bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Total quality management and high-performance work systems for social capital development
Authors: Donate Mario J. , Ruiz-Monterrubio Emilio , Sánchez de Pablo Jesús D. , Peña Isidro
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse social capital (SC) development oriented to innovation. The relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and total quality management (TQM) philosophy is considered in this paper as an enabling factor that allows firms to accumulate SC oriented to develop radical and incremental innovation capabilities (IIC).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper establishes hypotheses and a model based on partial and total mediating effects of SC to develop innovation capabilities, which are focused on previous unexplored connections between HPWS and TQM and their effects on SC. The model and hypotheses are statistically tested through a partial least squares approach to structural equations models in a multi-industry sample of Spanish companies.

Findings

The study results show a system of specific human resource practices connected to SC development. Moreover, SC is found to be a mediating factor in the relationship between TQM and IIC, although the effect is not significant when radical innovation capabilities (RIC) are considered in the model. Finally, it is shown that HPWS partially mediates the relationship between TQM and SC.

Research limitations/implications

This paper mainly contributes to the study of organizational context enablers for intellectual capital (IC) development from a knowledge-based view, especially when firms are seeking to build or improve innovation capabilities. As a managerial approach, HPWSs and TQM are shown as powerful tools to establish prolific contexts for SC development, especially when TQM is rightly supported by a HPWS.

Originality/value

This is a quantitative study that analyses, for the first time, predictive relationships between popular tools such as TQM and HPWSs to create an organizational context for SC development, considering a multi-industry sample of firms. Important implications are also drawn to help managers to create IC assets related to social interaction and network relationships.
Retrospective pledge voting: A comparative study of the electoral consequences of government parties’ pledge fulfilment
Authors: MATTHIEß THERES
Published: January 2020

Does pledge fulfilment bear any electoral consequences for government parties? While previous research on retrospective voting has largely focused on electoral accountability with respect to the economy, the theoretical framework presented in this study links government parties’ performance to their previous electoral pledges. It is argued that government parties are more likely to be rewarded by voters when they have fulfilled more pledges during the legislative term. Good pledge performance of a party is associated with the ability to maximise policy benefits (accomplishment) and to be a responsible actor that will stick to its promises in the future as well (competence). Analysing data from 69 elections in 14 countries shows that a government party's electoral outcome is affected by its previous pledge performance. A government party that fulfils a higher share of election pledges is more likely to prevent electoral losses. This finding indicates that voters react at the polls to party pledge fulfilment, which highlights the crucial role of promissory representation in democratic regimes. Surprisingly and in contrast with economic voting, there is no evidence that retrospective pledge voting is moderated by clarity of responsibility.
Fermented foods in a global age: East meets West
Authors: Tamang Jyoti Prakash , Cotter Paul D. , Endo Akihito , Han Nam Soo , Kort Remco , Liu Shao Quan , Mayo Baltasar , Westerik Nieke , Hutkins Robert
Published: January 2020

Fermented foods and alcoholic beverages have long been an important part of the human diet in nearly every culture on every continent. These foods are often well‐preserved and serve as stable and significant sources of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Despite these common features, however, many differences exist with respect to substrates and products and the types of microbes involved in the manufacture of fermented foods and beverages produced globally. In this review, we describe these differences and consider the influence of geography and industrialization on fermented foods manufacture. Whereas fermented foods produced in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand usually depend on defined starter cultures, those made in Asia and Africa often rely on spontaneous fermentation. Likewise, in developing countries, fermented foods are not often commercially produced on an industrial scale. Although many fermented products rely on autochthonous microbes present in the raw material, for other products, the introduction of starter culture technology has led to greater consistency, safety, and quality. The diversity and function of microbes present in a wide range of fermented foods can now be examined in detail using molecular and other omic approaches. The nutritional value of fermented foods is now well‐appreciated, especially in resource‐poor regions where yoghurt and other fermented foods can improve public health and provide opportunities for economic development. Manufacturers of fermented foods, whether small or large, should follow Good Manufacturing Practices and have sustainable development goals. Ultimately, preferences for fermented foods and beverages depend on dietary habits of consumers, as well as regional agricultural conditions and availability of resources.
Anxiety disorders comorbidity in pediatric bipolar disorder: a meta‐analysis and meta‐regression study
Authors: Yapıcı Eser H. , Taşkıran A. S. , Ertınmaz B. , Mutluer T. , Kılıç Ö. , Özcan Morey A. , Necef I. , Yalçınay İnan M. , Öngür D.
Published: January 2020

Objective

Anxiety disorders (AD) are known for its comorbidity and negative impact on the course of adult bipolar disorder (BD). However, there is limited research on AD comorbidity in pediatric BD (PBD). Here, we aimed to conduct a meta‐analysis and meta‐regression study about the comorbidity and covariates of AD and PBD.

Method

We systematically searched relevant articles published until May 2019, as defined in PRISMA guidelines. Variables for associated features and prevalence of AD were extracted.

Results

Thirty‐seven articles represented data for the analysis. Lifetime any AD comorbidity was 44.7%; panic disorder (PD) was 12.7%; generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was 27.4%; social phobia was 20.1%; separation anxiety disorder (SAD) was 26.1%; and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) was 16.7%. Childhood‐onset studies reported higher GAD and SAD comorbidity, while adolescent‐onset studies reported higher PD, OCD, and social phobia. Age of onset, gender, comorbidity of ADHD, substance use, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder affected each anxiety disorders’ comorbidity with PBD differently.

Conclusion

Anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with PBD. Early‐onset PBD increases the risk of AD. Biopsychosocial aspects of this comorbidity and its course needs to be evaluated further.
The cascade of care for opioid use disorder: a retrospective study in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Piske Micah , Zhou Haoxuan , Min Jeong E. , Hongdilokkul Natt , Pearce Lindsay A. , Homayra Fahmida , Socias M. Eugenia , McGowan Gina , Nosyk Bohdan
Published: January 2020

Background and Aims

The ‘cascade of care’ framework, measuring attrition at various stages of care engagement, has been proposed to guide the public health response to the opioid overdose public health emergency in British Columbia, Canada. We estimated the cascade of care for opioid use disorder and identified factors associated with care engagement for people with opioid use disorder (PWOUD) provincially.

Design

Retrospective study using a provincial‐level linkage of four health administrative databases.

Setting and participants

All PWOUD in BC from 1 January 1996 to 30 November 2017.

Measurements

The eight‐stage cascade of care included diagnosed PWOUD, ever on opioid agonist treatment (OAT), recently on OAT, currently on OAT and retained on OAT: ≥ 1, ≥ 3, ≥ 12 and ≥ 24 months). Health‐care use, homelessness and other demographics were obtained from physician billing records, hospitalizations, and drug dispensation records. Receipt of income assistance was indicated by enrollment in Pharmacare Plan C.

Findings

A total of 55 470 diagnosed PWOUD were alive at end of follow‐up. As of 2017, a majority of the population (n = 39 456; 71%) received OAT during follow‐up; however, only 33% (n = 18 519) were currently engaged in treatment and 16% (n = 8960) had been retained for at least 1 year. Compared with those never on OAT, those currently engaged in OAT were more likely to be aged under 45 years [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.64, 1.89], male (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.64, 1.82), with concurrent substance use disorders (aOR = 2.56, 95% CI = 2.44, 2.70), hepatitis C virus (HCV) (aOR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.14, 1.33) and either homeless or receiving income‐assistance (aOR = 4.35, 95% CI = 4.17, 4.55). Regular contact with the health‐care system—either in out‐patient or acute care settings—was common among PWOUD not engaged in OAT, regardless of time since diagnosis or treatment discontinuation.

Conclusions

People with opioid use disorder in British Columbia, Canada show high levels of out‐patient care prior to diagnosis. Younger age, male sex, urban residence, lower income level and homelessness appear to be independently associated with increased opioid agonist treatment engagement.
Parenting challenges of African immigrants in Alberta, Canada
Authors: Salami Bukola , Alaazi Dominic A. , Okeke‐Ihejirika Philomina , Yohani Sophie , Vallianatos Helen , Tetreault Brittany , Nsaliwa Christina
Published: January 2020

African immigrant children and youth have some of the poorest social and mental health outcomes in Canada. Although parenting challenges have been widely documented as a key driver of these outcomes, limited systematic research has investigated this phenomenon. In this paper, we report the results of a study examining parenting challenges among a sample of African immigrant parents in Alberta, Canada. We relied on the theoretical lens of transnationalism to collect and analyse data from a purposive sample of African community leaders (n = 14), African immigrant parents (n = 32), and a range of stakeholders (n = 30). Our thematic data analysis revealed several intricately intertwined parenting challenges, organized around six overarching themes, namely, cultural incompatibility, family tension, state interference, limited social supports, poor access to services, and low socioeconomic status. We present these themes and the policy and service implications of our findings.
Orphans of Our Common Worlds
Authors: Lindgren Therese , Sjöstrand Öhrfelt Magdalena
Published: January 2020

In this article, Therese Lindgren and Magdalena Sjöstrand Öhrfelt compare two discourses that have been influential in the field of early education: the social‐economic and the posthumanist. Studying how the young educable child is articulated in these seemingly contradictory discourses, Lindgren and Sjöstrand Öhrfelt have found that the discourses not only overlap, but, to some extent, they also reinforce each other. Both discourses depict the future as precarious, and along with identifying deficiencies of our time, they seek to justify the need for early intervention in terms of education. The young child is portrayed, on the one hand, as not‐yet‐realized human capital and, on the other, as a site for change and new beginnings. That is, the child figures as the key to a better and more sustainable world. In both discourses, early childhood education and care (ECEC) is depicted as an emancipating project, detaching the child from the child's social and cultural contexts and historical past, making the young educable child an “orphan.”
Angiotensin receptor subtypes regulate adipose tissue renewal and remodelling
Authors: Tyurin‐Kuzmin Pyotr A. , Kalinina Natalia I. , Kulebyakin Konstantin Y. , Balatskiy Alexander V. , Sysoeva Veronika Y. , Tkachuk Vsevolod A.
Published: January 2020

Obesity is often associated with high systemic and local renin–angiotensin system (RAS) activity in adipose tissue. Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ADSCs), responsible for adipose tissue growth upon high‐fat diet, express multiple angiotensin II receptor isoforms, including angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R), Mas and Mas‐related G protein‐coupled receptor D. Although AT1R is expressed on most ADSCs, other angiotensin receptors are co‐expressed on a small subpopulation of the cells, a phenomenon that results in a complex response pattern. Following AT1R activation, the effects are transient due to rapid receptor internalisation. This short‐lived effect can be prevented by heteromerisation with AT2R, a particularly important strategy for the regulation of ADSC differentiation and secretory activity. Heteromeric AT2R might be especially important for the generation of thermogenic beige adipocytes. This review summarises current data regarding the regulation of adipose tissue renewal and particularly ADSC adipogenic differentiation and secretory activity by RAS, with an emphasis on AT2R and its effects. We reveal a new scheme that implicates AT2R into the regulation of ADSC hormonal sensitivity.
Same species, same habitat preferences? The distribution of aquatic plants is not explained by the same predictors in lakes and streams
Authors: Gillard Morgane B. , Aroviita Jukka , Alahuhta Janne
Published: January 2020

Studying the geographical distribution of species can reveal conditions and processes that may drive species presence and abundance. Organism distribution has frequently been explained by climate, but the relative role of local environmental predictors is not fully understood. Moreover, in the freshwater realm, intrinsic differences existing between different categories of water bodies can lead to significant differences in species–environment relationships. Here, we tested the relative importance of broad‐scale climate and local environmental predictors in explaining plant species distributions in freshwater lakes and streams.

We built species distribution models to investigate which predictors best explain aquatic plant distribution in two categories of water bodies. We used species inventories and records of three climate and eight local environmental predictors for 150 lakes and 150 streams in Finland.

We found that sets of predictors that explain the distribution of macrophyte species are unique depending on if species are in a lake or a stream. Overall, air temperature and ecosystem size were essential to predict aquatic plant species presence in both water body categories. Broad‐scale climate predictors were always very important in explaining species distribution, while local environmental conditions such as water chemistry were of variable influence, depending on species and water body category.

These results are probably due to high spatial and temporal variability and range of water physico‐chemical parameters, especially in streams. Nonetheless, despite a lower relative importance than climatic factors, local environmental predictors also strongly affected species distributions.

Our findings highlight that incorporating local environmental conditions to species distribution models in addition to climate predictors is necessary to improve predictions, particularly for distribution of stream flora. Considering the species‐specific responses of aquatic plants to their environment, studying species individually with species distribution models represents a useful analysis.
Macroinvertebrate community patterns in relation to leaf‐associated periphyton under contrasting light and nutrient conditions in headwater streams
Authors: Eckert Rebecca A. , Halvorson Halvor M. , Kuehn Kevin A. , Lamp William O.
Published: January 2020

Temperate headwater streams traditionally have been considered heterotrophic and brown food web dominated with little primary production. Recent work, however, suggests algae on leaves in these streams may play a greater role than previously thought through interactions with microbial decomposers like fungi. Algae also may be important for macroinvertebrates colonizing leaves in streams. Algae are a more nutritious food resource for shredders than fungi and bacteria and provide a food resource for non‐shredder macroinvertebrates.

In a field experiment, we manipulated light in three low‐nutrient and three high‐nutrient streams using leaf bags filled with red maple leaves in winter and spring. After four weeks we measured algal and fungal biomass, leaf stoichiometry, and macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass associated with the leaf bags. We also identified the macroinvertebrate community and examined differences in functional feeding guilds and taxa under ambient‐ and shaded‐light treatments and low‐ and high‐nutrient concentrations in relation to measured leaf characteristics.

Algal biomass on leaves was greatest in high‐nutrient streams and ambient‐light treatments in both seasons. Fungal biomass on leaves was greatest in high‐nutrient streams and showed a moderate marginally significant positive correlation with algae during the winter. Leaf C:N was negatively correlated to algae in winter and fungi in both seasons, while leaf N:P and C:P were negatively correlated to fungi in winter and algae in spring. Interactions between fungi and algae on leaves and the nutritional importance of each for macroinvertebrates likely change across seasons, potentially impacting macroinvertebrate community composition.

Macroinvertebrate diversity did not differ, but biomass was significantly greater in shaded‐light treatments during spring. Abundance was highest in the high‐nutrient ambient‐light conditions in both seasons, corresponding to greatest algal biomass. Functional feeding guild biomass and abundance were related to different leaf characteristics by season and guild. Higher algal biomass was an important factor for colonization of certain macroinvertebrates (e.g.,Ephemerella(Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae) andStenonema(Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae)), while others were more abundant under shaded treatments with lower algal biomass (e.g.,Tipula(Diptera: Tipulidae)), indicating taxa‐specific responses.

Leaf‐associated algae may be an important factor mediating macroinvertebrate communities associated with leaves in temperate headwater streams. Our results demonstrate that green and brown food webs intersect within leaf packs, and they cannot be easily disentangled. We therefore should consider both autochthonous and allochthonous resources within headwater streams when examining their communities or developing water management strategies.
Emotional disorder syndrome after cosmetic facial injection
Authors: Wang Chenyu , Sun Tianyu , Zhu Lin , Zhang Yingcheng , Wang Xiaojun
Published: January 2020

There are a number of patients who develop severe anxiety or depression after receiving facial cosmetic injections. We presented a 32‐year‐old woman who developed frequent panic, tension headache, tachycardia, shortness of breath, and sleep disorder for a year after the injection of hyaluronic acid on her forehead and glabella. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple flaky and slightly longer T1, slightly longer T2 signals on the anterior frontal white matter. However, the patient's brain MRI scan 5 months before the injection showed no such performance. The patient was asked to consult the psychiatrist and was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. We name such phenomenon by Emotional disorder syndrome after cosmetic facial injection and assume that there are three major reasons for the emergence of this syndrome. One reason may be that emotional disorder is caused by the mental state of the patient. The second reason to explain the emotional disorder might be the frontal lobe syndrome caused by the frontal embolism during the filler injection. Another reason may be leukoaraiosis, a brain white matter change which may cause depression and anxiety.
Grasslands ancient and modern: Soil nutrients, habitat age and their relation to Ellenberg N
Authors: Löfgren Oskar , Hall Karin , Schmid Barbara Christine , Prentice Honor Clare
Published: January 2020

Questions

To what extent does the long‐term process of grassland succession reflect changes in nutrient availability or other effects of grassland history? Plant communities in ancient, semi‐natural pastures include many species associated with nutrient‐poor soils. However, semi‐natural pasture communities can also develop on previously arable sites — as nutrient levels decline over time. In Europe, Ellenberg N‐values represent species’ overall nutrient preferences and are often used as a proxy for soil nutrient availability. But how well do N‐values actually reflect species’ relationships with measured nutrient concentrations during grassland succession?

Location

A successional series of grazed, previously arable to ancient, grasslands on the Baltic island of Öland, Sweden.

Methods

We collected data on community composition and soil nutrient (phosphorus, ammonium, nitrate) concentrations. We used Bayesian joint‐community modelling to parameterize species’ relationships with nutrients and grassland age, and quantified the relative contributions of the variables. Species responses were then compared with Ellenberg N‐values.

Results

Phosphorus was the best explanatory variable for most species. However, species occurrences were not simply explained by gradients in particular nutrients, but by combinations of different nutrients and grassland age. There was overall agreement between N‐values and species’ nutrient responses — although the occurrences of species with identical N‐values may be explained by different nutrients. Species with high and low N‐values represent more reliable nutrient indicators than intermediate‐N species, but their occurrences also reflect other factors that, as with nutrients, depend on the grassland age.

Conclusions

Our results confirm that Ellenberg N provides a robust indication of the overall nutrient preferences of individual grassland species. However, in grassland sites developing on previously arable land — where nutrient availability is strongly associated with habitat age — N‐values may represent an integrated response not only to nutrients but also to other historical processes that drive grassland community assembly.
Ultrasonographic findings associated with normal pregnancy and fetal well‐being in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Authors: Ivančić Marina , Gomez Forrest M. , Musser Whitney B. , Barratclough Ashley , Meegan Jennifer M. , Waitt Sophie M. , Cárdenas Llerenas Abraham , Jensen Eric D. , Smith Cynthia R.
Published: January 2020

Reproductive success is vital in sustaining free‐ranging and managed bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations. Ultrasonography is an invaluable, non‐invasive tool in assessing the fetomaternal unit in humans and animals, including dolphins and horses. The purpose of this prospective longitudinal cohort study was to develop a protocol for fetomaternal ultrasonographic monitoring in dolphins and to report normal measurements and descriptive findings correlated with a positive outcome. From 2010 to 2017, serial ultrasonographic evaluations of 12 healthy dolphins were performed over the course of 16 pregnancies. A total of 203 ultrasound examinations were included in the study. Several metrics were accurate in predicting fetal age. Fetal biparietal diameter (BPD), thoracic width in dorsal and transverse planes, thoracic height in a sagittal plane, aortic diameter, and blubber thickness all demonstrated high correlation with gestational age (r > 0.94, P < .00001). Regional uteroplacental thickness significantly increased with each trimester (range 0.22–0.40 cm; P < .00011 cranial uterus, P < .00057 mid, and P < .000011 caudal). Lung:liver mean pixel intensity was 2.57 ± 0.46 (95% confidence interval 2.47‐2.67). Ultrasonographic characteristics of normal pregnancy in dolphins are described and an equation for prediction of parturition date in Tursiops is reported: days to parturition = 348.16 − (26.03 × BPD(cm)) (R2 = 0.99). Future applications of these normal data will help identify in utero abnormalities indicative of fetal morbidity, and improve understanding of reproductive failure in wild and managed populations.
Factors Affecting Happiness of School Children
Authors: Mertoğlu Munevver
Published: January 2020

Parents, teachers and managers are crucial elements and play a key role in raising happy and healthy individuals. Besides the factors that determine the level of happiness, turning happiness into something that can be taught puts responsibility on people who are accountable for raising children starting from first-year education. Our study aims to offer suggestions to contribute to students’ happiness by determining variables which affect the level of happiness of students whose study levels vary from 3rd grade to 12th grade. Sample space is composed of 2187 students in total and 28 different schools located in İzmir-Dikili and Foça district. “School Children Happiness Inventory” was used to measure students’ happiness levels. “One Way ANOVA”, “t-test”, “Varian’s Homogeneity Test”, Welch and Post-hoc tests are used for the statistical analysis of data. The results of the statistical analysis have illustrated that students’ happiness score does not depend on grade, the number of siblings, financial situation, whether a mother is working or mother’s job type. On the other hand, it has seen that happiness score decreases when a father is unemployed, and parents are divorced. Other important data shows that happiness score decreases as students get older. Findings have demonstrated that enjoying going to school, spending quality time with their peers and having fun with them as well as having higher self-esteem and feeling safe in school environment contribute to the level of happiness of students in a positive way. A necessary suggestion has been provided to contribute to students’ level of happiness.
Desktop Bots
Authors: Alan S. Brown
Published: January 2020

Robotic process automation (RPA) that grew up in the financial world has begun to edge its way into engineering and manufacturing, for applications like change management, compliance, and bill of materials. This article delves deeper into the challenges of RPA and its implementation.
Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Physical Education: A Qualitative Look
Authors: Phillips Sharon R. , Marttinen Risto , Mercier Kevin , Gibbone Anne
Published: January 2020

Purpose: Existing research suggests that students’ attitudes toward physical education are positive through Grade 5, but become less positive as grade levels increase; this research is, however, missing student voice. The purpose of this study was to further understand why students’ attitudes have been shown to decrease.Methods: Twenty-six focus group interviews (studentsN = 65) were conducted over 2 years to discover what was influencing attitudes from fifth to eighth grade.Results: Three themes emerged: (a) curriculum leads to decreases in student attitudes (subthemes repetitive and boring, an overemphasis on competition, and fitness testing activities—what’s the purpose and why am I on display?), (b) social factors impact attitude: sweating and changing, and (c) physical education assumptions, the easy “A” (subthemes: perceptions of physical education teachers and the easy “A”).Conclusion: Allowing students to explain the reasons for decreases in attitudes contributes to improving the teaching and learning process.
U.S. military tests radiation belt cleanup in space
Authors: Stone Richard
Published: January 2020

Radio waves could sweep belts clean of satellite-killing particles after nuclear sneak attack.
Dendritic action potentials and computation in human layer 2/3 cortical neurons
Authors: Gidon Albert , Zolnik Timothy Adam , Fidzinski Pawel , Bolduan Felix , Papoutsi Athanasia , Poirazi Panayiota , Holtkamp Martin , Vida Imre , Larkum Matthew Evan
Published: January 2020

Human dendrites are special

A special developmental program in the human brain drives the disproportionate thickening of cortical layer 2/3. This suggests that the expansion of layer 2/3, along with its numerous neurons and their large dendrites, may contribute to what makes us human. Gidon
et al.
thus investigated the dendritic physiology of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in slices taken from surgically resected brain tissue in epilepsy patients. Dual somatodendritic recordings revealed previously unknown classes of action potentials in the dendrites of these neurons, which make their activity far more complex than has been previously thought. These action potentials allow single neurons to solve two long-standing computational problems in neuroscience that were considered to require multilayer neural networks.

Science
, this issue p.
83
Topological mechanics of knots and tangles
Authors: Patil Vishal P. , Sandt Joseph D. , Kolle Mathias , Dunkel Jörn
Published: January 2020

It's knot what you know

Why is it that some knots seem to hold tight while others readily slip apart? Patil
et al.
develop a theoretical analysis of the stability of knots and find links between topological parameters (twist charge, crossing numbers, handedness) and mechanical stability. The theory is confirmed using simulations and experiments on color-changing fibers that optically show localized stress differences in different parts of the knot as the two strands are pulled apart. The authors show why some common knots slip easily and untie, whereas others hold tight.

Science
, this issue p.
71
Majorana fermions go for a ride
Authors: Tewari Sumanta , Stanescu Tudor D.
Published: January 2020

Evidence for propagating Majorana quasiparticles is found in a topological superconductor
Oral Fosfomycin Efficacy with Variable Urinary Exposures following Single and Multiple Doses against
Enterobacterales
: the Importance of Heteroresistance for Growth Outcome
Authors: Abbott Iain J. , van Gorp Elke , Wijma Rixt A. , Meletiadis Joseph , Roberts Jason A. , Mouton Johan W. , Peleg Anton Y.
Published: January 2020

Oral fosfomycin trometamol is licensed as a single oral dose for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections, with activity against multidrug-resistant uropathogens. The impact of interindividual variability in urinary concentrations on antimicrobial efficacy, and any benefit of giving multiple doses, is uncertain.
Interaction of
Aspergillus fumigatus
Spores with Human Leukocytes and Serum
Authors: Lehrer Robert I. , Jan Ronald G.
Published: January 2020

Serum was necessary for optimal phagocytosis of
Aspergillus fumigatus
spores by human leukocytes, and its opsonic capacity was greatly diminished by heat inactivation (56 C, 30 min). A germination assay, described in this report, was developed to study the fate of phagocytized spores. After incubation for 3 hr with normal leukocytes and serum, spores ingested by peripheral blood neutrophils and monocytes remained viable. Since we had previously found that myeloperoxidase (MPO), a lysosomal enzyme of human neutrophils and monocytes, exerted fungicidal activity against
Candida albicans
when combined with H
2
O
2
and chloride or iodide, the effects of these substances on
A. fumigatus
spores were examined. Spore viability was not impaired by MPO alone, H
2
O
2
alone, or KI alone, but high concentrations of KI and H
2
O
2
in combination caused marked inhibition of subsequent germination. MPO imparted fungicidal activity to concentrations of KI and H
2
O
2
that lacked any effect in its absence. NaCl, in combination with MPO and H
2
O
2
, was far less effective than the iodide salt against
A. fumigatus
. The relative ineffectiveness of chloride in this system could underly the apparent inability of human neutrophils to kill ingested
A. fumigatus
spores, despite their competence to kill
C. albicans
.
Rapid Method of Microbial Susceptibility Testing
Authors: McClatchy J. Kenneth
Published: January 2020

A rapid method of microbial susceptibility testing is described. Bacterial growth is measured by determining the incorporation of
14
C-tryptophan into cellular protein in the presence of antimicrobial drugs.
Effect macrophage activation on infection with Treponema pallidum
Authors: Schell R , Musher D , Jacobson K , Schwethelm P , Simmons C
Published: January 2020

Infection of rabbits with Treponema pallidum induces nonspecific acquired cellular resistance (ACR) to Listeria monocytogenes. This resistance can be adoptively transferred using thymus-dependent lymphocytes. Since infections that induce ACR are usually brought under control by cellular mechanisms, we sought to determine whether induction of ACR in rabbits stimulates resistance to challenge with T. pallidum. When BCG-infected rabbits which suppressed the growth of Listeria were challenged intravenously with T. pallidum, lesions appeared at the same time and progressed in a fashion similar to that in non-BCG-infected controls. There was a tendency for syphilitic lesions to disseminate more widely in BCG-infected animals and for the lesions to necrose more rapidly in controls. T. pallidum may resist phagocytosis by macrophages, as has been suggested previously, or macrophages may fail to be activated locally in the dermis. Although syphilitic infeciton appears to stimulate ACR, activation of the macrophages may not contribute significantly to the ability of the host to suppress T. pallidum.
Quantitation of potential T-lymphocyte function in rats
Authors: Miller T E , Creaghe E
Published: January 2020

A simple but dependable method for determining the functional capacity of thymus-derived lymphocytes is described. The in vitro culture conditions for determining the incorporation of tritiated thymidine after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin and other mitogens have been given in detail and the methodology confirmed by measuring the ablation of T-cell function in T cell depleted animals.
Morphology and viability of large bodies of streptococcal L-forms
Authors: Bibel D J , Lawson J W
Published: January 2020

A procedure is described for the massive formation and isolation of large bodies of group A and D streptococcal L-forms. Up to 90% individual bodies of 20 to 100 mum in diameter can be produced in pour plates of nutrient gelatin and subsequently harvested by simple micromanipulation. The growth of these giant bodies was followed by light microscopy and their ultrastructure and internal architecture was examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Large bodies had a honeycomb structure of vacuoles. Numerous small units could be observed inside, protruding into, and between vacuoles. Intact large bodies (30 to 60 mum), when placed in small amounts of broth and incubated at 35 C, initiated turbid cultures, but when set on agar, they ruptured, releasing internal granules and producing typical L-form colonies. The number of internal colony-forming units (CFU) was correlated with the size of large bodies. Up to 200 CFU were detected in bodies of 40 to 60 mum in diameter, whereas corpuscles of 20 to 30 mum averaged only three CFU. The inefficiency of replication was apparent with the determination by light and electron microscopy that at least 100 times as many granules and elementary corpuscles as CFU were produced inside large bodies.
Enhanced resistance to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections associated with reduced serum immunoglobulin levels in levamisole-treated mice
Authors: Irwin M R , Knight H D
Published: January 2020

The effect of levamisole (1-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-6-imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole monohydrochloride) treatment on the course of a Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection and the ability of either vaccinated or unvaccinated randomly bred mice to resist challenge were investigated. It was found that either a double treatment of levamisole administered with or without a sublethal inoculation of C. pseudotuberculosis or a single treatment of levamisole alone had a significant effect on the ability of mice to resist challenge with virulent C. pseudotuberculosis. This prolonged, enhanced nonspecific and specific resistance was associated with a quantitative reduction in the geometric mean serum immunoglobulin levels, with the immunoglobulin G2 and immunoglobulin A levels being more severely affected. As the enhanced nonspecific resistance to C. pseudotuberculosis was associated with depressed serum immunoglobulin levels in the mice pretreated with levamisole alone, it was suggested that the cell-mediated immunity may play a more important role than the humoral immunity in the resistance to C. pseudotuberculosis infection.
Retention of motility and virulence of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) in vitro
Authors: Graves S R , Sandok P L , Jenkin H M , Johnson R C
Published: January 2020

A maintenance medium for Treponema pallidum was designed to hold its Eh at the optimum for that organism, -10 to -110 mV. After 100% motile (freshly harvested) T. pallidum was inoculated into the medium, the motility of the treponemes decreased to 80% after 2 days, 50% after 3.5 days, and 0% after 9 days during incubation at 34 C. Full virulence was retained for 2 days, but it dropped rapidly thereafter, and the treponemes became avirulent by day 5.
Analysis of growth rate in sucrose-supplemented cultures of Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Daneo-Moore L , Terleckyj B , Shockman G D
Published: January 2020

In the presence of sucrose, Streptococcus mutans grows in large glucan-containing aggregates. Because of reports of linear rather than exponential growth of sucrose-grown cultures, the kinetics of growth of sucrose-grown cultures of S. mutans strain OMZ-176 were compared with those of glucose-grown cultures. Culture turbidity measurements indicated that growth of sucrose cultures was slower, did not follow exponential kinetics, and slowed and stopped at lower absorbance values than did glucose-grown cultures. However, measurements of the rates of accumulation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and protein using fully equilibrated radioactively labeled precursors of each of these macromolecular species in sucrose and glucose-grown cultures showed that: (i) for glucose cultures the synthesis of each of the three informational molecules occurred at the same exponential rate, which was identical to the rate of turbidity increase; (ii) for sucrose cultures each macromolecular species was synthesized at the same exponential rate and these rates were identical to the rate of increase of turbidity of the glucose-grown culture for periods of up to 7 h. Furthermore, the ratios of DNA to RNA, RNA to protein, and protein to DNA for the sucrose cultures were identical to those for the glucose cultures for up to 10 doublings. From these data it was concluded that in the presence of sucrose S. mutans grows in a balanced fashion at the same exponential rate as it does in glucose. The deviation from an exponential growth model of the absorbance in sucrose cultures was attributed to an optical artifact due to the formation of large glucan-containing aggregates of cells. The addition of dextranase to sucrose cultures resulted in cultures which increased in turbidity at the same exponential rate as glucose-grown cultures, without affecting the rate or extent of macromolecular synthesis.
Production, purification, and chemical characterization of Staphylococcus aureus exfoliative toxin
Authors: Johnson A D , Metzger J F , Spero L
Published: January 2020

Methods for the production and isolation of exfoliative toxin are described. Fermentation conditions were established under which large quantities of the crude material can be produced. Column chromatography methods, including carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyapatite, were utilized to purify the toxic protein. The pure toxin had a molecular weight of 26,000 as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. The pure toxin is a simple protein composed of 17 amino acids. Tests for carbohydrate and for alpha- and beta-hemolysin were negative. The mean effective dose of the purified toxin was 0.5 mug per newborn mouse.
Host defense against the pneumococcus in T-lymphocyte-deficient, nude mice
Authors: Winkelstein J A , Swift A J
Published: January 2020

Resistance to pneumococcal infection was tested in T-lymphocyte-deficient, nude (nu/nu) mice. Pneumococcal serum opsonizing activity, in vivo phagocytosis of the pneumococcus, and the mean lethal dose for the pneumococcus were all found to be the same in nude mice as in control (+/+) mice. T-lymphocytes do not appear to play a significant role in the host's defense against the pneumococcus.
Virus-induced diabetes mellitus. V. Biological differences between the M variant and other strains of encephalomyocarditis virus
Authors: Ross M E , Onodera T , Hayashi K , Notkins A L
Published: January 2020

The M variant of encephalomyocarditis virus is very closely related serologically to five other strains of encephalomyocarditis virus. Despite the serological relationship, these five viruses differ markedly from the M variant in their tissue tropisms and only the M variant infects beta cells of the pancreas, producing diabetes.
Enhancement of resistance and suppression of immunization against experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection by Corynebacterium parvum
Authors: Kierszenbaum F
Published: January 2020

Intravenous but not intraperitoneal injection of killed Corynebacterium parvum either before or after intraperitoneal infection with the highly reticulotropic Tulahuén strain of Trypanosoma cruzi produced enhanced resistance against the infection in mice. In contrast, C. parvum had no effect when the infection was caused with the predominately myotropic Y strain of T. cruzi. C. parvum given intravenously before immunization with killed culture forms of the Y strain parasite consistently diminished the protective effect against subsequent infection, which could be obtained with antigen alone.
Adjuvant effect of Bordetella pertussis vaccine to sheep erythrocytes: enhancement of antibody formation by using subcutaneous administration of adjuvant and antigen
Authors: Murgo A J , Athanassiades T J
Published: January 2020

The subcutaneous route (s.c.) was used to study the adjuvant effect of Bordetella pertussis vaccine (pv) on the primary antibody response to sheep erythrocytes. The reasons for using the s.c. route are discussed. PV, besides enhancing the hemagglutinin response, also markedly increased the number of plaque-forming cells in the draining lymph nodes. A heated preparation of PV was tested and found to possess significant adjuvant activity. Interestingly, the enhancement occurred in the absence of marked enlargement of the lymph nodes, which was characteristic of the unheated preparation. In addition, a crude solubilized cell-free preparation of PV was tested and also found to possess significant adjuvant activity. The activity was only partially abolished by heat. Hence, it was concluded that both heat-labile as well as heat-stable factors contributed to the adjuvanticity of PV. The studies also support the view that the draining lymph nodes represent a principal locus of action of PV and that the s.c. route of administration of adjuvant and antigen provides a suitable model for studying and assaying the adjuvanticity of PV.
Mycoplasma-mediated hyporeactivity to various interferon inducers
Authors: Cole B C , Overall J C , Lombardi P S , Glasgow L A
Published: January 2020

Three strains of Mycoplasma arthritidis were shown to induce marked hyporeactivity in mice to interferon induction by both Newcastle disease virus and poly(I:C). In contrast, the interferon response of mice to tilorone was only partially suppressed by pretreatment of the animals with mycoplasms. Hyporeactivity to Newcastle disease virus was maximal 1 and 3 days after mycoplasms treatment, but the interferon response was maximal 1 day after injection of the mycoplasmas and was no longer apparent by 5 days. No relationship was found between the ability of the mycoplasms themselves to induce interferon and the degree of hyporeactivity produced. These results suggest that mycoplasmas may alter virus-host relationships in vivo.
Antileptospiral activity in lower-vertebrate sera
Authors: Charon N W , Johnson R C , Muschel L H
Published: January 2020

Normal serum from the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), the snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), and the frog (Rana pipiens) were found to possess bactericidal activity towards Leptospira. Leptospires from both the parasitic and biflexa complexes were killed by these sera at high dilutions. This pattern differs from that of mammalian serum, as generally only the biflexa complex leptospires are killed by normal mammalian serum. The activity in C. picta serum was characterized as being complement dependent and not mediated by basic proteins. Because comple-inactivated C. picta serum regained leptospiricidal activity after the addition of fresh rabbit serum, antibody is also likely to participate in the killing activity. Further support that C. picta serum contained leptospiral antibodies was found by the detection of serotype-specific agglutinins.
Decontamination of gnotobiotic mice experimentally monoassociated with Candida albicans
Authors: Wagner M , Srivastava K K
Published: January 2020

Gnotobiotic AKR mice, experimentally monoassociated with Candida albicans, were successfully decontaminated by oral treatment with amphotericin B incorporated in the drinking water. Germfree mice first were swabbed orally with viable C. albicans and then were allowed to acclimatize for 4 weeks. The log10 of number of C. albicans per gram of organ (with luminal contents) was 7.9 and 7.7 in the stomach and cecum, respectively. Direct fecal smears, as well as impresssion smears of stomach and cecum mucosal surfaces, revealed yeastphase cells, many with germ tubes, but no hyphal forms. No illness or mortality was observed over this period. The mice then were given amphotericin B DISsolved in the drinking water and offered ad libitum. At levels of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/ml, the number of fecal C. albicans was decreased but not eliminated completely. However, 0.3 mg/ml was sufficient to decontaminate the mice completely and return them to the germfree state. Residual amphotericin B was detected in the feces of the mice only while they were receiving the 0.3 mg/ml dose level. These mice remained germfree until the termination of the experiment, 10 weeks after the antibiotic had been discontinued and replaced by plain drinking water.