bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The construct validity of a measure of the benchmarks of educational practices
Authors: El Hassan Karma 
Published: September 2013

Purpose
– The American University of Beruit has generated a model for student success that builds on Kuh's five benchmarks of academic practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychometric properties of the measures used to assess effectiveness of the benchmarks.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using a database of student responses to the College Outcomes Survey, scalelets representing each of the five benchmarks were constructed. Confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, and structural equation modeling were used to test the measurement model and overall fit of the data, assess the extent the constructs are interdependent, and investigate influence of benchmarks on valued student outcomes.

Findings
– Results provided evidence of reliability and construct validity of the measures. The university needs studies addressing the psychometric properties of the measures used to answer fundamental questions about its institutional effectiveness and needs to know whether these findings represent true relationships or measurement error. Without psychometric information, the university cannot monitor its institutional effectiveness in meeting its goals nor the impact of new policies and practices on student outcomes.

Originality/value
– The study provides insight on meaning and components of various benchmarks and their impact on desired outcomes that the university has for its students, and thus provides more useful representations that meet its needs.
Older people and home care in Wales: findings from a survey of service users
Authors: Llewellyn Mark , Longley Marcus , Jarvis Paul , Garthwaite Tony 
Published: September 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of a comprehensive and independent study of 1,029 older people who receive home care in Wales. The study aims to expand knowledge on the views of older people, a group who traditionally have struggled to make their voices heard. It asked older people about six specific components of home care: being listened to; having trained, knowledgeable and skilled care workers; having enough time to be cared for; receiving care from as few different workers as possible; receiving quality care; and being signposted to other sources of information.

Design/methodology/approach
– After an initial literature review and period of analysis, a thematic framework for home care was developed which contained the six components described above. A questionnaire was subsequently designed and distributed via the post to all home care services over 65 years old in four local authorities across Wales. A sample response rate of 26.7 per cent was achieved.

Findings
– The paper provides evidence on the levels of satisfaction (or otherwise) with the home care received by older people in Wales. Overall, nearly 85 per cent of older people are either “satisfied” or “very satisfied”, and given the sample size these data are significant (within appropriate confidence intervals) for the whole of the 25,000 people who receive home care in Wales. However, it is difficult to contextualise these findings given that there are no effective comparator data.

Research limitations/implications
– Given the chosen research approach, the results may lack a certain depth of understanding. That said, the size of the sample does provide commissioners and providers of services with certainty about the general population view.

Originality/value
– This paper offers a unique independent analysis of home care in Wales, and provides the reader with detailed insights into the views of older people who rarely get a chance to be heard.
Independent living in care homes for older people
Authors: Moore John 
Published: September 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how care homes can be de-institutionalised and what factors are key in independence for residents?

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper takes the form of a review of the current life of residents in care homes with insight from My Home Life Cymru.

Findings
– This research identifies eight best practice themes which together form a vision for care homes in the twenty-first century.

Originality/value
– Care homes play an important role in social care, providing services to some of our most vulnerable citizens. By focusing on the quality of life in care homes for older people, we can play a part in delivering services that people want, in the way that they want them.
Absolutely fabulous!
Authors: Daniel Hjorth 
Published: September 2013

Purpose– This paper seeks to apply a processual thinking of subjectivity in the study of “becoming entrepreneur”.Design/methodology/approach– Through analysing Foucault's idea of subjectification, by the help of Deleuze's comments and elaborations, the paper seeks to clarify one opacity in entrepreneurship research – the “vanishing presence” of the entrepreneur in processual studies of entrepreneurship. To avoid performative contradiction, the paper seeks to contextualise this attempt in guiding principles provided by process philosophy.Findings– Without a process view, “the subject” as entity and self-constitutiveres cogitans(thinking thing or mind) will take priority over subjectification, and the paper will loose the possibility to think and study the process of becoming-subject in its own terms.Originality/value– Understanding entrepreneurship as organisation-creation, the paper here adds a processual conceptualisation to the study of such processes by focusing on the arrangements (agancements as Deleuze called this, or dispositifs as Foucault preferred to use) in which subjectification into “entrepreneur” happens.
Evaluation of the Nanosphere Verigene Gram-Positive Blood Culture Assay with the VersaTREK Blood Culture System and Assessment of Possible Impact on Selected Patients
Authors: Beal Stacy G. , Ciurca Jane , Smith Geremy , John Jeffrey , Lee Francesca , Doern Christopher D. , Gander Rita M. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

The Verigene Gram-positive blood culture (BC-GP) assay (Nanosphere, Northbrook, IL) is a molecular method for the rapid identification of Gram-positive organisms and resistance markers directly from blood culture bottles. A total of 148 VersaTREK REDOX 1 40-ml aerobic bottles demonstrating Gram-positive bacteria were tested. Results were compared with those from conventional biochemical and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) identifications. We obtained isolates of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) (24), methicillin-susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
(MSSA) (14), methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus epidermidis
(MRSE) (17), methicillin-susceptible
Staphylococcus epidermidis
(MSSE) (9), other coagulase-negative staphylococci (19),
Streptococcus salivarius
(5),
Streptococcus parasanguinis
(2),
Streptococcus sanguinis
(1),
Streptococcus cristatus
(1), the
Streptococcus bovis
group (5),
Streptococcus agalactiae
(9), the
Streptococcus anginosus
group (1),
Streptococcus pneumoniae
(6), vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus faecium
(VRE FCM) (16), vancomycin-susceptible
Enterococcus faecalis
(3),
Aerococcus viridans
(2),
Bacillus
(6),
Corynebacterium
(8),
Lactobacillus
(2),
Micrococcus
(2),
Neisseria mucosa
(1),
Escherichia coli
(3),
Candida tropicalis
(1),
Propionibacterium
(1), and
Rothia
(1). Overall agreement with the culture results was 95%. A total of 137 of 138 (99%) monomicrobial cultures were concordant. We tested 9 polymicrobial samples and found 33% agreement. A chart review of 31 patients with MRSA, MSSA, or VRE demonstrated that the Nanosphere BC-GP assay might have led to more appropriate antibiotic selection for these patients an average of 42 h earlier. Additionally, contact isolation could have been initiated an average of 37 h earlier for patients with MRSA or VRE. The BC-GP assay may have a positive impact on patient care, health care costs, and antibiotic stewardship.
Precise Dissection of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak by Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Analysis
Authors: Turabelidze George , Lawrence Steven J. , Gao Hongyu , Sodergren Erica , Weinstock George M. , Abubucker Sahar , Wylie Todd , Mitreva Makedonka , Shaikh Nurmohammad , Gautom Romesh , Tarr Phillip I. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACTThe current pathogen-typing methods have suboptimal sensitivities and specificities. DNA sequencing offers an opportunity to type pathogens with greater degrees of discrimination using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) than with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and other methodologies. In a recent cluster ofEscherichia coliO157:H7 infections attributed to salad bar exposures and romaine lettuce, a subset of cases denied exposure to either source, although PFGE and multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) suggested that all isolates had the same recent progenitor. Interrogation of a preselected set of 3,442,673 nucleotides in backbone open reading frames (ORFs) identified only 1 or 2 single nucleotide differences in 3 of 12 isolates from the cases who denied exposure. The backbone DNAs of 9 of 9 and 3 of 3 cases who reported or were unsure about exposure, respectively, were isogenic. Backbone ORF SNP set sequencing offers pathogen differentiation capabilities that exceed those of PFGE and MLVA.
Identification of Alpha Interferon-Induced Envelope Mutations of Hepatitis C Virus
In Vitro
Associated with Increased Viral Fitness and Interferon Resistance
Authors: Serre Stéphanie B. N. , Krarup Henrik B. , Bukh Jens , Gottwein Judith M. 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Alpha interferon (IFN-α) is an essential component of innate antiviral immunity and of treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Resistance to IFN might be important for HCV persistence and failure of IFN-based therapies. Evidence for HCV genetic correlates of IFN resistance is limited. Experimental studies were hampered by lack of HCV culture systems. Using genotype (strain) 1a(H77) and 3a(S52) Core-NS2 JFH1-based recombinants, we aimed at identifying viral correlates of IFN-α resistance
in vitro
. Long-term culture with IFN-α2b in Huh7.5 cells resulted in viral spread with acquisition of putative escape mutations in HCV structural and nonstructural proteins. Reverse genetic studies showed that primarily amino acid changes I348T in 1a(H77) E1 and F345V/V414A in 3a(S52) E1/E2 increased viral fitness. Single-cycle assays revealed that I348T and F345V/V414A enhanced viral entry and release, respectively. In assays allowing viral spread, these mutations conferred a level of IFN-α resistance exceeding the observed fitness effect. The identified mutations acted in a subtype-specific manner but were not found in genotype 1a and 3a patients, who failed IFN-α therapy. Studies with HCV recombinants with different degrees of culture adaptation confirmed the correlation between viral fitness and IFN-α resistance. In conclusion,
in vitro
escape experiments led to identification of HCV envelope mutations resulting in increased viral fitness and conferring IFN-α resistance. While we established a close link between viral fitness and IFN-α resistance, identified mutations acted via different mechanisms and appeared to be relatively specific to the infecting virus, possibly explaining difficulties in identifying signature mutations for IFN resistance.
Determining the Cellular Diversity of Hepatitis C Virus Quasispecies by Single-Cell Viral Sequencing
Authors: McWilliam Leitch E. Carol , McLauchlan John 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Single-cell genomics is emerging as an important tool in cellular biology. We describe for the first time a system to investigate RNA virus quasispecies diversity at the cellular level utilizing hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicons. A high-fidelity nested reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay was developed, and validation using control transcripts of known copy number indicated a detection limit of 3 copies of viral RNA/reaction. This system was used to determine the cellular diversity of subgenomic JFH-1 HCV replicons constitutively expressed in Huh7 cells. Each cell contained a unique quasispecies that was much less diverse than the quasispecies of the bulk cell population from which the single cells were derived, suggesting the occurrence of independent evolution at the cellular level. An assessment of the replicative fitness of the predominant single-cell quasispecies variants indicated a modest reduction in fitness compared to the wild type. Real-time RT-PCR methods capable of determining single-cell viral loads were developed and indicated an average of 113 copies of replicon RNA per cell, correlating with calculated RNA copy numbers in the bulk cell population. This study introduces a single-cell RNA viral-sequencing method with numerous potential applications to explore host-virus interactions during infection. HCV quasispecies diversity varied greatly between cells
in vitro
, suggesting different within-cell evolutionary pathways. Such divergent trajectories
in vivo
could have implications for the evolution and establishment of antiviral-resistant variants and host immune escape mutants.
Prohibitin Interacts with Envelope Proteins of White Spot Syndrome Virus and Prevents Infection in the Red Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii
Authors: Lan Jiang-Feng , Li Xin-Cang , Sun Jie-Jie , Gong Jing , Wang Xian-Wei , Shi Xiu-Zhen , Shi Li-Jie , Weng Yu-Ding , Zhao Xiao-Fan , Wang Jin-Xing 
Published: September 2013

ABSTRACT

Prohibitins (PHBs) are ubiquitously expressed conserved proteins in eukaryotes that are associated with apoptosis, cancer formation, aging, stress responses, cell proliferation, and immune regulation. However, the function of PHBs in crustacean immunity remains largely unknown. In the present study, we identified a PHB in
Procambarus clarkii
red swamp crayfish, which was designated
Pc
PHB1.
Pc
PHB1 was widely distributed in several tissues, and its expression was significantly upregulated by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) challenge at the mRNA level and the protein level. These observations prompted us to investigate the role of
Pc
PHB1 in the crayfish antiviral response. Recombinant
Pc
PHB1 (r
Pc
PHB1) significantly reduced the amount of WSSV in crayfish and the mortality of WSSV-infected crayfish. The quantity of WSSV in
Pc
PHB1 knockdown crayfish was increased compared with that in the controls. The effects of RNA silencing were rescued by r
Pc
PHB1 reinjection. We further confirmed the interaction of
Pc
PHB1 with the WSSV envelope proteins VP28, VP26, and VP24 using pulldown and far-Western overlay assays. Finally, we observed that the colloidal gold-labeled
Pc
PHB1 was located on the outer surface of the WSSV, which suggests that
Pc
PHB1 specifically binds to the envelope proteins of WSSV. VP28, VP26, and VP24 are structural envelope proteins and are essential for attachment and entry into crayfish cells. Therefore,
Pc
PHB1 exerts its anti-WSSV effect by binding to VP28, VP26, and VP24, preventing viral infection. This study is the first report on the antiviral function of PHB in the innate immune system of crustaceans.
Phase I trial of concurrent sunitinib and radiation therapy as preoperative treatment for soft tissue sarcoma
Authors: Jakob Jens , Rauch Geraldine , Wenz Frederik , Hohenberger Peter 
Published: September 2013

IntroductionAlthough the introduction of multimodal treatment of soft tissue sarcoma improved local tumour control, local failure still occurs in a good number of patients. Therefore, further improvement of current treatment strategies is necessary. The proposed study treatment will combine standard external beam radiation and the orally administered receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib.Methods and analysisPatients with soft tissue sarcoma will receive sunitinib and irradiation as neoadjuvant treatment. Radiotherapy will be administered as intensity modulated radiation therapy with a total dose of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions (5 1/2 weeks). Patients will receive sunitinib daily for 2 weeks prior to and then concurrently with irradiation. Sunitinib will be given in two dose levels. The first dose level will be 25 mg sunitinib per os daily. The second dose level will be 37.5 mg. A dose modification schedule according to a 3+3 design will be applied. Restaging and tumour resection will be performed 6 weeks after completion of sunitinib and irradiation. Primary outcome measures will be the dose-limiting toxicity and maximal tolerated dose of sunitinib administered concurrently with irradiation. Toxicity of the study treatment will be documented according to Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (CTCAE) 4.0. Secondary outcome measures will be the response to the study treatment and morbidity of the tumour resection. Imaging response will be determined according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria comparing MRI performed prior to and 6 weeks after completion of study treatment. Pathological response will be determined evaluating the fraction of non-viable tumour in the resection specimen. Resection morbidity will be evaluated according to CTCAE 4.0.Ethics and disseminationApproval was obtained from the ethics committee II of the University of Heidelberg, Germany (Reference number 2011-064F-MA). Furthermore, the study was approved by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Reference number 4037708).Trial Registration EudraCT2007-002864-87 Clinicaltrials.gov:NCT01498835
Cordotomy in mesothelioma-related pain: a systematic review
Authors: France Barbara D , Lewis Ruth A , Sharma Manohar L , Poolman Marlise 
Published: September 2013

BackgroundCordotomy can be effective in relieving pain for patients with mesothelioma, but the evidence to support continued provision is limited. This review forms part of the Invasive Neurodestructive Procedures in Cancer Pain pilot study: The role of cordotomy in mesothelioma-related pain in the UK.Aim/designWe report on the results of the first comprehensive systematic review of the use of cordotomy in mesothelioma-related pain, with specific reference to effectiveness in relieving pain and safety. The review was conducted according to guidelines reported in the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Data sources14 databases from inception to March 2012 were searched, with no limitations on language or publication type.ResultsNine studies met the inclusion criteria, all of which were case series of percutaneous cervical cordotomy (PCC) involving 160 patients. All studies demonstrated good pain relief in the majority of patients. Initial post-procedure measurements showed the greatest reduction in pain. Some side effects (headache, mirror pain, motor weakness) occurred relatively frequently but were mostly transient. Respiratory dysfunction post-PCC was rare. No deaths were directly ascribed to cordotomy.ConclusionsThe available evidence is significantly limited in quantity and quality. Although it seems to suggest that cordotomy might be safe and effective in this setting, more reliable evidence is needed to aid decision making on continued provision. A national registry for cordotomy would be a valuable first step in this process.
Validation of a new radiographic protocol for Asian elephant feet and description of their radiographic anatomy
Authors: Mumby C. , Bouts T. , Sambrook L. , Danika S. , Rees E. , Parry A. , Rendle M. , Masters N. , Weller R. 
Published: September 2013

Foot problems are extremely common in elephants and radiography is the only imaging method available but the radiographic anatomy has not been described in detail. The aims of this study were to develop a radiographic protocol for elephant feet using digital radiography, and to describe the normal radiographic anatomy of the Asian elephant front and hind foot. A total of fifteen cadaver foot specimens from captive Asian elephants were radiographed using a range of projections and exposures to determine the best radiographic technique. This was subsequently tested in live elephants in a free‐contact setting. The normal radiographic anatomy of the Asian elephant front and hind foot was described with the use of three‐dimensional models based on CT reconstructions. The projection angles that were found to be most useful were 65–70° for the front limb and 55–60° in the hind limb. The beam was centred 10–15 cm proximal to the cuticle in the front and 10–15 cm dorsal to the plantar edge of the sole in the hind foot depending on the size of the foot. The protocol developed can be used for larger‐scale diagnostic investigations of captive elephant foot disorders, while the normal radiographic anatomy described can improve the diagnostic reliability of elephant feet radiography.
microRNA Portraits in Human Vulvar Carcinoma
Authors: de Melo Maia Beatriz , Lavorato-Rocha André Mourão , Rodrigues Lara Sant'Ana , Coutinho-Camillo Cláudia Malheiros , Baiocchi Glauco , Stiepcich Monica Maria , Puga Renato , de A. Lima Leandro , Soares Fernando Augusto , Rocha Rafael Malagoli 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Unregulated expression of microRNAs is well known and has already been demonstrated in many tumor types. However, in vulvar carcinoma this field has been unknown territory. Our study characterizes microRNA in vulvar tumors through an expression profile of 754 miRNAs, relating this with clinical and anatomopathologic data, and presence of HPV infection. Twenty HPV-negative and 20 HPV-positive samples, genotyped for high-risk HPVs (HPV16, 18, 31, 33) and a pool of seven normal vulvar skin samples were used for the identification of differentially expressed miRNAs by TLDA Quantitative Real Time PCR (qRT-PCR). Twenty-five differentially expressed microRNAs between HPV-positive and HPV-negative groups and 79 differentially expressed on the tumor compared with normal samples were obtained. A network between microRNA expression profiles and putative target mRNAs predicted by target prediction algorithms and previously demonstrated as relevant in vulvar carcinomas, such as TP53, RB, PTEN, and EGFR was constructed. Downregulation of both miR-223-5p and miR-19-b1-5p were correlated with the presence of lymph node metastasis; downregulation of miR-100-3p and miR-19-b1-5p were correlated with presence of vascular invasion; overexpression of miR-519b and miR-133a were associated with advanced FIGO staging. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that microRNAs may be clinically important in vulvar carcinomas and our findings may help for further studies on functional implications of miRNA deregulation in this type of cancer. Cancer Prev Res; 6(11); 1231–41. ©2013 AACR.
Protein degradation systems in platelets
Authors: Kraemer Bjoern F. , Lindemann Stephan , Weyrich Andrew S. 
Published: September 2013

SummaryProtein synthesis and degradation are essential processes that allow cells to survive and adapt to their surrounding milieu. In nucleated cells, the degradation and/or cleavage of proteins is required to eliminate aberrant proteins. Cells also degrade proteins as a mechanism for cell signalling and complex cellular functions. Although the last decade has convincingly shown that platelets synthesise proteins, the roles of protein degradation in these anucleate cytoplasts are less clear. Here we review what is known about protein degradation in platelets placing particular emphasis on the proteasome and the cysteine protease calpain.