bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Establishment of Party Policy Committees in the U.S. Senate: Coordination, Not Coercion*
Authors: Crespin Michael H. , Madonna Anthony , Sievert Joel , Ament‐Stone Nathaniel 
Published: July 2014

ObjectiveWe seek to determine if institutional changes designed to increase intraparty coordination influenced observed levels of party unity in the U.S. Senate. In particular, we test competing claims regarding the effects of establishing party policy committees following the adoption of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946.MethodsFirst, we examine Congress at the vote level by looking at the overall proportion of votes that could be classified as “party unity votes” before and after the establishment of the policy committees. Second, we employ a micro‐level analysis by examining individual senators’ procedural party support scores.ResultsWe find that members of the majority party were more likely to have higher levels of procedural unity after the adoption of policy committees.ConclusionThe establishment of party policy committees in the Senate played a role in helping party leaders coordinate activities, advance a legislative agenda, and maintain high levels of party unity on the floor by better structuring procedural votes.
Hematologic differences between Dachshunds and mixed breed dogs
Authors: Torres Ahmira R. , Cassle Stephen E. , Haymore Michael , Hill Richard C. 
Published: July 2014

BackgroundHealthy Dachshunds, like Greyhounds, are reported to have a higherHCTthan other dog breeds; however, there appears to be no objective information to support this observation.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine whetherRBCcounts, indices, and total and differentialWBCcounts differ between Dachshunds and mixed breed dogs.MethodsIn this retrospective study,CBCdata and total solids were compared between 61 healthy Dachshunds and 60 mixed breed dogs that were presented for health check, dental prophylaxis, or neutering to a university and a private clinic.ResultsDachshunds had higher mean PCV (52% vs 50%;P = .047), mean HCT (52% vs 48%;P = .0003), mean RBC count (7.7 × 106/μL vs 7.1 × 106/μL;P = .0004), and mean HGB concentration (18.2 g/dL vs 16.8 g/dL;P = .0003) than mixed breed dogs. There were slight differences in HCT and HGB concentration between clinics (P < .05). There was no evidence of a difference in MCV, MCHC, and total solids between breeds (P > .5). More Dachshunds than mixed breed dogs had RBC variables above the reference interval: 29% vs 2% for HCT (P = .001); 40% vs 7% for HGB concentration (P = .0006); and 26% vs 5% for RBC count (P = .01). There were statistically significant but clinically unimportant differences in differential WBC counts.ConclusionsCompared with mixed breed dogs, Dachshunds have higherPCV,HCT,RBCcount, andHGBconcentration. Veterinarians should consider these differences when interpreting CBCs.
Impacts of climate and land‐cover changes on water resources in a humid subtropical watershed: a case study from East Texas, USA
Authors: Heo Joonghyeok , Yu Jaehyung , Giardino John R. , Cho Huidae 
Published: July 2014

AbstractThis study investigates the response of water resources regarding the climate and land‐cover changes in a humid subtropical watershed during the period 1970–2009. A 0.7°C increase in temperature and a 16.3% increase in precipitation were observed. Temperature had a lower increase trend, and precipitation showed definite increasing trend compared to previous studies. The main trend of land‐cover change was conversion of vegetation and barren lands to developed and crop lands affected by human intervention, and forest and grass to bush/shrub which considered to be caused by natural climate system. Hydrologic responses to climate and land‐cover changes resulted in increases of surface run‐off (15.0%), soil water content (2.7%), evapotranspiration (20.1%) and a decrease in groundwater discharge (9.2%). We found that surface run‐off is relatively stable with precipitation, whereas groundwater discharge and soil water content are sensitive to changes in land cover, especially land cover brought about by human intervention.
Independent calculation of dose distributions for helical tomotherapy using a conventional treatment planning system
Authors: Klüter Sebastian , Schubert Kai , Lissner Steffen , Sterzing Florian , Oetzel Dieter , Debus Jürgen , Schlegel Wolfgang , Oelfke Uwe , Nill Simeon 
Published: July 2014

Purpose:The dosimetric verification of treatment plans in helical tomotherapy usually is carried out via verification measurements. In this study, a method for independent dose calculation of tomotherapy treatment plans is presented, that uses a conventional treatment planning system with a pencil kernel dose calculation algorithm for generation of verification dose distributions based on patient CT data.Methods:A pencil beam algorithm that directly uses measured beam data was configured for dose calculation for a tomotherapy machine. Tomotherapy treatment plans were converted into a format readable by an in‐house treatment planning system by assigning each projection to one static treatment field and shifting the calculation isocenter for each field in order to account for the couch movement. The modulation of the fluence for each projection is read out of the delivery sinogram, and with the kernel‐based dose calculation, this information can directly be used for dose calculation without the need for decomposition of the sinogram. The sinogram values are only corrected for leaf output and leaf latency. Using the converted treatment plans, dose was recalculated with the independent treatment planning system. Multiple treatment plans ranging from simple static fields to real patient treatment plans were calculated using the new approach and either compared to actual measurements or the 3D dose distribution calculated by the tomotherapy treatment planning system. In addition, dose–volume histograms were calculated for the patient plans.Results:Except for minor deviations at the maximum field size, the pencil beam dose calculation for static beams agreed with measurements in a water tank within 2%/2 mm. A mean deviation to point dose measurements in the cheese phantom of 0.89% ± 0.81% was found for unmodulated helical plans. A mean voxel‐based deviation of −0.67% ± 1.11% for all voxels in the respective high dose region (dose values >80%), and a mean local voxel‐based deviation of −2.41% ± 0.75% for all voxels with dose values >20% were found for 11 modulated plans in the cheese phantom. Averaged over nine patient plans, the deviations amounted to −0.14% ± 1.97% (voxels >80%) and −0.95% ± 2.27% (>20%, local deviations). For a lung case, mean voxel‐based deviations of more than 4% were found, while for all other patient plans, all mean voxel‐based deviations were within ±2.4%.Conclusions:The presented method is suitable for independent dose calculation for helical tomotherapy within the known limitations of the pencil beam algorithm. It can serve as verification of the primary dose calculation and thereby reduce the need for time‐consuming measurements. By using the patient anatomy and generating full 3D dose data, and combined with measurements of additional machine parameters, it can substantially contribute to overall patient safety.
Transmission Potential of Antimony-Resistant Leishmania Field Isolates
Authors: Seblova Veronika , Oury Bruno , Eddaikra Naouel , Aït-Oudhia Khatima , Pratlong Francine , Gazanion Elodie , Maia Carla , Volf Petr , Sereno Denis 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

We studied the development of antimony-resistant
Leishmania infantum
in natural vectors
Lutzomyia longipalpis
and
Phlebotomus perniciosus
to ascertain the risk of parasite transmission by sand flies. All three resistant strains produced fully mature late-stage infections in sand flies; moreover, the resistant phenotype was maintained after the passage through the vector. These results highlight the risk of circulation of resistant
Leishmania
strains and question the use of human drugs for treatment of dogs as
Leishmania
reservoirs.
Repurposing the Open Access Malaria Box To Discover Potent Inhibitors of Toxoplasma gondii and Entamoeba histolytica
Authors: Boyom Fabrice F. , Fokou Patrick V. T. , Tchokouaha Lauve R. Y. , Spangenberg Thomas , Mfopa Alvine N. , Kouipou Ruffin M. T. , Mbouna Cedric J. , Donfack Valerie F. Donkeng , Zollo Paul H. A. 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

Toxoplasmosis and amebiasis are important public health concerns worldwide. The drugs currently available to control these diseases have proven limitations. Therefore, innovative approaches should be adopted to identify and develop new leads from novel scaffolds exhibiting novel modes of action. In this paper, we describe results from the screening of compounds in the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) open access Malaria Box in a search for new anti-
Toxoplasma
and anti-
Entamoeba
agents. Standard
in vitro
phenotypic screening procedures were adopted to assess their biological activities. Seven anti-
Toxoplasma
compounds with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) of <5 μM and selectivity indexes (SI) of >6 were identified. The most interesting compound was MMV007791, a piperazine acetamide, which has an IC
50
of 0.19 μM and a selectivity index of >157. Also, we identified two compounds, MMV666600 and MMV006861, with modest activities against
Entamoeba histolytica
, with IC
50
s of 10.66 μM and 15.58 μM, respectively. The anti-
Toxoplasma
compounds identified in this study belong to scaffold types different from those of currently used drugs, underscoring their novelty and potential as starting points for the development of new antitoxoplasmosis drugs with novel modes of action.
Deletion Mutations Conferring Substrate Spectrum Extension in the Class A β-Lactamase
Authors: Hwang Junghyun , Cho Kwang-Hwi , Song Han , Yi Hyojeong , Kim Heenam Stanley 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

We describe four new deletion mutations in a class A β-lactamase PenA in
Burkholderia thailandensis
, each conferring an extended substrate spectrum. Single-amino-acid deletions T171del, I173del, and P174del and a two-amino-acid deletion, R165_T167delinsP, occurred in the omega loop, increasing the flexibility of the binding cavity. This rare collection of mutations has significance, allowing exploration of the diverse evolutionary trajectories of β-lactamases and as potential future mutations conferring high-level ceftazidime resistance on isolates from clinical settings, compared with amino acid substitution mutations.
Chloroquine Remains Effective for Treating Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Pursat Province, Western Cambodia
Authors: Amaratunga Chanaki , Sreng Sokunthea , Mao Sivanna , Tullo Gregory S. , Anderson Jennifer M. , Chuor Char Meng , Suon Seila , Fairhurst Rick M. 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

Chloroquine (CQ) is used to treat
Plasmodium vivax
malaria in areas where CQ resistance has not been reported. The use of artemisinin (ART)-based combination therapies (ACTs) to treat CQ-sensitive
P. vivax
infections is effective and convenient but may promote the emergence and worsening of ART resistance in sympatric
Plasmodium falciparum
populations. Here, we show that CQ effectively treats
P. vivax
malaria in Pursat Province, western Cambodia, where ART-resistant
P. falciparum
is highly prevalent and spreading. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT00663546.)
Experimental Therapy with Azoles against Candida guilliermondii
Authors: Sanchis Marta , Pastor Francisco Javier , Capilla Javier , Sutton Deanna A. , Fothergill Annette W. , Guarro Josep 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

We evaluated the
in vitro
killing activity of voriconazole (VRC) and posaconazole (PSC) against two clinical isolates of
Candida guilliermondii
. The two drugs showed fungistatic activity against both isolates and were effective in reducing kidney fungal burden in a neutropenic murine model of disseminated candidiasis in infected mice. PSC was significantly more effective than VRC against one of the strains. The serum levels of PSC and VRC were above the corresponding MICs for these isolates.
First Identification of a Chromosomally Located Penicillinase Gene in Kingella kingae Species Isolated in Continental Europe
Authors: Basmaci Romain , Bidet Philippe , Berçot Béatrice , Jost Christelle , Kwon Thérésa , Gaumetou Elodie , Bonacorsi Stéphane 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

Kingella kingae
is the major pathogen causing osteoarticular infections (OAI) in young children in numerous countries. Plasmid-borne TEM-1 penicillinase production has been sporadically detected in a few countries but not in continental Europe, despite a high prevalence of
K. kingae
infections. We describe here for the first time a
K. kingae
β-lactamase-producing strain in continental Europe and demonstrate the novel chromosomal location of the
bla
TEM-1
gene in
K. kingae
species.
Mycobacterial Gene
cuvA
Is Required for Optimal Nutrient Utilization and Virulence
Authors: Mir Mushtaq , Prisic Sladjana , Kang Choong-Min , Lun Shichun , Guo Haidan , Murry Jeffrey P. , Rubin Eric J. , Husson Robert N. 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

To persist and cause disease in the host,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
must adapt to its environment during infection. Adaptations include changes in nutrient utilization and alterations in growth rate.
M. tuberculosis
Rv1422 is a conserved gene of unknown function that was found in a genetic screen to interact with the
mce4
cholesterol uptake locus. The Rv1422 protein is phosphorylated by the
M. tuberculosis
Ser/Thr kinases PknA and PknB, which regulate cell growth and cell wall synthesis.
Bacillus subtilis
strains lacking the Rv1422 homologue
yvcK
grow poorly on several carbon sources, and
yvcK
is required for proper localization of peptidoglycan synthesis. Here we show that
Mycobacterium smegmatis
and
M. tuberculosis
strains lacking Rv1422 have growth defects in minimal medium containing limiting amounts of several different carbon sources. These strains also have morphological abnormalities, including shortened and bulging cells, suggesting a cell wall defect. In both mycobacterial species, the Rv1422 protein localizes uniquely to the growing cell pole, the site of peptidoglycan synthesis in mycobacteria. An
M. tuberculosis
ΔRv1422 strain is markedly attenuated for virulence in a mouse infection model, where it elicits decreased inflammation in the lungs and shows impaired bacterial persistence. These findings led us to name this gene
cuvA
(
c
arbon
u
tilization and
v
irulence protein
A
) and to suggest a model in which deletion of
cuvA
leads to changes in nutrient uptake and/or metabolism that affect cell wall structure, morphology, and virulence. Its role in virulence suggests that CuvA may be a useful target for novel inhibitors of
M. tuberculosis
during infection.
Nitric Oxide Levels Regulate the Immune Response of Drosophila melanogaster Reference Laboratory Strains to Bacterial Infections
Authors: Eleftherianos Ioannis , More Kareen , Spivack Stephanie , Paulin Ethan , Khojandi Arman , Shukla Sajala 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

Studies on the innate immune response against microbial infections in
Drosophila melanogaster
involve mutant strains and their reference strains that act as experimental controls. We used five standard
D. melanogaster
laboratory reference strains (Oregon R, w1118, Canton-S, Cinnabar Brown, and Yellow White [YW]) and investigated their response against two pathogenic bacteria (
Photorhabdus luminescens
and
Enterococcus faecalis
) and two nonpathogenic bacteria (
Escherichia coli
and
Micrococcus luteus
). We detected high sensitivity among YW flies to bacterial infections and increased bacterial growth compared to the other strains. We also found variation in the transcription of certain antimicrobial peptide genes among strains, with Oregon and YW infected flies showing the highest and lowest gene transcription levels in most cases. We show that Oregon and w1118 flies possess more circulating hemocytes and higher levels of phenoloxidase activity than the other strains upon infection with the nonpathogenic bacteria. We further observed reduced fat accumulation in YW flies infected with the pathogenic bacteria, which suggests a possible decline in physiological condition. Finally, we found that nitrite levels are significantly lower in infected and uninfected YW flies compared to w1118 flies and that nitric oxide synthase mutant flies in YW background are more susceptible to bacterial infection compared to mutants in w1118 background. Therefore, increased sensitivity of YW flies to bacterial infections can be partly attributed to lower levels of nitric oxide. Such studies will significantly contribute toward a better understanding of the genetic variation between
D. melanogaste
r reference strains.
The HtrA-Like Protease CD3284 Modulates Virulence of Clostridium difficile
Authors: Bakker Dennis , Buckley Anthony M. , de Jong Anne , van Winden Vincent J. C. , Verhoeks Joost P. A. , Kuipers Oscar P. , Douce Gillian R. , Kuijper Ed J. , Smits Wiep Klaas , Corver Jeroen 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

In the past decade,
Clostridium difficile
has emerged as an important gut pathogen. Symptoms of
C. difficile
infection range from mild diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis. Besides the two main virulence factors toxin A and toxin B, other virulence factors are likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In other Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, conserved high-temperature requirement A (HtrA)-like proteases have been shown to have a role in protein homeostasis and quality control. This affects the functionality of virulence factors and the resistance of bacteria to (host-induced) environmental stresses. We found that the
C. difficile
630 genome encodes a single HtrA-like protease (CD3284; HtrA) and have analyzed its role
in vivo
and
in vitro
through the creation of an isogenic ClosTron-based
htrA
mutant of
C. difficile
strain 630Δ
erm
(wild type). In contrast to the attenuated phenotype seen with
htrA
deletion in other pathogens, this mutant showed enhanced virulence in the Golden Syrian hamster model of acute
C. difficile
infection. Microarray data analysis showed a pleiotropic effect of
htrA
on the transcriptome of
C. difficile
, including upregulation of the toxin A gene. In addition,
the htrA
mutant showed reduced spore formation and adherence to colonic cells. Together, our data show that
htrA
can modulate virulence in
C. difficile
.
FurC Regulates Expression of
zupT
for the Central Zinc Importer ZupT of Cupriavidus metallidurans
Authors: Schmidt Christopher , Schwarzenberger Claudia , Große Cornelia , Nies Dietrich H. 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

The zinc importer ZupT is required for the efficient allocation of zinc to zinc-dependent proteins in the metal-resistant bacterium
Cupriavidus metallidurans
but not for zinc import
per se
. The expression of
zupT
is upregulated under conditions of zinc starvation.
C. metallidurans
contains three members of the Fur family of regulators that qualify as candidates for the
zupT
regulator. The expression of a
zupT-lacZ
reporter gene fusion was strongly upregulated in a Δ
furC
mutant but not in a Δ
furA
or Δ
furB
mutant. Expression of the genes for transition-metal importers (
pitA
,
corA1
,
corA2
, and
corA3
) was not changed in this pattern in all three Δ
fur
mutants, but they were still downregulated under conditions of elevated zinc concentrations, indicating the presence of another zinc-dependent regulator. FurA was a central regulator of the iron metabolism in
C. metallidurans
, and
furA
was constitutively expressed under the conditions tested. Expression of
furB
was upregulated under conditions of iron starvation, and FurB could be an iron starvation Fur connecting general metal and iron homeostasis, as indicated by the phenotype of a Δ
furB
Δ
furC
double mutant. FurC was purified as a Strep-tagged protein and retarded the electrophoretic mobility of a DNA fragment upstream of
zupT
. Binding of FurC to this operator region was influenced by the presence of zinc ions and EDTA. Thus, FurC is the main zinc uptake regulator (Zur) of
C. metallidurans
and represses synthesis of the central zinc importer ZupT when sufficient zinc is present.
Bacterial Nonhomologous End Joining Requires Teamwork
Authors: Matthews Lindsay A. , Simmons Lyle A. 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT

All living organisms must repair DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in order to survive. Many bacteria rely on nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) when only a single copy of the genome is available and maintain NHEJ pathways with a minimum of two proteins. In this issue,
Bhattarai and colleagues
identify additional factors that can work together to aid in survival of stationary-phase cells with chromosomal breaks.
Reflectance scanning
Authors: Chen Guojun , Dong Yue , Peers Pieter , Zhang Jiawan , Tong Xin 
Published: July 2014

We present a generalized linear light source solution to estimate both the local shading frame and anisotropic surface reflectance of a planar spatially varying material sample.
We generalize linear light source reflectometry by modulating the intensity along the linear light source, and show that a constant and two sinusoidal lighting patterns are sufficient for estimating the local shading frame and anisotropic surface reflectance. We propose a novel reconstruction algorithm based on the key observation that after factoring out the tangent rotation, the anisotropic surface reflectance lies in a low rank subspace. We exploit the differences in tangent rotation between surface points to infer the low rank subspace and fit each surface point's reflectance function in the projected low rank subspace to the observations. We propose two prototype acquisition devices for capturing surface reflectance that differ on whether the camera is fixed with respect to the linear light source or fixed with respect to the material sample.
We demonstrate convincing results obtained from reflectance scans of surfaces with different reflectance and shading frame variations.