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Fusarium verticillioides NAT1 (FDB2) N‐malonyltransferase is structurally, functionally and phylogenetically distinct from its N‐acetyltransferase (NAT) homologues
Get PDFFusarium endophytes damage cereal crops and contaminate produce with mycotoxins. Those fungi overcome the main chemical defence of host via detoxification by a malonyl-CoA-dependent enzyme homologous to xenobiotic metabolizing arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT). In Fusarium verticillioides (teleomorph Gibberella moniliformis, GIBMO), this N-malonyltransferase activity is attributed to (GIBMO)NAT1, and the fungus has two additional isoenzymes, (GIBMO)NAT3 (N-acetyltransferase) and (GIBMO)NAT2 (unknown function). We present the crystallographic structure of (GIBMO)NAT1, also modelling other fungal NAT homologues. Monomeric (GIBMO)NAT1 is distinctive, with access to the catalytic core through two “tunnel-like” entries separated by a “bridge-like” helix. In the quaternary arrangement, (GIBMO)NAT1 monomers interact in pairs along an extensive interface whereby one entry of each monomer is covered by the N-terminus of the other monomer. Although monomeric (GIBMO)NAT1 apparently accommodates acetyl-CoA better than malonyl-CoA, dimerization changes the active site to allow malonyl-CoA to reach the catalytic triad (Cys110, His158 and Asp173) via the single uncovered entry, and anchor its terminal carboxyl-group via hydrogen bonds to Arg109, Asn157 and Thr261. Lacking a terminal carboxyl-group, acetyl-CoA cannot form such stabilizing interactions, while longer acyl-CoAs enter the active site but cannot reach catalytic Cys. Other NAT isoenzymes lack such structural features, with (GIBMO)NAT3 resembling bacterial NATs and (GIBMO)NAT2 adopting a structure intermediate between (GIBMO)NAT1 and (GIBMO)NAT3. Biochemical assays confirmed differential donor substrate preference of (GIBMO)NAT isoenzymes, with phylogenetic analysis demonstrating evolutionary separation. Given the role of (GIBMO)NAT1 in enhancing Fusarium pathogenicity, unravelling the structure and function of this enzyme may benefit research into more targeted strategies for pathogen control
Understanding employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavior in public organizations – an integrative theory approach
Get PDFPurpose
This paper aims to investigate the impact of situational factors and internal psychological states on employees’ decisions to perform voluntary pro-environmental behavior. This study used a model combining the theory of planned behavior, norm activation model and comprehensive action determination model. This stud also explored the moderating role of habit (HAB) on the relationship between intention and actual voluntary pro-environmental behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through three waves of time-lagged survey questionnaires from 519 employees of public organizations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Findings
Employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) had a significant impact on intention to perform voluntary pro-environmental behavior, as did all other variables except perceived behavioral control. HABs related to pro-environmental behavior enhanced the relationship between intention and actual behavior.
Practical implications
The main factors influencing employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavioral intentions were perceived CSR, personal moral norms, organizational citizenship behaviors toward the environment and attitude. Public organization planners, managers and practitioners can use these findings to improve their organization’s environmental performance, leveraging nonmandated actions.
Social implications
Employees can achieve a better work–life balance in organizations with flexible CSR policies and which sponsor social activities to improve public well-being and individuals’ life quality. Positive sense-making of corporate social activity helps employees develop social interactions with stakeholders, increasing their involvement in society and decreasing work stress.
Originality/value
This study sheds light on the factors influencing employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavior. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to combine these three models to explain the variables affecting intent to perform voluntary pro-environmental behavior in the workplace
An Equity-First Policy for Women Police Around the World: Strategies for change
Get PDFFeminist scholars have debated the issue of integration and specialising of women in policing. Scholars of policing in some nations have argued that culture does not lend itself to the Western definition of integration. Instead, they focus on gender-segregated units or specialised policing for women. Other scholars argue that integration is the road to equality in the workforce. However, research reveals that within all nations, women experience barriers to hiring and promotion and are marginalised within the male dominated organisation. In this article, we argue that equity must be achieved before women police are to obtain equality in the workforce. We examine different models of gender in policing around the world focusing on a few nations: equality model (Australia, Taiwan, UK, and US), equity model (China), hybrid model (India and Brazil), and cultural-specific model (Arabic Gulf countries). Our findings reveal that no nation has made policing a gender equal institution. We thus proposed a gender policy in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that allows equity to come first to create an equal platform for women in policing, following which gender equality may be achievable. This equity-first gender policy comprises two stages. The first stage involves changes in perceptions, while the second stage involves changes in police policy and practice
The Perception of Urban Regeneration by Stakeholders: A Case Study of the Student Village Design Project in Korea
Get PDFUrban regeneration by participatory methods is being discussed in many parts of the world, but conflicts between stakeholders emerge as a major challenge. In order to address this problem, a new approach to urban regeneration has been attempted in Korea. By targeting towns with university campuses, this project encourages active participation from university students as well as local residents. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the project adopted an online-based communication strategy. First, the online data was collected; second, the data for each participant was classified through data refinement; and third, the data analysis and data visualization were carried out at each stage using program R. The results revealed that the stakeholders exhibited different perceptions about the process, indicating a potential benefit of distinct role division for the success of the multiparty project. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it analyzes participants’ perceptions of urban regeneration using a text-mining process. The results of the study can serve as the basis for minimizing conflict and planning effective urban regeneration
Bombed Cities: Legacies of Post‐War Planning on the Contemporary Urban and Social Fabric
Get PDFPost‐Second World War reconstruction is an important field of research around the world, with strands of enquiry investigating architecture, urban archaeology, heritage studies, urban design, city planning, critical cartography, and social geography. This thematic issue offers a critical statement on mid‐twentieth century urban planning, starting from the period of the Second World War. We approach post‐war reconstruction not only from the mainstream actualised perspective, but also considered by alternative visions and strategies, with an emphasis on empirically driven studies of post‐catastrophic damage and reconstruction, implementing a range of different methodologies. In this editorial we identify two research strands on post‐war planning of destroyed cities, one investigating the processes and practices of reconstruction and heritage conservation and the other assessing the legacies of planning decisions on the social and urban fabric of today’s cities. These two strands are interlinked; early planning visions and subsequent decisions were dominated by contemporary concerns and political values, yet they have been imprinted on today’s urban and social fabric of various bombed cities, affecting our urban lives. Thus, reconstruction strategies of destroyed cities should engage diverse voices in a broad dialogue through sensitive inclusion, as today’s planning decisions have the capacity to define the urban and social conditions for future generations
Reflections of experts by experience and research team members on research and development about a sensitive issue that attracts stigma
Get PDFTo reduce the number of alcohol-exposed pregnancies in antenatal care in the UK, the CHAMPION study objective was to design appropriate training and resources to develop the midwifery skills and confidence required to have an effective conversation about alcohol with pregnant women. Women with lived experience of drinking during pregnancy and ‘birth mums’ of a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) were central to the co-creation process of the CHAMPION study. Some remarkable unintended positive outcomes resulted from this collaboration process for the women involved. They include increased confidence levels from newfound friendships with other mothers of children with FASD, and an acceptance that societal influences had a significant role to play in their personal situations. Reflecting on this authentic co-creation process has elicited important learning outcomes to inform future research design. The significance of excellent communication channels, robust support networks and genuinely valuing and respecting experts by experience as equal partners should not be underestimated
Undirected graphical model of adjacency matrix for dynamic elasticity in polyelectrolyte hydrogels
Get PDFMolecular network plays a critical role in determining dynamic elasticity of soft condensed polymers, e.g., their varied cross-linking densities and end-to-end distances with changed Young's moduli. Although it has been studied for decades, the coupling relationship between vertices and edges of molecular networks is not well understood, mainly because the degree of the crosslinking points and asymmetry molecular networks have not been considered in the previously models. In this study, a graph theory was employed to formulate an undirected graphical model and describe the coupling between vertices and edges in molecular networks, based on which the dynamic elasticity of polyelectrolyte hydrogel was modeled. From the Kirchhoff graph theory and bead-spring model, the coupling relationship between vertices and edges was obtained using end-to-end distance and viscosity parameters. Combining the Watts–Strogatz model and kinetic probability, the coupling between vertices and edges for the polyelectrolyte network was studied. Furthermore, an adjacency matrix with eigenvalue, number of vertices and mean degree was proposed to formulate constitutive relationships including dynamic elasticity and stress-strain, according to rubber elasticity theory and Mooney-Rivlin model, respectively. The linking between the vertices and edges determines the network structure and dynamic elasticity of the polyelectrolyte hydrogel. Based on the graph theory, the vertices and edges are encoded by adjacency matrix, which is proposed to describe the dynamic elasticity of symmetric and asymmetric network structures using the crosslinking density and end-to-end distance. Finally, effectiveness of the undirected graphical model was verified using both finite element analysis and experimental results of polyelectrolyte hydrogels reported in literature
Use of new models of construction procurement to enhance collaboration in construction projects: the UK construction industry perspective
Get PDFPurpose: The lack of collaborative working within the UK construction industry is a long-standing issue that has often been highlighted. As a result, the construction industry in the UK is encouraged to use novel procurement methods to create a collaborative working environment. This study aims to explore the collaborative features of the three new models of construction procurement introduced by the UK Government Construction Strategy in 2012. Design/methodology/approach: Existing research/literature was reviewed to establish the key collaborative features of the new procurement models, and a questionnaire survey was adopted to obtain views of industry practitioners. A Relative Importance Index was used to analyse the collected data. Findings: The sample of construction practitioners surveyed largely agrees with the effectiveness of collaborative features integrated within the models, with the benefits offered by early contractor involvement being seen as the most effective feature allowing collaboration. Contractual incentives, improved communication procedures and constant reflection and feedback can be used as effective strategies to enable greater collaboration in projects that use these new procurement models. Research limitations/implications: Findings reported in the paper could help achieve greater collaboration in construction projects executed using the new models of construction procurement. Originality/value: This study sheds light on the scepticism and/or conviction of industry practitioners regarding the collaborative benefits offered by the new procurement models, which have not yet been subjected to significant academic scrutiny
Does gender matter for corporate entrepreneurship? A cross-countries study
Get PDFThe accumulated knowledge about corporate entrepreneurship has provided a better understanding of its antecedents and consequences. Corporate entrepreneurship activities are strongly related to incremental or disruptive innovation processes. However, academic debates demand a novel conceptual framework to understand the gendered workforce’s contribution to corporate entrepreneurship initiatives worldwide. This study hypothesizes that a gendered workforce has similar capabilities (skills, ability to detect opportunities, and networks) to engage in corporate entrepreneurship. Therefore, any gender differences could be explained by the influence of country-level conditions (gender equality levels, culture, and social norms). We tested these hypotheses with a sample of 50,550 employees from 50 countries. Our results support these hypotheses extending the corporate entrepreneurship literature and provoking an interesting discussion to academics, managers, employees, and policymakers
Record-breaking Frequency of 44 GHz Based on Higher Order Mode of Surface Acoustic Waves with LiNbO3/SiO2/SiC Heterostructures
Get PDFSurface acoustic wave (SAW) technology has been extensively explored for wireless communication, sensors, microfluidics, photonics, and quantum information processing. However, due to fabrication issues, the frequencies of SAW devices are typically limited to within a few gigahertz, which severely restricts their applications in 5G communication, precision sensing, photonics, and quantum control. To solve this critical problem, we propose a hybrid strategy that integrates a nanomanufacturing process (i.e., nanolithography) with a LiNbO3/SiO2/SiC heterostructure and successfully achieve a record-breaking frequency of about 44 GHz for SAW devices, in addition to large electromechanical coupling coefficients of up to 15.7%. We perform a theoretical analysis and identify the guided higher order wave modes generated on these slow-on-fast SAW platforms. To demonstrate the superior sensing performance of the proposed ultra-high-frequency SAW platforms, we perform micro-mass sensing and obtain an extremely high sensitivity of approximately 33151.9 MHz·mm2·μg−1, which is about 1011 times higher than that of a conventional quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and about 4000 times higher than that of a conventional SAW device with a frequency of 978 MHz