scholarly journals Genetic Analysis Reveals the Essential Role of Nitrogen Phosphotransferase System Components in Sinorhizobium fredii CCBAU 45436 Symbioses with Soybean and Pigeonpea Plants

2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 1305-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Zhen Li ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Xue Ying Feng ◽  
Jian Jiao ◽  
Wen Xin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Nodule Occupancy ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
Sinorhizobium Fredii ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Symbiotic Interactions ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
Negative Role

ABSTRACTThe nitrogen phosphotransferase system (PTSNtr) consists of EINtr, NPr, and EIIANtr. The active phosphate moiety derived from phosphoenolpyruvate is transferred through EINtrand NPr to EIIANtr.Sinorhizobium frediican establish a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with the legume crops soybean (as determinate nodules) and pigeonpea (as indeterminate nodules). In this study,S. frediistrains with mutations inptsPandptsO(encoding EINtrand NPr, respectively) formed ineffective nodules on soybeans, while a strain with aptsNmutation (encoding EIIANtr) was not defective in symbiosis with soybeans. Notable reductions in the numbers of bacteroids within each symbiosome and of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate granules in bacteroids were observed in nodules infected by theptsPorptsOmutant strains but not in those infected with theptsNmutant strain. However, these defects of theptsPandptsOmutant strains were recovered inptsP ptsNandptsO ptsNdouble-mutant strains, implying a negative role of unphosphorylated EIIANtrin symbiosis. Moreover, the symbiotic defect of theptsPmutant was also recovered by expressing EINtrwith or without the GAF domain, indicating that the putative glutamine-sensing domain GAF is dispensable in symbiotic interactions. The critical role of PTSNtrin symbiosis was also observed when related PTSNtrmutant strains ofS. frediiwere inoculated on pigeonpea plants. Furthermore, nodule occupancy and carbon utilization tests suggested that multiple outputs could be derived from components of PTSNtrin addition to the negative role of unphosphorylated EIIANtr.

scholarly journals Potassium Uptake Modulates Staphylococcus aureus Metabolism

mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey M. Gries ◽  
Marat R. Sadykov ◽  
Logan L. Bulock ◽  
Sujata S. Chaudhari ◽  
Vinai C. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Cytoplasmic Ph ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Previous studies describing mechanisms for K+ uptake in S. aureus revealed that the Ktr-mediated K+ transport system was required for normal growth under alkaline conditions but not under neutral or acidic conditions. This work focuses on the effect of K+ uptake on S. aureus metabolism, including intracellular pH and carbon flux, and is the first to utilize a pH-dependent green fluorescent protein (GFP) to measure S. aureus cytoplasmic pH. These studies highlight the role of K+ uptake in supporting proton efflux under alkaline conditions and uncover a critical role for K+ uptake in establishing efficient carbon utilization. As a leading cause of community-associated and nosocomial infections, Staphylococcus aureus requires sophisticated mechanisms that function to maintain cellular homeostasis in response to its exposure to changing environmental conditions. The adaptation to stress and maintenance of homeostasis depend largely on membrane activity, including supporting electrochemical gradients and synthesis of ATP. This is largely achieved through potassium (K+) transport, which plays an essential role in maintaining chemiosmotic homeostasis, affects antimicrobial resistance, and contributes to fitness in vivo. Here, we report that S. aureus Ktr-mediated K+ uptake is necessary for maintaining cytoplasmic pH and the establishment of a proton motive force. Metabolite analyses revealed that K+ deficiency affects both metabolic and energy states of S. aureus by impairing oxidative phosphorylation and directing carbon flux toward substrate-level phosphorylation. Taken together, these results underline the importance of K+ uptake in maintaining essential components of S. aureus metabolism. IMPORTANCE Previous studies describing mechanisms for K+ uptake in S. aureus revealed that the Ktr-mediated K+ transport system was required for normal growth under alkaline conditions but not under neutral or acidic conditions. This work focuses on the effect of K+ uptake on S. aureus metabolism, including intracellular pH and carbon flux, and is the first to utilize a pH-dependent green fluorescent protein (GFP) to measure S. aureus cytoplasmic pH. These studies highlight the role of K+ uptake in supporting proton efflux under alkaline conditions and uncover a critical role for K+ uptake in establishing efficient carbon utilization.

Understanding destination evangelism: a social media viewpoint

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Purvendu Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Role Of Information

PurposeThe present research aims to introduce and understand the promising nature of destination evangelism in the context of social media-based tourism communities (SMTCs). Further, factors that influence evangelism and information-seeking behaviors on SMTCs are examined.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model is developed that features an interplay of destination distinctiveness, destination evangelism, travel commitment and information-seeking engagement. Data were collected from 215 active users of SMTCs and analyzed using structural equation models.FindingsThe research findings indicate that destination distinctiveness and information-seeking positively lead to destination evangelism. Information-seeking is found to mediate the relationship between (1) destination evangelism and travel commitment and (2) destination evangelism and distinctiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe research offers meaningful insights into exploring constituents of destination evangelism. The research also understands and highlights the critical role of information-seeking engagement about distinct destinations.Practical implicationsThis research highlights key areas to build, improve and inspire destination evangelism on SMTCs.Originality/valueThis study offers a fresh contribution to tourism literature by investigating destination evangelism and its drivers. This is explained by closely uniting vital research streams of evangelism, tourism and engagement. It further highlights the dual mediating role of information seeking, suggesting that these engagements are critical to evangelizing destinations.

Institutional effect on born global firms in China: the role of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man Zhang ◽  
Qian Gao ◽  
Jane V. Wheeler ◽  
Jungsook Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Born Global ◽  
Internationalization Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Born Global Firms

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role of Sun Tzu’s significant strategies on the relationship between the institutional environment and international performance of Chinese born global firms, a type of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) characterized by the company’s limited resources and its early efforts to internationalize. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on a multi-case analysis of interviews conducted with four chosen born global firms, coupled with public database and Web site searches. Through the use of qualitative methods, propositions were developed. Findings – This paper provides insights regarding how the institutional environment, both formal and informal, has a strong positive relationship with born global firm’s international performance. Moreover, Sun Tzu’s significant strategies play a critical role in the internationalization process of born global firms in emerging markets. Originality/value – Although existing studies discuss the application of Eastern philosophical strategies adopted by firms in emerging markets, to the best of our knowledge, this is one of the earliest studies which evaluates the moderation effect of Sun Tzu’s significant strategies on the relationship between institutional environment and business performance. The paper contributes to scholarly discourse on the influencing factors of born global firm’s internationalization process. It also has practical relevance to international entrepreneurs and SMEs from emerging markets.

When and whom should retailers offer price reductions in times of crisis?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haeyoung Jeong ◽  
Siddharth Bhatt ◽  
Hongjun Ye ◽  
Jintao Zhang ◽  
Rajneesh Suri
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Pricing Strategies ◽  
Consumer Spending ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
Offering Price

PurposeWith a decrease in consumer spending during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many retailers are offering price reductions to stimulate demand. However, little is known about how consumers perceive such price reductions executed during turbulent times. The authors examine whether the timing of price reductions and individual differences impact consumers' evaluations of the retailers offering such reductions.Design/methodology/approachUsing a longitudinal design, the authors inquire into four retailers' motives that consumers may infer from a price decrease at two different times during the COVID-19 crisis.FindingsThe authors find that the timing of price reductions plays a key role in shaping consumers' inference of retailers' motives. The authors also uncover individual characteristics that affect consumers' inferences.Originality/valueThis research advances the literature by demonstrating the critical role of timing and individual characteristics in consumers' perceptions of price reductions during times of crisis. The authors findings also provide retailers with actionable insights for their pricing strategies. The findings may be generalizable to other types of crises that may arise in the future.

Indian study shows that encouraging knowledge sharing at work can help spark innovative behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Innovative Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The authors wanted to find out the most important mechanisms for encouraging innovative behavior in the Indian manufacturing sector. Design/methodology/approach The researchers collected data from Indian manufacturing organizations. They distributed questionnaires and received 288 complete ones. Items measured critical concepts. For OJ one example was “I have been fairly rewarded for the effort I put forth”. For KS, one sample was, “When I have learned something new, I tell my colleagues about it” and, “When they have learned something new, my colleagues tell me about it”. Meanwhile, IB was measured using items such as “I generate original solutions for problems”. Findings It highlighted the pivotal role of OJ in bolstering employees’ IB. When companies treat employees fairly, it encourages positive social interactions that lead to perceptions of supportiveness and trustworthiness. Employees reciprocate these sentiments with positive behavior. The study also showed the positive predictive influence of KS on IB. Finally, the results showed that the relationship between OJ and IB is complex, but KS is a pivotal mediator. Promotion of OJ, KS and IM is “vital” to spark innovation. Originality/value The authors felt their most important finding was to highlight the critical role of the underlying mechanism of KS, which is where individuals exchange implicit and explicit knowledge to create new knowledge. In addition, previous researchers have looked at the role of organizational justice in encouraging innovative behavior, but evidence from non-Western countries is scarce.

Adoption of students' loan schemes: the contingent role of financial knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Ocran ◽  
Livingstone Divine Caesar
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Financial Education ◽  
The Body ◽  
Financial Knowledge ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Behavioural Factors

PurposeDespite the introduction of structural reforms to the students' loan scheme (SLS) in Ghana's higher education sector, patronage is still low. This paper aims to examine the complexity of technological and behavioural factors underpinning the low rate of students' loan adoption in Ghana. It further contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring the moderating role of financial knowledge in the hypothesized relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing a positivistic research approach, a sample of 700 tertiary students with experience in accessing SLSs were surveyed. An 88% response rate was realized and the data analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsFour dimensions of technological factors (relative advantage, trialability, observability and compatibility) and two of behavioural factors (attitude and control behaviour) were positively related to adoption of the SLS. Financial knowledge only moderated the relationship between compatibility, attitude, behavioural control and students' loan adoption.Practical implicationsFinancial knowledge plays a critical role in influencing the investment decisions of people. Management of SLSs needs to offer financial education to targeted parents/students to clear misconceptions. It is also imperative that all other technical challenges are addressed to enhance adoption rates for the SLS. Review of guarantor requirements is needed also.Originality/valueThis paper introduces financial knowledge as a moderating variable to investigate the hypothesized relationships. It offers a developing country insight into how technological/behavioural factors and financial knowledge might be impacting adoption of SLSs.

A literature review exploring the role of technology in business survival during the Covid-19 lockdowns

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma S. Abed
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Business Survival ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Business Sectors

Purpose The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of human life. Even though the pandemic length was not too long, a huge volume of research relating to Covid-19 has been published in different contexts. This paper aims to review the literature investigating the impact of Covid −19 on businesses generally and explore studies examining the technology role of business survival during the Covid-19 lockdowns specifically. Design/methodology/approach This study implemented the concept of a systematic review approach to review the literature that has been conducted in the business field during the Covid-19 crisis in general. Additionally, it looks into the research examining the role of technology in business survival in the Covid-19 crisis specifically. All studies were conducted in 2020. A total of 53 studies were identified and categorised into different themes. The research methods, theories and locations have also been analysed. Findings It was found that Covid-19 pandemic has affected all business sectors in several ways. Technology adoption has a critical role for business survival during the Covid-19 crises especially with small businesses. Very limited research has been conducted on the adoption of different technologies during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Originality/value This study presents the most frequent themes and topics that have been explored in the literature during the Covid-19 crisis in the business field. It highlights the methods used in addition to the theories and research locations present in this literature. Finally, it proposes the possible implications of this literature review.

Assessing the role of product category involvement and relationship proneness in the satisfaction–loyalty link in retailing

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Choukri Menidjel ◽  
Abderrezzak Benhabib ◽  
Anil Bilgihan ◽  
Melih Madanoglu
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Retail Industry ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Product category involvement and relationship proneness are crucial in explaining relationship outcomes. Nevertheless, the authors know little about their roles in the formation of loyalty, especially in the retail industry. Individual consumer traits and preferences are likely to play a critical role in the success of relationship marketing. Yet, relationship marketing studies have fallen short of considering such individual differences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty in retail clothing stores. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained using a survey of 220 consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings The results show that satisfaction significantly affects product category involvement and relationship proneness, which, in turn, significantly affect purchase intention and word-of-mouth (WOM). The results also show that product category involvement and relationship proneness partially mediate the impact of satisfaction on purchase intention and WOM. Research limitations/implications Product category involvement and relationship proneness play a critical role in explaining the satisfaction–loyalty link. Future research could consider the role of potential moderating variables. Practical implications Retail managers should not only focus on improving customer satisfaction to achieve customer loyalty, but should also consider the importance of product category involvement and relationship proneness, and their role in the formation of customer loyalty both in traditional and online environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction, purchase intention and WOM in the retail industry.

Multisensory experience for enhancing hotel guest experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 4313-4337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minwoo Lee ◽  
Seonjeong (Ally) Lee ◽  
Yoon Koh
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Business Intelligence ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Big Data Analytics ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Multisensory Experience

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of customers’ multisensory service experience on customer satisfaction with cognitive effort and affective evaluations using big data and business intelligence techniques. Design/methodology/approach Online customer reviews for all New York City hotels were collected from Tripadvisor.com and analyzed through business intelligence and big data analytics techniques including data mining, text analytics, sentiment analysis and regression analysis. Findings The current study identifies the relationship between affective evaluations (i.e. positive affect and negative affect) and customer satisfaction. Research findings also find the negative effect of reviewer’s cognitive effort on satisfaction rating. More importantly, this study demonstrates the moderating role of multisensory experience as an innovative marketing tool on the relationship between affect/cognitive evaluation and customer satisfaction in the hospitality setting. Originality/value This study is the first study to explore the critical role of sensory marketing on hotel guest experience in the context of hotel customer experience and service innovation, based on big data and business intelligence techniques.

Business case effectiveness: the critical role of the organization

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1051-1075
Author(s):  
Frank Einhorn ◽  
Jack Meredith ◽  
Carl Marnewick
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Business Case ◽  
It Projects ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Cases ◽  
Effective Use

PurposeLiterature indicates that the business case for projects is difficult to use and suggests that there are organizational factors that can facilitate effective use of the business case. This paper aims to identify such facilitators, measure their presence and importance, and relate them to the actual practice of business case processes.Design/methodology/approachA cross sectional quantitative method was used, with data on facilitators and business case process usage gathered through an online questionnaire.FindingsThe findings for the 43 organizational facilitators are that each one is considered more important than its presence in the respondents' organizations. High correlations emerge between the presence of the facilitators and the use of business case processes, indicating the pivotal role of the facilitators.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted for business IT projects implemented by organizations based in South Africa. It furthers our understanding of project business cases and suggests additional research avenues in this area.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that organizations could improve key facilitators at an affordable cost. Such improvement would enable more effective use of the business case throughout the project's lifetime – from initial concept until planned benefits have been substantially realized. Better use of the business case would also support governance and increase the success rate of business IT projects.Originality/valueOrganizational facilitators of business case processes are identified and categorized for the first time, leading to measurements of their perceived importance and presence in organizations. Hence, the relationship between these facilitators and actual business case usage is determined, suggesting areas of optimum impact.

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