Microbially mediated reduction and immobilization of U(VI) to U(IV) plays a role in both natural attenuation and accelerated bioremediation of uranium-contaminated sites. To realize bioremediation potential and accurately predict natural attenuation, it is important to first understand the microbial diversity of such sites. In this paper, the distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in contaminated groundwater associated with a uranium mill tailings disposal site at Shiprock, N.Mex., was investigated. Two culture-independent analyses were employed: sequencing of clone libraries of PCR-amplified dissimilatory sulfite reductase (DSR) gene fragments and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarker analysis. A remarkable diversity among the DSR sequences was revealed, including sequences from ␦-Proteobacteria, gram-positive organisms, and the Nitrospira division. PLFA analysis detected at least 52 different mid-chain-branched saturate PLFA and included a high proportion of 10me16:0. Desulfotomaculum and Desulfotomaculum-like sequences were the most dominant DSR genes detected. Those belonging to SRB within ␦-Proteobacteria were mainly recovered from low-uranium (<302 ppb) samples. One Desulfotomaculum-like sequence cluster overwhelmingly dominated high-U (>1,500 ppb) sites. Logistic regression showed a significant influence of uranium concentration over the dominance of this cluster of sequences (P ‫؍‬ 0.0001). This strong association indicates that Desulfotomaculum has remarkable tolerance and adaptation to high levels of uranium and suggests the organism's possible involvement in natural attenuation of uranium. The in situ activity level of Desulfotomaculum in uranium-contaminated environments and its comparison to the activities of other SRB and other functional groups should be an important area for future research.Microbially mediated reduction of redox-sensitive metals offers the potential to remediate metal-contaminated groundwater in situ. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are important members of microbial communities involved in such metal reduction and occur in a variety of environments, including oiland gas-bearing formations, soils, and domestic, industrial, and mining wastewaters (39). Although traditionally considered obligate anaerobes, observations of sulfate reduction occurring in the aerobic environment reported in the last 15 years have demonstrated a much larger ecological range of the SRB than previously thought (5, 6, 13). The dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria in particular are environmentally ubiquitous, are found over an extensive range of pH and salt concentrations, and exhibit a superior ability to reduce and accumulate metals (16, 30,

HighlightCabZIP63, indirectly activated by CaWRKY40, positively modulates transcription of CabZIP63 and CaWRKY40, enhances the binding of CaWRKY40 to its target promoters, and, therefore, increases resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum and thermotolerance.

The successful implementation project of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has many benefits for the implementing organisation. However, on other side, failing this project would have several negative implications not only on the business but also on the ERP vendor. Therefore, considering all the factors that might affect the success of this project is considered as a priority for all parties involved in this project. Many papers or journal articles have studied the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that influence the ERP implementation and post implementation phases, however, very few has considered them from the stakeholders' perspective. Hence, this research will fill this gap by providing a systematic review for the literature related to CSFs in the ERP implementation and also present them while considering the participants' different perspectives. This paper presents a systematic review of 35 research articles published on the CSFs implementation between 2000 and 2013. We collected and analysed 35 of the key articles discussing and analysing ERP implementation. The paper identifies a total of 51 CSFs in ERP implementation. In these 51 CSFs, top management support and commitment, training and education, project management, clear vision and objectives of the ERP system, careful change management and Interdepartmental communication were the most frequently cited as the CSFs to the successful implementation of ERP systems. A better understanding of the CFSs will help the practitioners and managers to improve the chance of success in the implementation projects.

The WRKY web, which is comprised of a subset of WRKY transcription factors (TFs), plays a crucial role in the regulation of plant immunity, however, the mode of organization and operation of this network remains obscure, especially in non-model plants such as pepper (Capsicum annuum). Herein, CaWRKY22, a member of a subgroup of IIe WRKY proteins from pepper, was functionally characterized in pepper immunity against Ralstonia Solanacearum. CaWRKY22 was found to target the nuclei, and its transcript level was significantly upregulated by Ralstonia Solanacearum inoculation (RSI) and exogenously applied salicylic acid (SA), Methyl jasmonate (MeJA), or ethephon (ETH). Loss-of-function CaWRKY22, caused by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), enhanced pepper’s susceptibility to RSI. In addition, the silencing of CaWRKY22 perturbed the hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death elicited by RSI and downregulated defense-related genes including CaPO2, CaPR4, CaACC, CaBPR1, CaDEF1, CaHIR1, and CaWRKY40. CaWRKY22 was found to directly bind to the promoters of CaPR1, CaDEF1, and CaWRKY40 by chromatin immuno-precipitation (ChIP) analysis. Contrastingly, transient overexpression of CaWRKY22 in pepper leaves triggered significant HR-like cell death and upregulated the tested immunity associated maker genes. Moreover, the transient overexpression of CaWRKY22 upregulated the expression of CaWRKY6 and CaWRKY27 while it downregulated of the expression of CaWRKY58. Conversely, the transient overexpression of CaWRKY6, CaWRKY27, and CaWRKY40 upregulated the expression of CaWRKY22, while transient overexpression of CaWRKY58 downregulated the transcript levels of CaWRKY22. These data collectively recommend the role of CaWRKY22 as a positive regulator of pepper immunity against R. Solanacearum, which is regulated by signaling synergistically mediated by SA, jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET), integrating into WRKY networks with WRKY TFs including CaWRKY6, CaWRKY27, CaWRKY40, and CaWRKY58.

Information availability, firm performance, idiosyncratic volatility and bankruptcy-risk vary across the Corporate Life Cycle (CLC) stages. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether CLC stages explain firm’s propensity to engage in both accrual base and real earning management practices in the context of China. Panel data of 3250 non-financial Chinese listed firms spanning from 2009 to 2018 is used to investigate the proposed relationship. CLC stages were captured through Dickinson’s model, while earnings management is measured by employing both techniques, i.e., accruals-base earnings management and real earnings management. The data were analyzed through Panel data fixed-effects and random-effects techniques. Results reveal that, when compared to shakeout phase, managers’ response to use both earnings management practices is significantly higher during introduction and decline phases, and lower during growth and mature stages of CLC. It suggests that introductory and later-staged firms distort their factual financial information from creditors to obtain loans without strict debt covenants. Our results are robust to alternate measures and specifications. The core contribution of this research is to add a fresh perspective to the CLC research by uncovering its imperative role in influencing the earning management behavior of corporate managers.

No abstract

Regulation of spatio-temporal expression patterns of stress tolerance associated plant genes is an essential component of the stress responses. Eukaryotes assign a large amount of their genome to transcription with multiple transcription factors (TFs). Often, these transcription factors fit into outsized gene groups which, in several cases, exclusively belong to plants. Basic leucine zipper domain (bZIP) transcription factors regulate vital processes in plants and animals. In plants, bZIPs are implicated in numerous fundamental processes like seed development, energy balance, and responses to abiotic or biotic stresses. Systematic analysis of the information obtained over the last two decades disclosed a constitutive role of bZIPs against biotic stress. bZIP TFs are vital players in plant innate immunity due to their ability to regulate genes associated with PAMP-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, and hormonal signaling networks. Expression analysis of studied bZIP genes suggests that exploration and functional characterization of novel bZIP TFs in planta is helpful in improving crop resistance against pathogens and environmental stresses. Our review focuses on major advancements in bZIP TFs and plant responses against different pathogens. The integration of genomics information with the functional studies provides new insights into the regulation of plant defense mechanisms and engineering crops with improved resistance to invading pathogens. Conclusively, succinct functions of bZIPs as positive or negative regulator mediate resistance to the plant pathogens and lay a foundation for understanding associated genes and TFs regulating different pathways. Moreover, bZIP TFs may offer a comprehensive transgenic gizmo for engineering disease resistance in plant breeding programs.

This study aims to provide a comparison between Pakistani and the UK consumers' purchase intentions towards counterfeit luxury products by focusing on the relationships between the following factors: perceived quality, status consumption, low price and ethics. A sample of 251 university students from Pakistan (137) and the UK (114) was used. Data was analyzed using AMOS and SPSS. Results show that Pakistani consumers are satisfied with perceived quality of counterfeit products while the UK consumers are not. Status associated with the counterfeit products and prices of these products were found to be important factors for both samples. Pakistani consumers show less ethical behaviour compared to the UK consumers. Considering a single product category, i.e. luxury products, is a limitation of the study and selecting a single product category may possibly restrict the potential generalizability.