bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A double outbreak of exfoliative toxin–producing strains ofStaphylococcus aureusin a maternity unit
Authors: Dave J. , Reith S. , Nash J. Q. , Marples R. R. , Dulake C.
Published: May 2009

This report describes a double outbreak of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) in which two distinct tetracycline-resistant strains ofStaphylococcus aureusproducing different exfoliative toxins were involved. In the first phase the daytime staff of the delivery unit and eczematous skin conditions in midwives were implicated as the probable source. In the second phase a source within a post-natal ward was suggested with local cross-infection. In the final phase both sources were epidemiologically linked to cases of SSSS. Because early discharge was the policy of the unit many cases presented in the community rather than in the hospital.

Confirmation of epidemiological findings was provided by additional laboratory studies. Two distinct strains ofS. aureuscould be defined, differing in phage-typing patterns, the exfoliative toxin produced, plasmid profile, cadmium resistance and bacteriocin production. Strict care in hand washing with a chlorhexidine-containing detergent was an important control measure.
Molecular typing ofHelicobacter pyloriisolates from asymptomatic, ulcer and gastritis patients by urease gene polymorphism
Authors: Desai M. , Linton D. , Owen R. J. , Stanley J.
Published: May 2009

The gastric-adapted bacteriumHelicobacter pyloriplays an important role in gastritis and ulcer disease, but no phenotypic typing scheme presently exists for this organism. With a view to the development of genotypic typing, we have compared isolates ofH. pylorifrom gastritis or ulcer patients with those from subjects exhibiting no disease. Variation was analysed at the urease genes,ureA andureCD, by employing PCR-generated probes in genomic Southern blot hybridizations. WhilstureA restriction fragments provided a fourfold subgrouping of strains,ureCD fragments were considerably more discriminatory. Twenty-four combinedureACD profiles were generated withHindIII, subdividing the 64 strains into 11 types and 13 single profiles. The most prevalent profile (UI) was found in 33% of strains, almost all from gastritis or ulcer patients. On the other hand strains isolated from asymptomatic individuals had the most diverseureACD profiles. A key finding from this set of isolates was that strains ofH. pyloriassociated with general gastroduodenal disease were genetically more homogeneous than strains carried by people without disease symptoms.
Measurement of diphtheria and tetanus antitoxin in blood samples collected on filter paper disks
Authors: Nikoletti S.
Published: May 2009

Large-scale surveys of immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases may be limited by the inconvenience and expense involved in collection of blood by venepuncture. An alternative method of collecting blood on filter paper for measurement of immunity to diphtheria and tetanus is described. The precut filter disks (Elisadiscs), originally developed for serological diagnosis of disease in pigs, have advantages over previously described methods in that they allow safe handling of minimal volumes of blood (5 μl) which can be conveniently quantified.

To compare values obtained by venepuncture and fingerprick, paired samples were collected from 60 subjects and diphtheria and tetanus antitoxin concentrations were measured by ELISA. There was no significant difference detected between samples collected by the two methods.

The results suggest that Elisadiscs are a reliable alternative to venepuncture for monitoring immunity to diphtheria and tetanus and would be useful for sample collection in remote areas and from children.
Analysis of mixed foot–and–mouth disease virus infections in Saudi Arabia: prolonged circulation of an exotic serotype
Authors: Woodbury E. L. , Samuel A. R. , Knowles N. J. , Hafez S. M. , Kitching R. P.
Published: May 2009

Plaque purification of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) type O viruses isolated from cattle in Saudi Arabia showed the presence of mixed serotype infections. Sixteen out of 31 samples collected between 1985 and 1991 also contained Asia 1 virus, a serotype which had previously only been isolated from a single outbreak in that country in 1980. Nucleotide sequences of the Asia 1 component of all these samples revealed little variation and showed that they were closely related to both a Russian lapinized vaccine virus strain (Asia 1/Tadzhikistan/64), and to a field isolate from Turkey (Asia 1/TUR/15/73). Although mixed FMD infections have been observed previously this is a first report of a serotype, considered to be exotic to a country, co-existing undetected for an extended period of time.
Characterisation of haemolytic activity fromAeromonas caviae
Authors: Karunakaran T. , Devi B. G.
Published: May 2009

Aeromonas caviae, an enteropathogen associated with gastroenteritis, displays several virulence characteristics. Studies on the kinetics of growth ofA. caviaeand expression of β–haemolytic toxin revealed thatA. caviaeproduced maximum haemolytic activity extracellularly during the stationary phase. Preliminary studies on the properties ofA. caviaehaemolysin suggested that divalent cations (Mg2+and Ca2+) and thiol compounds, dithiothreitol and mercaptoethanol enhanced the haemolytic activity. Addition of L–cysteine, glutathione and EDTA reduced the haemolytic activity. The iron chelator, 2–2' bipyridyl, significantly inhibited the growth ofA. caviaepossibly by iron limitation, with parallel enhancement of haemolysin production compared toA. caviaegrown in excess of iron. These results suggest thatA. caviaeproduces only β-haemolysin, which resembles the haemolysins reported for several other bacteria and the activity might be regulated by environmental factors especially iron.
Characterization of verocytotoxin-producingEscherichia coliO157 isolates from patients with haemolytic uraemic syndrome in Western Europe
Authors: Heuvelink A. E. , van de Kar N. C. A. J. , Meis J. F. G. M. , Monnens L. A. H. , Melchers W. J. G.
Published: May 2009

Fifty verocytotoxin (VT)-producingEscherichia coli(VTEC) strains of serogroup O157 were characterized by phage typing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for VT genes and theE. coliattaching and effacing (eae) gene, and random amplified polymorphic DNA–PCR (RAPD–PCR) fingerprinting. The collection represented isolates obtained from patients with diarrhoea-associated haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (D+ HUS) and their family contacts, isolated in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany between 1989 and 1993. Based on isolates from separate families (n= 27) seven different phage types were identified, types 2 (44%) and 4 (33%) were predominant. Eighty-five percent of the strains contained only VT2 gene sequences and 15% both VT1 and VT2. All strains of the dominant phage types 2 and 4 carried the VT2 gene. Strains that belonged to the minor phage types 8, 14, 32 carried both VT1 and VT2 genes, with the exception of two isolates identified as phage types 49 and 54 which contained only VT2 genes. All O157 VTEC strains possessed the chromosomally-locatedeaegene, which indicates its usefulness as virulence marker. RAPD–PCR fingerprinting identified four distinct banding patterns, with one profile found among 79% of the strains. Based on the combined results of all typing methods used in this study, the collection of 50 O157 VTEC strains could be divided into nine distinct groups. Strains isolated from different persons within one family could not be distinguished by any of these methods. The data suggest that O157 VTEC strains are members of one clone that has become widely distributed.
Relationship betweenLegionellaspp. and antibody titres at a therapeutic thermal spa in Portugal
Authors: Rocha G. , Veríssimo A. , Bowker R. , Bornstein N. , Da Costa M. S.
Published: May 2009

The presence ofLegionellaspp. in the water of a Portuguese spa was ascertained during the spa season, between May and November. Simultaneously the prevalance of anti-legionella antibodies in people attending the spa was also investigated. The antibody titres of 172 randomly selected patients and 42 therapists were determined, and compared with a control group of 503 blood donors. Legionellae were present in the spa water at low concentrations, generally lower than 103c.f.u./1. A total of 92 strains representing eight different species or serogroups were isolated; the predominant isolates belonged toLegionella pneumophilaserogroup 6 and toL. londiniensis.

During the study, no clinical cases of Legionnaires' disease were observed, and the antibody titres were generally low in the groups studied. However, the antibody titres of the patients increased slightly during their stay at the spa, approaching the values for the therapists. Mean antibody titres in the groups related with the spa were significantly higher than those in the blood donors against five of the seven legionella antigens tested. The largest number of elevated antibody titres in the exposed groups were to theL. pneumophilasg 5 and sg 6 antigens.
Measles vaccine efficacy during an outbreak in a highly vaccinated population: Incremental increase in protection with age at vaccination up to 18 months
Authors: De Serres G. , Boulianne N. , Meyer F. , Ward B. J.
Published: May 2009

During a large measles outbreak in Quebec City in 1989, two investigations conducted in parallel evaluated the relative risk of measles and measles vaccine effectiveness with respect to age at vaccination. The study was a school-based case-control study including 563 cases and 1126 classmate controls. The second was a cohort study of the siblings of school cases including 493 siblings aged between 1 and 19 years. The relative risks (RR) of measles were similar in both settings and the trend towards increased vaccine efficacy with increasing age at vaccination was highly significant (P < 0·001). Vaccine efficacy rose from 85% in children vaccinated at 12 months of age to ≥ 94% in those vaccinated at 15 months and older. Even for children vaccinated at or after 18 months of age. the RR of measles was reduced when compared with children vaccinated between 15 and 17 months of age (RR 0·61. CI 95% 0·33–1·15). Small changes in the timing of initial measles vaccination can have a major impact on vaccine efficacy.
Roe deer as sentinels for endemicity of tick-borne encephalitis virus
Authors: Gerth H.-J. , Grimshandl D. , Stage B. , Döller G. , Kunz C.
Published: May 2009

The suitability of serological surveys of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in determining the spread of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was tested in a south German area with a low risk of TBEV infection to humans. Sera obtained from 192 hunted roe were screened by an haemagglutination–inhibition test (HAI) and in an ELISA developed in our laboratory. Those found positive were tested in a neutralization test (NT). Fifty (26·0%) sera reacted positive by ELISA and 43 (86·0%) of these were confirmed by HAI or NT. Forty-seven (24·5%) samples were positive by HAI, 44 (93·6%) of which were also positive in NT or ELISA. Only insignificant increase of the antibody prevalence with age (P = 0·17 for HAI antibodies) suggests that most infections occur at an early age in scattered natural foci. The antibody prevalence in females was lower than in males (OR = 0·63; P = 0·02 for HAI antibodies). In determining the distribution of seropositive roe we increased the sample size to 235 sera. No antibodies were detected in 56 (23·8%) sera collected in the eastern third of the county. The areas of high antibody prevalence in roe match those in which humans have been infected. We conclude that serosurveys of roe deer are useful in marking out areas in which humans face the risk of infection, provided that an adequate number of sera, preferably from males, is available.
Virology research and virulent human pandemics
Authors: Mims C. A.
Published: May 2009

The possibility that a devastating human pandemic could arise, causing massive loss of human life, is discussed. Such a major threat to the human species is likely to be a virus, and would spread by the respiratory route. It need not necessarily cause massive loss of life, but if it caused serious illness or incapacity it would still have a major impact. A possible source is from an existing respiratory pathogen, but it would more probably arise from an infection that is maintained in an arthropod or vertebrate host, but which at present either does not infect humans, or if it does it fails to be effectively transmitted between them. More research should therefore focus on the pathogenetic factors and the viral determinants that promote respiratory transmission.
Analysis of influenza A virus reinfection in children in Japan during 1983–91
Authors: Nakajima S. , Nishikawa F. , Nakamura K. , Nakajima K.
Published: May 2009

The epidemiology of influenza A in Japan was studied during 1979–91 and viruses isolated from reinfections during 1983–91 were analysed, Of 2963 influenza viruses isolated during this period, 922 and 1006 were influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) viruses respectively; the others were influenza B viruses. Influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) caused 5 and 6 epidemics respectively, most accompanied by antigenic drift. Seventeen reinfections with H1N1 and 17 with H3N2 were detected during our study. The primary and reinfection strains isolated from 7 H1N1 and 10 H3N2 cases were studied by haemagglutination-inhibition, and amino acid and nucleotide sequences of the HA1 region of the haemagglutinin. Most of the primary and reinfection strains were antigenically and genetically similar to the epidemic viruses circulating at that time. However, in 4 out of 10 cases of reinfection with influenza H3N2 virus, reinfection strains were genetically different from the epidemic viruses.
Genetic characterization ofMycobacterium aviumisolates recovered from humans and animals in Australia
Authors: Feizabadi M. M. , Robertson I. D. , Cousins D. V. , Dawson D. , Chew W. , Gilbert G. L. , Hampson D. J.
Published: May 2009

Genetic relationships amongst 115 mainly Australian isolates ofMycobacterium aviumwere assessed using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE). The isolates were divided into 58 electrophoretic types (ETs), with a mean genetic diversity of 0·29. Isolates from humans were closely related to but distinct from those cultured from birds, whilst some porcine isolates belonged to the same ETs as certain human isolates. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to differentiate related isolates, and those from birds and some from other animals, including pigs, were distinguished from the human isolates. The results of MEE and PFGE suggested that certain strains ofM. aviummay be transmitted between birds and pigs, but there was no clear evidence of transmission to humans. The serovar of theM. aviumisolates was not obviously related to their ET assignment or their PFGE type.
Incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease and distribution of capsular types of pneumococci in Denmark, 1989–94
Authors: Nielsen S. V. , Henrichsen J.
Published: May 2009

During the period 1989–94, 4620 strains ofStreptococcus pneumoniae(4063 from blood and 557 from cerebrospinal fluid), from cases of invasive disease in Denmark, were received for capsular typing and penicillin susceptibility testing. During the study period the incidence of bacteraemic pneumococcal disease increased from 10 to 18 cases per 100000 inhabitants per year. The highest rates were seen in the very young, age less than 5 years (23/100000/year, in 1994), and in the elderly, age greater than 60 years (55/100000/year, in 1994). The annual number of cases of meningitis did not vary.

Overall, 92% (93% blood, 87% CSF) of isolates and 94% of all childhood isolates belonged to the 23 vaccine types. The capsular types occurring most commonly among the 4123 pneumococcal strains from adults were types 1, 4, 14, 6A+6B, 7F, 9V, 3, 12F, and 8 (in order of frequency). The ten most frequently occurring types from children (6A+6B, 18C, 14, 1, 7F, 19F, 9V, 4, and 23F) covered 84% of the cases of bacteraemia and meningitis. Reduced susceptibility to penicillin was rare (< 1%).
Two outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in Bolton Health District
Authors: Mitchell E. , O'Mahony M. , Watson J. M. , Lynch D. , Joseph C. , Quigley C. , Aston R. , Constable G. N. , Farrand R. J. , Maxwell S. , Hutchinson D. N. , Craske J. , Lee J. V.
Published: May 2009

In 1988, there were two outbreaks of legionellosis in Bolton Health District. Altogether 37 cases of Legionnaires' disease and 23 cases of non-pneumonic legionellosis were identified. Twenty-five patients with Legionnaires' disease were associated with an engineering plant, 4 with Bolton town centre, and 8 with both the plant and town centre. Twenty-two people with non-pneumonic legionellosis were linked with the engineering plant and one with the plant and the town centre. A case-control study carried out among 37 employees with legionellosis and 109 control subjects at the plant showed that infection was associated with one of the 15 cooling towers on the site. Legionella pneumophila indistinguishable by serological and genetic typing methods was isolated from this cooling tower and from sputum samples from two patients. In the town centre, no one tower was linked with infection and L. pneumophila was not cultured from any of the nine towers identified. Control measures were implemented and to date there have been no further cases of legionellosis associated with Bolton Health District.
A randomized, controlled, double-blind, cross-over, clinical trial of Q fever vaccine in selected Queensland abattoirs
Authors: Shapiro R. A. , Siskind V. , Schofield F. D. , Stallman N. , Worswick D. A. , Marmion B. P.
Published: May 2009

A limited, randomized, blind, placebo-controlled trial of Q fever and influenza vaccines has been conducted in three Queensland abattoirs on a sequential analysis design. Ninety-eight subjects were given Q fever vaccine and 102 influenza vaccine. Q fever cases were observed in unvaccinated workers in all three abattoirs during the period of observation.

A total of seven Q fever cases in one group, one more than the number required to achieve statistical significance between the two vaccine groups, was reached after 15 months with the cases coming from two of the abattoirs. These Q fever cases were in the group which had been given influenza vaccine and none in that given Q fever vaccine.

Symptomless seroconversion rates of 24% were found in the remaining influenza virus vaccinees, and those without immunity were given Q fever vaccine.
Automata theory based on unsharp quantum logic
Authors: SHANG YUN , LU XIAN , LU RUQIAN
Published: May 2009

By studying two unsharp quantum structures, namely extended lattice ordered effect algebras and lattice ordered QMV algebras, we obtain some characteristic theorems of MV algebras. We go on to discuss automata theory based on these two unsharp quantum structures. In particular, we prove that an extended lattice ordered effect algebra (or a lattice ordered QMV algebra) is an MV algebra if and only if a certain kind of distributive law holds for the sum operation. We introduce the notions of (quantum) finite automata based on these two unsharp quantum structures, and discuss closure properties of languages and the subset construction of automata. We show that the universal validity of some important properties (such as sum, concatenation and subset constructions) depend heavily on the above distributive law. These generalise results about automata theory based on sharp quantum logic.
Percutaneous closure of a patent arterial duct in a newborn
Authors: Prada Fredy H. , Carretero Juan M. , Jimenez Lorenzo
Published: May 2009

We report a successful percutaneous neonatal closure of haemodynamically significant patent arterial duct. The neonate was suffering multiorgan failure, and had complete atrioventricular block. Closure of the patent arterial duct, either with surgery or inhibitors of cyclooxygenase, was contraindicated. We inserted the Amplatzer Duct Occluder II, showing that percutaneous closure of a patent arterial duct is now feasible in critically ill neonates.
Political Theory, Political Science and the End of Civic Engagement
Authors: Berger Ben
Published: May 2009

Within a span of fifteen years civic engagement has become a cottage industry in political science and political theory, but the term has now outlived its usefulness and exemplifies Giovanni Sartori's worry about conceptual “stretching.” This article traces civic engagement's ascension as a catch-all term for almost anything that citizens might happen to do together or alone, and illustrates the confusion that its popularity has occasioned. It proposes that civic engagement meet a well-deserved end, to be replaced with a more nuanced and descriptive set of engagements: political, social, and moral. It also examines the appeal ofengagementitself, a term that entails both attention and energy. Attention and energy are the mainsprings of politics and most other challenging human endeavors. But they can be invested politically, or in associative pursuits, or in moral reasoning and follow-through, and those types of engagement can, but need not, coincide. We should be asking whichkindsof engagement—which kinds of attention and energetic activity—make democracy work, and how they might be measured and promoted.
From the New Deal to the New Right: Race and the Southern Origins of Modern Conservatism. By Joseph E. Lowndes. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. 224p. $35.00.
Authors: Hamilton Shane
Published: May 2009

Amid swirling talk of a “postracial” politics in the wake of Barack Obama's election as the forty-fourth president of the United States, Joseph Lowndes offers a needed reminder of the central role played by race in American political culture. Nowhere is the discourse of race more apparent, according to Lowndes, than in the supposedly “color-blind” politics of modern U.S. conservatism. Using language that fashioned New Deal liberalism as a “racial synecdoche” (p. 158) for all that conservatives reviled in the four decades following World War II, conservative strategists forged a triumphant pro-business Republican platform that could simultaneously claim to be postracial while serving as the key vote getter of closet racists throughout the nation.
Site Fights: Divisive Facilities and Civil Society in Japan and the West. By Daniel P. Aldrich. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2008. 254p. $39.95.
Authors: Cooley Alexander
Published: May 2009

The popular slogan NIMBY—Not in My Back Yard—captures a classic dilemma that confronts policymakers: Although society as a whole requires certain basic public goods, such as energy supplies, improved infrastructure, and transportation hubs, individual communities are often unwilling to bear the localized costs and externalities of hosting these installations. In this fresh, insightful, and creative study, Daniel Aldrich explores the ways in which states decide to site controversial facilities and the types of instruments that public agencies employ to respond to societal opposition against these siting decisions.
Response to Alexander Cooley's review of Site Fights: Divisive Facilities and Civil Society in Japan and the West
Authors: Aldrich Daniel P.
Published: May 2009

I am grateful to Alexander Cooley for his insightful comments and questions.
Response to Daniel P. Aldrich's review of Base Politics: Democratic Change and the U.S. Military Overseas
Authors: Cooley Alexander
Published: May 2009

I am pleased to comment on the important issues that Daniel Aldrich raises in his thoughtful review.
Law’s culture and lived culture: a comment on Roger Cotterrell’s ‘The struggle for law: some dilemmas of cultural legality’
Authors: Mezey Naomi
Published: May 2009

I want to thank Roger Cotterrell for his stimulating lecture, and thank especially Carrie Menkel-Meadow and theInternational Journal of Law in Contextfor the opportunity to participate in this important conversation. I admire Professor Cotterrell’s choice of topic; he has taken up a really hard and pressing question for many pluralist societies right now, which is how law and legal theory might make sense of the legal demands of cultural pluralism. Kwame Anthony Appiah has nicely articulated a similar version of this problem: ‘The challenge, then, is to take minds and hearts formed over the long millennia of living in local troops and equip them with ideas and institutions that will allow us to live together as the global tribe we have become’ (Appiah, 2006, p. xiii). Even if you do not share Appiah’s exuberant cosmopolitanism, the issue remains that conflict between human groups based on small differences often unrecognisable to outsiders is probably the norm in human history, and each society (however defined) continues to negotiate that problem of boundaries, membership and codes of conduct, of who can be included and whose practices can and cannot be tolerated.
Evaluation of some features for extended target extraction in polarimetric and non-polarimetric radar
Authors: van Genderen Piet , Kovalenko Vsevolod
Published: May 2009

Detection in most surveillance radars is based on the condition of point targets against a more or less homogeneous background. Currently, the resolution of many new types of radar is increasing, at least in the range dimension. Therefore many objects can no longer be considered as points. Also as a consequence, the background is becoming more diverse, in statistical terms. The scene addressed in this paper concerns a ground clutter environment, and extended objects observed with a polarimetric radar with modestly high resolution (i.e. 6 m in range). A step-by-step approach is proposed for the detection and parameter assessment of extended objects and adding classification based on polarimetric features. The evaluation of this approach is based on recordings of real natural scenes and artificially inserted extended objects. It has been observed that in multi-stage detection object classification benefits from several features, including polarimetric ones. It is proposed that the quality of the contour circumscribing the object is the prime factor for quality of features next to polarimetric features. Clutter is affecting, however, the edges of the contours, and therefore may have a major impact on features that are dependent on the shape of these contours. The results also suggest that in the case of large targets with a basically simple shape, like ships, the eccentricity of the shape of the extended object is consistent from scan to scan and probably could support the target tracking.
Constraints on the lake volume required for hydro‐fracture through ice sheets
Authors: Krawczynski M. J. , Behn M. D. , Das S. B. , Joughin I.
Published: May 2009

Water‐filled cracks are an effective mechanism to drive hydro‐fractures through thick ice sheets. Crack geometry is therefore critical in assessing whether a supraglacial lake contains a sufficient volume of water to keep a crack water‐filled until it reaches the bed. In this study, we investigate fracture propagation using a linear elastic fracture mechanics model to calculate the dimensions of water‐filled cracks beneath supraglacial lakes. We find that the cross‐sectional area of water‐filled cracks increases non‐linearly with ice sheet thickness. Using these results, we place volumetric constraints on the amount of water necessary to drive cracks through ∼1 km of sub‐freezing ice. For ice sheet regions under little tension, lakes larger than 0.25–0.80 km in diameter contain sufficient water to rapidly drive hydro‐fractures through 1–1.5 km of subfreezing ice. This represents ∼98% of the meltwater volume held in supraglacial lakes in the central western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
The Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria Type III Effector Protein XopJ Inhibits Protein Secretion: Evidence for Interference with Cell Wall–Associated Defense Responses
Authors: Bartetzko Verena , Sonnewald Sophia , Vogel Florian , Hartner Kristina , Stadler Ruth , Hammes Ulrich Z. , Börnke Frederik
Published: May 2009

The phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria uses the type III secretion system (T3SS) to inject effector proteins into cells of its Solanaceous host plants. It is generally assumed that these effectors manipulate host pathways to favor bacterial replication and survival. However, the molecular mechanisms by which type III effectors suppress host defense responses are far from being understood. Based on sequence similarity, Xanthomonas outer protein J (XopJ) is a member of the YopJ/AvrRxv family of SUMO peptidases and acetyltranferases, although its biochemical activity has not yet been demonstrated. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions of XopJ are targeted to the plasma membrane when expressed in plant cells, which most likely involves N-myristoylation. In contrast to a XopJ(C235A) mutant disrupted in the catalytic triad sequence, the wild-type effector GFP fusion protein was also localized in vesicle-like structures colocalizing together with a Golgi marker protein, suggesting an effect of XopJ on vesicle trafficking. To explore an effect of XopJ on protein secretion, we used a GFP-based secretion assay. When a secreted (sec)GFP marker was coexpressed with XopJ in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana, GFP fluorescence was retained in reticulate structures. In contrast, in plant cells expressing secGFP alone or along with the XopJ(C235A) mutant, no GFP fluorescence accumulated within the cells. Moreover, coexpressing secGFP together with XopJ led to a reduced accumulation of secGFP within the apoplastic fluid of N. benthamiana leaves, further showing that XopJ affects protein secretion. Transgenic expression of XopJ in Arabidopsis suppressed callose deposition elicited by a T3SS-negative mutant of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. A role of XopJ in the inhibition of cell wall–based defense responses is discussed.
Microcystin Production in the Tripartite Cyanolichen Peltigera leucophlebia
Authors: Kaasalainen Ulla , Jokela Jouni , Fewer David P. , Sivonen Kaarina , Rikkinen Jouko
Published: May 2009

We show that the cyanobacterial symbionts of a tripartite cyanolichen can produce hepatotoxic microcystins in situ. Microcystins were detected with high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry both from cephalodia of the tripartite cyanolichen Peltigera leucophlebia and from a symbiotic Nostoc strain isolated from the same lichen specimen. Genetic identities of symbiotic Nostoc strains were studied by amplifying and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Also, the presence of the microcystin synthetase gene mcyE was confirmed by sequencing. Three highly toxic microcystins were detected from the lichen specimen. Several different Nostoc 16S rRNA haplotypes were present in the lichen sample but only one was found in the toxin-producing cultures. In culture, the toxin-producing Nostoc strain produced a total of 19 different microcystin variants. In phylogenetic analysis, this cyanobacterium and related strains from the lichen thallus grouped together with a previously known microcystin-producing Nostoc strain and other strains previously isolated from the symbiotic thalloid bryophyte Blasia pusilla. Our finding is the first direct evidence of in situ production of microcystins in lichens or plant–cyanobacterial symbioses. Microcystins may explain why cyanolichens and symbiotic bryophytes are not among the preferred food sources of most animal grazers.
The kin structure of sexual interactions
Authors: Bourke A. F. G.
Published: May 2009

The origin of sexual reproduction involved the evolution of zygotes from separate genomes and, like other social processes, should therefore be amenable to analysis using kin selection theory. I consider how kin structure affects sexual interactions in three contexts—the evolution of sexual reproduction, sex allocation and sexual conflict. Kin structure helps explain the even-handed replication of paternal and maternal genes under outbreeding. Under inbreeding, it predicts altruistic failure to replicate by one half of the diploid genome. Kin structure predicts optimal sex ratios and potential conflicts over sex ratio within social groups and individuals. Sexual conflict predictably occurs as a function of (i) the probability that current sexual partners will reproduce together in future and (ii) between-partner relatedness. I conclude that systematically analysing the kin structure of sexual interactions helps illuminate their evolution.
Does a predatory insect contribute to the divergence between cave- and surface-adapted fish populations?
Authors: Tobler Michael
Published: May 2009

Immigrant inviability, where individuals from foreign, ecologically divergent habitats are less likely to survive, can restrict gene flow among diverging populations and result in speciation. I investigated whether a predatory aquatic insect (
Belostoma
sp.) selects against migrants between cave and surface populations of a fish (
Poecilia mexicana
). Cavefish were more susceptible to attacks in the light, whereas surface fish were more susceptible in darkness. Environmentally dependent susceptibility to attacks may thus contribute to genetic and phenotypic differentiation between the populations. This study highlights how predation—in this case in conjunction with differences in other environmental factors—can be an important driver in speciation.
Analysis of segregation distortion and association of the bovine FGF2 with fertilization rate and early embryonic survival
Authors: Wang X. , Schutzkus V. , Huang W. , Rosa G. J. M. , Khatib H.
Published: May 2009

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) plays an important role in fertility and early embryo development. The objectives of this study were to test the association of FGF2 polymorphisms with fertilization success in cattle using an in vitro fertilization experimental system and to investigate the mechanisms leading to the presence of rare alleles of FGF2 in the Holstein population. A total of 7502 fertilizations were performed and a total of 5049 embryos were produced to collect fertilization and embryo survival records. A total of 444 ovaries, from which oocytes were aspirated and fertilized, were genotyped for two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously identified in FGF2 (g.23G>T and g.11646A>G). Frequency of the TT genotype of the g.23G>T SNP was low in the ovary population (5.4%) and in a different Holstein cattle population (6.6%) examined in this study. Single SNP analysis showed that both SNPs were associated with early embryonic survival rate. Two‐way interaction analysis revealed significant association of epistatic interaction between the SNPs with fertilization rate. To test whether or not low frequency of allele T for the g.23G>T SNP in the population is a result of a fertilization failure of T oocytes, semen from six GG bulls was used to fertilize a total of 458 oocytes obtained from 19 GT ovaries. A significant segregation distortion was observed for 169 embryos genotyped for the g.23G>T SNP. We conclude that oocytes carrying the T allele show a reduced fertilization rate and that segregation distortion leads to rarity of the TT genotype in the population.
Pharmacotherapy for obesity
Authors: Li Mingfang , Cheung Bernard M. Y.
Published: May 2009

Obesity is associated with increased risk of conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, and obstructive sleep apnoea. Pharmacotherapy for obesity should be considered in combination with lifestyle changes in obese patients, or overweight patients with other conditions that put them at risk of developing heart disease. Sibutramine and orlistat are the only two anti‐obesity medications approved for long‐term use. Sibutramine is a serotonergic and adrenergic drug that reduces food intake. Orlistat is a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor that interferes with fat absorption. However, it commonly causes flatulence and diarrhoea. Rimonabant is the first of a series of endocannabinoid receptor antagonists. It was approved by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) as an adjunct to diet and exercise in treating obesity in 2006. However, despite the extensive clinical trial data, EMEA announced in 2008 that it has recommended suspension of rimonabant because of its psychiatric side effects. Studies evaluating the long‐term safety and efficacy of anti‐obesity agents are needed.
Ficolin 2 (FCN2) functional polymorphisms and the risk of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
Authors: Messias-Reason I J , Schafranski M D , Kremsner P G , Kun J F J
Published: May 2009

Ficolins are pattern-recognition proteins involved in innate immunity, which upon binding to their specific pathogen-associated molecular patterns on the microbial surfaces trigger the immune response either by binding to collectin cellular receptors or by initiating the complement lectin pathway. In humans, three ficolin genes have been identified, which encode ficolin-1 (M-ficolin), ficolin-2 (L-ficolin) and ficolin-3 (H-ficolin or Hakata antigen). Ficolin-2 was shown to bind to lipoteichoic acid, a cell wall constituent in all Gram-positive bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes, which is the aetiological agent of rheumatic fever (RF) and its most severe sequelae, chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD). Here we investigated polymorphisms in the promoter region of the FCN2 gene (at positions −986/−602 and +4) in 122 patients with RF and CRHD and in 210 healthy subjects from the same geographic region and socioeconomic background. The haplotype −986/−602/−4 G/G/A, which is related to low levels of L-ficolin, was observed more frequently in the CRHD group when compared to the healthy subjects [99/162, 61·1% versus 211/420, 50·2%, odds ratio (OR) 1·6, confidence interval (CI) 95% 1·1–2·3, P = 0·021]. The haplotype −986/−602/−4 A/G/A was observed more frequently in the healthy group when compared to the affected (RF plus CRHD) subjects (31/420, 7·4% versus 6/244, 2·5%, OR 3·2, CI 95% 0·13–0·77, P = 0·008). Based on those findings, one can conclude that polymorphisms associated with low levels of L-ficolin level may predispose an individual to recurrent and/or more severe streptococcal infection.
Computed tomography perfusion in living donor liver transplantation: an initial study of normal hemodynamic changes in liver grafts
Authors: Zhuang Zhi Guo , Qian Li Jun , Wang Bi Xiong , Zhou Yan , Li Qi Gen , Xu Jian Rong , Cheng Yu Fan
Published: May 2009

Abstract:  Hepatic hemodynamic changes in grafts after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) are complicated. In this study, computed tomography (CT) perfusion parameter values, especially portal vein perfusion (PVP), was retrospectively analyzed in recipients both with and without small‐for‐size syndrome (SFSS). PVP was significantly higher in non‐SFSS recipients on post‐operative day (POD) 14 or 28 than in normal donors before donation (p < 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively), but it significantly decreased between 14 and 28 days post‐operatively (p = 0.007). There was a significant inverse correlation between graft‐to‐recipient spleen size ratio and PVP on POD 14 in non‐SFSS group (r = −0.545, p = 0.002). Furthermore, PVP in the SFSS group was significantly greater than in the non‐SFSS group on POD 14 (p = 0.042). In conclusion, we successfully evaluated normal hemodynamic changes in grafts without SFSS by CT perfusion examination. To our knowledge, this is the first study on hemodynamic changes of living donor liver grafts using CT technique.
Integrity of gastric mucosa in reared piglets – effects of physical form of diets (meal/pellets), pre‐processing grinding (coarse/fine) and addition of lignocellulose (0/2.5 %)
Authors: Grosse Liesner V. , Taube V. , Leonhard‐Marek S. , Beineke A. , Kamphues J.
Published: May 2009

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effects of different particle fractions in non‐pelleted (meal) and pelleted diets on the development of pre‐ulcerative gastric alterations. Furthermore, the effect of increased crude fibre supply (lignocellulose) on the integrity of gastric mucosa were investigated. For that purpose, 49 piglets were divided into eight feeding groups and fed pelleted diets differing in grinding intensity (very coarse/coarse/fine/very fine) and addition of lignocellulose (0/2.5%) for 6 weeks. A coarsely ground meal was used as control diet. Mucosal integrity of the pars non‐glandularis was characterised by macroscopical and histological score and basal epithelial conductance. Feed structure was assessed by sieve analysis (wet/dry).

The use of coarsely ground meal (25% >2 mm, 29% <0.4 mm) had almost no negative effects on the gastric wall: three of seven pigs had slight histological and none had macroscopical lesions.

Irrespective of the original grinding intensity before pelleting, offering pelleted diets led to mucosal changes similar in severity (one out of seven pigs fed coarsely ground and pelleted diets had no macroscopical alterations, whereas all pigs fed finely ground and pelleted diets showed altered tissues). Increasing the proportion of coarse particles in the pellet (from 25 to 29% >2 mm) did not show any ulceroprotective effect. An increase of crude fibre content (42–54 g/kg dm) by adding lignocellulose did not result in a decreased ulcerogenity.

Unpelleted diets are recommended as more favourable for alleviating the problem of gastric ulcers in pigs as the pelleting process is equal to a secondary grinding process. According to our results, an upper level of fine particles seems to be reasonable (a minimum level of coarse particles is not ulceroprotective). In this study, an amount of 30% <0.4 mm resulted in higher risks for ulcerations.
Risk factors of colic in horses in Austria
Authors: Kaya G. , Sommerfeld‐Stur I. , Iben C.
Published: May 2009

A hospital‐based case study was conducted at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna for a 1‐year period. The purpose of this study was to determine possible alterable and non‐alterable risk factors of equine colic in Austria. The investigated parameters were obtained from hospital medical records (individual factors, duty of the horse, deworming, change in diet and water intake), from questionnaires (feed intake, watering types, housing and pasture practices) and fromhttp://www.orf.at(weather‐related factors). Moreover, 221 collected feed samples were investigated through hygienic quality sensory evaluation and mould, yeast and bacteria presumptive samples were confirmed by microbiological investigation. Variables that were observed from the hospital medical records and found to be significantly associated with colic in a univariate analysis were included in multivariate analysis and the only remaining risk factor was decreased water consumption (p < 0.001, OR = 5.025). Consequently, a total of 2743 horses and 366 cases of colic were observed during the study period. The risk factors for colic in Austria were identified for the first time in this study and these increased risk factors were decreased water consumption, high amount of concentrate intake (p = 0.037), low hygienic quality of hay (p = 0.027) and high temperature on the arrival date (p = 0.003). Results suggest that the occurence of colic may not stop, but may decrease with better feed management practices in Austria.
In vitro fermentation characteristics of different carbohydrate sources in two dog breeds (German shepherd and Neapolitan mastiff)
Authors: Cutrignelli M. I. , Bovera F. , Tudisco R. , D’Urso S. , Marono S. , Piccolo G. , Calabrò S.
Published: May 2009

Few studies have been published on the normal intestinal biota of canines unlike the wealth of information regarding livestock animal species. The in vitro gas production technique (IVGPT) including measurements of accumulating gas during fermentation and end‐product determinations allows obtaining a complete picture of microbial activity kinetics. The aim of this study was to study the in vitro fermentation characteristics of different carbohydrate sources using inocula from two dog breeds (German Shepherd and Neapolitan mastiff). Faeces sampled from rectum of two GS and NM adult dogs, fed the same dry food, were used as inocula. The samples, diluted and filtered, were incubated at 39 °C under anaerobic condition with nine substrates different for carbohydrate composition (rice, corn, potato, spelt, pure cellulose, beet pulp, wheat bran, inulin and fructo‐oligosaccharide). Gas production was recorded 17 times using a manual pressure transducer. After 48 h, the fermentation was stopped and fermenting liquor was analysed for pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Organic matter digestibility (OMD) was calculated as difference after burning the residuals. OMD, gas production and end‐products were significantly correlated with chemical composition of substrates, in particular carbohydrate fractions (total dietary fibre and starch), confirming the effectiveness of the IVGPT in evaluating dog feeds. Concerning the comparison between breeds significant differences (p < 0.01) were found for OMD, gas production, fermentation kinetic parameters and end‐products, suggesting a different pathway of fermentation and consequently, a different anaerobic population.
Metamemory Development: Understanding the Role of Similarity in False Memories
Authors: Jaswal Vikram K. , Dodson Chad S.
Published: May 2009

Research on the development of metamemory has focused primarily on children’s understanding of the variables that influence how likely a person is to remember something. But metamemory also involves an understanding of why people occasionally misremember things. In this study, 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds (N = 38) were asked to decide whether another child’s mistakes in a memory game were due to false memories or guesses. Some of the fictitious child’s mistakes were similar to material he had seen earlier and some were not. Six‐year‐olds, but not 5‐year‐olds, consistently attributed more similar than dissimilar mistakes to false memories. Understanding the link between similarity and false memories improves significantly between 5 and 6 years of age.
Mother–Child Planning, Child Emotional Functioning, and Children’s Transition to First Grade
Authors: Perez Susan M. , Gauvain Mary
Published: May 2009

Mother–child planning was examined in relation to child emotional functioning and first‐grade school performance. Ninety dyads were randomly assigned to the explicit‐goal condition (emphasized accuracy and preparation for a child‐only posttest) or the no‐explicit‐goal condition (dyads just asked to work together). In the no‐explicit‐goal condition only, children higher in negative emotionality and lower in regulation skills were less engaged in the task and planned less effectively. Both mother–child planning and adaptive child emotional functioning were positively associated with school performance. Results suggest that child emotional functioning mediated associations between planning and school performance. Implications of these findings for the development of planning and children’s transition to school are discussed.
Relations Between Parenting Quality and Cognitive Performance of Children Experiencing Varying Amounts of Childcare
Authors: Adi‐Japha Esther , Klein Pnina S.
Published: May 2009

Associations between parenting quality and 3‐year‐olds’ school readiness, receptive, and expressive language were examined in relation to the amount of time they spent in childcare, based on data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,364). Associations for school readiness and receptive language were stronger among children who experienced medium amounts of childcare than among children who experienced high amounts of childcare, and they were not weaker than among children who experienced primarily maternal care. Contrary to expectations, the association between parenting quality and school readiness among children who experienced medium amounts of childcare was significantly stronger than among children who experienced predominantly maternal care.