bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SlyA regulates phytotoxin production and virulence in Dickeya zeae EC1
Authors: Zhou Jia‐Nuan , Zhang Hai‐Bao , Lv Ming‐Fa , Chen Yu‐Fan , Liao Li‐Sheng , Cheng Ying‐Ying , Liu Shi‐Yin , Chen Shao‐Hua , He Fei , Cui Zi‐Ning , Jiang Zi‐De , Chang Chang‐Qing , Zhang Lian‐Hui 
Published: January 2016

SummaryDickeya zeae is a causal agent of rice root rot disease. The pathogen is known to produce a range of virulence factors, including phytotoxic zeamines and extracellular enzymes, but the mechanisms of virulence regulation remain vague. In this study, we identified a SlyA/MarR family transcription factor SlyA in D. zeae strain EC1. Disruption of slyA significantly decreased zeamine production, enhanced swimming and swarming motility, reduced biofilm formation and significantly decreased pathogenicity on rice. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis confirmed the role of SlyA in transcriptional modulation of a range of genes associated with bacterial virulence. In trans expression of slyA in expI mutants recovered the phenotypes of motility and biofilm formation, suggesting that SlyA is downstream of the acylhomoserine lactone‐mediated quorum sensing pathway. Taken together, the findings from this study unveil a key transcriptional regulatory factor involved in the modulation of virulence factor production and overall pathogenicity of D. zeae EC1.
A novel pathway for the production of H2S by DAO in rat jejunum
Authors: Tang S. , Huang D. , An N. , Chen D. , Zhao D. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractBackgroundHydrogen sulfide (H2S) is endogenously generated from L‐cysteine (L‐Cys) by the enzymes cystathionine‐β‐synthase (CBS) and cystathionine‐γ‐Lyase (CSE). Hydrogen sulfide is also produced from D‐cysteine (D‐Cys) by D‐Amino acid oxidase (DAO).MethodsThe H2S production was measured by the methylene blue assay. The expression of DAO was investigated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The short‐circuit current (Isc) was recorded using the Ussing chamber technique.Key ResultsThe epithelium in rat jejunum possesses DAO, and generates H2S. D‐cysteine, originally used as a negative control for L‐Cys, significantly increases the H2S release, which is inhibited by I2CA, an inhibitor of DAO. In vitro study by Ussing chamber technique reveals that D‐Cys decreases the Isc across the epithelium of the rat jejunum and enhances the Na+‐coupled L‐alanine transport.Conclusions & InferencesA novel pathway for the production of H2S by DAO exists in rat jejunum.
Misspecification and Expectations Correction in New Keynesian DSGE Models
Authors: Angelini Giovanni , Fanelli Luca 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThis paper focuses on the dynamic misspecification that characterizes the class of small‐scale New Keynesian models currently used in monetary and business cycle analysis, and provides a remedy for the typical difficulties these models have in accounting for the rich contemporaneous and dynamic correlation structure of the data. We suggest using a statistical model for the data as a device through which it is possible to adapt the econometric specification of the New Keynesian model such that the risk of omitting important propagation mechanisms is kept under control. A pseudo‐structural form is built from the baseline system of Euler equations by forcing the state vector of the system to have the same dimension as the state vector characterizing the statistical model. The pseudo‐structural form gives rise to a set of cross‐equation restrictions that do not penalize the autocorrelation structure and persistence of the data. Standard estimation and evaluation methods can be used. We provide an empirical illustration based on USA quarterly data and a small‐scale monetary New Keynesian model.
A prospective, randomized, double‐blind trial of intranasal dexmedetomidine and oral chloral hydrate for sedated auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing
Authors: Reynolds Jason , Rogers Amber , Medellin Eduardo , Guzman Jonathan A. , Watcha Mehernoor F. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryBackgroundDexmedetomidine is increasingly used by various routes for pediatric sedation. However, there are few randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of dexmedetomidine to other commonly used sedatives.AimTo compare the efficacy of sedation with intranasal dexmedetomidine to oral chloral hydrate for auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing.MethodsIn this double‐blind, double‐dummy study, children undergoingABRtesting were randomized to receive intranasal dexmedetomidine 3 mcg·kg−1plus oral placebo (GroupIN DEX) or oral chloral hydrate 50 mg·kg−1plus intranasal saline placebo (GroupCH). We recorded demographic data, times from sedative administration to start and completion of testing, quality of sedation, occurrence of predefined adverse events, discharge times, and return to baseline activity on the day of testing.ResultsTesting completion rates with a single dose of medication were higher in theIN DEXgroup (89% vs 66% forCH, odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals 4.04 [1.3–12.6],P = 0.018). The median [95%CI)] time to successful testing start was shorter (25 [20–29] min vs 30 [20–49] min forIN DEXandCH, respectively, log rank testP = 0.02) and the proportion of children whose parents reported a return to baseline activity on the day of testing was greater for theIN DEXthan theCHgroup (89% vs 64%,OR[95%CI] 4.71 [1.34–16.6],P = 0.02). There were no major adverse events in either group and no significant differences in the incidence of minor events.ConclusionIntranasal dexmedetomidine is an effective alternative to oral chloral hydrate sedation forABRtesting, with the advantages of a higher incidence of testing completion with a single dose, shorter time to desired sedation level, and with significantly more patients reported to return to baseline activity on the same day.
Retracted: The Indirect Relationship Between Learning Climate and Employees’ Creativity and Adaptivity: The Role of Employee Engagement
Authors: Eldor Liat , Harpaz Itzhak 
Published: January 2016

This study examines the indirect relationship between learning climate and employees’ creativity and adaptivity. Utilizing multi‐level modeling analysis techniques and data from a sample of 625 employees from 12 different organizations in Israel, we tested the proposed relationship as mediated by employee engagement and moderated by sector of employment (business versus public). Results were generally consistent with the hypothesized conceptual model in that we found the indirect relationship between learning climate and employees’ creativity and adaptivity to be mediated by employee engagement. In addition, we found that this mediation through engagement is moderated by sector of employment. We conclude that the relationship between learning climate and employee performance behaviors is more complex than previously argued in the learning climate literature. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
The effect of the entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus on the composition of cuticular and internal lipids of Blatta orientalis females
Authors: Paszkiewicz Monika , Gołębiowski Marek , Sychowska Joanna , Boguś Mieczysława I. , Włóka Emilia , Stepnowski Piotr 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe composition of cuticular and internal lipids in females of the cockroach Blatta orientalis L. exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus is investigated. The compositions of the fatty acids, n‐alkanes, alcohol, sterols and methyl esters in the lipids are chemically characterized. Although contact with virulent colonies of the fungus does not induce insect mortality, significant changes in the lipid profiles, both cuticular and internal, are found. The cuticular extracts of a control group of B. orientalis females contain 24 compounds varying in carbon chain length from C6 to C22. The main cuticular fatty acids identified are: C16:1, C16:0, C18:1 and C18:0. The cuticular lipids of B. orientalis females after exposure to C. coronatus contain only 14 free fatty acids from C8 to C20. The highest concentrations identified are C16:0, C18:2 and C18:1. Analysis by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry identifies the presence of a homologous series of n‐alkanes containing from 25 to 31 carbon atoms. In the case of the insects after fungal exposure, the content of the n‐alkanes in the cuticular lipid is two‐fold higher compared with the controls. Of the cuticular lipids, 11 alcohols are found, ranging from C12:0 to C20:0. There is no presence of alcohols in the internal lipids of the control B. orientalis females and in all of the extracts from the B. orientalis females after fungal exposure. In the samples analyzed, the most common sterol is cholesterol. This is present in the cuticular lipids and the internal lipids of all of the insects sampled. The cuticular and internal lipids of females contain five fatty acid methyl esters, ranging in size from C15 to C19.
Interlaboratory Evaluation of Ultraviolet Radiation Emissions from Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Authors: Miller Sharon , Bergman Rolf , Duffy Mark , Gross David , Jackson Andrew , James Robert , Kotrebai Mihaly , Lamontagne Andre , Lyon Terry , Yandek Edward , Sliney David 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThere have been many recent reports regarding the potential risks of UV emissions from compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). In some of these reports, the robustness of the measurements was difficult to discern. We conducted round‐robin measurements, involving three lamp manufacturers and two government research laboratories to gather reliable data on the UV emissions from commercially available CFLs. The initial sample of lamps consisted of 71 spiral‐shaped CFLs purchased from local retailers. From the initial sample, 14 “high UV emitting” CFLs were chosen for further evaluation. We compared the UV emissions at a distance of 20 cm with the UV exposure limits (ELs) published by the International Commission on Non‐ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). We found that the allowable exposure time for measured lamps ranged from 21 to 415 h. This indicates that the emissions would not exceed the short‐term ELs that have been established by the ICNIRP for healthy individuals. We also evaluated the potential long‐term risk and found it to be insignificant. There was a large variation in the UV emissions found, even for lamps from a single package, indicating that it is impossible to predict the UV output of a CFL based on its physical appearance and model designation.
Molecular analysis of the mating type (MAT1) locus in strains of the heterothallic ascomycete Botrytis cinerea
Authors: De Miccolis Angelini R. M. , Rotolo C. , Pollastro S. , Faretra F. 
Published: January 2016

Botrytis cinerea shows a heterothallic bipolar mating‐type system; homothallism has been occasionally observed. MAT1 genes and flanking regions in the reference strains SAS56 (MAT1‐1) and SAS405 (MAT1‐2) and their monoascosporic progeny were analysed. The two mating types confirmed different sequences of 2513 bp (MAT1‐1) and 2776 bp (MAT1‐2), flanked by near identical regions. In all isolates, each idiomorph included two mating‐type specific genes: MAT1‐1‐1 (1161 bp), encoding an alpha‐domain containing protein, and MAT1‐1‐5 (1301 bp); or MAT1‐2‐1 (1236 bp), encoding a HMG‐domain protein, and MAT1‐2‐4 (712 bp); the latter genes encode putative proteins of unknown function. Truncated MAT1‐1‐1 (670 bp) and MAT1‐2‐1 (92 bp) sequences of the opposite mating‐type were found in the flanking regions. Idiomorph‐specific PCR primer pairs were used to explore the structure of the MAT1 locus in ascospore progeny and field isolates showing homothallic behaviour, and the locus organization in all of them did not differ from that of heterothallic strains. Constitutive expression of all the four mating‐type genes was ascertained by RT‐PCR at four different developmental stages (mycelium, sclerotia at two different stages and apothecia). Antisense transcription of the MAT1‐2‐1 gene with isoforms from alternative splicing was detected. Comparative analysis of MAT1 loci in B. cinerea and in the closely related homothallic Sclerotinia sclerotiorum led to the identification of short nearly identical sequences.
Effect of Temporary Meiotic Attenuation of Oocytes with Butyrolactone I and Roscovitine in Resistance to Bovine Embryos on Vitrification
Authors: Maziero RRD , Guaitolini CRF , Paschoal DM , Kievitsbosch T , Guastali MD , Moraes CN , Landim‐Alvarenga FC 
Published: January 2016

ContentsThis study aimed to produce in vitro bovine embryos by the addition of two drugs, which is responsible for oocyte meiosis inhibition: roscovitine (ROS) and butyrolactone I (BL‐I). Oocytes were recovered from slaughtered cows and matured in a commercial medium and maintained in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. Oocytes were maintained for 6 h in an in vitro maturation (IVM) medium containing ROS (12.5 μm), BL‐I (50 μm) and association of drugs (ROS 6.25 μm and BL‐I 25 μm). Oocytes were cultured for 18 h in an agent‐free medium for the resumption of meiosis. After 24 h of maturation, oocytes were inseminated in the commercial in vitro fertilization (IVF) medium. Presumptive zygotes were cultured in SOFaa medium in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. On day 3, rate of cleavage was evaluated and on days 6 and 7, rate of blastocyst formation. BL‐I and its association with the ROS increased the rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation (p < 0.05). The ROS alone was inefficient, impairing embryonic development, with low rates of blastocyst formation when compared to the control group and other treatments (p < 0.05). The embryos from BL‐I and ROS+BL‐I groups presented higher number of cells and lower rates of cellular apoptosis compared to other groups, either for the fresh or for post‐thawing embryos. Embryos from ROS+BL‐I group showed to be more resistant to the vitrification process, presenting a higher rate of embryonic re‐expansion (p < 0.05). In conclusion, block of meiosis using BL‐I or its association with ROS increased the rate of blastocyst formation, and the association of ROS+BL‐I resulted in a better resistance to the embryo cryopreservation process.
COPD and the microbiome
Authors: Mammen Manoj J. , Sethi Sanjay 
Published: January 2016

AbstractTraditional culture techniques confirm that bacteria have an important role in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In individuals with COPD, acquisition of novel bacterial strains is associated with onset of acute exacerbation of COPD, which leads to further lung dysfunction and enormous health‐care costs. Recent study of the human microbiome, the total composite of the bacteria on the human body, posited the microbiome as the last human organ studied, as the microbiome performs a multitude of metabolic functions absent in the human genome. The largest project to study the human microbiome was the National Institutes of Health (NIH) human microbiome project (HMP) started in 2007 to understand the ‘normal’ microbiome. However due to the presumption that the healthy human lung was sterile, the respiratory tract was not included in that study. The advent of next‐generation sequencing technologies has allowed the investigation of the human respiratory microbiome, which revealed that the healthy lung does have a robust microbiome. Subsequent studies in individuals with COPD revealed that the microbiome composition fluctuates with severity of COPD, composition of the individual aero‐digestive tract microbiomes, age, during an acute exacerbation of COPD and with the use of steroids and/or antibiotics. Understanding the impact of the microbiome on COPD progression and risk of exacerbation will lead to directed therapies for prevention of COPD progression and exacerbation.
Contractual Hazard, Political Hazard andFDIOwnership Structure in Joint‐venture Enterprises in China
Authors: Zhang Yuxiao , Fang Mingyue , Jiang Ting , Nie Huihua 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThis paper investigates how institutional environments, especially the contractual hazard and the political hazard, affect foreign investors’ share ratios in joint‐venture enterprises in China. We build a model combining Transaction Cost Economics and Property Rights Theory to describe the tradeoff that foreign investors face between choosing a larger share ratio and a smaller one. We argue that when the contractual hazard increases, foreign investors request larger shares to avoid being held up by their domestic partners, and when the political hazard increases, they hold smaller shares to circumvent the local government's grabbing hand. Moreover, the effect of the contractual hazard is channeled through enterprises’ asset specificity. These theoretical predictions are verified by studying the relationship between the ownership structure of Chinese manufacturing joint‐venture enterprises and the provincial‐level institutions they are embedded in.
Does Trade Integration Contribute to Peace?
Authors: Lee Jong‐Wha , Pyun Ju Hyun 
Published: January 2016

AbstractWe investigate the effect of trade integration on interstate military conflict. Our empirical analysis, based on a large panel data set of 243,225 country‐pair observations from 1950 to 2000, confirms that an increase in bilateral trade interdependence significantly promotes peace. It also suggests that the peace‐promotion effect of bilateral trade integration is significantly higher for contiguous countries that are likely to experience more conflict. More importantly, we find that not only bilateral trade but global trade openness also significantly promotes peace. It shows, however, that an increase in global trade openness reduces the probability of interstate conflict more for countries far apart from each other than it does for countries sharing borders. The main finding of the peace‐promotion effect of bilateral and global trade integration holds robust when controlling for the simultaneous determination of trade and peace.
The Stability of Ethnic Identity in England and Wales 2001–2011
Authors: Simpson Ludi , Jivraj Stephen , Warren James 
Published: January 2016

SummaryThe instability of ethnicity measured in the national census is found to have doubled from the period 1991–2001 to the period 2001–2011, using the Longitudinal Study that links a sample of individuals’ census records across time. From internal evidence and comparison with results from the Census Quality Survey and the Labour Force Survey, estimates are made of instability due to changing question wording, imputation of missing answers, proxy reporting, recording errors and changes in the allocation of write-in answers. Of the remaining instability, durable changes of ethnicity by individuals are thought to be considerably less common than changes due to a person's sense of identity not closely fitting the categories offered in the census question. The instability creates a net change in size of some ethnic groups that is usually small compared with the change in population between censuses from births, deaths and migration. Consequences for analysis of census aggregate and microdata are explored.
A Space–Time Multivariate Bayesian Model to Analyse Road Traffic Accidents by Severity
Authors: Boulieri Areti , Liverani Silvia , Hoogh Kees , Blangiardo Marta 
Published: January 2016

SummaryThe paper investigates the dependences between levels of severity of road traffic accidents, accounting at the same time for spatial and temporal correlations. The study analyses road traffic accidents data at ward level in England over the period 2005–2013. We include in our model multivariate spatially structured and unstructured effects to capture the dependences between severities, within a Bayesian hierarchical formulation. We also include a temporal component to capture the time effects and we carry out an extensive model comparison. The results show important associations in both spatially structured and unstructured effects between severities, and a downward temporal trend is observed for low and high levels of severity. Maps of posterior accident rates indicate elevated risk within big cities for accidents of low severity and in suburban areas in the north and on the southern coast of England for accidents of high severity. The posterior probability of extreme rates is used to suggest the presence of hot spots in a public health perspective.
Respondent-Driven Sampling Bias Induced by Community Structure and Response Rates in Social Networks
Authors: Rocha Luis E. C. , Thorson Anna E. , Lambiotte Renaud , Liljeros Fredrik 
Published: January 2016

Summary
Sampling hidden populations is particularly challenging by using standard sampling methods mainly because of the lack of a sampling frame. Respondent-driven sampling is an alternative methodology that exploits the social contacts between peers to reach and weight individuals in these hard-to-reach populations. It is a snowball sampling procedure where the weight of the respondents is adjusted for the likelihood of being sampled due to differences in the number of contacts. The structure of the social contacts thus regulates the process by constraining the sampling within subregions of the network. We study the bias induced by network communities, which are groups of individuals more connected between themselves than with individuals in other groups, in the respondent-driven sampling estimator. We simulate different structures and response rates to reproduce real settings. We find that the prevalence of the estimated variable is associated with the size of the network community to which the individual belongs and observe that low degree nodes may be undersampled if the sample and the network are of similar size. We also find that respondent-driven sampling estimators perform well if response rates are relatively large and the community structure is weak, whereas low response rates typically generate strong biases irrespectively of the community structure.
Work Activation Regimes and Well‐being of Unemployed People: Rhetoric, Risk and Reality of Quasi‐Marketization in the UK Work Programme
Authors: Carter Eleanor , Whitworth Adam 
Published: January 2016

AbstractWell‐being and employment activation have become central and intertwined policy priorities across advanced economies, with the mandation of unemployed claimants towards employability interventions (e.g. curriculum vitae preparation and interview skills). Compelled job search and job transitions are in part justified by the well‐being gains that resulting employment is said to deliver. However, this dominant focus within the activation field on outcome well‐being – the well‐being improvement triggered by a transition to paid work – neglects how participation in activation schemes can itself affect well‐being levels for unemployed people – what we term ‘process well‐being’ effects. Combining theoretical literature with empirical work on the UK's large‐scale quasi‐marketized Work Programme activation scheme, we develop the limited existing academic discussion of process well‐being effects, considering whether and how activation participation mediates the negative well‐being effects of unemployment, irrespective of any employment outcomes. We further relate variation in such process well‐being effects to the literature on activation typologies, in which ‘thinner’ work‐first activation interventions are linked to weaker process well‐being effects for participants compared to ‘thicker’ human capital development interventions. Confirming these expectations, our empirical work shows that Work Programme participants have, to date, experienced a largely ‘thin’ activation regime in which participants are both expected to, and empirically demonstrate, similar if not lower levels of process well‐being than those who are openly unemployed. These concerning findings speak to all nations seeking to promote the well‐being of unemployed people and particularly those perusing ‘black box’ activation schemes based around quasi‐marketization, devolution and New Public Management.