bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil nitrogen dynamics as an indicator for longleaf pine restoration
Authors: McCaskill George L. , Jose Shibu , Chauhan Ashvini , Ogram Andrew V. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractAssessing the status of soil nutrients with their corresponding microbial communities provides important information about degraded soils during the restoration of coastal wet pine forests. Net nitrogen mineralization, nitrogen‐oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and soil microbial biomass were compared with patch‐derived volume along a 110‐year longleaf pine (Pinus palustrisMill.) chronosequence for identifying a trajectory and ecological benchmark during forest restoration. Net nitrogen mineralization rates decreased significantly in the maturing‐aged, pine patches, driven by a larger drop in net nitrification. Net nitrification and abundance ofNOBwere higher in young pine patches compared to soils from the maturing (86–110 years) pine patches. Gross nitrate fluxes followed the nonfungal portion of the soil microbial biomass along the chronosequence, declining in 64‐year‐old pine patches. Microbial biomass peaked in patches 17–34 years of age, but significantly declined in the older patches. Fungal biomass leveled off without decline. Ammonium was the major source of nitrogen within the maturing pine patches as well as the wetland patches, indicating that ammonium maintains longleaf pine during growth‐limiting conditions. Nitrate dominated during rapid tree growth, optimally in mesic conditions. The relative amounts of available ammonium to nitrate can be used to model nitrogen cycling in facultative‐wetland pine forests of the coastal United States as soils alternate between wet and mesic conditions. A key restoration benchmark occurred after 86 years of pine development when pine patch growth rates slowed, with lower numbers ofNOB, when the nonfungal biomass leveled off, and net nitrification rates are at a minimum, during pine maturation.
Higher Price, Lower Costs? Minimum Prices in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Authors: Abrell Jan , Rausch Sebastian , Yonezawa Hidemichi 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we examine the introduction of a price floor in an emissions trading system (ETS) when some emissions are regulated outside the ETS. We theoretically characterize the conditions under which a price floor enhances welfare. Using a numerical simulation model of the European Union (EU), we find that moderate minimum prices in the EU ETS can reduce the costs of EU climate policy by up to 30 percent. We also find that, because of tax‐interaction effects, the optimal minimum price in the EU ETS should be about four times higher than the average marginal abatement cost in non‐ETS sectors.
Family as a Socio‐economic Actor in the Political Economies of East and South East Asian Welfare Capitalisms
Authors: Papadopoulos Theodoros , Roumpakis Antonios 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn this article, we revisit Karl Polanyi's concept of ‘oikos’ in order to reconceptualize the role of the family as both a welfare provider and an economic actor in the social reproduction of East and South East Asian welfare capitalisms. Our article is structured in four parts. First, we critically review existing approaches on the characteristics of welfare capitalism in East and South East Asia. We argue that existing approaches tend to isolate family as a welfare provider and neglect how the role of the family is institutionalized as a collective actor. The second part focuses on the role of the family in the social reproduction of welfare capitalism, and explores how, in East and South East Asia, the specific conditions for family's role as an economic actor were institutionalized historically. The third part revisits Polanyi's concept of ‘oikos’ and how ‘householding’ constitutes one of the most important forms of economic action allowing us to examine the family as a socio‐economic actor. In the fourth section, we provide an analysis of families' available strategies and discuss evidence related to private education expenditure, household debt and labour market income share. We conclude by highlighting the need to re‐articulate the importance of family as a collective socio‐economic actor that, despite recent reforms and path departures, remains at the epicentre of East and South East Asian welfare capitalisms.
To Be or Not to Be Part of Greater China: Social Development in the Post‐Ma Taiwan
Authors: Ku Yeun‐wen , Chang Yu‐fang 
Published: October 2017

AbstractSince the beginning of the 21st century, Taiwan has transitioned towards democratization. In 2000, the young opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), defeated and replaced the authoritarian ruling party, the Kuomintang (KMT), for the first time. However, this critical political change failed to meet the social reform expectations of the people, which resulted in the triumph of the KMT in the presidential election in 2008. The same story was repeated in 2016 when the KMT and President Ma Ying‐jeou lost their legitimacy to the public, and they were replaced by the current President Tsai Ing‐wen, the DPP leader. This article interprets the extremely difficult policy choice of Taiwan towards China and how its relationship with China shapes social development issues behind these political changes. Democratization has long been regarded as the main driving force for East Asian welfare development, especially with the cases of Taiwan and Korea. However, in conclusion, this article argues the importance of globalization in shaping domestic politics and managing welfare expectations.
Greenscreen teaching: Institutional instability and classroom innovation
Authors: Perkins Miriam Y. 
Published: October 2017

Abstract“Greenscreen Teaching” explores how the stresses of institutional and social change impact teaching and learning, and the creative resourcefulness born out of instability. In precarious institutions and social contexts, relevant outcomes for theological learning include developing attentiveness, robust moral discernment, and courageous speech seasoned by maturing convictions and pastoral sensitivities. I utilize greenscreen acting as a suggestive metaphor for describing four creative teaching strategies targeting these outcomes. Subsections gather insights from:Etymology of disaster‐related words: Capitalize on the moment and “go big.”Creative method: Improvise and keep it sharp.Ritual theory: Creatively repurpose familiar but underutilized traditions.Service learning: Widen the networks of community connection.Each subsection also revisits moments and learning activities from a graduate course in feminist theology. Navigating constant transition impacts every aspect of the classroom. Nevertheless, a teaching scholar can resource this precariousness as creative agency for voice, solidarity, and mutual learning.
Proteomic characterization of hierarchical megacomplex formation in Arabidopsis thylakoid membrane
Authors: Rantala Marjaana , Tikkanen Mikko , Aro Eva‐Mari 
Published: October 2017

SummaryConversion of solar energy into chemical energy in plant chloroplasts concomitantly modifies the thylakoid architecture and hierarchical interactions between pigment–protein complexes. Here, the thylakoids were isolated from light‐acclimated Arabidopsis leaves and investigated with respect to the composition of the thylakoid protein complexes and their association into higher molecular mass complexes, the largest one comprising both photosystems (PSII and PSI) and light‐harvesting chlorophyll a/b‐binding complexes (LHCII). Because the majority of plant light‐harvesting capacity is accommodated in LHCII complexes, their structural interaction with photosystem core complexes is extremely important for efficient light harvesting. Specific differences in the strength of LHCII binding to PSII core complexes and the formation of PSII supercomplexes are well characterized. Yet, the role of loosely bound L‐LHCII that disconnects to a large extent during the isolation of thylakoid protein complexes remains elusive. Because L‐LHCII apparently has a flexible role in light harvesting and energy dissipation, depending on environmental conditions, its close interaction with photosystems is a prerequisite for successful light harvesting in vivo. Here, to reveal the labile and fragile light‐dependent protein interactions in the thylakoid network, isolated membranes were subjected to sequential solubilization using detergents with differential solubilization capacity and applying strict quality control. Optimized 3D‐lpBN‐lpBN‐sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system demonstrated that PSII–LHCII supercomplexes, together with PSI complexes, hierarchically form larger megacomplexes via interactions with L‐LHCII trimers. The polypeptide composition of LHCII trimers and the phosphorylation of Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 were examined to determine the light‐dependent supramolecular organization of the photosystems into megacomplexes.
China's exports, export tax rebates and exchange rate policy
Authors: Xu Zhenhui 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between China's exports, export tax rebates and exchange rate policy. It offers an explanation for why China's exports continued to rise under RMB real appreciations during the Asian financial crisis. Based on a traditional export demand model, we test our hypothesis that the counteracting effects of China's export tax rebate policy have diminished the effectiveness of real exchange rates in facilitating the resolution of trade imbalances under the current pegged exchange rate regime. We find evidence that RMB real appreciations during the crisis negatively affected China's exports, but the negative effects were mitigated by the positive effects of export tax rebates. We also find evidence of a long‐run relationship between China's exports and the other explanatory variables. The empirical evidence suggests that under the pegged exchange rate regime with limited adjustments, real exchange rate movements alone cannot resolve China's external imbalances. The policy implication of this study is that China needs to redirect its decades‐long export‐oriented development strategy to one that emphasises domestic demand‐oriented development and to replace the current pegged exchange rate regime with a market‐oriented more flexible exchange rate regime.
Detection of Colistin-Resistant MCR-1-Positive Escherichia coli by Use of Assays Based on Inhibition by EDTA and Zeta Potential
Authors: Esposito Fernanda , Fernandes Miriam R. , Lopes Ralf , Muñoz Maria , Sabino Caetano P. , Cunha Marcos P. , Silva Ketrin C. , Cayô Rodrigo , Martins Willames M. B. S. , Moreno Andrea M. , Knöbl Terezinha , Gales Ana C. , Lincopan Nilton 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT

The emergence and rapid dissemination of colistin-resistant
Escherichia coli
carrying the plasmid-mediated
mcr-1
gene have created an urgent need to develop specific screening methods. In this study, we evaluated four assays based on the inhibition of MCR-1 activity by EDTA: (i) a combined-disk test (CDT) comparing the inhibition zones of colistin and colistin (10 μg) plus EDTA (100 mM); (ii) reduction of colistin MIC (CMR) in the presence of EDTA (80 μg/ml); (iii) a modified rapid polymyxin Nordmann/Poirel test (MPNP); and (iv) alteration of zeta potential (R
ZP
= ZP
+EDTA
/ZP
−EDTA
). We obtained encouraging results for the detection of MCR-1 in
E. coli
isolates recovered from human, food, and animal samples, using the following assay parameters: ≥3 mm difference in the inhibition zones between colistin disks without and with EDTA; ≥4-fold colistin MIC decrease in the presence of EDTA; R
ZP
of ≥2.5; and the absence of metabolic activity and proliferation, indicated by unchanged color of phenol red in the presence of colistin-EDTA, in the MPNP test. In this regard, the CDT, CMR, R
ZP
, and MPNP assays exhibited sensitivities of 96.7, 96.7, 95.1, and 96.7% and specificities of 89.6, 83.3, 100, and 100%, respectively, for detecting MCR-1-positive
E. coli
. Our results demonstrate that inhibition by EDTA and zeta potential assays may provide simple and inexpensive methods for the presumptive detection of MCR-1-producing
E. coli
isolates in human and veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
Multiplex Reverse Transcription-PCR for Simultaneous Surveillance of Influenza A and B Viruses
Authors: Zhou Bin , Deng Yi-Mo , Barnes John R. , Sessions October M. , Chou Tsui-Wen , Wilson Malania , Stark Thomas J. , Volk Michelle , Spirason Natalie , Halpin Rebecca A. , Kamaraj Uma Sangumathi , Ding Tao , Stockwell Timothy B. , Salvatore Mirella , Ghedin Elodie , Barr Ian G. , Wentworth David E. 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT
Influenza A and B viruses are the causative agents of annual influenza epidemics that can be severe, and influenza A viruses intermittently cause pandemics. Sequence information from influenza virus genomes is instrumental in determining mechanisms underpinning antigenic evolution and antiviral resistance. However, due to sequence diversity and the dynamics of influenza virus evolution, rapid and high-throughput sequencing of influenza viruses remains a challenge. We developed a single-reaction influenza A/B virus (FluA/B) multiplex reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) method that amplifies the most critical genomic segments (hemagglutinin [HA], neuraminidase [NA], and matrix [M]) of seasonal influenza A and B viruses for next-generation sequencing, regardless of viral type, subtype, or lineage. Herein, we demonstrate that the strategy is highly sensitive and robust. The strategy was validated on thousands of seasonal influenza A and B virus-positive specimens using multiple next-generation sequencing platforms.
High-Stringency Evaluation of the Automated BD Phoenix CPO Detect and Rapidec Carba NP Tests for Detection and Classification of Carbapenemases
Authors: Thomson Gina , Turner David , Brasso William , Kircher Susan , Guillet Thierry , Thomson Kenneth 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT

There is an urgent need for rapid, accurate detection and classification of carbapenemases. The current study evaluated the automated BD Phoenix CPO Detect and the manual bioMérieux Rapidec Carba NP tests for meeting these needs. Both tests were challenged with 294 isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae
spp.,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and
Acinetobacter baumannii
chosen to provide extreme diagnostic difficulty. Carbapenemases such as KPC, NMC-A, IMI, SME, NDM, SPM, IMP, VIM, and OXA-23, 40, 48, 58, 72, 181, and 232 were produced by 243 isolates and 51 carbapenemase-negative isolates included porin mutants and producers of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpCs, K1, and broad-spectrum β-lactamases. Both tests exhibited high sensitivity of carbapenemase detection (>97%). Due to the highly challenging carbapenemase-negative isolates, specificities were lower than typical for evaluations involving mostly routine clinical isolates. BD Phoenix CPO Detect was 68.6% specific and Rapidec Carba NP was 60.8% to 78.4% specific, depending on how borderline results were interpreted. Only BD Phoenix CPO Detect classified carbapenemases. It correctly classified 85.0% of class A, 72.4% of class B, and 88.6% of class D carbapenemases. Importantly with respect to empirical therapy with new β-lactamase inhibitor combinations such as ceftazidime/avibactam, no class B carbapenemases were misclassified as class A carbapenemases. Both tests offer advantages. Used alone, without initial susceptibility tests, Rapidec Carba NP can provide positive results for some isolates after only 10 to 30 min incubation. BD Phoenix CPO Detect provides novel advantages such as automated carbapenemase detection, inclusion in susceptibility panels to eliminate delays and subjectivity in initiating carbapenemase tests, and classification of most carbapenemases.
The Trypomastigote Small Surface Antigen from Trypanosoma cruzi Improves Treatment Evaluation and Diagnosis in Pediatric Chagas Disease
Authors: Balouz Virginia , Melli Luciano J. , Volcovich Romina , Moscatelli Guillermo , Moroni Samanta , González Nicolás , Ballering Griselda , Bisio Margarita , Ciocchini Andrés E. , Buscaglia Carlos A. , Altcheh Jaime 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite
Trypanosoma cruzi
. Assessment of parasitological cure upon treatment with available drugs relies on achieving consistent negative results in conventional parasitological and serological tests, which may take years to assess. Here, we evaluated the use of a recombinant
T. cruzi
antigen termed trypomastigote small surface antigen (TSSA) as an early serological marker of drug efficacy in
T. cruzi
-infected children. A cohort of 78 pediatric patients born to
T. cruzi
-infected mothers was included in this study. Only 39 of the children were infected with
T. cruzi
, and they were immediately treated with trypanocidal drugs. Serological responses against TSSA were evaluated in infected and noninfected populations during the follow-up period using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared to conventional serological methods. Anti-TSSA antibody titers decreased significantly faster than anti-whole parasite antibodies detected by conventional serology both in
T. cruzi
-infected patients undergoing effective treatment and in those not infected. The differential kinetics allowed a significant reduction in the required follow-up periods to evaluate therapeutic responses or to rule out maternal-fetal transmission. Finally, we present the case of a congenitally infected patient with an atypical course in whom TSSA provided an early marker for
T. cruzi
infection. In conclusion, we showed that TSSA was efficacious both for rapid assessment of treatment efficiency and for early negative diagnosis in infants at risk of congenital
T. cruzi
infection. Based upon these findings we propose the inclusion of TSSA for refining the posttherapeutic cure criterion and other diagnostic needs in pediatric Chagas disease.
Functional Stability of HIV-1 Envelope Trimer Affects Accessibility to Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies at Its Apex
Authors: Gift Syna Kuriakose , Leaman Daniel P. , Zhang Lei , Kim Arthur S. , Zwick Michael B. 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT
The trimeric envelope glycoprotein spike (Env) of HIV-1 is the target of vaccine development to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). Env trimer instability and heterogeneity in principle make subunit interfaces inconsistent targets for the immune response. Here, we investigate how functional stability of Env relates to neutralization sensitivity to V2 bnAbs and V3 crown antibodies that engage subunit interfaces upon binding to unliganded Env. Env heterogeneity was inferred when antibodies neutralized a mutant Env with a plateau of less than 100% neutralization. A statistically significant correlation was found between the stability of mutant Envs and the MPN of V2 bnAb, PG9, as well as an inverse correlation between stability of Env and neutralization by V3 crown antibody, 447-52D. A number of Env-stabilizing mutations and V2 bnAb-enhancing mutations were identified in Env, but they did not always overlap, indicating distinct requirements of functional stabilization versus antibody recognition. Blocking complex glycosylation of Env affected V2 bnAb recognition, as previously described, but also notably increased functional stability of Env. This study shows how instability and heterogeneity affect antibody sensitivity of HIV-1 Env, which is relevant to vaccine design involving its dynamic apex.

IMPORTANCE
The Env trimer is the only viral protein on the surface of HIV-1 and is the target of neutralizing antibodies that reduce viral infectivity. Quaternary epitopes at the apex of the spike are recognized by some of the most potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies to date. Being that their glycan-protein hybrid epitopes are at subunit interfaces, the resulting heterogeneity can lead to partial neutralization. Here, we screened for mutations in Env that allowed for complete neutralization by the bnAbs. We found that when mutations outside V2 increased V2 bnAb recognition, they often also increased Env stability-of-function and decreased binding by narrowly neutralizing antibodies to the V3 crown. Three mutations together increased neutralization by V2 bnAb and eliminated binding by V3 crown antibodies. These results may aid the design of immunogens that elicit antibodies to the trimer apex.
Coxsackievirus B Escapes the Infected Cell in Ejected Mitophagosomes
Authors: Sin Jon , McIntyre Laura , Stotland Aleksandr , Feuer Ralph , Gottlieb Roberta A. 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACTCoxsackievirus B (CVB) is a common enterovirus that can cause various systemic inflammatory diseases. Because CVB lacks an envelope, it has been thought to be inherently cytolytic, wherein CVB can escape from the infected host cell only by causing it to rupture. In recent years, however, we and others have observed that various naked viruses, such as CVB, can trigger the release of infectious extracellular microvesicles (EMVs) that contain viral material. This mode of cellular escape has been suggested to allow the virus to be masked from the adaptive immune system. Additionally, we have previously reported that these viral EMVs have LC3, suggesting that they originated from autophagosomes. We now report that CVB-infected cells trigger DRP1-mediated fragmentation of mitochondria, which is a precursor to autophagic mitochondrial elimination (mitophagy). However, rather than being degraded by lysosomes, mitochondrion-containing autophagosomes are released from the cell. We believe that CVB localizes to mitochondria, induces mitophagy, and subsequently disseminates from the cell in an autophagosome-bound mitochondrion-virus complex. Suppressing the mitophagy pathway in HL-1 cardiomyocytes with either small interfering RNA (siRNA) or Mdivi-1 caused marked reduction in virus production. The findings in this study suggest that CVB subverts mitophagy machinery to support viral dissemination in released EMVs.IMPORTANCECoxsackievirus B (CVB) can cause a number of life-threatening inflammatory diseases. Though CVB is well known to disseminate via cytolysis, recent reports have revealed a second pathway in which CVB can become encapsulated in host membrane components to escape the cell in an exosome-like particle. Here we report that these membrane-bound structures derive from mitophagosomes. Blocking various steps in the mitophagy pathway reduced levels of intracellular and extracellular virus. Not only does this study reveal a novel mechanism of picornaviral dissemination, but also it sheds light on new therapeutic targets to treat CVB and potentially other picornaviral infections.