bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Coverage of diarrhoea‐associated Escherichia coli isolates from different origins with two types of phage cocktails
Authors: Bourdin Gilles , Navarro Armando , Sarker Shafiqul A. , Pittet Anne‐C. , Qadri Firdausi , Sultana Shamima , Cravioto Alejandro , Talukder Kaisar A. , Reuteler Gloria , Brüssow Harald 
Published: February 2014

SummaryEighty‐nine T4‐like phages from our phage collection were tested against four collections of childhood diarrhoea‐associated Escherichia coli isolates representing different geographical origins (Mexico versus Bangladesh), serotypes (69 O, 27 H serotypes), pathotypes (ETEC, EPEC, EIEC, EAEC, VTEC, Shigella), epidemiological settings (community and hospitalized diarrhoea) and years of isolation. With a cocktail consisting of 3 to 14 T4‐like phages, we achieved 54% to 69% coverage against predominantly EPEC isolates from Mexico, 30% to 53% against mostly ETEC isolates from a prospective survey in Bangladesh, 24% to 61% against a mixture of pathotypes isolated from hospitalized children in Bangladesh, and 60% coverage against Shigella isolates. In comparison a commercial Russian phage cocktail containing a complex mixture of many different genera of coliphages showed 19%, 33%, 50% and 90% coverage, respectively, against the four above‐mentioned collections. Few O serotype‐specific phages and no broad‐host range phages were detected in our T4‐like phage collection. Interference phenomena between the phage isolates were observed when constituting larger phage cocktails. Since the coverage of a given T4‐like phage cocktail differed with geographical area and epidemiological setting, a phage composition adapted to a local situation is needed for phage therapy approaches against E. coli pathogens.
Allelic variant in CTLA4 is associated with thyroid failure and faster β‐cell exhaustion in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults CTLA4等位基因变异与成人迟发型自身免疫性糖尿病患者的甲状腺功能衰竭以及β‐细胞加速衰竭有关
Authors: Delitala Alessandro P. , Fanciulli Giuseppe , Zoledziewska Magdalena , Pitzalis Maristella , Pusceddu Pierpaolo , Frongia Paola , Puddu Loreta , Errigo Alessandra , Maioli Margherita , Delitala Giuseppe , Pes Giovanni M. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of the study was to investigate the role of the cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated protein 4 (CTLA4) G6230A variant on the susceptibility of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) as a whole and in the subset of patients who share autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).MethodsThe study included 202 LADA, 1373 patients with early onset type 1 diabetes (T1D), 130 patients with late‐onset T1D, 188 patients with non‐autoimmune diabetes and 1904 healthy controls. Thyrotropin (thyrotropin‐stimulating hormone; TSH) and antibodies against thyroid peroxidase were analyzed in all patients. The CTLA4 G6230A variant was assessed in LADA, early and late‐onset T1D patients as well as in the controls.ResultsThe frequency of CTLA4 G alleles and genotypes in LADA patients did not differ significantly from that in the other groups, regardless of its association with AITD. We found an increased frequency of G allele‐containing genotypes within LADA patients who had higher TSH compared with those with normal TSH (P = 0.002). Moreover, LADA patients carrying G allele‐containing genotypes were more likely to require insulin therapy within 4 years of diagnosis (P = 0.002).ConclusionsThe G6230A CTLA4 variant does not confer susceptibility to LADA in Sardinian patients even when associated with AITD. However, it helps identify a particular subset of LADA patients with more clinically severe disease, both for thyroid dysfunction and diabetes.
Gene–environmental interaction between smoking and shared epitope on the development of anti‐cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Lee Young Ho , Bae Sang‐Cheol , Song Gwan Gyu 
Published: February 2014

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the gene–environment interactions of smoking and shared epitope (SE) both separately and combined on anti‐cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThe literature was searched using the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases. A meta‐analysis on the associations between tobacco exposure (TE) and/or SE and the development of anti‐CCP antibodies in patients with RA was performed.ResultsEight comparison studies with 5317 RA patients were considered in this meta‐analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for positive anti‐CCP antibodies in TE+/SE− patients with RA was increased compared with TE−/SE− patients (OR = 1.373, 95% CI = 1.111–1.698, P = 0.003). The ORs for positive anti‐CCP antibodies in TE−/SE+ patients and TE+/SE+ patients with RA were also increased compared with TE−/SE− patients (OR = 2.678, 95% CI = 2.031–3.532, P < 1.0 × 10−9 in TE−/SE+; OR = 4.233, 95% CI = 2.458–7.291, P = 1.9 × 10−8 in TE+/SE+). Stratification by ethnicity indicated the same pattern as that shown in the overall group. The OR for positive anti‐CCP antibodies in TE+/SE+ patients with RA was much higher than in TE−/SE− patients in Europeans and Asians (OR = 3.879, 95% CI = 2.203–6.830, P = 2.6 × 10−7; OR = 10.504, 95% CI = 3.182–34.67, P = 1.1 × 10−4).ConclusionsThis meta‐analysis suggests a gene–environmental interaction between smoking and SE for the development of anti‐CCP antibodies.
On ambivalent nativism: Hegemony, photography, and “recalcitrant alterity” in Sphakia, Crete
Authors: KALANTZIS KONSTANTINOS 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThe mountainous region of Sphakia in Crete strongly evokes notions of ruggedness, masculinity, and “tradition,” both in Greece and internationally. Recent anthropological studies of power and imagination (particularly in Greek society) have argued that local claims to tradition as well as stereotypes about the ruggedness of those who dwell in hinterlands necessarily reflect and promote the cultural domination by centers of peripheries. In critically responding to these studies, I offer a comprehensive exploration of the volatile field of subjectifications and cultural dynamics produced by and between Sphakians and spectators of the region. In doing so, I turn to the visual as a particularly rich field of practices that rupture concepts of structural subjugation. In examining such spheres as Sphakians’ photographic reappropriation and indigenous critique, I elucidate the dynamics of dominance but also capture other productive possibilities unleashed in the context of an “exoticized” society.
Stories of poverty in India: An ethnographer reviews Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Authors: BORNSTEIN ERICA 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTKatherine Boo's work of literary nonfiction, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, is an insightful and tragic account of poverty in India. In this essay, I compare Boo's book with two books published in the same year, Akhil Gupta's ethnography Red Tape and Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis, a fictional account, to analyze representations of the poor and marginalized in an economically liberalized and rapidly growing India. While ethnography possesses the explanatory power of social theory, fiction and literary nonfiction relish the tragic consequences of social life that make for good stories.
Self–Othering: Stories about Serbia from externalized Belgrade insiders
Authors: HAYDEN ROBERT 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTIf ethnography is a literary form, can fiction also serve its purposes equally well? Comparison of the analyses of Serbian culture in the 1990s in the two scholarly studies and the novel reviewed here brings this question to the fore. The authors are Belgrade natives who left for North America in the 1980s and write in English for an American audience. They are, thus, externalized insiders. All exoticize their native land, reproducing Orientalist images of Serbia common in writings about the Balkans. Despite the literary turn in anthropology, the novelist still conveys the complexities of life in 1990s Serbia better than the more theoretically oriented and self‐reflexive scholarly authors. To this reviewer, an American who joined a Belgrade family in the 1980s and is thus an internalized outsider, there is at least as much verisimilitude in the novel's magical realism as there is in the scholarly analyses of imaginaries.
Prediction of postpartum hemorrhage in women with gestational hypertension or mild preeclampsia at term
Authors: Koopmans Corine M. , van der Tuuk Karin , Groen Henk , Doornbos Johannes P.R. , de Graaf Irene M. , van der Salm Pauline C.M. , Porath Martina M. , Kuppens Simone M.I. , Wijnen Ella J. , Aardenburg Robert , van Loon Aren J. , Akerboom Bettina M.C. , van der Lans Peggy J.A. , Mol Ben W.J. , van Pampus Maria G. ,   the HYPITAT study group
Published: February 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo assess whether postpartum hemorrhage can be predicted in women with gestational hypertension or mild preeclampsia at term.DesignA cohort study in which we used data from our multicentre randomized controlled trial (HYPITAT trial).SettingThe study was conducted in 38 hospitals in the Netherlands between 2005 and 2008.PopulationWomen with gestational hypertension or mild preeclampsia at term (n = 1132).MethodsAn antepartum model (model A) and an antepartum/intrapartum model (model B) were created using logistic regression. The predictive capacity of the models was assessed with receiver operating characteristic analysis and calibration.Main outcome measurePostpartum hemorrhage, defined as blood loss >1000 mL within 24 h after delivery.ResultsPostpartum hemorrhage occurred in 118 (10.4%) women. Maternal age (odds ratio 1.03), prepregnancy body mass index (odds ratio 0.96), and women with preeclampsia (odds ratio 1.5) were independent antepartum prognostic variables of postpartum hemorrhage. Intrapartum variables incorporated in the model were gestational age at delivery (odds ratio 1.2), duration of dilatation stage (odds ratio 1.1), and episiotomy (odds ratio 1.5). Model A and model B showed moderate discrimination, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.59 (95% confidence interval 0.53–0.64) and 0.64 (95% confidence interval 0.59–0.70), respectively. Calibration was moderate for model A (Hosmer–Lemeshow p = 0.26) but better for model B (Hosmer–Lemeshow p = 0.36). The rates of postpartum hemorrhage ranged from 4% (lowest 10%) to 22% (highest 10%).ConclusionIn the assessment of performance of a prediction model, calibration is more important than discriminative capacity. Our prediction model shows that for women with gestational hypertension or mild preeclampsia at term, distinction between low and high risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage is possible when antepartum and intrapartum variables are combined.
Birth weight is the most important predictor of abnormal retinal vascularisation in moderately preterm infants
Authors: Allvin K , Hellström A , Dahlgren J , Andersson Grönlund M 
Published: February 2014

AbstractAimTo find predictors of abnormal retinal vascularisation in moderately to late preterm newborn infants considered to have no risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity.MethodsSeventy‐eight infants (34 girls) were recruited from a longitudinal study of otherwise healthy premature children born at a gestational age of 32 + 0–36 + 6 weeks. Retinal vessel morphology was evaluated at mean postnatal age 7 days. Insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) levels were analysed in umbilical cord blood.ResultsOf the 78 infants, 21 (27%) had abnormal retinal vessel morphology; they had significantly lower median (range) birth weight [1850 g, (1190–3260), vs. 2320, (1330–3580), p < 0.0001], shorter birth length [43.0 cm, (38–49), vs. 46.0, (40–50), p < 0.0001] and smaller head circumference [31.0 cm, (27.7–34.0), vs. 32.0, (27.5–36.5), p = 0.003]. They also had significantly lower gestational age [34 + 1 weeks, (32 + 2–35 + 3), vs. 34 + 6, (32 + 2–36 + 6), p = 0.004] and mean ± SD IGF‐I levels (24.6 ± 17.0 μg/L vs. 46.7 ± 21.5, p < 0.0001). A higher percentage of these infants were small for gestational age (57.1% vs. 15.8%, p = 0.001), and maternal hypertension/preeclampsia rates were also higher (47.6% vs. 19.3%, p = 0.03). Step‐wise logistic regression showed that birth weight was the strongest predictor of abnormal retinal vascularisation (p < 0.0001, odds ratio 0.040, 95% confidence interval 0.007–0.216).ConclusionIn this population of moderately to late preterm newborns, birth weight appeared to affect the retinal vascular system.
Developing standards for chromosomal microarray testing counselling in paediatrics
Authors: Godfrey Emma , Clark Phillipa 
Published: February 2014

AbstractChromosomal microarray testing (CMA) generally aids paediatric genetic diagnosis. However, pre‐CMA counselling is important as results can be ambiguous, generate uncertainty and raise ethical issues. We developed standards for counselling and giving families results; using these we evaluated practice for children seen by the Auckland Developmental Paediatric team in 2011. Pretest discussion was documented in 14 of 28 subjects and potential outcomes in 4of 28. 8 of 28 received information leaflets, 1 of 28 gave signed consent. 3 of 3 with abnormal results and 4 of 5 with variants of unknown significance (VOUS) were offered clinical genetics referral. 8 of 20 families with normal results were written to; two with abnormal results were informed face‐to‐face and one in writing; most VOUS were communicated by phone, voicemail or letter.ConclusionCMA testing requires clear patient information sheets and in‐depth pretest discussion for informed consent, timely feedback of results and genetics referral as appropriate. Authoritative guidelines and training are needed to strengthen CMA counselling.
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND PARTIAL PRIVATIZATIONS: POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Authors: MARRA A. , CARLEI V. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThe literature identifies hard budget constraints, stock market liquidity, political preferences and legal origins as the main determinants of full and partial privatization. Nonetheless, the institutional environment, understood as the functioning of a diverse set of de facto institutions and arrangements, is fundamental for privatization decisions and outcomes. A multi‐dimensional and cross‐country approach is proposed to shed some light on the institutional characteristics that typically are associated with different choices (partial sales ratio, percentage of private ownership) and privatization outcomes (closeness of sale prices to market levels, public vs private interest). The purpose of this paper is to learn lessons from country institutional profiles and provide local governments with a basic frame to understand their institutional settings and prioritize instrumental reforms for privatization. Results suggest that strategy and administrative burden are important determinants of privatization outcomes, and that government commitment and strategic approach to privatization is usually associated to partial privatizations.
HYBRID FIRMS AND TRANSIT DELIVERY: THE CASE OF BERLIN
Authors: SWARTS Douglas , WARNER Mildred E. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTBerlin, Germany used a public sector restructuring and partial privatization scheme to reduce labour costs and promote process innovation in its transit system. Utilizing financial and operational data, we find the partial privatization reduced wages and benefits, but a subsequent unionization effort eroded many of the labour cost savings. We find restructuring of the public sector portions of the service was more effective than the privatization in promoting labour shedding and in designing route restructuring to reduce system costs while enhancing customer satisfaction with transit services. This case study suggests mixed public‐private firms may be less important as a means to harness the benefits of private sector management and more important as a means to challenge labour rights.
EXPLAINING PARTIAL PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION: THE EMERGENCE OF MIXED OWNERSHIP WATER FIRMS IN ITALY (1994–2009)
Authors: ASQUER A. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTWithin the area of study of privatization, some attention has been placed on the emergence of mixed public‐private ownership firms for the provision of public services. Mixed ownership firms pose an important theoretical issue, i.e., why do governments open up part of their ownership of public service providers to private operators and investors rather than giving up full ownership of public service providers or establishing a contractual relationship with the private partner? This paper aims to address this issue by analyzing the case of the emergence of mixed ownership firms for the provision of water services in Italy. The analysis of the case shows that partial privatization of public service providers is especially related to characteristics of the historical and institutional context as well as to features of the privatization policy process.
THE THEORY AND EVIDENCE PERTAINING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT MIXED ENTERPRISES
Authors: VINING Aidan R. , BOARDMAN Anthony E. , MOORE Mark A. 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses some of the gaps in both classification and theory pertaining to local government MEs and presents tentative predictions concerning the performance of local MEs. As a preliminary, we identify the different forms of entities with ME characteristics and place them within a comprehensive taxonomy. Most local MEs provide local public goods. Consequently, their primary goal should be to improve social welfare. This goal should drive both theory development and the evaluation of ME performance. We present three principal‐agent models that offer contrasting theories of ME performance with differing assumptions about the motivations and behaviour of the relevant actors: (1) a ‘best of both worlds’ model; (2) a ‘worst of both worlds’ model, and (3) a ‘profit collusion world’ model. We indirectly test these models by reviewing and assessing the empirical performance of MEs, focusing on their social welfare effects, or using related measures of performance where we have no direct evidence on social welfare effects. Finally, we draw on the theory and empirical evidence to make some predictions about the behaviour and performance of local MEs.
PUBLIC OWNER WITH BUSINESS DELIVERY MODE IN CHINA: CASE STUDY OF THE SHANGHAI PUBLIC BUS SYSTEM
Authors: WANG Huanming , WARNER Mildred E. , TIAN Yuanhong , ZHU Dajian 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTSince 2008, some of China's municipal governments have reversed the privatization of market‐led reform in the bus transport field. But this reversal is not a return to the direct public monopoly delivery model of the past. Instead the new structure is a hybrid of public control with business delivery. This mixed model attempts to balance government, market and social groups. This mode is a contracting network where government plays a lead role to organize the stakeholders to achieve common goals. This paper uses the Shanghai municipality bus service as a case to illustrate this new mode. It argues that the contract between government and operators and the participation of social groups helps balance the control of the government. This mixed network mode of management reduces information asymmetries and promotes shared goals to ensure a higher quality, more responsive service. While not a mixed firm in the sense found in Europe, this mixed public‐public contracting network in China offers insights into the core challenges mixed firms have emerged to address.
FINANCIAL GAINS AND VALUE LOSS? THE IMPACTS OF LOCAL MIXED COMPANIES
Authors: PETERS B. Guy , PIERRE Jon , RØISELAND Asbjørn 
Published: February 2014

ABSTRACTPartnerships between public and private actors have a long history in Europe and USA. More recently, however, we have been witnessing an extensive use of these instruments, an increasing number of the purposes for which they are used, and a growing ambition to create more stable interactions, e.g. by institutionalizing partnerships as mixed companies. From a democratic perspective this development potentially creates problems in terms of steering and accountability. Questions can be raised about the extent to which partnerships will promote the public interest and defend collective interests. The particular difficulties of mixed companies arise, we argue, from their combining two features. One is the shift in values and the increased acceptance of private‐sector values following from the New Public Management reform wave. The second is the way these structures become institutionalized, locking in the value set and making reaction to any changes in social need. The core argument of this article is that the combined effect of these two features represents a significant weakening of public value in mixed companies.
Impaired epicardial activation–repolarization coupling contributes to the proarrhythmic effects of hypokalaemia and dofetilide in guinea pig ventricles
Authors: Osadchii O. E. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractAimActivation–repolarization coupling refers to the inverse relationship between action potential duration and activation time in myocardial regions along the path of ventricular excitation. This study examined whether the activation–repolarization coupling plays a role in coordinating repolarization times between the right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) chambers, and if impaired coordination contributes to electrical instability produced by hypokalaemia or dofetilide, a blocker of the delayed rectifier K+ current.MethodsIn Langendorff‐perfused, isolated guinea pig hearts, six monophasic action potential recording electrodes were attached to RV and LV epicardium. Local activation time and action potential duration (APD90) were determined during spontaneous beating, regular pacing and extrasystolic excitation.ResultsIn regularly beating hearts, the RV epicardial sites had longer APD90, but exhibited earlier activation times, as compared to LV sites, which minimized the interventricular difference in repolarization time. Upon extrasystolic stimulation, the APD90 was reduced to a greater extent in RV compared with LV, which translated to a reversed slope of APD90‐to‐activation time relationship, and increased spatial repolarization gradients. Hypokalaemia and dofetilide prolonged APD90, with the effect being greater in LV compared with RV. In hypokalaemic hearts, LV activation was delayed. These changes contributed to increased asynchrony in repolarization times in the LV and RV in both regular and extrasystolic beats, and enhanced susceptibility to tachyarrhythmia.ConclusionImpaired RV‐to‐LV activation–repolarization coupling is an important determinant of electrical instability in the setting of non‐uniformly prolonged epicardial APD90 or slowed interventricular conduction.