China and India.
Probabilistic Forecasts of Wind Speed: Ensemble Model Output Statistics by using Heteroscedastic Censored Regression
Authors: Thorarinsdottir Thordis L. , Gneiting Tilmann 
Published: November 2009

SummaryAs wind energy penetration continues to grow, there is a critical need for probabilistic forecasts of wind resources. In addition, there are many other societally relevant uses for forecasts of wind speed, ranging from aviation to ship routing and recreational boating. Over the past two decades, ensembles of dynamical weather prediction models have been developed, in which multiple estimates of the current state of the atmosphere are used to generate a collection of deterministic forecasts. However, even state of the art ensemble systems are uncalibrated and biased. Here we propose a novel way of statistically post-processing dynamical ensembles for wind speed by using heteroscedastic censored (tobit) regression, where location and spread derive from the ensemble. The resulting ensemble model output statistics method is applied to 48-h-ahead forecasts of maximum wind speed over the North American Pacific Northwest by using the University of Washington mesoscale ensemble. The statistically post-processed density forecasts turn out to be calibrated and sharp, and result in a substantial improvement over the unprocessed ensemble or climatological reference forecasts.
Breast Cancer Survival, Competing Risks and Mixture Cure Model: A Bayesian Analysis
Authors: Basu Sanjib , Tiwari Ram C. 
Published: November 2009

SummaryCancer is a major public health burden and is the second leading cause of death in the USA. The US National Cancer Institute estimated overall costs of cancer in 2007 at $219.2 billion. Breast cancer has the highest cancer incidence rates among women and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. The ‘Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results’ programme of the National Cancer Institute collects and publishes cancer survival data from 17 population-based cancer registries. The CANSURV software of the National Cancer Institute analyses cancer survival data from the programme by using parametric and semiparametric mixture cure models. Another popular approach in cancer survival is the competing risks approach which considers the simultaneous risks from cancer and various other causes. The paper develops a model that unifies the mixture cure and competing risks approaches and that can handle the masked causes of death in a natural way. Markov chain sampling is used for Bayesian analysis of this model, and modelling and computational issues of general and restricted structures are discussed. The various model structures are compared by using Bayes factors. This Bayesian model is used to analyse survival data for the approximately 620000 breast cancer cases from the programme. The estimated cumulative probabilities of death from breast cancer from the proposed mixture cure competing risks model is found to be lower than the estimates that are obtained from the CANSURV software. Whereas the estimate of the cure fraction is found to be dependent on the modelling assumptions, the survival and cumulative probability estimates are not sensitive to these assumptions. Breast cancer survival in different ethnic subgroups, in different age subgroups and in patients with localized, regional and distant stages of the disease are compared. The risk of mortality from breast cancer is found to be the dominant cause of death in the beginning part of the follow-up whereas the risk from other competing causes often became the dominant cause in the latter part. This interrelation between breast cancer and other competing risks varies among the different ethnic groups, the different stages and the different age groups.
ATRA inhibits ceramide kinase transcription in a human neuroblastoma cell line, SH‐SY5Y cells: the role of COUP‐TFI
Authors: Murakami Masashi , Ito Hiromi , Hagiwara Kazumi , Yoshida Kayo , Sobue Sayaka , Ichihara Masatoshi , Takagi Akira , Kojima Tetsuhito , Tanaka Kouji , Tamiya‐Koizumi Keiko , Kyogashima Mamoru , Suzuki Motoshi , Banno Yoshiko , Nozawa Yoshinori , Murate Takashi 
Published: November 2009

AbstractCeramide is the central lipid in the sphingolipid metabolism. Ceramide kinase (CERK) and its product, ceramide 1‐phosphate, have been implicated in various cellular functions. However, the regulatory mechanism of CERK gene expression remains to be determined. Here, we examined CERK mRNA level during all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA)‐induced differentiation of a human neuroblastoma cell line, SH‐SY5Y. ATRA reduced CERK mRNA and protein levels. Over‐expression and small interfering RNA (siRNA) of CERK revealed that CERK is inhibitory against ATRA‐induced neuronal differentiation and cell growth arrest. ATRA inhibited the transcriptional activity of 5′‐promoter of CERK. Truncation and mutation study suggests that ATRA‐responsible region was mainly located in the tandem retinoic acid responsive elements (RARE) between −40 bp and the first exon. The electrophoresis mobility shift assay revealed that ATRA produced two retarded bands, which were erased by antibody against chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor I (COUP‐TFI), RARα, and RXRα, respectively. DNA pull‐down assay confirmed increased binding of these transcription factors to RARE. Transient expression of RAR, RXR, and COUP‐TFI and siRNA transfection of these genes revealed that COUP‐TFI inhibited CERK mRNA. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed the recruitment of co‐repressors as well as three transcription factors. These results suggest that COUP‐TFI was the ATRA‐responsive suppressive transcription factor of CERK gene transcription.
Noninvasive Assessment of UV‐induced Skin Damage: Comparison of Optical Measurements to Histology and MMP Expression
Authors: Papazoglou Elisabeth , Sunkari Chetana , Neidrauer Mike , Klement John F. , Uitto Jouni 
Published: November 2009

AbstractAcute exposure to UV radiation (UVR) causes visible skin damage such as erythema and results in local and systemic immunosuppression while chronic exposure can result in photocarcinogenesis. These deleterious effects can be quantified by histology and by bioassays of key biological markers, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), or tryptophan moieties. We now report our results in quantifying UV skin damage with noninvasive optical methods based on reflectance and fluorescence spectroscopy and compare these noninvasive measurements to histopathology and MMP‐13 expression. A solar simulator with spectral output nearly identical to that of solar radiation was developed and used in our experiments. SKH1 hairless mice were exposed to solar‐simulated UVR at a total dose of 21 MED delivered over 10 weeks. Changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin were measured by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and tryptophan changes were monitored via a fluorescence monitor. Our results show that there is an increase in erythema, skin fluorescence, sunburn cells and MMP‐13 after a series of suberythemal doses of UV irradiation on a hairless mouse animal model. Increased skin fluorescence is observed with increasing UV exposure. The levels of MMP‐13 increase as the cumulative UV dose increases but their increase does not correspond to noninvasively measured changes.
Monitoring the Dissemination of the Broad-Host-Range Plasmid pB10 in Sediment Microcosms by Quantitative PCR
Authors: Bonot Sébastien , Merlin Christophe 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACT
Studying the transfer of specific mobile genetic elements in complex environmental matrices remains difficult because suitable molecular tools are not yet available to back up classical culture-dependent approaches. In this report, we show that quantitative PCR could be used to monitor the dissemination of the broad-host-range plasmid pB10 in sediment microcosms. This approach lies in the differential measurement of the host and plasmid DNAs used to inoculate the microcosms, using a particular design of quantitative PCR primers/probes where we took advantage of the mosaic aspect of the bacterial genomes to achieve a highly specific quantitative PCR detection system.
Ecological Genetic Divergence of the Fungal PathogenDidymella rabieion Sympatric Wild and DomesticatedCicerspp. (Chickpea)
Authors: Frenkel Omer , Peever Tobin L. , Chilvers Martin I. , Özkilinc Hilal , Can Canan , Abbo Shahal , Shtienberg Dani , Sherman Amir 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTFor millennia, chickpea (Cicer arietinum) has been grown in the Levant sympatrically with wildCicerspecies. Chickpea is traditionally spring-sown, while its wild relatives germinate in the autumn and develop in the winter. It has been hypothesized that the human-directed shift of domesticated chickpea to summer production was an attempt to escape the devastating Ascochyta disease caused byDidymella rabiei. We estimated genetic divergence betweenD. rabieiisolates sampled from wildCicer judaicumand domesticatedC. arietinumand the potential role of temperature adaptation in this divergence. Neutral genetic markers showed strong differentiation between pathogen samples from the two hosts. Isolates from domesticated chickpea demonstrated increased adaptation to higher temperatures when grownin vitrocompared with isolates from the wild host. The distribution of temperature responses among progeny from crosses of isolates fromC. judaicumwith isolates fromC. arietinumwas continuous, suggesting polygenic control of this trait.In vivoinoculations of host plants indicated that pathogenic fitness of the native isolates was higher than that of their hybrid progeny. The results indicate that there is a potential for adaptation to higher temperatures; however, the chances for formation of hybrids which are capable of parasitizing both hosts over a broad temperature range are low. We hypothesize that this pathogenic fitness cost is due to breakdown of coadapted gene complexes controlling pathogenic fitness on each host and may be responsible for maintenance of genetic differentiation between the pathogen demes.
Water- and Air-Distributed Conidia Differ in Sterol Content and Cytoplasmic Microviscosity
Authors: Van Leeuwen M. R. , Van Doorn T. M. , Golovina E. A. , Stark J. , Dijksterhuis J. 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACT
Airborne and waterborne fungal spores were compared with respect to cytoplasmic viscosity and the presence of ergosterol. These parameters differed markedly between the two spore types and correlated with spore survival. This suggests that the mode of spore dispersal has a bearing on cellular composition, which is relevant for the eradication of industrially relevant fungal propagules.
Tetralin-Induced and ThnR-Regulated Aldehyde Dehydrogenase and β-Oxidation Genes in
Sphingomonas macrogolitabida
Strain TFA
Authors: López-Sánchez Aroa , Floriano Belén , Andújar Eloisa , Hernáez Maria José , Santero Eduardo 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACT

A new cluster of genes has been found downstream of the previously identified
thnA2
gene. The gene products are similar to nonacylating aldehyde dehydrogenases (ThnG) and to proteins representing a complete β-oxidation pathway (ThnH to ThnP). ThnG has a nonacylating NAD-dependent pimelic semialdehyde dehydrogenase activity that renders pimelic acid a seven-carbon dicarboxylic acid. For further metabolism via β-oxidation, pimelic acid could be acylated by a constitutive acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) ligase found in
Sphingomonas macrogolitabida
strain TFA or by ThnH, which would transfer CoA from a previously acylated molecule. The first round of β-oxidation is expected to render glutaryl-CoA and acetyl-CoA. Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (ThnN) would catalyze the oxidation and decarboxylation of glutaryl-CoA and yield crotonyl-CoA, which enters the central metabolism via acetyl-CoA. Mutagenesis studies have shown that these genes are not essential for growth on tetralin or fatty acids, although a
thnG
disruption mutant showed threefold less pimelic semialdehyde dehydrogenase activity. Transcriptional analysis indicated that these genes are induced by tetralin, subjected to catabolite repression, and regulated by the same regulatory factors previously identified to regulate other
thn
structural genes. In the present study, transcription initiation upstream of
thnH
and
thnM
has been detected by primer extension analysis, and putative promoters were identified by sequence analysis. In addition, binding of the activator ThnR to its putative binding sites at the P
H
and P
M
promoter regions has been characterized. These results provide a complete characterization of the biodegradation pathway of tetralin to central metabolites and describe the transcriptional organization of the
thn
operons in
S. macrogolitabida
strain TFA.
Requirement of theLactobacillus caseiMaeKR Two-Component System forl-Malic Acid Utilization via a Malic Enzyme Pathway
Authors: Landete José María , García-Haro Luisa , Blasco Amalia , Manzanares Paloma , Berbegal Carmen , Monedero Vicente , Zúñiga Manuel 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTLactobacillus caseican metabolizel-malic acid via malolactic enzyme (malolactic fermentation [MLF]) or malic enzyme (ME). Whereas utilization ofl-malic acid via MLF does not support growth, the ME pathway enablesL. caseito grow onl-malic acid. In this work, we have identified in the genomes ofL. caseistrains BL23 and ATCC 334 a cluster consisting of two diverging operons,maePEandmaeKR, encoding a putative malate transporter (maeP), an ME (maeE), and a two-component (TC) system belonging to the citrate family (maeKandmaeR). Homologous clusters were identified inEnterococcus faecalis,Streptococcus agalactiae,Streptococcus pyogenes, andStreptococcus uberis. Our results show that ME is essential forl-malic acid utilization inL. casei. Furthermore, deletion of either the gene encoding the histidine kinase or the response regulator of the TC system resulted in the loss of the ability to grow onl-malic acid, thus indicating that the cognate TC system regulates and is essential for the expression of ME. Transcriptional analyses showed that expression ofmaeEis induced in the presence ofl-malic acid and repressed by glucose, whereas TC system expression was induced byl-malic acid and was not repressed by glucose. DNase I footprinting analysis showed that MaeR binds specifically to a set of direct repeats [5′-TTATT(A/T)AA-3′] in themaepromoter region. The location of the repeats strongly suggests that MaeR activates the expression of the diverging operonsmaePEandmaeKRwhere the first one is also subjected to carbon catabolite repression.
Metabolic Engineering of Fungal Strains for Conversion of
d
-Galacturonate to
meso
-Galactarate
Authors: Mojzita Dominik , Wiebe Marilyn , Hilditch Satu , Boer Harry , Penttilä Merja , Richard Peter 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACT

d
-Galacturonic acid can be obtained by hydrolyzing pectin, which is an abundant and low value raw material. By means of metabolic engineering, we constructed fungal strains for the conversion of
d
-galacturonate to
meso
-galactarate (mucate). Galactarate has applications in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals and as a platform chemical. In fungi
d
-galacturonate is catabolized through a reductive pathway with a
d
-galacturonate reductase as the first enzyme. Deleting the corresponding gene in the fungi
Hypocrea jecorina
and
Aspergillus niger
resulted in strains unable to grow on
d
-galacturonate. The genes of the pathway for
d
-galacturonate catabolism were upregulated in the presence of
d
-galacturonate in
A. niger
, even when the gene for
d
-galacturonate reductase was deleted, indicating that
d
-galacturonate itself is an inducer for the pathway. A bacterial gene coding for a
d
-galacturonate dehydrogenase catalyzing the NAD-dependent oxidation of
d
-galacturonate to galactarate was introduced to both strains with disrupted
d
-galacturonate catabolism. Both strains converted
d
-galacturonate to galactarate. The resulting
H. jecorina
strain produced galactarate at high yield. The
A. niger
strain regained the ability to grow on
d
-galacturonate when the
d
-galacturonate dehydrogenase was introduced, suggesting that it has a pathway for galactarate catabolism.
A Genomic Island Defines Subspecies-Specific Virulence Features of the Host-Adapted Pathogen
Campylobacter fetus
subsp.
venerealis
Authors: Gorkiewicz Gregor , Kienesberger Sabine , Schober Caroline , Scheicher Sylvia R. , Gülly Christian , Zechner Rudolf , Zechner Ellen L. 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACT

The pathogen
Campylobacter fetus
comprises two subspecies,
C. fetus
subsp.
fetus
and
C. fetus
subsp.
venerealis
. Although these taxa are highly related on the genome level, they are adapted to distinct hosts and tissues.
C. fetus
subsp.
fetus
infects a diversity of hosts, including humans, and colonizes the gastrointestinal tract. In contrast,
C. fetus
subsp.
venerealis
is largely restricted to the bovine genital tract, causing epidemic abortion in these animals. In light of their close genetic relatedness, the specific niche preferences make the
C. fetus
subspecies an ideal model system to investigate the molecular basis of host adaptation. In this study, a subtractive-hybridization approach was applied to the genomes of the subspecies to identify different genes potentially underlying this specificity. The comparison revealed a genomic island uniquely present in
C. fetus
subsp.
venerealis
that harbors several genes indicative of horizontal transfer and that encodes the core components necessary for bacterial type IV secretion. Macromolecular transporters of this type deliver effector molecules to host cells, thereby contributing to virulence in various pathogens. Mutational inactivation of the putative secretion system confirmed its involvement in the pathogenicity of
C. fetus
subsp.
venerealis
.