bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a Diffusible Signaling Factor from Xylella fastidiosa
Authors: Beaulieu Ellen D. , Ionescu Michael , Chatterjee Subhadeep , Yokota Kenji , Trauner Dirk , Lindow Steven 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT

Cell-cell signaling in
Xylella fastidiosa
has been implicated in the coordination of traits enabling colonization in plant hosts as well as insect vectors. This cell density-dependent signaling has been attributed to a diffusible signaling factor (DSF) produced by the DSF synthase RpfF. DSF produced by related bacterial species are unsaturated fatty acids, but that of
X. fastidiosa
was thought to be different from those of other taxa. We describe here the isolation and characterization of an
X. fastidiosa
DSF (
Xf
DSF) as 2(
Z
)-tetradecenoic acid. This compound was isolated both from recombinant
Erwinia herbicola
expressing
X. fastidiosa rpfF
and from an
X. fastidiosa rpfC
deletion mutant that overproduces DSF. Since an
rpfF
mutant is impaired in biofilm formation and underexpresses the hemagglutinin-like protein-encoding genes
hxfA
and
hxfB
, we demonstrate that these traits can be restored by ca. 0.5 µM
Xf
DSF but not by myristic acid, the fully saturated tetradecenoic acid. A
phoA
-based
X. fastidiosa
biosensor that assesses DSF-dependent expression of
hxfA
or
hxfB
revealed a high level of molecular specificity of DSF signaling.

IMPORTANCE
X. fastidiosa
causes diseases in many important plants, including grape, where it incites Pierce’s disease. Virulence of
X. fastidiosa
for grape is coordinated by cell-cell signaling molecules, designated DSF (Diffusible Signaling Factor). Mutants blocked in DSF production are hypervirulent for grape, suggesting that virulence is suppressed upon DSF accumulation and that disease could be controlled by artificial elevation of the DSF level in plants. In this work, we describe the isolation of the DSF produced by
X. fastidiosa
and the verification of its biological activity as an antivirulence factor. We also have developed
X. fastidiosa
DSF biosensors to evaluate the specificity of cell-cell signaling to be investigated.
Audit of HIV testing frequency and behavioural interventions for men who have sex with men: policy and practice in sexual health clinics in England
Authors: Desai Monica , Desai Sarika , Sullivan Ann Kathleen , Mohabeer Malika , Mercey Danielle , Kingston Margaret A , Thng Caroline , McCormack Sheena , Gill O Noel , Nardone Anthony ,   On behalf of GUMNet
Published: January 2013

BackgroundNational guidance recommends targeted behavioural interventions and frequent HIV testing for men who have sex with men (MSM). We reviewed current policy and practice for HIV testing and behavioural interventions (BI) in England to determine adherence to guidance.Methods25 sexual health clinics were surveyed using a semistructured audit asking about risk ascertainment for MSM, HIV testing and behavioural intervention policies. Practice was assessed by reviewing the notes of the first 40 HIV-negative MSM aged over 16 who attended from 1 June 2010, in a subset of 15 clinics.Results24 clinics completed the survey: 18 (75%) defined risk for MSM and 17 used unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) as an indication of high risk. 21 (88%) offered one or more structured BI. Of 598 notes reviewed, 199 (33%) MSM reported any UAI. BI, including safer sex advice, was offered to and accepted by 251/598 (42%) men. A low proportion of all MSM (52/251: 21%) accepted a structured one-to-one BI as recommended by national guidance and uptake was still low among higher risk MSM (29/107: 27%). 92% (552/598) of men had one or more HIV test over a 1-year period.ConclusionsIn 2010, the number of HIV tests performed met the national minimum standard but structured behavioural interventions were being offered to and accepted by only a small proportion of MSM, including those at a higher risk of infection. Reasons for not offering behavioural interventions to higher risk MSM, whether due to patient choice, a lack of staff training or resource shortage, need to be investigated and addressed.
A Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Model of Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients Treated with Flavopiridol
Authors: Ji Jia , Mould Diane R. , Blum Kristie A. , Ruppert Amy S. , Poi Ming , Zhao Yuan , Johnson Amy J. , Byrd John C. , Grever Michael R. , Phelps Mitch A. 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
Purpose: Flavopiridol, the first clinically evaluated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, shows activity in patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but prevalent and unpredictable tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) presents a major barrier to its broad clinical use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between pretreatment risk factors, drug pharmacokinetics, and TLS.
Experimental Design: A population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model linking drug exposure and TLS was developed. Plasma data of flavopiridol and its glucuronide metabolite (flavo-G) were obtained from 111 patients treated in early-phase trials with frequent sampling following initial and/or escalated doses. TLS grading was modeled with logistic regression as a pharmacodynamic endpoint. Demographics, baseline disease status, and blood chemistry variables were evaluated as covariates.
Results: Gender was the most significant pharmacokinetic covariate, with females displaying higher flavo-G exposure than males. Glucuronide metabolite exposure was predictive of TLS occurrence, and bulky lymphadenopathy was identified as a significant covariate on TLS probability. The estimated probability of TLS occurrence in patients with baseline bulky lymphadenopathy less than 10 cm or 10 cm or more during the first 2 treatments was 0.111 (SE% 13.0%) and 0.265 (SE% 17.9%), respectively, when flavo-G area under the plasma concentration versus time curve was at its median value in whole-patient group.
Conclusions: This is the first population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model of TLS. Further work is needed to explore potential mechanisms and to determine whether the associations between TLS, gender, and glucuronide metabolites are relevant in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with other cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Clin Cancer Res; 19(5); 1269–80. ©2012 AACR.
Reliability (Inter-rater Agreement) of the Barthel Index for Assessment of Stroke Survivors
Authors: Duffy Laura , Gajree Shelley , Langhorne Peter , Stott David J. , Quinn Terence J. 
Published: January 2013

Background and Purpose—
The Barthel Index (BI) is a 10-item measure of activities of daily living which is frequently used in clinical practice and as a trial outcome measure in stroke. We sought to describe the reliability (interobserver variability) of standard BI in stroke cohorts using systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies.

Methods—
Two assessors independently searched various multidisciplinary electronic databases from inception to April 2012 inclusive. Inclusion criteria comprised: original research, human stroke participants, and inter-rater reliability data on equivalent methods of BI administration. Manuscripts were reviewed against prespecified inclusion criteria. Primary outcome for meta-analysis was reliability, measured by weighted κ (κw).

Results—
From 20 210 titles, 306 abstracts were reviewed, 12 studies met inclusion criteria, and 10 were included in meta-analysis (n=543 participants; range of participants in studies, 7–21). There was substantial clinical heterogeneity with respect to method of BI application; population studied and assessors. Two papers were graded high quality. Overall interobserver reliability of standard administration of the BI was excellent (κw, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.90–0.96 random effects modeling).

Conclusions—
The BI has excellent inter-rater reliability for standard administration after stroke. However, included studies were modest in size, with clinical heterogeneity and variable methodological quality. Despite these limitations, standard BI seems an appropriate outcome measure for stroke trials and practice.
Distributing Pollution Rights in Cap-and-Trade Programs: Are Outcomes Independent of Allocation?
Authors: Fowlie Meredith , Perloff Jeffrey M. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractStandard economic theory predicts that if property rights to pollute are clearly established, equilibrium outcomes in an efficient emissions permit market will be independent of how the emissions permits are initially distributed. This so-called independence property has important implications for policy design and implementation. Past studies document a strong positive correlation between the initial permit allocation and firm-level emissions, raising concerns that the independence property is failing to hold in real-world settings. We exploit the random assignment of firms to different permit allocation cycles in Southern California's RECLAIM program in order to test the independence of permit allocation and emissions. Our results lend empirical support to the independence hypothesis.
Employment Protection Legislation, Multinational Firms, and Innovation
Authors: Griffith Rachel , Macartney Gareth 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
The theoretical effects of labor regulations, such as employment protection legislation (EPL), on innovation is ambiguous. EPL increases job security, and the greater enforceability of job contracts may increase worker investment in innovative activity. But EPL increases firms' adjustment costs, which may lead to underinvestment in activities that are likely to require adjustment, including technologically advanced innovation. In this paper, we find empirical evidence that these effects are at work—in particular, a higher share of multinational enterprise innovative activity in countries with high EPL is technologically advanced.
Migrant Transnationality and Its Evolving Nature: A Case Study of Mainland Chinese Migrants in Australia
Authors: Gao Jia 
Published: January 2013

AbstractBoth transnationality and its evolving nature have been the persistent themes of many studies. However, they have often been considered separately, producing insufficient evidence to explain why migrants and their communities have acted in transnational ways and how transnationality repeatedly acts on diasporic identity. This article will use the data collected in the Chinese community in Australia to explore the correlation between the transnationality of individual migrants and the evolving nature of their diasporic identities. The discussion will outline and analyze various transnational activities that have taken place in the community since the early 1990s, focusing on their form, content and trajectory, as well as their organizational structures and meaning. The article will conclude with an explanation about why community members initiate the transnational activities, what goals they have set for their transnational lives and how transnationality and their identity are correlated.
Transnationalism as a New Mode of Immigrant Labor Market Incorporation: Preliminary Evidence from Chinese Transnational Migrants
Authors: Yang Philip 
Published: January 2013

AbstractExtending the three now well-known modes of immigrant labor market incorporation formulated by sociologist Alejandro Portes in 1981, this article proposes that transnationalism can be viewed as a new mode of immigrant labor market incorporation in the age of globalization. The article conceptualizes this new mode of immigrant incorporation and illustrates it with data from unstructured interviews of Chinese transnational migrants in the US and in China. It is found that the transnational mode of incorporation often offers Chinese transnational migrants business and career opportunities and rewards not available in other modes of incorporation, although it sometimes involves risks, uncertainties, and difficulties. Chinese transmigrants with a higher initial social standing, an advanced training, and a dense network are more likely to experience upward social mobility than those without such advantages. Implications of the arguments and findings are also discussed.
Expanding the Cantonese Diaspora: Sojourners and Settlers in the West River Basin
Authors: Miles Steven 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis article describes Cantonese migrants along the West River basin linking the two southern Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong during Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) times. Based primarily on genealogies of Pearl River delta lineages, the article examines a range of interconnected activities — including land settlement, commerce, and temporary sojourning in order to win civil service examination degrees — that Cantonese sojourners and settlers pursued outside the delta. These delta genealogies also prove to be valuable sources for the study of Cantonese overseas migration. In fact, many of the families discussed in this article sent sojourners both upriver along the West River basin and abroad to Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Thus, the author argues that the West River trajectory was an important component of the larger Cantonese diaspora.
Kung Pao Kosher: Jewish Americans and Chinese Restaurants in New York
Authors: Liu Haiming 
Published: January 2013

AbstractSince c.1900, eating Chinese food has become a weekly routine, a Christmas tradition, and a childhood memory for many Jewish American families. In their adaptation to American society, Jewish Americans made eating Chinese part of their American identity. The evolution and change in Chinese food and Jewish eating habits took place almost simultaneously. While Chinese immigrants invented chopsuey and other popular Americanized Chinese dishes, Jewish residential proximity to New York Chinatown allowed many Jewish immigrants and their families to frequent Chinese restaurants and become familiar with Chinese food. Based on a review of articles published in newspapers and popular journals in New York and scholarly writings on food history, this article explains how and why Jewish customers were attracted to Chinese food, and describes the dynamic interaction between the two cultures in an attempt to addresses the complexity of American ethnic identity.
The Chinese of São Paulo: A Case Study
Authors: Stenberg Josh 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, is also home to one of the largest Chinese populations in Latin America, with only Lima being indubitably larger. This paper briefly describes the history and present situation of the Chinese community in São Paulo, with a focus on the contemporary mainland Chinese who make up the majority. The fieldwork for this research was conducted in the months of March to June 2011, and the findings are based on the accounts provided by Brazilian, Chinese and Sino-Brazilian respondents supplemented by the existing Brazilian, Chinese and international scholarship on the subject, as well as Brazilian and Chinese press reports and internet publications. Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the respondents.
Die Untersicht als ein Gestaltungsmittel in Rembrandts Frühwerk
Authors: Guratzsch Herwig 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAn einigen Frühwerken Rembrandts läßt sich nachweisen, daß der Künstler das Gestaltungsmittel der Untersicht ganz absichtsvoll verwandt hat (vgl. Anm. 7). Es diente ihm offensichtlich dazu, Darstellungen in ihrer Wirkung zu dramatisieren. Er wählt für bestimmtc Zentralfiguren (meist eine einzelne Gipfelfigtir) eine tiefere Anschauungshöhc, um den Betrachter direkter an der Ungleichheit menschlicher Begegnungen teilnehmen zu lassen, um die verbildlichten Spannungen intensiver auf ihn zu übertragen. Das Auge, das von der Dominanz einer figürlichen Erscheinung im Bilde betroffen werden soll, hat an ihr emporzublicken. - Dabei fällt auf, daß Rembrandt vorzugsweise die Anschauung aus der Perspektive der 'Untergebenen', der im Bild tiefer Gestellten entwickelt. Auf diese Weise wird der Betrachter selbst in ihre Rolle gedrängt, wenngleich offen bleibt, inwieweit Rembrandt sich mit ihnen identifiziert. In seiner Anwendung der Untersicht bezieht sich Rembrandt auf Lastman, der sie mit einigen gestalterischen Mitteln veräußerlicht (vgl. Anm. 20). Mehr und mehr löst er sich von dessen Formensprache und läßt eine Entwicklung erkennen: Bei einzelnen (früheren) Werken wirken auf ein und demselben Bild mehrere Blickpunkte. Dabei fällt die Gesamtkomposition nicht auseinander 27. Der Augen-punkt liegt in der Regel tiefer als bei späteren Beispielen. Allmählich geht die Anschauung in eine vereinheitlichte Blickhöhe über, die zunehmend zur Normalsicht findet 28. Auch die im Zusammenhang mit der Untersicht erwähnten Kompositionsmittel Rembrandts, wie der mächtige Figurentypus, die psychologische Differenzierung von Blick und Haltung in einzelnen Darstellungen, verlieren an Bedeutung und kehren in späterer Zeit nicht mehr in dieser Form wieder.
On the distribution of Dolichopus humilis Van Duzee in the Palaearctic Region and a new synonym (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Dolichopus latipennis species group)
Authors: NEGROBOV OLEG P. , GRICHANOV IGOR YA. 
Published: January 2013

Dolichopus humilis Van Duzee, 1921 was described from the Alaska-Yukon Territory boundary (Van Duzee et al. 1921), and later recorded from Alaska, Northwest Territories and Greenland (J.R. Vockeroth in Pollet et al. 2004). This species was redescribed and illustrated by Pollet and Böcher (2005). It was never associated with the Dolichopus latipennis species group (= Hygroceleuthus Loew, 1857). Recently Negrobov et al. (2009) reviewed the Dolichopus latipennis species group in the Palaearctic Region and described D. lantsovi Negrobov, Grichanov et Barkalov from the Taimyr and Yamal peninsulas of Siberia. At the time of description the differences in leg setation and coloration between D. lantsovi and D. humilis were considered to be important to distinguish a new species. Recently the junior author examined a long series of D. humilis from Thule (northwest side of the island of Greenland) found in the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark (ZMUC). IYG also recently examined new material of D. lantsovi from the arctic region of Eurasia deposited in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg (ZIN). Study of this material has revealed variability in leg setation, coloration and thickness (see below) among the Siberian D. lantsovi and northern American D. humilis specimens that overlaps the two species concepts. Therefore, we do not see any justification in recognizing two separate species.
Headache frequency and intensity in female migraineurs using desogestrel-only contraception: A retrospective pilot diary study
Authors: Merki-Feld Gabriele S , Imthurn Bruno , Langner Ronald , Sándor Peter S , Gantenbein Andreas R 
Published: January 2013

Background Migraine seems to be substantially related to hormonal changes. However, migraine, but also the use of combined oral contraceptives (COC), is associated with an increased risk for vascular events. Therefore progestagen-only contraception is an important alternative to combined preparations. Clinical observations and one pilot study demonstrate that the use of desogestrel 75 µg may have a positive impact on migraine. Aim The aim of this retrospective analysis of prospectively collected headache diaries was to study the effect of desogestrel 75 µg on headache frequency, intensity and use of acute medication in premenopausal women with migraine in a clinical setting. Methods Patients’ charts were included from women who wanted to use desogestrel 75 µg as a contraceptive and had kept headache diaries over six months (three months pretreatment and three months during treatment). Out of 58 women, 38 women had completed headache diaries for this period. Incomplete diaries ( n = 12), side effects ( n = 5) and loss to follow-up ( n = 3) were the reasons for the exclusion of 20 women. The three months (total of 90 days) before and after initiation of the progestin were compared. Results Days with migraine (5.2 vs. 3.7), days with all kind of headache (8.3 vs. 6.5) and days with use of any headache medication (5.7 vs. 3.5) were significantly reduced at follow-up after three months. In addition there was a reduction in headache intensity ( p < 0.0001). The reduction in number of days with use of triptans was not significant ( p < 0.14). Conclusion In the 38/58 migraineurs with complete diaries there was a statistically significant decrease in migraine days, headache intensity and medication use. Tension-type headache days decreased but were not significant. Our preliminary data are promising, but should be interpreted cautiously because they were obtained in a small population of women visiting a specialty hormone and migraine clinic. Randomised controlled trials need to be conducted to substantiate our results.
Subacute oral toxicity of combinations of selected synthetic pyrethroids, piperonyl butoxide, and tetramethrin in rats
Authors: Yavuz Oguzhan , Aksoy Abdurrahman , Das Yavuz Kursad , Gulbahar Mustafa Yavuz , Guvenc Dilek , Atmaca Enes , Yarim Fatma Gul , Cenesiz Metin 
Published: January 2013

In this study, 70 Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven equal groups (six experimental and one control), which consisted of animals belonging to both sexes. Different combinations of insecticides were administered daily to the experimental groups (group 1: cypermethrin + piperonyl butoxide (PBO); group 2: alphacypermethrin + PBO; group 3: deltamethrin + PBO; group 4: cypermethrin + PBO + tetramethrin; group 5: alphacypermethrin + PBO + tetramethrin; and group 6: deltamethrin + PBO + tetramethrin) for 28 days. During the study period, mortality and serious clinical findings were not observed in any animal. However, feed consumptions decreased in groups 1 and 3 ( p < 0.05). Red blood cells, white blood cells, and hemoglobin levels, especially in cypermethrin and alphacypermethrin groups (groups 1, 2, and 4), were found to be higher than the control group ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, biochemical changes related to liver, kidney functions, and protein metabolism occurred in males of almost all the groups. Relative liver and kidney weights of the male animals increased in the cypermethrin and alphacypermethrin groups ( p < 0.05). The most common finding observed during the histopathological examination of all the experimental groups was centrilobular degeneration in the liver. It was concluded that although clinical symptoms were not observed, synthetic pyrethroid, synergist, and knockdown agent combinations might cause serious abnormalities when administered in certain doses in mammalians.