bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Burden of cytomegalovirus DNAemia among pediatric renal transplant patients on antiviral prophylaxis: A hospital‐based analysis
Authors: Mehta Kayur , Al‐Yabes Ohoud , Allen Andrew , Williams Angela , Petrich Astrid , Langlois Valerie , Hébert Diane , Allen Upton 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIntroductionWe examined the burden of CMV DNAemia and time to such events among renal transplant patients receiving CMV prophylaxis. We targeted the first year after transplantation, with the primary focus being on the first 3 months.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of renal transplant patients (<18 years) who were transplanted and followed at our center between January 2007, and December 2017. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records and laboratory databases.ResultsAmong 141 patients, the median age at transplant was 12.7 years (range 0.87‐17.83 years). CMV DNAemia was detected in 33 of 77 patients eligible for prophylaxis (42.9%; 95% CI 31.6‐54.6) during the first post‐transplant year. Proportionately more D+R− patients were present among patients with DNAemia compared with those without DNAemia (15/38, 39.5% vs 16/103, 15.5%, P = .005). Median time to first positivity was 134 days (range 0‐304 days). Eight patients had a positive PCR during the first 3 months (5.7% of all patients). Among those eligible for prophylaxis, 6.5% had DNAemia during the first 3 months while on prophylaxis. Among patients whose first positive PCR was after 3 months post‐transplant, the median time to positivity was 52 days (range 13‐214 days) after the end of prophylaxis.ConclusionsBreakthrough CMV DNAemia was documented among children receiving antiviral prophylaxis. While routine monitoring while on prophylaxis might not be warranted for the majority of patients, studies are needed to determine the optimal indications for CMV PCR testing while on prophylaxis.
Images of Coordination: How Implementing Organizations Perceive Coordination Arrangements
Authors: Molenveld Astrid , Verhoest Koen , Voets Joris , Steen Trui 
Published: December 2019

AbstractA crucial challenge for the coordination of horizontal policy programs—those designed to tackle crosscutting issues—is how to motivate government organizations to contribute to such programs. Hence, it is crucial to study how practitioners in implementing organizations view and appreciate the coordination of such programs. Assisted by Q‐methodology, this inductive study reveals three significantly different “images”: central frame setting, networking via boundary spanners, and coordination beyond window dressing. Most surprisingly, different images show up among respondents within the same organizations and horizontal programs. The authors find that the images reflect elements of the literature: the resistance to hierarchical central control, the need for local differentiation and increased incentives, and a collaboration‐oriented culture. Most importantly, practitioners of implementing organizations perceive top‐down mechanisms as ineffective to achieve coordination and ask for adaptive arrangements, involvement, and deliberative processes when designing coordination arrangements and during the collaboration.
The Moderating Role of Top‐Down Supports in Horizontal Innovation Diffusion
Authors: Zhang Youlang , Zhu Xufeng 
Published: December 2019

AbstractHow do governments respond to multiple types of external pressures under limited resources? Are the effects of different types of diffusional pressures complementary or substitutive? This article approaches these questions by examining how top‐down supports modify the effects of horizontal pressures on local innovation adoption. Top‐down supports may complement or substitute the effects of horizontal pressures given the former's potential influence on perceived innovation advantage and visibility, organizational autonomy, and environmental uncertainty. The empirical analysis based on China's municipal‐level one‐stop governments (administrative licensing centers, or ALCs) from 1997 to 2012 shows that increases in central and provincial supportive policy signals reduce the effects of neighboring municipality adoption on a municipal government's creation of an ALC. Results affirm that the effects of different types of diffusional pressures can be conditional on one another—that is, increases in top‐down policy supports may substitute the effects of horizontal pressures.
Instrument choice, implementation structures, and the effectiveness of environmental policies: A cross‐national analysis
Authors: Steinebach Yves 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWhile both the economics and political science literature have gained considerable knowledge on why some environmental policies work better than others, we still lack a clear and consistent picture on the determinants of environmental policy effectiveness. This is primarily because influences of the policy design and the implementation process have often been studied in isolation from one another. This article intends to close this gap by systematically examining how different instrument types and the implementation structures interact. By analyzing the air pollutant emissions of 14 OECD countries over a period of 25 years (1990 to 2014), it is revealed that only command‐and‐control (C&C) regulations that are put into practice through well‐equipped and ‐designed implementation structures can be associated systematically with reductions in air pollutant emissions. Softer, so‐called new environmental policy instruments (NEPIs), in turn, are found to have no significant influence on the outcome variable and this regardless of how they are executed and enforced. In essence, these findings indicate that (i) market‐ and information‐based policy instruments seem to be not as self‐implementing as often argued in the existing literature and that; (ii) C&C regulations and market‐ and information‐based instruments need quite different prerequisites to function properly.
The Potential Effects of Recall Bias and Selection Bias on the Epidemiological Evidence for the Carcinogenicity of Glyphosate
Authors: Crump Kenny 
Published: December 2019

AbstractGlyphosate is a widely used herbicide worldwide. The International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015 declared that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans, noting a positive association for non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The principal human data on glyphosate and NHL come from five case–control studies and two cohort studies. The case–control studies are at risk of recall bias resulting from information on exposure to pesticides being collected from cases and controls based on their memories. In addition, two of the case–control studies are additionally at risk of a form of selection bias that can exacerbate the effect of recall bias. Both biases are in the direction of making glyphosate appear carcinogenic. If odds ratios (ORs) are not biased and a pesticide plays no role in causing NHL, the probability that an OR for that pesticide is greater than 1.0 is approximately 0.5. The fractions of ORs for pesticides other than glyphosate that are greater than 1.0 in the case–control studies are 0.90 (n = 92), 0.90 (n = 152), 0.93 (n = 59), 0.76 (n = 140), and 0.53 (n = 54), the first two from studies that are at risk for both types of bias. In the two cohort studies, which are not subject to these biases, the comparable fractions for relative risks for all cancers are 0.51 (n = 70) and 0.48 (n = 158). These results comply closely with what would be expected if evidence for carcinogenicity of glyphosate in these studies results from statistical bias in the case–control studies.
Role of the Nonrotating Decay Heat Removal Blower Pressure Loss in ALLEGRO Reactor
Authors: Mayer G. , Guba A. 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
ALLEGRO is a helium-cooled fast reactor, which is being developed by the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland. It will be the demonstrator of the GFR-2400-MWth Generation IV gas-cooled fast reactors. In ALLEGRO, a three-loop safety system is designed to remove decay heat during accident conditions. The nonrotating blower blades may represent a huge pressure loss in the decay heat removal loop (DHR), which hinders natural circulation. The lower the pressure loss coefficient of the DHR blower blades is, the better cooling is available during natural circulation. On the other hand, a large core bypass develops if a DHR valve is opened inadvertently during normal operation. In this case, the higher DHR blower pressure loss is better from core cooling point of view. Consequently, the low pressure loss of the DHR blower is advantageous for core cooling in station blackout (SBO) event but disadvantageous for inadvertent DHR valve opening event. Both the above-mentioned cases may lead to insufficient core cooling in accident conditions, which threatens the integrity of the reactor core. In this study, we present CATHARE thermohydraulic calculations to assess the sensitivity of the DHR blower pressure loss coefficient for the above-mentioned two cases.
Local Strain Distribution and Increased Intracellular Ca2+ Signaling in Bovine Articular Cartilage Exposed to Compressive Strain
Authors: Huang Wenjing , Nagasaka Minami , Furukawa Katsuko S. , Ushida Takashi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractArticular cartilage is exposed to compressive strain of approximately 10% under physiological loads in vivo, and intracellular Ca2+ signaling is one of the earliest responses in chondrocytes under this physical stimulation. However, it remains unknown whether compressive strain itself evokes intracellular Ca2+ signaling in chondrocytes located within each layer (from surface to deep) in an equal manner with physiological levels of strain. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine the distribution of local strain and increased intracellular Ca2+ signaling in layer-dependent cell populations in response to 10% compressive strain loading. For this purpose, the time course of strain was measured in each layer to calculate layer-specific deformation properties. In addition, layer-specific changes in chondrocyte intracellular Ca2+ signals were recorded over time using a fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, Fluo-3, to establish ratios of cells with increased Ca2+ signaling at each depth of cartilage under static conditions or exposed to compression. The results showed that the surface layer was compressed with a larger strain compared with other layers. Few cells with Ca2+ signaling were observed under static conditions. Percentages of responsive cells within compressed cartilage were higher than those within cartilage under static conditions. However, increased intracellular Ca2+ signals were observed in a prominent number of chondrocytes within the deep layer, but not the surface layer, of compressed cartilage. Our results suggest that at a physiological compression level, Ca2+ is upregulated, but the stimulation of Ca2+ signaling in articular cartilage is not simply defined by local deformation.
On the Influence of Gas Content on the Rotordynamic Force Coefficients of a Three-Wave (Air in Oil) Annular Seal for Multiple Phase Pumps
Authors: San Andrés Luis , Lu Xueliang , Wu Tingcheng 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Subsea multiphase pumps must operate reliably with a process fluid transitioning from a pure liquid, to a mixture of gas and liquid, and to eventually just gas; and pressure seals controlling secondary leakage paths are important for both pump efficiency and dynamic stability considerations, in particular, for flows with a sizable gas volume fraction (GVF). Early work advances a three-wave shape seal that generates significant direct stiffness and hence aids to increase the natural frequency of a vertical pump. This paper details dynamic load tests and produces rotordynamic force coefficients for the wavy-seal operating with a gas in liquid mixture made of air in light ISO VG 10 oil. For operation with pure liquid, GVF = 0, a stiffness (K), damping (C), and added mass (M) model fully characterizes the test article. For operation with a mixture, the seal dynamic stiffness coefficients vary greatly with excitation frequency; the direct dynamic stiffness hardens while the cross coupled stiffness decreases as the whirl frequency approaches shaft speed and then increases for super synchronous frequency. For operation with GVF from 0.1 to 0.8, the seal produces a large positive centering dynamic stiffness. Notably, the seal direct damping coefficient does not depend on frequency though reduces continuously as the inlet GVF increases from 0 to 1 (all gas). The current research adds relevant test data and unique dynamic force coefficients to the design selection of seals in multiphase pumps.
A Monoclonal Antibody Specific to Surface Antigen on
Candida krusei
Authors: Robert Raymond , Faure Odile , Carloti Arnaud , Lebeau Bernadette , Bernard Christian , Marot-Leblond Agnès , Grillot Renée , Senet Jean-Marcel 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

A monoclonal antibody (MAb; MAb 6B3) which reacts specifically with a cell wall antigen found in all strains or isolates of
Candida krusei
was developed. MAb 6B3 was extensively tested by immunofluorescence assay for cross-reaction with many
Candida
,
Cryptococcus
,
Saccharomyces
,
Trichosporon
, and
Rhodotorula
species and was found to react only with the species
C. krusei
. The specific epitope is expressed on the surface of fungal cells and appears to reside on a protein moiety. Taking into account the increasing importance of fluconazole-resistant strains in nosocomial fungal infections, the very high degree of specificity of this MAb for
C. krusei
could be useful for the routine detection of
C. krusei
in culture or in tissue samples.
Assessment of a New Immunoassay for Serological Confirmation and Discrimination of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Infections
Authors: Zrein Maan , Louwagie Joost , Boeykens Hilde , Govers Loeki , Hendrickx Greet , Bosman Fons , Sablon Erwin , Demarquilly Catherine , Boniface Michel , Saman Eric 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTThe present study evaluated a new confirmatory assay for antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) proteins performed with serum samples from various commercial sources. The new test is a line immunoassay (LIA) with a nylon membrane sensitized with the most relevant antigens of HTLVs: the envelope gp46 and gp21 as well as thegagp24 and p19 antigens, represented by either recombinant proteins or synthetic peptides. A total of 176 serum or plasma samples were tested, of which 66 were HTLV-1 positive, 72 were HTLV-2 positive, and 38 were HTLV negative; of the 38 HTLV-negative samples 23 were indeterminate by Western blotting (WB). Serially diluted samples (n= 33) from HTLV-1- and HTLV-2-infected patients were also analyzed to determine the sensitivity of the new assay. The new confirmatory assay (INNO-LIA HTLV) performed markedly better than WB assays for those samples reactive by screening. Accurate confirmation of the presence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 antibodies and accurate discrimination of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 antibodies were obtained for all the HTLV-seropositive samples. Due to its enhanced specificity and sensitivity, the new assay not only improves the ability to confirm and discriminate HTLV infections but also eliminates the vast majority of WB-indeterminate and false-positive specimens.
Apoptosis in Cord Blood T Lymphocytes from Infants of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Mothers
Authors: Economides Athena , Schmid Ingrid , Anisman-Posner Deborah J. , Plaeger Susan , Bryson Yvonne J. , Uittenbogaart Christel H. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTApoptosis continues to be controversial in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced pathogenesis. To investigate whether apoptosis occurs with HIV exposure with or without subsequent infection, levels of apoptosis were measured in cord blood lymphocytes (CBL) from seven newborns delivered to HIV-infected mothers and seven normal, unexposed newborns. Live cells were costained with antibodies to cell surface markers and the DNA dye 7-amino actinomycin D to immunophenotype apoptotic CBL subsets. Apoptosis was measured in fresh and cultured CBL in the presence and absence of CD3 T-cell receptor stimulation. Compared to the CD4+CBL from HIV-unexposed newborns, CD4+CBL from six HIV-exposed, noninfected newborns demonstrated significantly greater apoptosis after overnight culture even in the absence of CD3 stimulation. Compared to HIV-unexposed controls, CD8+CBL from the six HIV-exposed newborns also demonstrated increased levels of apoptosis after overnight culture without stimulation. The one HIV-infected newborn in this study showed the highest levels of CD4+and CD8+apoptotic CBL. The data suggest that levels of apoptosis are increased in infants in association with HIV infection. Furthermore, CD4+and CD8+cord blood lymphocytes from HIV-exposed infants behaved differently than T lymphocytes from either normal, unexposed infants or an HIV-infected infant. These results suggest that exposure to HIV or HIV-induced factors increases the levels of apoptosis in CBL.
Specific Antibodies in Sera and Gastric Aspirates of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic
Helicobacter pylori
-Infected Subjects
Authors: Mattsson A. , Tinnert A. , Hamlet A. , Lönroth H. , Bölin I. , Svennerholm A.-M. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

In this study we have determined systemic and local antibody responses against different
Helicobacter pylori
antigens in
H. pylori
-infected and noninfected subjects. In addition, we studied whether differences in antibody responses between patients with duodenal ulcers and asymptomatic
H. pylori
carriers might explain the different outcomes of infection. Sera and in most instances gastric aspirates were collected from 19 duodenal ulcer patients, 15 asymptomatic
H. pylori
carriers, and 20 noninfected subjects and assayed for specific antibodies against different
H. pylori
antigens, i.e., whole membrane proteins (MP), lipopolysaccharides, flagellin, urease, the neuraminyllactose binding hemagglutinin HpaA, and a 26-kDa protein, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The
H. pylori
-infected subjects had significantly higher antibody titers against MP, flagellin, and urease in both sera and gastric aspirates compared with the noninfected subjects. Furthermore, the antibody titers against HpaA were significantly elevated in sera but not in gastric aspirates from the infected subjects. However, no differences in antibody titers against any of the tested antigens could be detected between the duodenal ulcer patients and the asymptomatic
H. pylori
carriers, either in sera or in gastric aspirates.
Use of Lytic Bacteriophage for Control of Experimental
Escherichia coli
Septicemia and Meningitis in Chickens and Calves
Authors: Barrow Paul , Lovell Margaret , Berchieri Angelo 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

A lytic bacteriophage, which was previously isolated from sewage and which attaches to the K1 capsular antigen, has been used to prevent septicemia and a meningitis-like infection in chickens caused by a K1
+
bacteremic strain of
Escherichia coli
. Protection was obtained even when administration of the phage was delayed until signs of disease appeared. The phage was able to multiply in the blood. In newly borne colostrum-deprived calves given the
E. coli
orally, intramuscular inoculation of phage delayed appearance of the bacterium in the blood and lengthened life span. With some provisos there is considerable potential for this approach to bacterial-disease therapy.
Detection of Antibodies to
Candida albicans
Germ Tubes during Experimental Infections by Different
Candida
Species
Authors: Bikandi Joseba , San Millán Rosario , Regúlez Pilar , Moragues María D. , Quindós Guillermo , Pontón José 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Identification and characterization of
Candida albicans
germ tube-specific antigens may be of relevance for the serodiagnosis of invasive candidiasis since they could be the basis for the development of new diagnostic tests. In this study, we have identified two antigens of 180 and >200 kDa in the cell wall of
C. albicans
germ tubes which are responsible for the induction of antibodies to
C. albicans
germ tubes. Antigens of similar molecular masses have been demonstrated in the cell walls of the
Candida
species
C. stellatoidea
,
C. parapsilosis
,
C. guilliermondii
,
C. tropicalis
, and
C. krusei
, but not
C. glabrata
. The kinetics of the antibody responses to
C. albicans
germ tubes were studied in rabbits infected with different
Candida
species. Although these antibodies were detected in rabbits infected with all
Candida
species except
C. glabrata
, the kinetics of the antibody responses to
C. albicans
germ tubes induced by the
Candida
species studied were different. Both the highest titer and the earliest response of antibodies to
C. albicans
germ tubes were observed in rabbits infected with either of the two serotypes of
C. albicans
used. However, the time needed to elicit the antibodies to
C. albicans
germ tubes can be reduced as the result of an anamnestic antibody response. The results presented in this study show that a test designed to detect antibodies against
C. albicans
germ tube antigens may be suitable for the diagnosis of infections caused by most of the medically important
Candida
species.
Physiologic-Chemoattractant-Induced Migration of Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes in Milk
Authors: Manlongat Natasha , Yang T. J. , Hinckley L. S. , Bendel Robert B. , Krider H. M. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTThe somatic cell count (SCC; leukocytes and epithelial cells) in milk is used as an indicator of udder health status. A SCC above the regulatory standard is generally considered as an indication of mastitis. Therefore, milk with a SCC equal to or greater than the regulatory limit cannot be sold to the public because it is unsuitable for human consumption. This study was performed to determine whether SCC levels above the regulatory limit observed in goats during late lactation are a physiologic or a pathological response of the goat mammary gland. Differential counts of cells in nonmastitic goat milk samples during late lactation revealed that approximately 80% of the cells were polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). In addition, microchemotaxis assay results indicated that normal nonmastitic late-lactation-stage goat milk is significantly higher (P< 0.001) in PMN chemotactic activity than early-lactation-stage goat milk, with a mean chemotactic activity of 14.9 and 42.7/mg of protein for early and late lactation stages, respectively. Physicochemical analyses also suggest that the PMN infiltration observed in normal late-lactation-stage goat milk is due to a PMN chemotactic factor(s) that is different from the PMN chemotactic factor(s) present in mastitic milk. Interestingly, the PMN chemotactic factor in late-lactation-stage goat milk is highly acid resistant (pH 2), suggesting that the factor is able to survive the highly acidic gastric environment and may therefore be important in the augmentation of the immune systems of sucklings. These results indicate that the chemotactic factor(s) present in the milk of normal late-lactation-stage goats is nonpathological and may play a physiologic regulatory role in mammary gland involution. Hence, the regulatory standard for goat milk needs to be redefined in order to reflect this.