bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serogroup W meningococcal disease: global spread and current affect on the Southern Cone in Latin America
Authors: ABAD R. , LÓPEZ E. L. , DEBBAG R. , VÁZQUEZ J. A. 
Published: May 2014

SUMMARYMeningococcal serogroup W strains have been emerging throughout the current century with most of the isolates belonging to the sequence type (ST11)/electrophoretic type (ET37) clonal complex (ST11/E37 CC), particularly since the international outbreak following Hajj 2000. That outbreak appears to have triggered off that trend, contributing to the spread of W ST11/ET37 CC strains globally; however, local strains could be also responsible for increases in the percentage and/or incidence rates of this serogroup in some countries. More recently, unexpected increases in the percentage and incidence rate of W has been noticed in different countries located in the South Cone in Latin America, and W ST11/ET37 CC strains now appear as endemic in the region and an extensive immunization programme with tetravalent conjugate vaccine (covering serogroups A, C, Y and W) has been recently implemented in Chile. It is difficult to ascertain whether we are observing the emergence of W ST11 CC strains in different geographical areas or whether the Hajj 2000 strain is still spreading globally. Several aspects of the evolution of that situation are analysed in this paper, reviewing also the implications in immunization programmes. Closely related with the analysis of this potential evolution, it will be very interesting to monitor the evolution of serogroup W in the African meningitis belt after implementation of the extensive immunization programme with serogroup A conjugate vaccine that is currently underway. More data about carriers, transmission, clonal lineages, etc. are needed for taking decisions (target groups, outbreak control, defining the extent, etc.) to adapt the response strategy with potential interventions with broad coverage vaccines against the emergent serogroup W.
HIV drug resistance in newly diagnosed adults in a rural prefecture of eastern China
Authors: HUA J. , LIN H. , DING Y. , QIU D. , WONG F. , HE N. 
Published: May 2014

SUMMARYLittle is known about HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) in newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults in eastern China where the HIV epidemic is spreading predominantly through sexual contact. During 2008–2011, newly HIV-diagnosed adults in Taizhou prefecture, Zhejiang province in eastern China were examined for HIVDR by amplifying and sequencing the HIV-1polgene. Of 447 genotyped participants, 53·7% were infected with CRF01_AE, 20·1% with CRF07_BC, 12·5% with subtype B, and 11·6% with CRF08_BC. Most of the participants had one or more minor genetic mutations in thepolgene that are associated with HIVDR. Twelve (2·7%) participants met the standard guidelines of having low to high HIVDR, suggesting that the prevalence of HIVDR in newly HIV-diagnosed adults was low in the study area and current antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens are likely to remain effective. However, given high frequency of minor HIVDR in HIV patients and the scaling up of ART programmes in China, larger HIVDR surveillance programmes are needed.
Vulnerability of household consumption to floods and droughts in developing countries: evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Kurosaki Takashi 
Published: May 2014

AbstractAggregate shocks such as droughts and floods cannot be perfectly insured by risk sharing within a village. Given this inability, what type of households are more vulnerable in terms of a decline in consumption when a village is hit by such shocks and what kind of microeconomic mechanism underlies the household heterogeneity in vulnerability? These questions are investigated using two-period panel data collected in rural Pakistan in 2001 and 2004. We compare consumption response to droughts, floods and health shocks and investigate how the response differs across different types of households. Empirical results show that the impact of droughts was negligible, younger and more landed households were less vulnerable to floods, and households with greater access to formal financial institutions were less vulnerable to idiosyncratic health shocks. The empirical pattern suggests the possibility of risk sharing among households that are heterogeneous in both risk aversion and credit access.
Crop microinsurance: tackling poverty, one insurance policy at a time
Authors: Mookerjee Agrotosh , Clarke Daniel , Grenham Dermot , Sharpe James , Stein Daniel 
Published: May 2014

AbstractCrop index microinsurance is a novel product that has been piloted and implemented in many developing countries. We attempt to give an overview of crop index microinsurance, covering the major issues needed to design, price and implement a crop index microinurance programme. In some ways, providing insurance to the poor is fundamentally different to providing insurance to the middle-income or rich; in other ways, including in the actuarial fields of product design, pricing and risk financing, there are strong similarities. We offer a stylised discussion of these differences and similarities, with particular reference to issues of potential interest to actuaries, and propose an actuarial framework for crop index microinsurance. Case studies from Malawi and the Philippines provide examples for what does and what does not seem to work in crop index microinsurance, and motivation for further work needed.
Selective Small Molecule Compounds Increase BMP-2 Responsiveness by Inhibiting Smurf1-mediated Smad1/5 Degradation
Authors: Cao Yu , Wang Cheng , Zhang Xueli , Xing Guichun , Lu Kefeng , Gu Yongqing , He Fuchu , Zhang Lingqiang 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThe ubiquitin ligase Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor-1 (Smurf1) negatively regulates bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway by ubiquitinating certain signal components for degradation. Thus, it can be an eligible pharmacological target for increasing BMP signal responsiveness. We established a strategy to discover small molecule compounds that block the WW1 domain of Smurf1 from interacting with Smad1/5 by structure based virtual screening, molecular experimental examination and cytological efficacy evaluation. Our selected hits could reserve the protein level of Smad1/5 from degradation by interrupting Smurf1-Smad1/5 interaction and inhibiting Smurf1 mediated ubiquitination of Smad1/5. Further, these compounds increased BMP-2 signal responsiveness and the expression of certain downstream genes, enhanced the osteoblastic activity of myoblasts and osteoblasts. Our work indicates targeting Smurf1 for inhibition could be an accessible strategy to discover BMP-sensitizers that might be applied in future clinical treatments of bone disorders such as osteopenia.
Electron transport of WS2 transistors in a hexagonal boron nitride dielectric environment
Authors: Withers Freddie , Bointon Thomas Hardisty , Hudson David Christopher , Craciun Monica Felicia , Russo Saverio 
Published: May 2014

AbstractWe present the first study of the intrinsic electrical properties of WS2 transistors fabricated with two different dielectric environments WS2 on SiO2 and WS2 on h-BN/SiO2, respectively. A comparative analysis of the electrical characteristics of multiple transistors fabricated from natural and synthetic WS2 with various thicknesses from single- up to four-layers and over a wide temperature range from 300 K down to 4.2 K shows that disorder intrinsic to WS2 is currently the limiting factor of the electrical properties of this material. These results shed light on the role played by extrinsic factors such as charge traps in the oxide dielectric thought to be the cause for the commonly observed small values of charge carrier mobility in transition metal dichalcogenides.
Ecto-domain phosphorylation promotes functional recovery from spinal cord injury
Authors: Suehiro Kenji , Nakamura Yuka , Xu Shuai , Uda Youichi , Matsumura Takafumi , Yamaguchi Yoshiaki , Okamura Hitoshi , Yamashita Toshihide , Takei Yoshinori 
Published: May 2014

AbstractInhibition of Nogo-66 receptor (NgR) can promote recovery following spinal cord injury. The ecto-domain of NgR can be phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA), which blocks activation of the receptor. Here, we found that infusion of PKA plus ATP into the damaged spinal cord can promote recovery of locomotor function. While significant elongation of cortical-spinal axons was not detectable even in the rats showing enhanced recovery, neuronal precursor cells were observed in the region where PKA plus ATP were directly applied. NgR1 was expressed in neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPs) derived from the adult spinal cord. Both an NgR1 antagonist NEP1-40 and ecto-domain phosphorylation of NgR1 promote neuronal cell production of the NSPs, in vitro. Thus, inhibition of NgR1 in NSPs can promote neuronal cell production, which could contribute to the enhanced recovery of locomotor function following infusion of PKA and ATP.
How much has the increase in atmospheric CO2 directly affected past soybean production?
Authors: Sakurai Gen , Iizumi Toshichika , Nishimori Motoki , Yokozawa Masayuki 
Published: May 2014

AbstractUnderstanding the effects of climate change is vital for food security. Among the most important environmental impacts of climate change is the direct effect of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) on crop yields, known as the CO2 fertilization effect. Although several statistical studies have estimated past impacts of temperature and precipitation on crop yield at regional scales, the impact of past CO2 fertilization is not well known. We evaluated how soybean yields have been enhanced by historical atmospheric [CO2] increases in three major soybean-producing countries. The estimated average yields during 2002–2006 in the USA, Brazil and China were 4.34%, 7.57% and 5.10% larger, respectively, than the average yields estimated using the atmospheric [CO2] of 1980. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering atmospheric [CO2] increases in evaluations of the past effects of climate change on crop yields.
Imaging single chiral nanoparticles in turbid media using circular-polarization optical coherence microscopy
Authors: Zhang Pengfei , Mehta Kalpesh , Rehman Shakil , Chen Nanguang 
Published: May 2014

AbstractOptical coherence tomography (OCT) is a widely used structural imaging method. However, it has limited use in molecular imaging due to the lack of an effective contrast mechanism. Gold nanoparticles have been widely used as molecular probes for optical microcopy based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). Unfortunately, the SPR enhanced backscattering from nanoparticles is still relatively weak compared with the background signal from microscopic structures in biological tissues when imaged with OCT. Consequently, it is extremely challenging to perform OCT imaging of conventional nanoparticles in thick tissues with sensitivity comparable to that of fluorescence imaging. We have discovered and demonstrated a novel approach towards remarkable contrast enhancement, which is achieved by the use of a circular-polarization optical coherence microscopy system and 3-dimensional chiral nanostructures as contrast agents. By detecting the circular intensity differential depolarization (CIDD), we successfully acquired high quality images of single chiral nanoparticles underneath a 1-mm-thick tissue -mimicking phantom.
Polarized deposition of basement membrane proteins depends on Phosphatidylinositol synthase and the levels of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate
Authors: Devergne Olivier , Tsung Karen , Barcelo Gail , Schüpbach Trudi 
Published: May 2014

Significance
The cellular functions of epithelia rely on their polarized architecture. Loss of their polarity is often associated with carcinoma progression and tumor metastasis. The basement membrane (BM), a specialized sheet of the extracellular matrix, secreted basally by most epithelia, plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of epithelial cell polarity. However, the process of BM-polarized secretion is not well understood. In this study, we show that a significant decrease of the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) results in BM protein secretion on both the apical and the basal side of the epithelium. Together, our data indicate a specific role for PIP2 in the organization of epithelial architecture by restricting the deposition of BM proteins to the basal side.
A new compound from the mushroom Tricholoma flavovirens
Authors: Qiu Weitao , Kobori Hajime , Suzuki Tomohiro , Choi Jae-Hoon , Deo Vipin Kumar , Hirai Hirofumi , Kawagishi Hirokazu 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
A novel compound (1) and a known one (2) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Tricholoma flavovirens. Their structures were determined by the interpretation of spectroscopic data. Both compounds showed inhibition effects on the growth of hypocotyl of lettuce with significant differences. In addition, compound 1 showed a promotion effect on the growth of root with significant differences and 2 had the similar tendency to promote the growth.
Identification and evaluation of anti-inflammatory compounds fromKaempferia parviflora
Authors: Horigome Satoru , Yoshida Izumi , Tsuda Aiko , Harada Teppei , Yamaguchi Akihiro , Yamazaki Kumiko , Inohana Shuichi , Isagawa Satoshi , Kibune Nobuyuki , Satoyama Toshiya , Katsuda Shin-ichi , Suzuki Shinobu , Watai Masatoshi , Hirose Naoto , Mitsue Takahiro , Shirakawa Hitoshi , Komai Michio 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThe rhizome of Kaempferia parviflora has been used in traditional Thai medicine. In this study, we identified and compared specific compounds from the hexane extract of K. parviflora with those from other Zingiberaceous plants by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. We identified 5,7-dimethoxyflavone (DMF), 5-hydroxy-3,7,3′,4′-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF), estimated 3,5,7-trimethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyflavone, 3,5,7,4′-tetramethoxyflavone, and investigated their anti-inflammatory effects in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells stimulated with an IgE antigen or a calcium ionophore. We found that DMF and TMF more potently inhibited antigen-induced degranulation than did nobiletin, a well-known anti-inflammatory agent. In addition, compared to RBL-2H3 cells stimulated with a calcium ionophore, those treated with DMF and TMF showed more marked inhibition of the degranulation and the production and mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators. These results suggest that DMF and TMF inhibit an early step in the high-affinity IgE receptor signaling cascade rather than intracellular calcium release and protein kinase C activation.
De novo assembly and analysis of Cassia obtusifolia seed transcriptome to identify genes involved in the biosynthesis of active metabolites
Authors: Liu Zubi , Song Tao , Zhu Qiankun , Wang Wanjun , Zhou Jiayu , Liao Hai 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
A cDNA library generated from seeds of Cassia obtusifolia was sequenced using Illumina/Solexa platform. More than 12,968,231 high quality reads were generated, and have been deposited in NCBI SRA (SRR 1012912). A total of 40,102 unigenes (&gt;200 bp) were obtained with an average sequence length of 681 bp by de novo assembly. About 34,089 (85%) unique sequences were annotated and 8694 of the unique sequences were assigned to specific metabolic pathways by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Among them, 131 unigenes, which are involved in the biosynthesis and (or) regulation of anthraquinone, carotenoid, flavonoid, and lipid, the 4 best known active metabolites, were identified from cDNA library. In addition, three lipid transfer proteins were obtained, which may contribute to the lipid molecules transporting between biological membranes. Meanwhile, 30 cytochrome P450, 12 SAM-dependent methyltransferases, and 12 UDP-glucosyltransferase unigenes were identified, which could also be responsible for the biosynthesis of active metabolites.
Pueraria mirifica leaves, an alternative potential isoflavonoid source
Authors: Jungsukcharoen Jutarmas , Dhiani Binar Asrining , Cherdshewasart Wichai , Vinayavekhin Nawaporn , Sangvanich Polkit , Boonchird Chuenchit 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
We investigated the major leaf isoflavonoid contents of Pueraria mirifica from three different cultivars (PM-III, PM-IV, and PM-V) using reverse RP-HPLC analysis. The proportions and net levels of puerarin, daidzin, genistin, and daidzein in P. mirifica leaves were found to depend on the plant cultivar and to correlate with cultivation temperature and rainfall amount. The crude leaf-extracts were tested using the Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) assay with both human estrogen receptors (hERα and hERβ). Their estrogenic activity was higher when determined by the YES system containing hERβ than that with hERα and was also higher when the Δsnq2 than the wildtype yeast was employed. The results open the possibility of selecting and cultivating certain P. mirifica cultivars at a farm scale to produce a sufficient supply of leaf material to act as a starting source for the commercial scale extraction of these major isoflavonoids.
Control of Simultaneous Outbreaks of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae and Extensively Drug-ResistantAcinetobacter baumanniiInfection in an Intensive Care Unit Using Interventions Promoted in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2012 Carbapenemase-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Toolkit
Authors: Enfield Kyle B. , Huq Nujhat N. , Gosseling Megan F. , Low Darla J. , Hazen Kevin C. , Toney Denise M. , Slitt Gavin , Zapata Heidi J. , Cox Heather L. , Lewis Jessica D. , Kundzins John R. , Mathers Amy J. , Sifri Costi D. 
Published: May 2014

ObjectiveWe describe the efficacy of enhanced infection control measures, including those recommended in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2012 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) toolkit, to control concurrent outbreaks of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and extensively drug-resistantAcinetobacter baumannii(XDR-AB).DesignBefore-after intervention study.SettingFifteen-bed surgical trauma intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsWe investigated the impact of enhanced infection control measures in response to clusters of CPE and XDR-AB infections in an ICU from April 2009 to March 2010. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the presence ofblaKPCand resistance plasmids in CRE. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was performed to assess XDR-AB clonality. Enhanced infection-control measures were implemented in response to ongoing transmission of CPE and a new outbreak of XDR-AB. Efficacy was evaluated by comparing the incidence rate (IR) of CPE and XDR-AB before and after the implementation of these measures.ResultsThe IR of CPE for the 12 months before the implementation of enhanced measures was 7.77 cases per 1,000 patient-days, whereas the IR of XDR-AB for the 3 months before implementation was 6.79 cases per 1,000 patient-days. All examined CPE shared endemicblaKPCresistance plasmids, and 6 of the 7 XDR-AB isolates were clonal. Following institution of enhanced infection control measures, the CPE IR decreased to 1.22 cases per 1,000 patient-days (P= .001), and no more cases of XDR-AB were identified.ConclusionsUse of infection control measures described in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2012 CRE toolkit was associated with a reduction in the IR of CPE and an interruption in XDR-AB transmission.
Survey of Infection Prevention Informatics Use and Practitioner Satisfaction in US Hospitals
Authors: Masnick Max , Morgan Daniel J. , Wright Marc-Oliver , Lin Michael Y. , Pineles Lisa , Harris Anthony D. ,   SHEA Research Network
Published: May 2014

We surveyed hospital epidemiologists and infection preventionists on their usage of and satisfaction with infection prevention–specific software supplementing their institution’s electronic medical record. Respondents with supplemental software were more satisfied with their software’s infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship capabilities than those without. Infection preventionists were more satisfied than hospital epidemiologists.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(7):891–893
kmacs: the
k
-mismatch average common substring approach to alignment-free sequence comparison
Authors: Leimeister Chris-Andre , Morgenstern Burkhard 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
Motivation: Alignment-based methods for sequence analysis have various limitations if large datasets are to be analysed. Therefore, alignment-free approaches have become popular in recent years. One of the best known alignment-free methods is the average common substring approach that defines a distance measure on sequences based on the average length of longest common words between them. Herein, we generalize this approach by considering longest common substrings with k mismatches. We present a greedy heuristic to approximate the length of such k -mismatch substrings, and we describe kmacs , an efficient implementation of this idea based on generalized enhanced suffix arrays.
Results: To evaluate the performance of our approach, we applied it to phylogeny reconstruction using a large number of DNA and protein sequence sets. In most cases, phylogenetic trees calculated with kmacs were more accurate than trees produced with established alignment-free methods that are based on exact word matches. Especially on protein sequences, our method seems to be superior. On simulated protein families, kmacs even outperformed a classical approach to phylogeny reconstruction using multiple alignment and maximum likelihood.
Availability and implementation: kmacs is implemented in C++, and the source code is freely available at http://kmacs.gobics.de/
Contact: chris.leimeister@stud.uni-goettingen.de
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
qqman: an R package for visualizing GWAS results using Q-Q and manhattan plots
Authors: Turner Stephen D. 
Published: May 2014

ABSTRACTSummaryGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of human trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. Here, I describe a freely available R package for visualizing GWAS results using Q-Q and manhattan plots. Theqqmanpackage enables the flexible creation of manhattan plots, both genome-wide and for single chromosomes, with optional highlighting of SNPs of interest.Availabilityqqmanis released under the GNU General Public License, and is freely available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network (http://cran.r-project.org/package=qqman). The source code is available on GitHub (https://github.com/stephenturner/qqman).Contactturner@virginia.edu