bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Civic Conscience, Selective Conscientious Objection and Lack of Choice
Authors: Nehushtan Yossi 
Published: November 2017

AbstractMost democratic states tolerate, to various extents, conscientious objection. The same states tend not to tolerate acts of civil disobedience and what they perceive as selective conscientious objection. In this paper it is claimed that the dichotomy between civil disobedience and conscientious objection is often misguided; that the existence of a “civic conscience” makes it impossible to differentiate between conscientious objection and civil disobedience; and that there is no such thing as “selective” conscientious objection—or that classifying an objection as “selective” has no significant moral or practical implications. These claims are supported by a preliminary, more general argument according to which conscientious objection is and should be tolerated because the objector lacks the ability to choose his conscience and to decide whether to act upon it. The lack‐of‐choice argument, it is claimed, applies equally to all types of conscientious objection, including those that are mistakenly called “selective” objection. It also applies to one type of civil disobedience. As a result, if a state is willing to tolerate non‐selective conscientious objection, it may and at times must also tolerate selective conscientious objection and (one type of) civil disobedience and to a similar degree (all other things being equal).
The Arendtian Dread: Courts with Power
Authors: Bassok Or 
Published: November 2017

AbstractHannah Arendt was fearful not only of a populist President speaking in the name of the people and unbound by legality. She was also concerned that popular support could be harnessed by those responsible for limiting it. In other words, she was fearful of the American Supreme Court relying on popular support. This is the meaning of her obscure depiction of the American Supreme Court as “the true seat of authority in the American Republic” but unfit to power. I argue that Arendt's characterization of authority as requiring “neither coercion nor persuasion” means that the Court's source of legitimacy is expertise rather than public support. Yet the current dominant understanding among American Justices as well as scholars is that public support is the source of the Court's authority. In Arendt's mind, such an understanding means that the Court has become the seat of power. The corruption of the Court's authority and constitutional law as a language of expertise capable of resisting public opinion will inevitably follow.
Expression profiles of immunity and reproductive genes during transition period in Holstein cattle
Authors: Ateya AI , Hussein MS , Ghanem HM , Saleh RM , El‐Domany WB , Elseady YY 
Published: November 2017

ContentsThe transition period is a critical time for dairy cows as the animal is subjected to the physiological stress accompanying parturition. Immunosuppression and health status were examined during this period in 80 Holstein cows. Blood samples were taken from each cow 3, 2 and 1 week before and after calving, and at calving (0 day). RNA was extracted and subjected to real‐time PCR to determine mRNA levels for the immune‐related genes TLR 2, 4, 6, 7 and β‐defensin 5 in addition to the reproduction‐related genes prolactin and IGF‐I. Results showed significant up‐regulation of pro‐inflammatory‐selected genes, TLR 4, 6 7 and β‐defensin 5 at the third‐week post‐calving; however, earlier periods had lower expression of such genes. In contrast, the immunosuppression biomarker TLR2 gene was up‐regulated at calving and 1 week after parturition and then down‐regulated again at second and third week. Prolactin and IGF‐I genes expression levels were significantly and gradually increased mainly post‐partum. This research highlights that the expression patterns of TLRs, BNBD5, PRL and IGF‐I could be biomarkers to follow up immune and reproductive status of dairy cow at peri‐parturient period to predict the most susceptible risk time for disease incidence and to build up management protocol.
Measurement of Social Norms Affecting Modern Contraceptive Use: A Literature Review
Authors: Costenbader Elizabeth , Lenzi Rachel , Hershow Rebecca B. , Ashburn Kim , McCarraher Donna R. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractAs a critical building block to developing social norms interventions to support healthy family planning and other reproductive health behaviors, we conducted a literature review to identify and evaluate social norm measures related to modern contraceptive use. Of 174 articles reviewed in full, only 17 studies met our criteria for inclusion. Across these articles, no single measure of norms was used in more than one study; failure to specify the boundaries of who was engaging in and influencing the behaviors of interest contributed to the variation. Most of the studies relied on cross‐sectional data, only included condom use as their contraceptive use outcome, used individual‐ or interpersonal‐level behavior change theories rather than social‐level theories, and assumed a reference group, all of which limit the quality of the norm measures. We make several recommendations to bring greater consistency and comparability to social norm measures.
Assessment of hostile and benign intent attributions in early childhood: Can we elicit meaningful information?
Authors: Schultz David , Groth Elisabeth , Vanderwalde Holly , Shannon Katherine , Shuttlesworth Mary , Shanty Lisa 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThroughout middle childhood and adolescence, hostile intent attributions fairly consistently predict levels of aggression. Across 28 published studies in early childhood, however, researchers have found less consistent relationships. We believe this may be due to a majority of these studies using an inappropriate methodological approach for early childhood, forced‐choice questioning. We tested the use of open‐ended vs. forced‐choice questions about intent in 118 Head Start preschool children. In response to a forced choice question, only about 30% of children attributed intent correctly to a video depicting clearly purposeful behavior. And across 18 video vignettes depicting ambiguous provocation, children's intent attribution scores based on a forced‐choice approach demonstrated neither reliability nor validity. Conversely, children's intent attribution scores in response to open‐ended questions demonstrated reliability, correspondence with other aspects of social information processing, and predictive validity in the form of relations to teacher reports of social competence and aggression. Researchers should refrain from utilizing forced‐choice approaches to intent attributions in early childhood unless also conducting intent understanding checks.
Retrospective evaluation of the prognostic utility of plasma lactate concentration, base deficit, pH, and anion gap in canine and feline emergency patients
Authors: Kohen Casey J. , Hopper Kate , Kass Philip H. , Epstein Steven E. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the association of plasma lactate concentration, pH, base deficit (BD), and anion gap (AG) in dogs and cats on presentation to an emergency room with outcome, and to compare the prognostic significance of hyperlactatemia with a concurrent metabolic acidosis with that of hyperlactatemia and a normal metabolic acid–base balance.DesignRetrospective study.SettingUniversity teaching hospital.AnimalsFive hundred sixty‐six dogs and 185 cats that had venous blood gas analysis performed.InterventionsNone.Measurements and Main ResultsMedical records were reviewed for plasma lactate concentrations, electrolyte concentrations, and acid–base parameters obtained on emergency room admission, clinical diagnosis, and in‐hospital mortality. The primary outcome measure was all‐cause mortality for the hospitalized visit. Median plasma lactate concentration and AG were higher, BD was more negative, and pH was lower, in non‐survivor dogs and cats. The prevalence of hyperlactatemia was 53% in dogs and 30% in cats. Lactic acidosis was present in 42% and 80% of hyperlactatemic dogs and cats, respectively. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that plasma lactate concentration, BD, and pH, but not AG, were independent predictors of mortality in dogs, and that only plasma lactate concentration was an independent predictor of mortality in cats. Mortality was highest for animals with lactic acidosis, at 59.8% in dogs and 49% in cats. Mortality in dogs with lactic acidosis was significantly higher than dogs with hyperlactatemia and a normal acid–base status (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe presence and magnitude of hyperlactatemia on presentation to the emergency room may help identify dogs and cats with high likelihood of in‐hospital mortality, and the presence of lactic acidosis specifically may help identify dogs with yet higher risk of in‐hospital mortality.
On the East India Company vocabulary of St Helena in the late 17th and early 18th century
Authors: WRIGHT LAURA 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTThis article considers vocabulary occurring in the St Helena Consultations, which record court proceedings from St Helena, South Atlantic, from the late 1600s onwards, administrated by the British East India Company. As the island was settled ab initio by East India Company settlers, soldiers and their slaves, the input languages are, to some extent, recoverable. The purpose of the East India Company was trade, resulting in much of the vocabulary recorded in the early years being to do with global commerce. Along with settler's idiolectal Englishes, administrative practices developed elsewhere in the East India Company's domain transferred non‐English vocabulary to St Helena, resulting in an early world English lexicon.
Clinical Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert TV Assay for Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis with Prospectively Collected Specimens from Men and Women
Authors: Schwebke Jane R. , Gaydos C. A. , Davis T. , Marrazzo J. , Furgerson D. , Taylor S. N. , Smith B. , Bachmann L. H. , Ackerman R. , Spurrell T. , Ferris D. , Burnham C.-A. D. , Reno H. , Lebed J. , Eisenberg D. , Kerndt P. , Philip S. , Jordan J. , Quigley N. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT

Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent curable sexually transmitted disease (STD). It has been associated with preterm birth and the acquisition and transmission of HIV. Recently, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) have been FDA cleared in the United States for detection of
Trichomonas vaginalis
in specimens from both women and men. This study reports the results of a multicenter study recently conducted using the Xpert TV (
T. vaginalis
) assay to test specimens from both men and women. On-demand results were available in as little as 40 min for positive specimens. A total of 1,867 women and 4,791 men were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. In women, the performance of the Xpert TV assay was compared to the patient infected status (PIS) derived from the results of InPouch TV broth culture and Aptima NAAT for
T. vaginalis
. The diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of the Xpert TV assay for the combined female specimens (urine samples, self-collected vaginal swabs, and endocervical swabs) ranged from 99.5 to 100% and 99.4 to 99.9%, respectively. For male urine samples, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 97.2% and 99.9%, respectively, compared to PIS results derived from the results of broth culture for
T. vaginalis
and bidirectional gene sequencing of amplicons. Excellent performance characteristics were seen using both female and male specimens. The ease of using the Xpert TV assay should result in opportunities for enhanced screening for
T. vaginalis
in both men and women and, hopefully, improved control of this infection.
Evaluation of Whole-Genome Sequencing for Mycobacterial Species Identification and Drug Susceptibility Testing in a Clinical Setting: a Large-Scale Prospective Assessment of Performance against Line Probe Assays and Phenotyping
Authors: Quan T. Phuong , Bawa Zharain , Foster Dona , Walker Tim , del Ojo Elias Carlos , Rathod Priti ,   MMM Informatics Group, Iqbal Zamin , Bradley Phelim , Mowbray Janet , Walker A. Sarah , Crook Derrick W. , Wyllie David H. , Peto Timothy E. A. , Smith E. Grace 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT

Use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for routine mycobacterial species identification and drug susceptibility testing (DST) is becoming a reality. We compared the performances of WGS and standard laboratory workflows prospectively, by parallel processing at a major mycobacterial reference service over the course of 1 year, for species identification, first-line
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
resistance prediction, and turnaround time. Among 2,039 isolates with line probe assay results for species identification, 74 (3.6%) failed sequencing or WGS species identification. Excluding these isolates, clinically important species were identified for 1,902 isolates, of which 1,825 (96.0%) were identified as the same species by WGS and the line probe assay. A total of 2,157 line probe test results for detection of resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampin were available for 728
M. tuberculosis
complex isolates. Excluding 216 (10.0%) cases where there were insufficient sequencing data for WGS to make a prediction, overall concordance was 99.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 98.9 to 99.6%), sensitivity was 97.6% (91.7 to 99.7%), and specificity was 99.5% (99.0 to 99.7%). A total of 2,982 phenotypic DST results were available for 777
M. tuberculosis
complex isolates. Of these, 356 (11.9%) had no WGS comparator due to insufficient sequencing data, and in 154 (5.2%) cases the WGS prediction was indeterminate due to discovery of novel, previously uncharacterized mutations. Excluding these data, overall concordance was 99.2% (98.7 to 99.5%), sensitivity was 94.2% (88.4 to 97.6%), and specificity was 99.4% (99.0 to 99.7%). Median processing times for the routine laboratory tests versus WGS were similar overall, i.e., 20 days (interquartile range [IQR], 15 to 31 days) and 21 days (15 to 29 days), respectively (
P
= 0.41). In conclusion, WGS predicts species and drug susceptibility with great accuracy, but work is needed to increase the proportion of predictions made.
Novel Role of vBcl2 in the Virion Assembly of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus
Authors: Liang Qiming , Wei Dahai , Chung Brian , Brulois Kevin F. , Guo Changrun , Dong Shupeng , Gao Shou-Jiang , Feng Pinghui , Liang Chengyu , Jung Jae U. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT
The viral Bcl-2 homolog (vBcl2) of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) displays efficient antiapoptotic and antiautophagic activity through its central BH3 domain, which functions to prolong the life span of virus-infected cells and ultimately enhances virus replication and latency. Independent of its antiapoptotic and antiautophagic activity, vBcl2 also plays an essential role in KSHV lytic replication through its amino-terminal amino acids (aa) 11 to 20. Here, we report a novel molecular mechanism of vBcl2-mediated regulation of KSHV lytic replication. vBcl2 specifically bound the tegument protein open reading frame 55 (ORF55) through its amino-terminal aa 11 to 20, allowing their association with virions. Consequently, the vBcl2 peptide derived from vBcl2 aa 11 to 20 effectively disrupted the interaction between vBcl2 and ORF55, inhibiting the incorporation of the ORF55 tegument protein into virions. This study provides new insight into vBcl2's function in KSHV virion assembly that is separable from its inhibitory role in host apoptosis and autophagy.

IMPORTANCE
KSHV, an important human pathogen accounting for a large percentage of virally caused cancers worldwide, has evolved a variety of stratagems for evading host immune responses to establish lifelong persistent infection. Upon viral infection, infected cells can go through programmed cell death, including apoptosis and autophagy, which plays an effective role in antiviral responses. To counter the host response, KSHV vBcl2 efficiently blocks apoptosis and autophagy to persist for the life span of virus-infected cells. Besides its anti-programmed-cell-death activity, vBcl2 also interacts with the ORF55 tegument protein for virion assembly in infected cells. Interestingly, the vBcl2 peptide disrupts the vBcl2-ORF55 interaction and effectively inhibits KSHV virion assembly. This study indicates that KSHV vBcl2 harbors at least three genetically separable functions to modulate both host cell death signaling and virion production and that the vBcl2 peptide can be developed as an anti-KSHV therapeutic application.
Comparison of the Efficacy of N9 Neuraminidase-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies against Influenza A(H7N9) Virus Infection
Authors: Wan Hongquan , Qi Li , Gao Jin , Couzens Laura K. , Jiang Lianlian , Gao Yamei , Sheng Zong-Mei , Fong Sharon , Hahn Megan , Khurana Surender , Taubenberger Jeffery K. , Eichelberger Maryna C. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT

The fifth wave of A(H7N9) virus infection in China from 2016 to 2017 caused great concern due to the large number of individuals infected, the isolation of drug-resistant viruses, and the emergence of highly pathogenic strains. Antibodies against neuraminidase (NA) provide added benefit to hemagglutinin-specific immunity and may be important contributors to the effectiveness of A(H7N9) vaccines. We generated a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to identify antigenic domains on NA of the novel A(H7N9) virus and compared their functional properties. The loop formed in the region of residue 250 (250 loop) and the domain formed by the loops containing residues 370, 400, and 430 were identified as major antigenic regions. MAbs 1E8, 2F6, 10F4, and 11B2, which recognize these two antigenic domains, were characterized in depth. These four MAbs differ in their abilities to inhibit cleavage of small and large substrates (methyl-umbelliferyl-acetyl neuraminic acid [MU-NANA] and fetuin, respectively) in NA inhibition assays. 1E8 and 11B2 did not inhibit NA cleavage of either MU-NANA or fetuin, and 2F6 inhibited cleavage of fetuin alone, whereas 10F4 inhibited cleavage of both substrates. All four MAbs reduced the
in vitro
spread of viruses carrying either the wild-type N9 or N9 with antiviral-resistant mutations but to different degrees. These MAbs have different
in vivo
levels of effectiveness: 10F4 was the most effective in protecting mice against challenge with A(H7N9) virus, 2F6 was less effective, and 11B2 failed to protect BALB/c mice at the doses tested. Our study confirms that NA-specific antibodies can protect against A(H7N9) infection and suggests that
in vitro
properties can be used to rank antibodies with therapeutic potential.

IMPORTANCE
The novel A(H7N9) viruses that emerged in China in 2013 continue to infect humans, with a high fatality rate. The most recent outbreak resulted in a larger number of human cases than previous epidemic waves. Due to the absence of a licensed vaccine and the emergence of drug-resistant viruses, there is a need to develop alternative approaches to prevent or treat A(H7N9) infection. We have made a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for neuraminidase (NA) of A(H7N9) viruses; some of these MAbs are effective in inhibiting viruses that are resistant to antivirals used to treat A(H7N9) patients. Binding avidity, inhibition of NA activity, and plaque formation correlated with the effectiveness of these MAbs to protect mice against lethal A(H7N9) virus challenge. This study identifies
in vitro
measures that can be used to predict the
in vivo
efficacy of NA-specific antibodies, providing a way to select MAbs for further therapeutic development.
Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection of Animal Dermal Fibroblasts
Authors: Liu Wei , Krump Nathan A. , MacDonald Margo , You Jianxin 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is the first polyomavirus to be associated with human cancer. Mechanistic studies attempting to fully elucidate MCPyV's oncogenic mechanisms have been hampered by the lack of animal models for MCPyV infection. In this study, we examined the ability of MCPyV-GFP pseudovirus (containing a green fluorescent protein [GFP] reporter construct), MCPyV recombinant virions, and several MCPyV chimeric viruses to infect dermal fibroblasts isolated from various model animals, including mouse (
Mus musculus
), rabbit (
Oryctolagus cuniculus
), rat (
Rattus norvegicus
), chimpanzee (
Pan troglodytes
), rhesus macaque (
Macaca mulatta
), patas monkey (
Erythrocebus patas
), common woolly monkey (
Lagothrix lagotricha
), red-chested mustached tamarin (
Saguinus labiatus
), and tree shrew (
Tupaia belangeri
). We found that MCPyV-GFP pseudovirus was able to enter the dermal fibroblasts of all species tested. Chimpanzee dermal fibroblasts were the only type that supported vigorous MCPyV gene expression and viral replication, and they did so to a level beyond that of human dermal fibroblasts. We further demonstrated that both human and chimpanzee dermal fibroblasts produce infectious MCPyV virions that can successfully infect new cells. In addition, rat dermal fibroblasts supported robust MCPyV large T antigen expression after infection with an MCPyV chimeric virus in which the entire enhancer region of the MCPyV early promoter has been replaced with the simian virus 40 (SV40) analog. Our results suggest that viral transcription and/or replication events represent the major hurdle for MCPyV cross-species transmission. The capacity of rat dermal fibroblasts to support MCPyV early gene expression suggests that the rat is a candidate model organism for studying viral oncogene function during Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) oncogenic progression.

IMPORTANCE
MCPyV plays an important role in the development of a highly aggressive form of skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). With the increasing number of MCC diagnoses, there is a need to better understand the virus and its oncogenic potential. However, studies attempting to fully elucidate MCPyV's oncogenic mechanisms have been hampered by the lack of animal models for MCPyV infection. To pinpoint the best candidate for developing an MCPyV infection animal model, we examined MCPyV's ability to infect dermal fibroblasts isolated from various established model animals. Of the animal cell types we tested, chimpanzee dermal fibroblasts were the only isolates that supported the full MCPyV infectious cycle. To overcome the infection blockade in the other model animals, we constructed chimeric viruses that achieved robust MCPyV entry and oncogene expression in rat fibroblasts. Our results suggest that the rat may serve as an
in vivo
model to study MCV oncogenesis.