bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Achievements, Contradictions and Demise of the Rural Collectives in Songzi County, China
Authors: Xu Zhun 
Published: February 2015

ABSTRACTThe literature on Chinese rural collectives offers different views on the causes of their demise in the early 1980s. Some argue it was a result of egalitarianism and inefficiency, while others emphasize the coercive nature of the decollectivization campaign. Using Songzi County as a case study, this article reviews both the achievements and the problems of the rural collectives and concludes that they can claim some remarkable achievements. It also finds that work avoidance and inefficiency were caused by stratification rather than egalitarianism. While the demise of rural collectives was mostly due to political pressure from the government, the lack of socialist political process contributed to the peasants’ passiveness in failing to resist this major institutional change.
Recellularizing of human acellular dermal matrices imaged by high‐definition optical coherence tomography
Authors: Boone Marc A. L. M. , Draye Jean Pierre , Verween Gunther , Aiti Annalisa , Pirnay Jean‐Paul , Verbeken Gilbert , De Vos Daniel , Rose Thomas , Jennes Serge , Jemec Gregor B. E. , del Marmol Veronique 
Published: February 2015

AbstractHigh‐definition optical coherence tomography (HD‐OCT) permits real‐time 3D imaging of the impact of selected agents on human skin allografts. The real‐time 3D HD‐OCT assessment of (i) the impact on morphological and cellular characteristics of the processing of human acellular dermal matrices (HADMs) and (ii) repopulation of HADMs in vitro by human fibroblasts and remodelling of the extracellular matrix by these cells. Four different skin decellularization methods, Dispase II/Triton X‐100, Dispase II/SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate), NaCl/Triton X‐100 and NaCl/SDS, were analysed by HD‐OCT. HD‐OCT features of epidermal removal, dermo‐epidermal junction (DEJ) integrity, cellularity and dermal architecture were correlated with reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Human adult dermal fibroblasts were in vitro seeded on the NaCl/Triton X‐100 processed HADMs, cultured up to 19 days and evaluated by HD‐OCT in comparison with MTT proliferation test and histology. Epidermis was effectively removed by all treatments. DEJ was best preserved after NaCl/Triton X‐100 treatment. Dispase II/SDS treatment seemed to remove all cellular debris in comparison with NaCl/Triton X‐100 but disturbed the DEJ severely. The dermal micro‐architectural structure and vascular spaces of (sub)papillary dermis were best preserved with the NaCl/Triton X‐100. The impact on the 3D structure and vascular holes was detrimental with Dispase II/SDS. Elastic fibre fragmentation was only observed after Dispase II incubation. HD‐OCT showed that NaCl/Triton X‐100 processed matrices permitted in vitro repopulation by human dermal fibroblasts (confirmed by MTT test and histology) and underwent remodelling upon increasing incubation time. Care must be taken in choosing the appropriate processing steps to maintain selected properties of the extracellular matrix in HADMs. Processing HADMs with NaCl/Triton X‐100 permits in vitro the proliferation and remodelling activity of human dermal fibroblasts. HD‐OCT provides unique real‐time and non‐invasive 3D imaging of tissue‐engineered skin constructs and complementary morphological and cytological information.
An extended CCR5 ECL2 peptide forms a helix that binds HIV‐1 gp120 through non‐specific hydrophobic interactions
Authors: Abayev Meital , Moseri Adi , Tchaicheeyan Oren , Kessler Naama , Arshava Boris , Naider Fred , Scherf Tali , Anglister Jacob 
Published: February 2015

C‐C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) serves as a co‐receptor for HIV‐1. The CCR5 N‐terminal segment, the second extracellular loop (ECL2) and the transmembrane helices have been implicated in binding the envelope glycoprotein gp120. Peptides corresponding to the sequence of the putative ECL2 as well as peptides containing extracellular loops 1 and 3 (ECL1 and ECL3) were found to inhibit HIV‐1 infection. The aromatic residues in the C‐terminal half of an ECL2 peptide were shown to interact with gp120. In the present study, we found that, in aqueous buffer, the segment Q188–Q194 in an elongated ECL2 peptide (R168–K197) forms an amphiphilic helix, which corresponds to the beginning of the fifth transmembrane helix in the crystal structure of CCR5. Two‐dimensional saturation transfer difference NMR spectroscopy and dynamic filtering studies revealed involvement of Y187, F189, W190 and F193 of the helical segment in the interaction with gp120. The crystal structure of CCR5 shows that the aromatic side chains of F189, W190 and F193 point away from the binding pocket and interact with the membrane or with an adjacent CCR5 molecule, and therefore could not interact with gp120 in the intact CCR5 receptor. We conclude that these three aromatic residues of ECL2 peptides interact with gp120 through hydrophobic interactions that are not representative of the interactions of the intact CCR5 receptor. The HIV‐1 inhibition by ECL2 peptides, as well as by ECL1 and ECL3 peptides and peptides corresponding to ECL2 of CXCR4, which serves as an alternative HIV‐1 co‐receptor, suggests that there is a hydrophobic surface in the envelope spike that could be a target for HIV‐1 entry inhibitors.DatabaseThe structures and NMR data of ECL2S (Q186–T195) were deposited under Protein Data Bank ID 2mzx and BioMagResBank ID 25505.
Insights into the slow‐onset tight‐binding inhibition of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase: detailed mechanistic characterization of pyrrolo [3,2‐f] quinazoline‐1,3‐diamine and its derivatives as novel tight‐binding inhibitors
Authors: Srinivasan Bharath , Skolnick Jeffrey 
Published: February 2015

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a pivotal enzyme involved in the de novo pathway of purine synthesis, and hence, represents an attractive target to disrupt systems that require rapid DNA turnover. The enzyme acquires resistance to available drugs by various molecular mechanisms, which necessitates the continuous discovery of novel antifolates. Previously, we identified a set of novel molecules that showed binding to E. coli DHFR by means of a thermal shift without establishing whether they inhibited the enzyme. Here, we show that a fraction of those molecules represent potent and novel inhibitors of DHFR activity. 7‐[(4‐aminophenyl)methyl]‐7H‐pyrrolo [3,2‐f] quinazoline‐1,3‐diamine, a molecule with no reported inhibition of DHFR, potently inhibits the enzyme with a Ki value of 7.42 ± 0.92 nm by competitive displacement of the substrate dihydrofolic acid. It shows uncompetitive inhibition vis‐à‐vis NADPH, indicating that the inhibitor has markedly increased affinity for the NADPH‐bound form of the enzyme. Further, we demonstrate that the mode of binding of the inhibitor to the enzyme–NADPH binary complex conforms to the slow‐onset, tight‐binding model. By contrast, mechanistic characterization of the parent molecule 7H‐pyrrolo [3,2‐f] quinazoline‐1,3‐diamine shows that lack of (4‐aminophenyl)‐methyl group at the seventh position abolishes the slow onset of inhibition. This finding provides novel insights into the role of substitutions on inhibitors of E. coli DHFR and represents the first detailed kinetic investigation of a novel diaminopyrroloquinazoline derivative on a prokaryotic DHFR. Furthermore, marked differences in the potency of inhibition for E. coli and human DHFR makes this molecule a promising candidate for development as an antibiotic.
The fate of Amazonian ecosystems over the coming century arising from changes in climate, atmospheric CO2, and land use
Authors: Zhang Ke , de Almeida Castanho Andrea D. , Galbraith David R. , Moghim Sanaz , Levine Naomi M. , Bras Rafael L. , Coe Michael T. , Costa Marcos H. , Malhi Yadvinder , Longo Marcos , Knox Ryan G. , McKnight Shawna , Wang Jingfeng , Moorcroft Paul R. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThere is considerable interest in understanding the fate of the Amazon over the coming century in the face of climate change, rising atmospheric CO2 levels, ongoing land transformation, and changing fire regimes within the region. In this analysis, we explore the fate of Amazonian ecosystems under the combined impact of these four environmental forcings using three terrestrial biosphere models (ED2, IBIS, and JULES) forced by three bias‐corrected IPCC AR4 climate projections (PCM1, CCSM3, and HadCM3) under two land‐use change scenarios. We assess the relative roles of climate change, CO2 fertilization, land‐use change, and fire in driving the projected changes in Amazonian biomass and forest extent. Our results indicate that the impacts of climate change are primarily determined by the direction and severity of projected changes in regional precipitation: under the driest climate projection, climate change alone is predicted to reduce Amazonian forest cover by an average of 14%. However, the models predict that CO2 fertilization will enhance vegetation productivity and alleviate climate‐induced increases in plant water stress, and, as a result, sustain high biomass forests, even under the driest climate scenario. Land‐use change and climate‐driven changes in fire frequency are predicted to cause additional aboveground biomass loss and reductions in forest extent. The relative impact of land use and fire dynamics compared to climate and CO2 impacts varies considerably, depending on both the climate and land‐use scenario, and on the terrestrial biosphere model used, highlighting the importance of improved quantitative understanding of all four factors – climate change, CO2 fertilization effects, fire, and land use – to the fate of the Amazon over the coming century.
The Memory of the Cambodian Genocide: the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Authors: Brown Caitlin , Millington Chris 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThis article examines the representation of the memory of the Cambodian genocide in the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. The museum is housed in the former Tuol Sleng prison, a detention and torture centre through which thousands of people passed before execution at the Choeung Ek killing field. From its opening in 1980, the museum was a stake in the ongoing conflict between the new Vietnamese‐backed government and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Its focus on encouraging an emotional response from visitors, rather than on pedagogy, was part of the museum's attempt to engender public sympathy for the regime. Furthermore, in order to absolve former Khmer Rouge members in government of blame, the museum sought to attribute responsibility for the atrocities of the period to a handful of ‘criminals’. The article traces the development of the museum and its exhibitions up to the present, commenting on what this public representation of the past reveals about the memory of the genocide and the changing political situation in Cambodia.
Parish Studies and the Debates on Religious Life in the Low Countries (Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period)
Authors: Bauwens Michal 
Published: February 2015

AbstractOnly very recently has the parish church gained more serious interest among the public and academics in the Low Countries. Until a few years ago, historians studying religious life in the Low Countries ascribed little agency to the parish or parishioners. If the parish was studied, it was usually from an institutional or an art historical point of view. Furthermore, as this strong top‐down approach has persisted in the historiography of religion throughout the 20th century, the idea of medieval decline has remained central in the study of religious change. Debates on Reformation and Counter‐Reformation have also been influenced by this idea of medieval decay. International parish studies and recent studies on religious life during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern period have, however, illustrated that ordinary believers and communities had an important role in shaping religion. Parish studies that use a perspective from below might just be the key to understanding how religion and religious life changed in the Low Countries during this turbulent period.
Visuality and Its Affects: Some New Directions for Australian Heritage Tourism
Authors: Waterton Emma 
Published: February 2015

AbstractThis review emerges out of long‐standing debates that seek to define Australia's responses to its colonial heritage. In particular, the review will question how ‘affect’ functions as a foundation for shared public understandings of the past and related identities at iconic Australian heritage sites. From there, it will move to explore how visitor photography can be used as (a) a means of capturing and assessing visitors' frames of reference and sensory experience; (b) recovering memories; and (c) imbuing heritage sites with meaning. None of this is easy to pin down methodologically. Indeed, given the relative ‘newness’ of theoretical talk dealing with the politics of affect in the fields of heritage and tourism, little attention to date has been channelled towards figuring out what this might mean empirically. As such, the core component of this review is an examination of the literature that has emerged around visual/performative ethnographies, particularly those that focuses on the visual as a means of capturing what bodies do. Here, a process of being ‘in place’ will be foregrounded, through which individual heritage visitors are transformed from passive viewer into active director, thereby becoming co‐producers in the creation and legitimisation of both historical memories and conceptualisations of present‐day Australian society.
Marginal Creatures: Australian Women War Reporters During World War II
Authors: Baker Jeannine 
Published: February 2015

AbstractHistories of war reporting have tended to overlook the role of Australian female journalists in covering World War II. During the war, 21 Australian women journalists worked as war reporters for the Australian press, including from overseas military areas. This article provides an overview of the historiography of Australian women war reporters of World War II within an international context. It discusses the benefits of examining the connection between gender and military policy on the accreditation of women war correspondents within a comparative framework. It argues that consideration of national differences in the ways that women journalists were officially perceived, defined and managed is particularly valuable for understanding the challenges faced by Australian women war reporters.
How much do children's body mass indices change over intervals of 6–12 months? Statistics from before and during the obesity epidemic
Authors: von Hippel P. T. , Nahhas R. W. , Czerwinski S. A. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractBackgroundResearchers need to evaluate changes in children's body mass index (BMI) over periods of 6 or 12 months, yet reference statistics are limited for change in BMI.ObjectivesWe aim to estimate the distribution of changes in children's BMIs over periods of 6 and 12 months.MethodsWe analyze data on two cohorts of children in the Fels Longitudinal Study: an older cohort born 1946–1970 and a recent cohort born 1971–1995. Between ages 3 and 18 years, we calculate changes in BMI over intervals of 6 and 12 months. For each age, sex and cohort, we estimate the mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis and percentiles of change in BMI.ResultsMedian BMI growth peaks around age 12–13 years for girls and 13–15 years for boys. Large BMI gains are common in adolescence, and BMI losses are not uncommon at any age. Percentiles of BMI change are quite dispersed, especially for girls and especially in adolescence. In the recent cohort, the adiposity rebound is earlier and BMI gains are larger, especially at the high percentiles.ConclusionsResearchers can use these estimates to evaluate data quality, evaluate effect sizes and calculate the sample size needed to detect an effect.
Trans‐species communication in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis‐infected macrophage
Authors: Tan Shumin , Russell David G. 
Published: February 2015

SummaryMuch of the infection cycle of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is spent within its host cell, the macrophage. As a consequence of the chronic, enduring nature of the infection, this cell–cell interaction has become highly intimate, and the bacterium has evolved to detect, react to, and manipulate the evolving, immune‐modulated phenotype of its host. In this review, we discuss the nature of the endosomal/lysosomal continuum, the characterization of the bacterium's transcriptional responses during the infection cycle, and the dominant environmental cues that shape this response. We also discuss how the metabolism of both cells is modulated by the infection and the impact that this has on the progression of the granuloma. Finally, we detail how these transcriptional responses can be exploited to construct reporter bacterial strains to probe the temporal and spatial environmental shifts experienced by Mtb during the course of experimental infections. These reporter strains provide new insights into the fitness of Mtb under immune‐ and drug‐mediated pressure.
Sensing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and consequences to both host and bacillus
Authors: Stamm Chelsea E. , Collins Angela C. , Shiloh Michael U. 
Published: February 2015

SummaryMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the primary causative agent of human tuberculosis, has killed more people than any other bacterial pathogen in human history and remains one of the most important transmissible diseases worldwide. Because of the long‐standing interaction of Mtb with humans, it is no surprise that human mucosal and innate immune cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to detect Mtb during initial contact. To that end, the cell surface of human cells is decorated with numerous pattern recognition receptors for a variety of mycobacterial ligands. Furthermore, once Mtb is ingested into professional phagocytes, other host molecules are engaged to report on the presence of an intracellular pathogen. In this review, we discuss the role of specific mycobacterial products in modulating the host's ability to detect Mtb. In addition, we describe the specific host receptors that mediate the detection of mycobacterial infection and the role of individual receptors in mycobacterial pathogenesis in humans and model organisms.
New insights into TB physiology suggest untapped therapeutic opportunities
Authors: Baer Christina E. , Rubin Eric J. , Sassetti Christopher M. 
Published: February 2015

SummaryThe current regimens used to treat tuberculosis are largely comprised of serendipitously discovered drugs that are combined based on clinical experience. Despite curing millions, these drug regimens are limited by the long course of therapy, the emergence of resistance, and the persistent tissue damage that remains after treatment. The last two decades have produced only a single new drug but have represented a renaissance in our understanding of the physiology of tuberculosis infection. The advent of mycobacterial genetics, sophisticated immunological methods, and imaging technologies have transformed our understanding of bacterial physiology as well as the contribution of the host response to disease outcome. Specific alterations in bacterial metabolism, heterogeneity in bacterial state, and drug penetration all limit the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy. This review summarizes these new biological insights and discusses strategies to exploit them for the rational development of more effective therapeutics. Three general strategies are discussed. First, our emerging insight into bacterial physiology suggests new pathways that might be targeted to accelerate therapy. Second, we explore whether the concept of genetic synergy can be used to design effective combination therapies. Finally, we outline possible approaches to modulate the host response to accentuate antibiotic efficacy. These biology‐driven strategies promise to produce more effective therapies.
Tuberculosis vaccines: barriers and prospects on the quest for a transformative tool
Authors: Karp Christopher L. , Wilson Christopher B. , Stuart Lynda M. 
Published: February 2015

SummaryThe road to a more efficacious vaccine that could be a truly transformative tool for decreasing tuberculosis morbidity and mortality, along with Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission, is quite daunting. Despite this, there are reasons for optimism. Abetted by better conceptual clarity, clear acknowledgment of the degree of our current immunobiological ignorance, the availability of powerful new tools for dissecting the immunopathogenesis of human tuberculosis, the generation of more creative diversity in tuberculosis vaccine concepts, the development of better fit‐for‐purpose animal models, and the potential of more pragmatic approaches to the clinical testing of vaccine candidates, the field has promise for delivering novel tools for dealing with this worldwide scourge of poverty.
T cells and adaptive immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans
Authors: Jasenosky Luke D. , Scriba Thomas J. , Hanekom Willem A. , Goldfeld Anne E. 
Published: February 2015

SummaryThe adaptive immune response mediated by T cells is critical for control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection in humans. However, the M. tuberculosis antigens and host T‐cell responses that are required for an effective adaptive immune response to M. tuberculosis infection are yet to be defined. Here, we review recent findings on CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell responses to M. tuberculosis infection and examine the roles of distinct M. tuberculosis‐specific T‐cell subsets in control of de novo and latent M. tuberculosis infection, and in the evolution of T‐cell immunity to M. tuberculosis in response to tuberculosis treatment. In addition, we discuss recent studies that elucidate aspects of M. tuberculosis‐specific adaptive immunity during human immunodeficiency virus co‐infection and summarize recent findings from vaccine trials that provide insight into effective adaptive immune responses to M. tuberculosis infection.
Using the Fraction of Missing Information to Identify Auxiliary Variables for Imputation Procedures via Proxy Pattern‐mixture Models
Authors: Andridge Rebecca , Thompson Katherine Jenny 
Published: February 2015

SummaryIn many surveys, imputation procedures are used to account for non‐response bias induced by either unit non‐response or item non‐response. Such procedures are optimised (in terms of reducing non‐response bias) when the models include covariates that are highly predictive of both response and outcome variables. To achieve this, we propose a method for selecting sets of covariates used in regression imputation models or to determine imputation cells for one or more outcome variables, using the fraction of missing information (FMI) as obtained via a proxy pattern‐mixture (PMM) model as the key metric. In our variable selection approach, we use the PPM model to obtain a maximum likelihood estimate of the FMI for separate sets of candidate imputation models and look for the point at which changes in the FMI level off and further auxiliary variables do not improve the imputation model. We illustrate our proposed approach using empirical data from the Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey and from the Service Annual Survey.