bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Physical assaults against children
Authors: Davis Richard L. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeA fundamental purpose of Massachusetts' General Law 209A is to prevent the use of physically assaultive behavior between family members and intimate partners to change or alter their behavior. This Massachusetts Law is similar to laws in all 50 states. Despite the fact that the vast majority of domestic violence laws contain no exceptions for age, the acceptance of physical assaults against children continues. This paper aims to investigate physical assaults on children.Design/methodology/approachThe paper compares and contrasts corporal punishment and domestic violence laws and explores what role cognitive dissonance plays in the acceptance of physical assaults against children by parents or guardians. It questions how or why public policy makers, domestic violence interveners and the majority of American adults continue to accept that the goal of preventing family physical assaults is possible in a family or a society that condones rather than condemns the use of physical assaults against children, including the use of belts or other injurious instruments.FindingsThis paper presents corporal punishment and criminal justice data that suggest that when some states did end corporal punishment in schools, the use of violence in general in that state was reduced.Originality/valueThese data suggest it may be possible to end or reduce the use of all physically assaultive behavior against another person in general when society condemns the use of all physically assaultive behavior regardless of age.
The shape of option implied volatility: a study based on market net demand pressure
Authors: Mo Tianyu , Zheng Zhenlong , Lin William T. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeDue to disequilibrium between supply and demand in the option market, the option market‐maker is under exposure to certain risks because of their net option positions. This paper aims to pay attention to whether the risk award affects the option price and the shape of implied volatility in the market‐maker system.Design/methodology/approachThe paper first eliminates the part of implied volatility explained by underlying asset's stochastic volatility‐jump price process, and second sorts out market investors' net demand data from TAIEX Options tick by tick deal data and then finally considers three market maker's risks – unhedgeable risk, capital constrain risk and asymmetric information risk, and how they affect implied volatility's level and slope.FindingsThrough the research in the TAIEX Option market, the paper finds that, under unhedgeable risk, net demand pressure has a significant impact on implied volatility. Especially, unhedgeable risk due to underlying asset's stochastic volatility has the best explanation for implied volatility level, and unhedgeable risk due to underlying asset's jump can explain implied volatility slope to some extent. Capital constrain risk and asymmetric information risk have an insignificant impact on implied volatility.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings in this study suggest that the risk award affects the option price and the shape of implied volatility in the market‐maker system and different risks have different effects on the level and slope of option implied volatility.Practical implicationsThis paper finds the influence factors of the option price in the market‐maker system. It's useful for China's financial government and investors to learn the price tendency and regular pattern in the future China option market.Originality/valueThis is the first time that a net demand pressure based option pricing model is used, which is derived by Garleanu, Pedersen and Poteshman, to study the TAIEX Options' implied volatility. And the paper improves the methods eliminating the part of implied volatility explained by underlying asset's stochastic volatility‐jump price process.
Accounting conservatism, ultimate ownership and investment efficiency
Authors: Xu Xiaodong , Wang Xia , Han Nina 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the role of accounting conservatism on firm investment behavior in China.Design/methodology/approachBy combining a developed theoretical framework and empirical study, this paper examines the impacts of accounting conservatism on firm investment. The sample and data are all collected from Wind and CAMAR databases.FindingsThe paper finds that the association between accounting conservatism and capital expenditure is significantly positive when inside capital is not enough to use for investment, suggesting that conservatism can expend the level of investment by decreasing information asymmetry and cost of capital; however, the association between accounting conservatism and capital expenditure is significantly negative when inside capital is enough to use for investment, suggesting that conservatism can curtail the level of investment by mitigating the interest conflicts between management and outside shareholders and decreasing agency costs. Additionally, the paper finds that the severity of information asymmetry and agency problem affects the role of accounting conservatism on firm investment behaviour, and the association between accounting conservatism and capital expenditure is weaker for firms with ultimate ownership controller as local government or individuals.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to analyze and examine the impacts of accounting conservatism on firm investment in China directly. The findings are also useful to explain the awkward predicament found by prior literature.
Technology spillovers of FDI in ASEAN sourcing from local and abroad
Authors: Tu Yonghong , Tan Xiao 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to empirically analyze the role of FDI technology spillover effects in the development patterns of ASEAN.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on the analytical framework of Borensztein by utilizing time‐series data between 1990 and 2008 in ASEAN countries. Models (1)‐(3) estimate parameters by adopting OLS, and Model (4) uses dummy saturation methods in PC Give, Oxmetrics 6 to determine significant dummy variables automatically. By judging the overall significance of each variable and the model, Model (4) has a substantial improvement, and is finally selected to judge the education threshold of each country.FindingsThe empirical results render support to the existence of technology spillovers in ASEAN. The regression results also suggest that it is necessary to combine FDI technology spillovers with domestic human capital, that is, in the process of promoting economic development. China's FDI in ASEAN requires lower education threshold, and also has positive effect on economy growth in six countries of ASEAN.Research limitations/implicationsAs this paper investigates data from many countries, there are some unavoidable differences in the statistical sources and the calibre of data. It is inevitable to have some inaccuracies. This paper tries to process the data into similar calibres and units.Practical implicationsThe paper examined whether total FDI, intra‐ASEAN FDI and FDI from China have played exactly the same role in ASEAN countries. Accordingly, the paper put forward suggestions after combining the characteristics of FDI from China with different local situations of ASEAN host countries.Originality/valueThe paper, respectively, takes data of total FDI, intra‐ASEAN FDI, FDI from China into the FDI variable in the model, and get three sets of results for each country. The year dummy variable is newly added to the original framework of Borensztein in order to test whether the dependent variable can be affected to a large extent by potential great changes in macro‐economies.
Behavior and Target Site Selection of Conjugative Transposon Tn
916
in Two Different Strains of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile
Authors: Mullany Peter , Williams Rachel , Langridge Gemma C. , Turner Daniel J. , Whalan Rachael , Clayton Chris , Lawley Trevor , Hussain Haitham , McCurrie Katherine , Morden Nicky , Allan Elaine , Roberts Adam P. 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

The insertion sites of the conjugative transposon Tn
916
in the anaerobic pathogen
Clostridium difficile
were determined using Illumina Solexa high-throughput DNA sequencing of Tn
916
insertion libraries in two different clinical isolates: 630ΔE, an erythromycin-sensitive derivative of 630 (ribotype 012), and the ribotype 027 isolate R20291, which was responsible for a severe outbreak of
C. difficile
disease. A consensus 15-bp Tn
916
insertion sequence was identified which was similar in both strains, although an extended consensus sequence was observed in R20291. A search of the
C. difficile
630 genome showed that the Tn
916
insertion motif was present 100,987 times, with approximately 63,000 of these motifs located in genes and 35,000 in intergenic regions. To test the usefulness of Tn
916
as a mutagen, a functional screen allowed the isolation of a mutant. This mutant contained Tn
916
inserted into a gene involved in flagellar biosynthesis.
Association with an Ammonium-Excreting Bacterium Allows Diazotrophic Culture of Oil-Rich Eukaryotic Microalgae
Authors: Ortiz-Marquez Juan Cesar Federico , Do Nascimento Mauro , Dublan Maria de los Angeles , Curatti Leonardo 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

Concerns regarding the depletion of the world's reserves of oil and global climate change have promoted an intensification of research and development toward the production of biofuels and other alternative sources of energy during the last years. There is currently much interest in developing the technology for third-generation biofuels from microalgal biomass mainly because of its potential for high yields and reduced land use changes in comparison with biofuels derived from plant feedstocks. Regardless of the nature of the feedstock, the use of fertilizers, especially nitrogen, entails a potential economic and environmental drawback for the sustainability of biofuel production. In this work, we have studied the possibility of nitrogen biofertilization by diazotrophic bacteria applied to cultured microalgae as a promising feedstock for next-generation biofuels. We have obtained an
Azotobacter vinelandii
mutant strain that accumulates several times more ammonium in culture medium than wild-type cells. The ammonium excreted by the mutant cells is bioavailable to promote the growth of nondiazotrophic microalgae. Moreover, this synthetic symbiosis was able to produce an oil-rich microalgal biomass using both carbon and nitrogen from the air. This work provides a proof of concept that artificial symbiosis may be considered an alternative strategy for the low-N-intensive cultivation of microalgae for the sustainable production of next-generation biofuels and other bioproducts.
Dynamics and Persistence of Dead Sea Microbial Populations as Shown by High-Throughput Sequencing of rRNA
Authors: Rhodes Matthew E. , Oren Aharon , House Christopher H. 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT
16S rRNA amplicon libraries from a haloarchaeal bloom in the hypersaline Dead Sea in 1992 were analyzed together with the 2007 residual population and simulated blooms in experimental mesocosms. Significant population shifts were observed during the bloom, and surprisingly a signature from the bloom was retained 15 years later.
Large Crystal Toxin Formation in Chromosomally Engineered Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai Due to σ
E
Accumulation
Authors: Buasri Wasin , Panbangred Watanalai 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

Seven distinct
Bacillus thuringiensis
subsp.
aizawai
integrants were constructed that carried the chitinase (
chiBlA
) gene from
B. licheniformis
under the control of the
cry11Aa
promoter and terminator with and without
p19
and
p20
genes. The toxicity of
B. thuringiensis
subsp.
aizawai
integrants against second-instar
Spodoptera litura
larvae was increased 1.8- to 4.6-fold compared to that of the wild-type strain (BTA1). Surprisingly, the enhanced toxicity in some strains of
B. thuringiensis
subsp.
aizawai
integrants (
Bta
P19CS,
Bta
P19CSter, and
Bta
CAT) correlated with an increase in toxin formation. To investigate the role of these genes in toxin production, the expression profiles of the toxin genes,
cry1Aa
and
chiBlA
, as well as their transcriptional regulators (
sigK
and
sigE
), were analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qPCR) from BTA1,
Bta
P19CS, and
Bta
CAT. Expression levels of
cry1Aa
in these two integrants increased about 2- to 3-fold compared to those of BTA1. The expression of the transcription factor
sigK
also was prolonged in the integrants compared to that of the wild type; however,
sigE
expression was unchanged. Western blot analysis of σ
E
and σ
K
showed the prolonged accumulation of σ
E
in the integrants compared to that of BTA1, resulting in the increased synthesis of pro-σ
K
up to
T
17
after the onset of sporulation in both
Bta
P19CS and
Bta
CAT compared to that of
T
13
in BTA1. The results from qPCR indicate clearly that the
cry1Aa
promoter activity was influenced most strongly by σ
E
, whereas
cry11Aa
depended mostly on σ
K
. These results on large-crystal toxin formation with enhanced toxicity should provide useful information for the generation of strains with improved insecticidal activity.
Use of Amplified-Fragment Length Polymorphism To Study the Ecology of Campylobacter jejuni in Environmental Water and To Predict Multilocus Sequence Typing Clonal Complexes
Authors: Lévesque Simon , St-Pierre Karen , Frost Eric , Arbeit Robert D. , Michaud Sophie 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

We determined the genetic variability among water isolates of
Campylobacter jejuni
by using amplified-fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Across a highly diverse collection of isolates, AFLP clusters did not correlate with MLST clonal complexes, suggesting that AFLP is not reliable for deciphering population genetic relationships and may be problematic for larger epidemiologic analyses.
Comparative Analysis of 16S rRNA andamoAGenes from Archaea Selected with Organic and Inorganic Amendments in Enrichment Culture
Authors: Xu Mouzhong , Schnorr Jon , Keibler Brandon , Simon Holly M. 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACTWe took advantage of a plant-root enrichment culture system to characterize mesophilic soil archaea selected through the use of organic and inorganic amendments. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA andamoAgenes indicated that specific archaeal clades were selected under different conditions. ThreeamoAsequence clades were identified, while for a fourth group, identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis alone and referred to as the “root” clade, we detected no correspondingamoAgene. TheamoA-containing archaea were present in media with either organic or inorganic amendments, whereas archaea representing the root clade were present only when organic amendment was used. Analysis ofamoAgene abundance and expression, together with nitrification-coupled growth assays, indicated potential growth by autotrophic ammonia oxidation for members of two group 1.1b clades. Increased abundance of one of these clades, however, also occurred upon the addition of organic amendment. Finally, althoughamoA-containing group 1.1a archaea were present in enrichments, we detected neither expression ofamoAgenes nor evidence for nitrification-coupled growth of these organisms. These data support a model of a diverse metabolic community in mesophilic soil archaea that is just beginning to be characterized.
SlyA Regulates Type III Secretion System (T3SS) Genes in Parallel with the T3SS Master Regulator HrpL in Dickeya dadantii 3937
Authors: Zou Lifang , Zeng Quan , Lin Haiping , Gyaneshwar Prasad , Chen Gongyou , Yang Ching-Hong 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

The hypersensitive response and pathogenicity (
hrp
) genes of
Dickeya dadantii
3937 encode a type III secretion system (T3SS) which is essential for its full virulence. Previous studies of the T3SS regulation in
D. dadantii
3937 revealed that the expression of the
hrp
genes is regulated by a master regulator, HrpL, through the HrpX-HrpY-HrpS-HrpL and GacS-GacA-
rsmB
-RsmA pathways. In this work, we identified a novel regulator of the SlyA/MarR family, SlyA, which regulates
hrp
genes of the HrpL regulon in parallel with HrpL in
D. dadantii
. SlyA regulates the T3SS in a two-tier manner. It negatively regulates the expression of
hrpL
by downregulating
hrpS
and upregulating
rsmA
. Interestingly, concomitant with its downregulation of the
hrpL
, SlyA positively regulates the expression of
hrpA
and
hrpN
, two
hrp
genes located in the HrpL regulon. In contrast to
Pectobacterium carotovorum
, the expression of
slyA
is not controlled by ExpR and ExpI in
D. dadantii
3937. We further show that SlyA is involved in controlling swimming motility and pellicle formation in
D. dadantii
3937.
Functional Identification of Two Novel Genes from Pseudomonas sp. Strain HZN6 Involved in the Catabolism of Nicotine
Authors: Qiu Jiguo , Ma Yun , Wen Yuezhong , Chen Liansheng , Wu Lifei , Liu Weiping 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

Nicotine is a natural alkaloid produced by tobacco plants, and the mechanisms of its catabolism by microorganisms are diverse. In the present study, we reported the mutation, cloning, and identification of two novel genes involved in nicotine degradation from the newly isolated
Pseudomonas
sp. strain HZN6. Transposon mutagenesis identified a HZN6 mutant in which the nicotine-degrading pathway was blocked at pseudooxynicotine. A 3,874-bp DNA fragment flanking the transposon insertion site was obtained through self-formed adaptor PCR. Two open reading frames (designated
pao
and
sap
) were analyzed, and the deduced amino acid sequences shared 29% identity with 6-hydroxy-
l
-nicotine oxidase from
Arthrobacter nicotinovorans
and 49% identity with an aldehyde dehydrogenase from
Bartonella henselae
. Both
pao
and
sap
were cloned and functionally expressed in recombinant
Escherichia coli
BL21. The
pao
gene encoded a novel pseudooxynicotine amine oxidase with noncovalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and exhibited substrate specificity removing the methylamine from pseudooxynicotine with the formation of 3-succinoylsemialdehyde-pyridine and hydrogen dioxide. The
sap
gene encoded a NADP
+
-dependent 3-succinoylsemialdehyde-pyridine dehydrogenase that catalyzed the dehydrogenation of 3-succinoylsemialdehyde-pyridine to 3-succinoyl-pyridine. Genetic analyses indicated that the
pao
gene played an essential role in nicotine or pseudooxynicotine mineralization in strain HZN6, whereas the
sap
gene did not. This study provides novel insight into the nicotine-degrading mechanism at the genetic level in
Pseudomonas
spp.
Effect of Streptococcus salivarius K12 on the In Vitro Growth of Candida albicans and Its Protective Effect in an Oral Candidiasis Model
Authors: Ishijima Sanae A. , Hayama Kazumi , Burton Jeremy P. , Reid Gregor , Okada Masashi , Matsushita Yuji , Abe Shigeru 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

Oral candidiasis is often accompanied by severe inflammation, resulting in a decline in the quality of life of immunosuppressed individuals and elderly people. To develop a new oral therapeutic option for candidiasis, a nonpathogenic commensal oral probiotic microorganism,
Streptococcus salivarius
K12, was evaluated for its ability to modulate
Candida albicans
growth
in vitro
, and its therapeutic activity in an experimental oral candidiasis model was tested.
In vitro
inhibition of mycelial growth of
C. albicans
was determined by plate assay and fluorescence microscopy. Addition of
S. salivarius
K12 to modified RPMI 1640 culture medium inhibited the adherence of
C. albicans
to the plastic petri dish in a dose-dependent manner. Preculture of
S. salivarius
K12 potentiated its inhibitory activity for adherence of
C. albicans
. Interestingly,
S. salivarius
K12 was not directly fungicidal but appeared to inhibit
Candida
adhesion to the substratum by preferentially binding to hyphae rather than yeast. To determine the potentially anti-infective attributes of
S. salivarius
K12 in oral candidiasis, the probiotic was administered to mice with orally induced candidiasis. Oral treatment with
S. salivarius
K12 significantly protected the mice from severe candidiasis. These findings suggest that
S. salivarius
K12 may inhibit the process of invasion of
C. albicans
into mucous surfaces or its adhesion to denture acrylic resins by mechanisms not associated with the antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin.
S. salivarius
K12 may be useful as a probiotic as a protective tool for oral care, especially with regard to candidiasis.
Characterization of the Amicetin Biosynthesis Gene Cluster from Streptomyces vinaceusdrappus NRRL 2363 Implicates Two Alternative Strategies for Amide Bond Formation
Authors: Zhang Gaiyun , Zhang Haibo , Li Sumei , Xiao Ji , Zhang Guangtao , Zhu Yiguang , Niu Siwen , Ju Jianhua , Zhang Changsheng 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACTAmicetin, an antibacterial and antiviral agent, belongs to a group of disaccharide nucleoside antibiotics featuring an α-(1→4)-glycoside bond in the disaccharide moiety. In this study, the amicetin biosynthesis gene cluster was cloned fromStreptomyces vinaceusdrappusNRRL 2363 and localized on a 37-kb contiguous DNA region. Heterologous expression of the amicetin biosynthesis gene cluster inStreptomyces lividansTK64 resulted in the production of amicetin and its analogues, thereby confirming the identity of theamigene cluster.In silicosequence analysis revealed that 21 genes were putatively involved in amicetin biosynthesis, including 3 for regulation and transportation, 10 for disaccharide biosynthesis, and 8 for the formation of the amicetin skeleton by the linkage of cytosine,p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and the terminal (+)-α-methylserine moieties. The inactivation of the benzoate coenzyme A (benzoate-CoA) ligase geneamiLand theN-acetyltransferase geneamiFled to two mutants that accumulated the same two compounds, cytosamine and 4-acetamido-3-hydroxybenzoic acid. These data indicated that AmiF functioned as an amide synthethase to link cytosine and PABA. The inactivation ofamiR, encoding an acyl-CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase, resulted in the production of plicacetin and norplicacetin, indicating AmiR to be responsible for attachment of the terminal methylserine moiety to form another amide bond. These findings implicated two alternative strategies for amide bond formation in amicetin biosynthesis.
Germinant-Enhanced Decontamination of Bacillus Spores Adhered to Iron and Cement-Mortar Drinking Water Infrastructures
Authors: Szabo Jeffrey G. , Muhammad Nur , Heckman Lee , Rice Eugene W. , Hall John 
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT

Germination was evaluated as an enhancement to decontamination methods for removing
Bacillus
spores from drinking water infrastructure. Germinating spores before chlorinating cement mortar or flushing corroded iron was more effective than chlorinating or flushing alone.