bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Blockholders Are More Common in the United States Than You Might Think*
Authors: Holderness Clifford G. 
Published: December 2010

Finance scholars have long characterized the large publicly traded U.S. company as having a fragmented ownership structure with a diffuse shareholder base—significantly more diffuse than comparable companies in most other countries. But the findings of the author's recent study, which incluudes large amounts of “hand‐collected data” on the share ownership of U.S. companies, are strikingly at odds with this characterization.As reporteed in the study, 96% of a sample of 375 randomly chosen, publicly traded U.S. corporations—including companies like American Express and McDonald's—had at least one shareholder who owned at least 5% of the firm's common stock. In fact, such blockholders as a group owned almost 40% of the typical U.S. company. There was, to be sure, an inverse relation between ownership concentration and firm size, but ownership was unexpectedly concentrated even among the largest companies, with 89% of the S&P 500 companies in the sample having at least one 5% blockholder.What's more, the ownership concentration of U.S. public companies turned out to be remarkably similar to the average ownership concentration of large samples of listed companies from 22 European and East Asian countries. More specifically, the ownership structure of U.S. companies—after controlling for differences in company size—appears to all in the middle of the distribution of those countries, whether one looks at the proportion of companies with block‐holders or the blockholders' average percentage holdings.
Private Equity in the U.S.: Building a New Future
Authors: Wright Mike , Jackson Andrew , Frobisher Steve 
Published: December 2010

Despite the recent downturn, private equity firms still have an important role to play in the global economy. At the same time, many PE firms may need to rethink their strategies. Practices that have been worked in the past may not produce acceptable returns in a future, particularly given the current constraints on financing and leverage.One source of PE's comparative advantage, as demonstrated during the recent crisis, has been the ability of the best and most experienced firms to reorganize their portfolio companies when they get into financial trouble. But in addition to their financial management skills, specialized operating expertise has become more critical to success, and those PE firms that have not acquired it are especially likely to find that past success in raising capital is no guarantee of success in the future.The authors begin by providing a brief overview of the past three decades of global private equity to identify how the market arrived at its current position. Using the findings of academic research together with case studies and interviews with PE practitioners in the U.K., the authors suggest a number of building blocks for the future that reflect the considerable success of the most reputable and experienced PE firms in increasing the value of their portfolio companies.
Measuring Corpotate Liquidity Risk
Authors: Jankensgård Håkan 
Published: December 2010

This article presents the outline of a framework for evaluating liquidity risk (at the corporate level) with risk measures that are intuitive and economically relevant. In particular, the risk measures are designed explicitly to show the effectiveness of a company's risk management program in helping the firm to (1) avoid financial distress or default and (2) ensure its ability to undertake all strategic investments.For managers attempting to quantify liquidity risks, this paper proposes that the risk measures have two important features: One is to make the liquidity risk estimate depend on some measure of the firm's balance sheet strength, one that reflects the role of the balance sheet as a risk buffer. The second is to provide a useful estimate of the opportunity costs associated with a given liquidity shortage—one that reflects the value of the investment opportunities that liquidity problems could jeopardize.The author illustrates the application of the proposed risk measures with an example of a company evaluating a hedging strategy designed to accompany a substantial increase in its investment budget. Using the risk measures discussed in this paper, the author shows how to assess the effectiveness of a proposed hedge in terms of its expected ability to reduce costly cash shortfalls in scenarios in which the firm's debt capacity is also expected to be depleted.
Small Intracerebral Haemorrhages are Associated with Less Haematoma Expansion and Better Outcomes
Authors: Dowlatshahi Dar , Smith Eric E. , Flaherty Matthew L. , Ali Myzoon , Lyden Patrick , Demchuk Andrew M. ,   on behalf of the VISTA Collaborators
Published: December 2010

Background and purpose Haematoma expansion following intracerebral haemorrhage is a major determinant of early neurological worsening and poor clinical outcome. This has created interest in improving patient selection for therapies targeting haematoma expansion. Based on prior observations, we hypothesised that intracerebral haemorrhage volumes under 10 ml would be less likely to expand. We additionally sought to define a baseline haematoma volume below which significant growth was not observed. Methods Patient data were obtained from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive. Patients with intracerebral haemorrhage presented within six-hours of symptom onset had baseline clinical, radiological and laboratory data, and computed tomographic scan at 72 h and three-month follow-up. The predictor of interest was baseline haematoma volume. Primary outcomes were absolute and relative haematoma growth. Secondary outcomes were early neurological worsening, good functional outcome, and 90-day mortality. Results The final dataset consisted of 496 patients. Baseline haematoma volumes under 10 ml were associated with much lower odds of absolute expansion compared to larger haematomas. Smaller haematomas were associated with significantly decreased odds of early neurological worsening and three-month mortality, and increased odds of good functional outcome. The smallest haematoma to double in size was 3·97 ml. Among the 34 subjects with very small haematomas (<3 ml), none had early neurological worsening and most had good three-month outcome (73·5%, mRS≤3). Conclusions This study provides observational evidence that very small haematomas are unlikely to expand, by commonly used absolute growth definitions, and may represent a subgroup of patients with intracerebral haemorrhage destined towards good clinical outcomes.
Timeframes of UVA‐induced Bystander Effects in Human Keratinocytes
Authors: Whiteside James R. , Allinson Sarah L. , McMillan Trevor J. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractThe bystander effect is defined as the induction of cellular damage in unirradiated cells, induced by irradiated cells in the surrounding area. Our laboratory has previously identified that an environmentally relevant dose of UVA is able to induce the effect in human keratinocytes and fibroblasts, seen as reduced clonogenic survival. Here we report on our investigations into the periods over which the bystander signals are released by the irradiated cells and for how long unirradiated cells need to be exposed to them for the effect to be induced. Using a coincubation system we have identified that irradiated cells do not release the signals immediately following irradiation but have a time lag of over 24 h before levels are sufficient to induce the effect, with the signals being released for a minimum of 3 days following irradiation. We have also found that the recipient cells only require at most 24 h of exposure to these signals for induction of the effect. These data indicate that a single exposure to UVA can exert an effect for several days postirradiation, thus amplifying the deleterious effects of exposure.
Histopathologic changes in the gills and skin of adult Clarias gariepinus exposed to ethanolic extract of Parkia biglobosa pods
Authors: Abalaka Samson Eneojo , Fatihu Muhammad Yakasai , Ibrahim Najume Doguwar Giginya , Kazeem Haruna Makonjuola 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT Background and aim: Fish live in direct contact with their immediate external environment and, therefore, are highly vulnerable to aquatic pollutants. We aimed to investigate histopathologic changes in the gills and skin of fish exposed to plant extracts. Methods: Clarias gariepinus adults were exposed to 0 mg/L, 85 mg/L, 100 mg/L, 115 mg/L, 130 mg/L and 145 mg/L concentrations of ethanolic extracts of Parkia biglobosa pods over a 96‐h period. Results: Gills from exposed fish showed hyperemia and severe edema with fusion of secondary lamellae. The skin from exposed fish showed hyperplasia of mucus producing cells, epidermal and dermal polymorphonuclear leukocytic infiltrations with areas of dermal necrosis and aggregation of melanin pigments. Fish from the control group showed no histopathologic changes. Conclusions: Ethanolic extract of P. biglobosa pods is toxic to adult C. gariepinus. Therefore, extensive use of this tree to harvest fish for human consumption should be discouraged pending further investigations to determine the safety of such practices to human health.
HER2 expression in breast cancer: Comparisons of fluorescence in situ hybridization and silver in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibody and polyclonal antibody
Authors: Jang Jung Sik , Jang Eun Jeong , Park Ji‐Young 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT Background and aim: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene is an important tumor marker in breast cancer. The silver in situ hybridization (SISH) has been recently introduced for measuring the HER2 amplification status. We evaluated the concordance between HER2 gene amplification in invasive breast cancer as determined by the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and SISH techniques and we compared the results to that of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with using polyclonal c‐erbB‐2 antibody and monoclonal HER2 antibody. Methods: A total of 90 cases were analyzed by direct‐labeled manual FISH and bright field automated SISH. All the specimens underwent IHC staining using c‐erbB‐2 and PATHWAY 4B5. The evaluation was performed by following the recommendation of the manufacturer and the American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) guidelines. Results: The overall concordance rate between FISH and SISH was 98.8% (Kappa index: 0.96). There was no significant difference in estimating the HER2 status using polyclonal and monoclonal antibody. Conclusions: The 98.8% concordance of FISH fulfills the ASCO/CAP requirement of greater than 95% concordance for the amplified cases versus the non‐amplified cases. The HER2 gene copy status can be reliably determined by SISH.
The Runoff Reduction Method
Authors: Battiata Joseph , Collins Kelly , Hirschman David , Hoffmann Greg 
Published: December 2010

Abstract:The Runoff Reduction Method (RRM) provides an innovative approach to crediting the total performance of stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Total BMP performance refers to the pollutant removal and runoff volume reduction capabilities. The RRM tracks the implementation of stormwater BMPs, including Low Impact Development (LID) strategies such as permeable pavement, rainwater harvesting, downspout disconnection, soil amendments, etc., and credits the appropriate runoff volume reduction, pollutant concentration reduction, or both towards compliance with stormwater quality and quantity requirements. By providing a mechanism to credit the volume reduction associated with these LID strategies the RRM also documents an allowable reduction of the overall size and footprint of structural detention practices, thereby providing an economic incentive for the development community to implement LID providing a better overall solution for minimizing the impact of development on the hydrologic cycle.
Wetlands and Ponds for Stormwater Treatment in Subtropical Australia: Their Effectiveness in Enhancing Biodiversity and Improving Water Quality?
Authors: Greenway Margaret 
Published: December 2010

Abstract:Stormwater best management practice is aimed at reducing potential downstream impacts on aquatic ecosystem health. Sediment basins, wetlands and ponds are commonly used in subtropical Australia for water‐quality improvement; they also have the potential to enhance aquatic biodiversity in urbanised catchments. Two retrofit field sites in Brisbane, Australia were monitored for water quality and ecosystem health. The Golden Pond “wetland system” treatment train consisted of a sediment basin and two wetlands. The Bridgewater Creek “pond system”, consisted of a sediment basin and five ponds. Suspended solids were reduced during wet weather, but increased during dry weather due to resuspension by ducks. NO3‐N decreased in both wet and dry weather. NH4‐N increased probably due to ammonification of organic matter. PO4‐P decreased. The removal of soluble NO3 and PO4 is indicative of biological uptake by phytoplankton submerged pond weeds and periphyton attached to aquatic macrophytes. Macroinvertebrate species richness increased, and mosquitoes were not a problem due to predation of larvae by macroinvertebrates. Macrophyte survival was adversely affected by flash flooding and increased inundation. Although water quality objectives were not consistently achieved, both systems were effective in reducing suspended solids and nutrients from stormwater runoff and provided a habitat for aquatic organisms.
Integration of Education, Scholarship, and Service through Stormwater Management
Authors: Welker Andrea L. , Wadzuk Bridget M. , Traver Robert G. 
Published: December 2010

Abstract:Education, scholarship, and service are the cornerstones of academia. This paper describes how the design, construction, and research of stormwater control measures on the campus of Villanova University has been used to integrate these three facets of academic life. To date, eleven stormwater control measures have been constructed on Villanova's campus. This paper will focus on how the authors have successfully used three of these stormwater control measures, a constructed stormwater wetland, a rain garden, and a porous asphalt/pervious concrete comparison study, to fulfil the university's commitments to education, scholarship, and service.
Evaluation of Serum Bactericidal Antibody Assays forHaemophilus influenzaeSerotype a
Authors: Rouphael Nadine G. , Satola Sarah , Farley Monica M. , Rudolph Karen , Schmidt Daniel S. , Gomez-de-León Patricia , Robbins John B. , Schneerson Rachel , Carlone George M. , Romero-Steiner Sandra 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACTHaemophilus influenzaetype a (Hia) is an important pathogen for some American Indian, Alaskan native, and Northern Canada aboriginal populations. Assays to measure serum bactericidal activity (SBA) to Hia have not been developed or validated. Here, we describe two methods for the measurement of SBA: SBA with a viability endpoint (CFU counts) and SBA with a fluorometric endpoint using alamarBlue as the metabolic indicator. Both SBA assays measure Hia-specific functional antibody and correlate with anti-Hia IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) concentration of naturally acquired antibodies.
Development of an Immunochromatographic Strip for Simple Detection of Penicillin-Binding Protein 2′
Authors: Matsui Hidehito , Hanaki Hideaki , Inoue Megumi , Akama Hiroyuki , Nakae Taiji , Sunakawa Keisuke , Omura Satoshi 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACTInfections with methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negativeStaphylococcus(MR-CNS) are a serious problem in hospitals because these bacteria produce penicillin-binding protein 2′ (PBP2′ or PBP2a), which shows low affinity to β-lactam antibiotics. Furthermore, the bacteria show resistance to a variety of antibiotics. Identification of these pathogens has been carried out mainly by the oxacillin susceptibility test, which takes several days to produce a reliable result. We developed a simple immunochromatographic test that enabled the detection of PBP2′ within about 20 min. Anti-PBP2′ monoclonal antibodies were produced by a hybridoma of recombinant PBP2′ (rPBP2′)-immunized mouse spleen cells and myeloma cells. The monoclonal antibodies reacted only with PBP2′ of whole-cell extracts and showed no detectable cross-reactivity with extracts from other bacterial species tested so far. One of the monoclonal antibodies was conjugated with gold colloid particles, which react with PBP2′, and another antibody was immobilized on a nitrocellulose membrane, which captures the PBP2′-gold colloid particle complex on a nitrocellulose strip. This strip was able to detect 1.0 ng of rPBP2′ or 2.8 × 105to 1.7 × 107CFU of MRSA cells. The cross-reactivity test using 15 bacterial species and aCandida albicansstrain showed no detectable false-positive results. The accuracy of this method in the detection of MRSA and MR-CNS appeared to be 100%, compared with the results obtained by PCR amplification of the PBP2′ gene,mecA. This newly developed immunochromatographic test can be used for simple and accurate detection of PBP2′-producing cells in clinical laboratories.
BBK07 Immunodominant Peptides as Serodiagnostic Markers of Lyme Disease
Authors: Coleman Adam S. , Rossmann Evelyn , Yang Xiuli , Song Haichen , Lamichhane Chinta M. , Iyer Radha , Schwartz Ira , Pal Utpal 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT

Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne infection caused by the bacterial pathogen
Borrelia burgdorferi
. Current diagnostic tests mostly use borrelial lysates or select antigens to detect serum antibodies against
B. burgdorferi
. These immunoassays are not entirely effective, especially for detection of early infection. We have recently characterized an
in vivo
-induced antigen, BBK07, as a serodiagnostic marker for LD. We now report that in a line blot assay, recombinant BBK07 protein-based detection is 90% sensitive and nearly 100% specific against
B. burgdorferi
infection in humans. Using an overlapping peptide library of 23 peptides encompassing full-length BBK07, we identified the immunodominant epitopes of BBK07 during human infection. We show that a select combination of amino-terminal peptides significantly enhanced BBK07-based diagnostic accuracy compared to that with the full-length protein. Although in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies BBK07 peptides had overall lower sensitivity than established serodiagnostic peptides, such as the VlsE peptide C6 and OspC peptide pepC10, for the detection of early human LD, a subset of serum samples that failed to recognize either VlsE or OspC peptides were preferentially reactive to BBK07 peptides. These results highlight the fact that BBK07 peptides could be useful to complement the efficacy of VlsE and OspC peptide-based serodiagnostic assays. Finally, using a panel of canine sera, we show that BBK07 peptide is also effective for LD diagnosis in infected dogs. Together, our data show that peptides from the
B. burgdorferi
surface protein BBK07 are highly specific and sensitive serodiagnostic markers, and we suggest their future use in LD diagnostic assays.
Low Levels of NF-κB/p65 Mark Anergic CD4+T Cells and Correlate with Disease Severity in Sarcoidosis
Authors: Lee Nam-Sihk , Barber Laura , Kanchwala Ali , Childs Carter J. H. , Kataria Yash P. , Judson Marc A. , Mazer Mark A. , Arce Sergio 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACTT lymphocytes from patients with sarcoidosis respond weakly when stimulated with mitogen or antigen. However, the mechanisms responsible for this anergy are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the protein levels of nuclear transcription factor NF-κB (p50, p65, and p105), IκBα (inhibitor of NF-κB), T-cell receptor (TCR) CD3ζ-chain, tyrosine kinase p56LCK, and nuclear factor of activated T cells c2 (NF-ATc2) in peripheral blood CD4+T cells from patients with sarcoidosis. Baseline expression of p65 in these lymphocytes was reduced in 50% of patients. The reduced levels of p65 in sarcoid CD4+T cells concurred with decreased levels of p50, p105, CD3ζ, p56LCK, IκBα, and NF-ATc2. Polyclonal stimulation of NF-κB-deficient sarcoid T cells resulted in reduced expression of CD69 and CD154, decreased proliferation, and cytokine (i.e., interleukin 2 [IL-2] and gamma interferon [IFN-γ]) production. The clinical significance of these findings is suggested by the association between low p65 levels and the development of more severe and active sarcoidosis. Although correlative, our results support a model in which multiple intrinsic signaling defects contribute to peripheral T-cell anergy and the persistence of chronic inflammation in sarcoidosis.
Escherichia coli
Exports Cyclic AMP via TolC
Authors: Hantke Klaus , Winkler Karin , Schultz Joachim E. 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT

In
Escherichia coli
more than 180 genes are regulated by the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-cAMP receptor protein (CRP) complex. However, more than 90% of cAMP that is made by intracellular adenylyl cyclases is found in the culture medium. How is cAMP exported from
E. coli
? In a
tolC
mutant, 0.03 mM IPTG (isopropyl-β-
d
-thiogalactopyranoside) was sufficient to induce β-galactosidase compared to 0.1 mM IPTG in the parent strain. In a
cya
mutant unable to produce cAMP about 1 mM extracellular cAMP was required to induce β-galactosidase, whereas in a
cya tolC
mutant 0.1 mM cAMP was sufficient. When cAMP in
E. coli cya
was generated intracellularly by a recombinant, weakly active adenylyl cyclase from
Corynebacterium glutamicum
, the critical level of cAMP necessary for induction of maltose degradation was only achieved in a
tolC
mutant and not in the parent strain. Deletion of a putative cAMP phosphodiesterase of
E. coli
, CpdA, resulted in a slightly similar, yet more diffuse phenotype. The data demonstrate that export of cAMP via TolC is a most efficient way of
E. coli
to lower high concentrations of cAMP in the cell and maintain its sensitivity in changing metabolic environments.
Development and Evaluation of a Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection and Quantification of Blastocystis Parasites in Human Stool Samples: Prospective Study of Patients with Hematological Malignancies
Authors: Poirier Philippe , Wawrzyniak Ivan , Albert Aurélie , El Alaoui Hicham , Delbac Frédéric , Livrelli Valérie 
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT

Blastocystis
anaerobic parasites are widespread worldwide in the digestive tract of many animal species, including humans. Epidemiological
Blastocystis
studies are often limited by the poor sensitivity of standard parasitological assays for its detection. This report presents a highly sensitive real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay developed to detect
Blastocystis
parasites in stool samples. The assay targets a partial sequence of the
Blastocystis
small ribosomal subunit (SSU) rRNA gene, allowing subtyping (ST) of
Blastocystis
isolates by direct sequencing of qPCR products. This qPCR method was assessed in a prospective study of 186 patients belonging to two cohorts—a group of 94 immunocompromised patients presenting hematological malignancies and a control group of 92 nonimmunocompromised patients. Direct-light microscopy and xenic
in vitro
stool culture analysis showed only 29% and 52% sensitivity, respectively, compared to our qPCR assay. Of the 27 (14.5%)
Blastocystis
-positive patients, 8 (4%) experienced digestive symptoms. No correlation was found between symptomatic patients and immune status, parasite load, or parasite subtypes, although subtyping of all isolates revealed a high (63.0%) prevalence of ST4. Two unexpected avian subtypes were found, i.e., ST6 and ST7, which are frequently isolated in Asia but rarely present in Western countries. In conclusion, this qPCR proved by far the most sensitive of the tested methods and allowed subtype determination by direct sequencing of qPCR products. New diagnostic tools such as the qPCR are essential for evaluating the clinical relevance of
Blastocystis
subtypes and their role in acute or chronic digestive disorders.