bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cross‐Cultural Difference in Reactions to Facework During Service Failures
Authors: Friedman Ray , Olekalns Mara , Oh Sehyung (David) 
Published: October 2011

AbstractWhen companies have service failures, they need to not only fix the actual problem but also to communicate with customers in ways that do not damage the relationship. This study examines whether people with different cultural orientations react differently to the communications that attack or support community‐related face (positive face) versus autonomy‐related face (negative face). We predicted, and found, that Westerners (Americans) react more strongly than Asians (Koreans and Indians) to autonomy‐related facework. We also predicted, and found, that the emotional impact of community‐related face was stronger for Asians than for Westerners, and that the emotional impact of autonomy‐related face was stronger for Westerners than Asians. Theoretical and practical implications for managing service failures across cultures are discussed.
In Vitro
Acquisition of Secondary Azole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus Isolates after Prolonged Exposure to Itraconazole: Presence of Heteroresistant Populations
Authors: Escribano Pilar , Recio Sandra , Peláez Teresa , González-Rivera Milagros , Bouza Emilio , Guinea Jesús 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Secondary resistance to azoles in
Aspergillus fumigatus
isolates from patients taking long-term itraconazole therapy has been described. We studied the acquisition of secondary azole resistance in 20
A. fumigatus
isolates with no mutations at codon 54, 98, 138, 220, 432, or 448 in the
cyp51A
gene. Adjusted conidium inocula (3 × 10
7
CFU/ml) of each isolate were prepared and progressively or directly exposed to increasing itraconazole concentrations, ranging from 0.5 μg/ml to 16 μg/ml. Itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole MICs were determined using the CLSI M38-A2 procedure before (MIC
initial
) and after (MIC
final
) exposure to itraconazole. In both procedures, the MIC
final
was significantly higher than the MIC
initial
. However, after progressive exposure to itraconazole, the MICs of the three azoles were higher than after direct exposure. No mutations were found at codon 54, 98, 138, 220, 432, or 448 in the
cyp51A
gene of isolates growing at the highest concentration of itraconazole. More concentrated conidium inocula (2 × 10
9
CFU/ml) plated in itraconazole at 4 μg/ml revealed the presence of heteroresistant populations in two initially wild-type isolates. These isolates became resistant to itraconazole and posaconazole only after use of the concentrated inoculum. These heteroresistant isolates harbored a mutation at codon G54, and the MICs of itraconazole and posaconazole were >16 μg/ml. In all procedures,
A. fumigatus
short tandem repeat (STR
Af
) typing was used to demonstrate that the genotype did not change before or after exposure to itraconazole.
Treatment of Early and Established Cryptococcus neoformans Infection with Radiolabeled Antibodies in Immunocompetent Mice
Authors: Jiang Zewei , Bryan Ruth A. , Morgenstern Alfred , Bruchertseifer Frank , Casadevall Arturo , Dadachova Ekaterina 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

We investigated the utility of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in early and established cryptococcal infection in immunocompetent mice. RIT with
213
Bi-18B7 antibody completely eliminated fungus from mouse lungs and brains for early infection, while
188
Re-18B7 significantly reduced CFU in the lungs or both lungs and brains during early and established infection, respectively. The results point to the independence of RIT of the immune status of the host, which is encouraging for translation of this strategy into the clinic.
A PBP 2 Mutant Devoid of the Transpeptidase Domain Abolishes Spermine–β-Lactam Synergy in Staphylococcus aureus Mu50
Authors: Yao Xiangyu , Lu Chung-Dar 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Exogenous spermine was reported to enhance the killing of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) by β-lactams through a strong synergistic effect of unknown nature. Spermine alone also exerts an antimicrobial activity against
S. aureus
in a pH-dependent manner. MIC measurements revealed stronger effects of spermine under alkaline conditions, suggesting the nucleophilic property of spermine instead of its positive charge as the cause of adverse effects. A spontaneous suppressor mutant (MuM) of MRSA Mu50 was selected for spermine resistance and conferred complete abolishment of spermine–β-lactam synergy. In comparison to that in Mu50, the spermine MIC in MuM remained constant (64 mM) at pH 6 to 8; however, MuM, a heat-sensitive mutant, also grew in a very narrow pH range. Furthermore, MuM acquired a unique phenotype of vancomycin-spermine synergy. Genome resequencing revealed a 7-bp deletion in
pbpB
, which results in a truncated penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP 2) without the transpeptidase domain at the C terminus while the N-terminal transglycosidase domain remains intact. The results of fluorescent Bocillin labeling experiments confirmed the presence of this defective PBP 2 in MuM. All the aforementioned phenotypes of MuM were reverted to those of Mu50 after complementation by the wild-type
pbpB
carried on a recombinant plasmid. The anticipated changes in cell wall metabolism and composition in MuM were evidenced by observations that the cell wall of MuM was more susceptible to enzyme hydrolysis and that MuM exhibited a lower level of autolytic activities. Pleiotropic alterations in gene expression were revealed by microarray analysis, suggesting a remarkable flexibility of MuM to circumvent cell wall damage by triggering adaptations that are complex but completely different from that of the cell wall stress stimulon. In summary, these results reveal phenotypic changes and transcriptome adaptations in a unique
pbpB
mutant and provide evidence to support the idea that exogenous spermine may perturb normal cell wall formation through its interactions with PBP 2.
In Vitro
Pharmacodynamics of Vancomycin and Cefazolin Alone and in Combination against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Hagihara Mao , Wiskirchen Dora E. , Kuti Joseph L. , Nicolau David P. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Previous studies employing time-kill methods have observed synergistic effects against methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) when a β-lactam is combined with vancomycin. However, these time-kill studies have neglected the importance of human-simulated exposures. We evaluated the effect of human simulated exposures of vancomycin at 1 g every 8 h (q8h) in combination with cefazolin at 1 g q8h against various MRSA isolates. Four clinical isolates (two MRSA isolates [vancomycin MICs, 0.5 and 2.0 μg/ml], a heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate
S. aureus
[hVISA] isolate [MIC, 2.0 μg/ml], and a vancomycin-intermediate
S. aureus
[VISA] isolate [MIC, 8.0 μg/ml]) were evaluated in an
in vitro
pharmacodynamic model with a starting inoculum of 10
6
or 10
8
CFU/ml. Bacterial density was measured over 48 to 72 h. Time-kill curves were constructed, and the area under the bacterial killing and regrowth curve (AUBC) was calculated. During 10
6
CFU/ml studies, combination therapy achieved greater log
10
CFU/ml changes than vancomycin alone at 12 h (−4.31 ± 0.58 versus −2.80 ± 0.59,
P
< 0.001), but not at 48 h. Combination therapy significantly reduced the AUBC from 0 to 48 h (122 ± 14) compared with vancomycin alone (148 ± 22,
P
= 0.017). Similar results were observed during 10
8
CFU/ml studies, where combination therapy achieved greater log
10
CFU/ml changes at 12 h than vancomycin alone (−4.00 ± 0.20 versus −1.10 ± 0.04,
P
< 0.001) and significantly reduced the AUBC (275 ± 30 versus 429 ± 37,
P
< 0.001) after 72 h of incubation. In this study, the combination of vancomycin and cefazolin at human-simulated exposures improved the rate of kill against these MRSA isolates and resulted in greater overall antibacterial effect, but no differences in bacterial density were observed by the end of the experiments.
Antibacterial Role for Natural Killer Cells in Host Defense to Bacillus anthracis
Authors: Gonzales Christine M. , Williams Courtney B. , Calderon Veronica E. , Huante Matthew B. , Moen Scott T. , Popov Vsevolod L. , Baze Wallace B. , Peterson Johnny W. , Endsley Janice J. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTNatural killer (NK) cells have innate antibacterial activity that could be targeted for clinical interventions for infectious disease caused by naturally occurring or weaponized bacterial pathogens. To determine a potential role for NK cells in immunity toBacillus anthracis, we utilized primary human and murine NK cells,in vitroassays, andin vivoNK cell depletion in a murine model of inhalational anthrax. Our results demonstrate potent antibacterial activity by human NK cells againstB. anthracisbacilli within infected autologous monocytes. Surprisingly, NK cells also mediate moderate antibacterial effects on extracellular vegetative bacilli but do not have activity against extracellular or intracellular spores. The immunosuppressive anthrax lethal toxin impairs NK gamma interferon (IFN-γ) expression, but neither lethal nor edema toxin significantly alters the viability or cytotoxic effector function of NK cells. Compared to human NK cells, murine NK cells have a similar, though less potent, activity against intracellular and extracellularB. anthracis. Thein vivodepletion of murine NK cells does not alter animal survival following intranasal infection withB. anthracisspores in our studies but significantly increases the bacterial load in the blood of infected animals. Our studies demonstrate that NK cells participate in the innate immune response againstB. anthracisand suggest that immune modulation to augment NK cell function in early stages of anthrax should be further explored in animal models as a clinical intervention strategy.
Forensic identification by computer-aided craniofacial superimposition
Authors: Damas Sergio , Cordón Oscar , Ibáñez Oscar , Santamaría Jose , Alemán Inmaculada , Botella Miguel , Navarro Fernando 
Published: October 2011

Craniofacial superimposition is a forensic process in which a photograph of a missing person is compared with a skull found to determine its identity. After one century of development, craniofacial superimposition has become an interdisciplinary research field where computer sciences have acquired a key role as a complement of forensic sciences. Moreover, the availability of new digital equipment (such as computers and 3D scanners) has resulted in a significant advance in the applicability of this forensic identification technique. The purpose of this contribution is twofold. On the one hand, we aim to clearly define the different stages involved in the computer-aided craniofacial superimposition process. Besides, we aim to clarify the role played by computers in the methods considered.
In order to accomplish these objectives, an up-to-date review of the recent works is presented along with a discussion of advantages and drawbacks of the existing approaches, with an emphasis on the automatic ones. Future case studies will be easily categorized by identifying which stage is tackled and which kind of computer-aided approach is chosen to face the identification problem. Remaining challenges are indicated and some directions for future research are given.
A survey on UML-based aspect-oriented design modeling
Authors: Wimmer Manuel , Schauerhuber Andrea , Kappel Gerti , Retschitzegger Werner , Schwinger Wieland , Kapsammer Elizabeth 
Published: October 2011

Aspect-orientation provides a new way of modularization by clearly separating crosscutting concerns from noncrosscutting ones. While aspect-orientation originally has emerged at the programming level, it now stretches also over other development phases. There are, for example, already several proposals for Aspect-Oriented Modeling (AOM), most of them pursuing distinguished goals, providing different concepts as well as notations, and showing various levels of maturity. Consequently, there is an urgent need to provide an in-depth survey, clearly identifying commonalities and differences between current AOM approaches. Existing surveys in this area focus more on comprehensibility with respect to development phases or evaluated approaches rather than on comparability on bases of a detailed evaluation framework.
This article tries to fill this gap focusing on aspect-oriented design modeling. As a prerequisite for an in-depth evaluation, a conceptual reference model is presented as the article's first contribution, centrally capturing the basic design concepts of AOM and their interrelationships in terms of a UML class diagram. Based on this conceptual reference model, an evaluation framework has been designed, resembling the second contribution, by deriving a detailed and well-defined catalogue of evaluation criteria, thereby operationalizing the conceptual reference model. This criteria catalogue is employed together with a running example in order to evaluate a carefully selected set of eight design-level AOM approaches representing the third contribution of the article. This per approach evaluation is complemented with an extensive report on lessons learned, summarizing the approaches' strengths and shortcomings.
Managing SMT resource usage through speculative instruction window weighting
Authors: Vandierendonck Hans , Seznec André 
Published: October 2011

Simultaneous multithreading processors dynamically share processor resources between multiple threads. In general, shared SMT resources may be managed explicitly, for instance, by dynamically setting queue occupation bounds for each thread as in the DCRA and Hill-Climbing policies. Alternatively, resources may be managed implicitly; that is, resource usage is controlled by placing the desired instruction mix in the resources. In this case, the main resource management tool is the instruction fetch policy which must predict the behavior of each thread (branch mispredictions, long-latency loads, etc.) as it fetches instructions.
In this article, we present the use of Speculative Instruction Window Weighting (SIWW) to bridge the gap between implicit and explicit SMT fetch policies. SIWW estimates for each thread the amount of outstanding work in the processor pipeline. Fetch proceeds for the thread with the least amount of work left. SIWW policies are implicit as fetch proceeds for the thread with the least amount of work left. They are also explicit as maximum resource allocation can also be set. SIWW can use and combine virtually any of the indicators that were previously proposed for guiding the instruction fetch policy (number of in-flight instructions, number of low confidence branches, number of predicted cache misses, etc.). Therefore, SIWW is an approach to designing SMT fetch policies, rather than a particular fetch policy.
Targeting fairness or throughput is often contradictory and a SMT scheduling policy often optimizes only one performance metric at the sacrifice of the other metric. Our simulations show that the SIWW fetch policy can achieve at the same time state-of-the-art throughput, state-of-the-art fairness and state-of-the-art harmonic performance mean.
Lactoferrin–Endothelin-1 Axis Contributes to the Development and Invasiveness of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Phenotypes
Authors: Ha Ngoc-Han , Nair Vasudha S. , Reddy Divijendra Natha Sirigiri , Mudvari Prakriti , Ohshiro Kazufumi , Ghanta Krishna Sumanth , Pakala Suresh B. , Li Da-Qiang , Costa Luis , Lipton Allan , Badwe Rajendra A. , Fuqua Suzanne , Wallon Margaretha , Prendergast George C. , Kumar Rakesh 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by the lack of expression of estrogen receptor-α (ER-α), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). However, pathways responsible for downregulation of therapeutic receptors, as well as subsequent aggressiveness, remain unknown. In this study, we discovered that lactoferrin (Lf) efficiently downregulates levels of ER-α, PR, and HER-2 in a proteasome-dependent manner in breast cancer cells, and it accounts for the loss of responsiveness to ER- or HER-2–targeted therapies. Furthermore, we found that lactoferrin increases migration and invasiveness of both non-TNBC and TNBC cell lines. We discovered that lactoferrin directly stimulates the transcription of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a secreted proinvasive polypeptide that acts through a specific receptor, ET(A)R, leading to secretion of the bioactive ET-1 peptide. Interestingly, a therapeutic ET-1 receptor-antagonist blocked lactoferrin-dependent motility and invasiveness of breast cancer cells. The physiologic significance of this newly discovered Lf–ET-1 axis in the manifestation of TNBC phenotypes is revealed by elevated plasma and tissue lactoferrin and ET-1 levels in patients with TNBC compared with those in ER+ cases. These findings describe the first physiologically relevant polypeptide as a functional determinant in downregulating all three therapeutic receptors in breast cancer, which uses another secreted ET-1 system to confer invasiveness. Results presented in this article provide proof-of-principle evidence in support of the therapeutic effectiveness of ET-1 receptor antagonist to completely block the lactoferrin-induced motility and invasiveness of the TNBC as well as non-TNBC cells, and thus, open a remarkable opportunity to treat TNBC by targeting the Lf–ET-1 axis using an approved developmental drug. Cancer Res; 71(23); 7259–69. ©2011 AACR.
Androgen Receptor and Nutrient Signaling Pathways Coordinate the Demand for Increased Amino Acid Transport during Prostate Cancer Progression
Authors: Wang Qian , Bailey Charles G. , Ng Cynthia , Tiffen Jessamy , Thoeng Annora , Minhas Vineet , Lehman Melanie L. , Hendy Stephen C. , Buchanan Grant , Nelson Colleen C. , Rasko John E.J. , Holst Jeff 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
l-Type amino acid transporters such as LAT1 and LAT3 mediate the uptake of essential amino acids. Here, we report that prostate cancer cells coordinate the expression of LAT1 and LAT3 to maintain sufficient levels of leucine needed for mTORC1 signaling and cell growth. Inhibiting LAT function was sufficient to decrease cell growth and mTORC1 signaling in prostate cancer cells. These cells maintained levels of amino acid influx through androgen receptor–mediated regulation of LAT3 expression and ATF4 regulation of LAT1 expression after amino acid deprivation. These responses remained intact in primary prostate cancer, as indicated by high levels of LAT3 in primary disease, and by increased levels of LAT1 after hormone ablation and in metastatic lesions. Taken together, our results show how prostate cancer cells respond to demands for increased essential amino acids by coordinately activating amino acid transporter pathways vital for tumor outgrowth. Cancer Res; 71(24); 7525–36. ©2011 AACR.
Laser Lead Extraction in the Octogenarian Patient
Authors: Rodriguez Yasser , Garisto Juan D. , Carrillo Roger G. 
Published: October 2011

Background—
In the United States, patients aged >75 years are the most rapidly growing segment in the population, with an expected increase of 126% by 2050. These patients account for >70% of the pacemakers and up to two thirds of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillators implanted annually. Our aim was to explore the clinical outcomes of device complications in the octogenarian population.

Methods and Results—

We performed a retrospective chart review of 506 patients undergoing laser lead extraction from January 2004 to September 2009. This population was divided into the following 2 groups based solely on age: octogenarians and nonoctogenarians. These 2 groups were compared on the basis of several characteristics and clinical outcomes. There were 118 patients in the octogenarian group (78 men) and 388 in the nonoctogenarians group (301 men) aged 85±3.8 and 64.2±12.4 years, respectively. A total of 253 leads (atrial, 99; ventricular, 145; coronary sinus, 9) were removed from the patients in the octogenarian group, and 814 leads (atrial, 295; ventricular, 442; coronary sinus, 77) were removed from the patients in the nonoctogenarian group. The main indication for extraction for both groups was infection. The lead implant duration was 59.6±52.8 and 38.6±43.9 months for octogenarians and nonoctogenarians, respectively. There was no significant difference with respect to the proportion of minor (
P
=0.65), major (
P
=0.56), and total (
P
=0.50) complications.

Conclusions—
Laser lead extraction is demonstrated to be a safe and effective treatment method in octogenarian patients with multiple comorbidities.
Long-Term Dipeptidyl-Peptidase 4 Inhibition Reduces Atherosclerosis and Inflammation via Effects on Monocyte Recruitment and Chemotaxis
Authors: Shah Zubair , Kampfrath Thomas , Deiuliis Jeffrey A. , Zhong Jixin , Pineda Colleen , Ying Zhekang , Xu Xiaohua , Lu Bo , Moffatt-Bruce Susan , Durairaj Rekha , Sun Qinghua , Mihai Georgeta , Maiseyeu Andrei , Rajagopalan Sanjay 
Published: October 2011

Background—
Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are increasingly used to accomplish glycemic targets in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Because DPP-4 is expressed in inflammatory cells, we hypothesized that its inhibition will exert favorable effects in atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results—

Male LDLR
−/−
mice (6 weeks) were fed a high-fat diet or normal chow diet for 4 weeks and then randomized to vehicle or alogliptin, a high-affinity DPP-4 inhibitor (40 mg · kg
−1
· d
−1
), for 12 weeks. Metabolic parameters, blood pressure, vascular function, atherosclerosis burden, and indexes of inflammation were obtained in target tissues, including the vasculature, adipose, and bone marrow, with assessment of global and cell-specific inflammatory pathways. In vitro and in vivo assays of DPP-4 inhibition (DPP-4i) on monocyte activation/migration were conducted in both human and murine cells and in a short-term ApoE
−/−
mouse model. DPP-4i improved markers of insulin resistance and reduced blood pressure. DPP-4i reduced visceral adipose tissue macrophage content (adipose tissue macrophages; CD11b
+
, CD11c
+
, Ly6C
hi
) concomitant with upregulation of CD163. DPP-4 was highly expressed in bone marrow–derived CD11b
+
cells, with DPP-4i downregulating proinflammatory genes in these cells. DPP-4i decreased aortic plaque with a striking reduction in plaque macrophages. DPP-4i prevented monocyte migration and actin polymerization in in vitro assays via Rac-dependent mechanisms and prevented in vivo migration of labeled monocytes to the aorta in response to exogenous tumor necrosis factor-α and DPP-4.

Conclusion—
DPP-4i exerts antiatherosclerotic effects and reduces inflammation via inhibition of monocyte activation/chemotaxis. These findings have important implications for the use of this class of drugs in atherosclerosis.