bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
WHY HAS TOP EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION INCREASED SO MUCH IN CHINA: A EXPLANATION OF PEER‐EFFECTS
Authors: Yang Ruilong , Yang Jidong 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTop executive compensation can be affected significantly by peer group pay. This paper investigates the impact of peer effects on the change in top executive compensation based on evidence from China. Empirical results show that if the top three executives' compensation was lower than the peer group median level in year t − 1, the percentage change in the top three executives compensation in year t would be higher by 0.225%, and that the absolute level of pay would increase by 51 000 yuan. Furthermore, better performance, faster growth and state ownership increase the likelihood of peer effects, while corporate governance variables do not.
The Effect of Moderate to Heavy Alcohol Consumption on Neuropsychological Performance as Measured by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status
Authors: Green Alisa , Garrick Therese , Sheedy Donna , Blake Helen , Shores Edwin Arthur , Harper Clive 
Published: December 2009

Background: Excessive alcohol use is associated with damage to the structure and function of the brain and impairment of cognition and behavior. Traditional test batteries used to assess cognitive performance in alcoholics are extensive and costly, limiting their use across various clinical and research settings. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) is a relatively new instrument that attempts to overcome some of these limitations. As yet the individual effect of moderate to heavy alcohol consumption on RBANS performance has not been examined. The primary aim of this study was to explore and quantify differences in performance between controls and drinkers on the RBANS and to examine the influence of age, gender, and alcohol use patterns on test performance.Methods: Data from a subset of “Using Our Brains” (UoB) donors (n = 28) still actively drinking and meeting criteria for moderate to heavy alcohol use (30 to 80 g of ethanol per day) (Harper, 1988) and 28 matched controls (age, education, and premorbid Intelligence Quotient) were compared.Results: Participants in the alcohol group performed below the healthy control group on the visuospatial and immediate memory index, and also on the RBANS total scorep < 0.001 and showed a greater decline in RBANS scores from estimated cross‐sectional premorbid levels. There was a positive association between alcohol ingestion in the preceding 12 months and the language indexp < 0.03 and the semantic fluency subtest (p < 0.03). Age was negatively associated with story memory (p < 0.02), coding (p < 0.001), list recognition (p < 0.01), story recall (p < 0.03), and figure recall (p < 0.02).Conclusion: Our results suggest that the RBANS is able to detect and characterize differences in verbal fluency, visuospatial skills, components of declarative memory, and psychomotor speed between healthy controls and moderate to heavy active alcohol users. Executive functions, commonly affected by alcoholism and not included in the RBANS, require assessment with additional measures.
Mechanisms of Postural Control in Alcoholic Men and Women: Biomechanical Analysis of Musculoskeletal Coordination During Quiet Standing
Authors: Sullivan Edith V. , Rose Jessica , Pfefferbaum Adolf 
Published: December 2009

Background:  Excessive sway during quiet standing is a common sequela of chronic alcoholism even with prolonged sobriety. Whether alcoholic men and women who have remained abstinent from alcohol for weeks to months differ from each other in the degree of residual postural instability and biomechanical control mechanisms has not been directly tested.Method:  We used a force platform to characterize center‐of‐pressure biomechanical features of postural sway, with and without stabilizing conditions from touch, vision, and stance, in 34 alcoholic men, 15 alcoholic women, 22 control men, and 29 control women. Groups were matched in age (49.4 years), general intelligence, socioeconomic status, and handedness. Each alcoholic group was sober for an average of 75 days.Results:  Analysis of postural sway when using all 3 stabilizing conditions versus none revealed diagnosis and sex differences in ability to balance. Alcoholics had significantly longer sway paths, especially in the anterior–posterior direction, than controls when maintaining erect posture without balance aids. With stabilizing conditions the sway paths of all groups shortened significantly, especially those of alcoholic men, who demonstrated a 3.1‐fold improvement in sway path difference between the easiest and most challenging conditions; the remaining 3 groups, each showed a ∼2.4‐fold improvement. Application of a mechanical model to partition sway paths into open‐loop and closed‐loop postural control systems revealed that the sway paths of the alcoholic men but not alcoholic women were characterized by greater short‐term (open‐loop) diffusion coefficients without aids, often associated with muscle stiffening response. With stabilizing factors, all 4 groups showed similar long‐term (closed loop) postural control. Correlations between cognitive abilities and closed‐loop sway indices were more robust in alcoholic men than alcoholic women.Conclusions:  Reduction in sway and closed‐loop activity during quiet standing with stabilizing factors shows some differential expression in men and women with histories of alcohol dependence. Nonetheless, enduring deficits in postural instability of both alcoholic men and alcoholic women suggest persisting liability for falling.
Common Genetic Contributions to Alcohol and Cannabis Use and Dependence Symptomatology
Authors: Sartor Carolyn E. , Grant Julia D. , Bucholz Kathleen K. , Madden Pamela A. F. , Heath Andrew C. , Agrawal Arpana , Whitfield John B. , Statham Dixie J. , Martin Nicholas G. , Lynskey Michael T. 
Published: December 2009

Background:  Despite mounting evidence that use of and dependence on alcohol and cannabis are influenced by heritable factors, the extent to which heritable influences on these phenotypes overlap across the 2 substances has only rarely been explored. In the current study, we quantified cross‐substance overlap in sources of variance and estimated the degree to which within‐substance associations between use and dependence measures are attributable to common genetic and environmental factors for alcohol and cannabis.Methods:  The sample was comprised of 6,257 individuals (2,761 complete twin pairs and 735 singletons) from the Australian Twin Registry, aged 24 to 36 years. Alcohol and cannabis use histories were collected via telephone diagnostic interviews and used to derive an alcohol consumption factor, a frequency measure for cannabis use, and DSM‐IV alcohol and cannabis dependence symptom counts. Standard genetic analyses were conducted to produce a quadrivariate model that provided estimates of overlap in genetic and environmental influences across the 4 phenotypes.Results:  Over 60% of variance in alcohol consumption, cannabis use, and cannabis dependence symptoms, and just under 50% of variance in alcohol dependence (AD) symptoms were attributable to genetic sources. Shared environmental factors did not contribute significantly to the 4 phenotypes. Nearly complete overlap in heritable influences was observed for within‐substance measures of use and dependence symptoms. Genetic correlations across substances were 0.68 and 0.62 for use and dependence symptoms, respectively.Conclusions:  Common heritable influences were evident for alcohol and cannabis use and for AD and cannabis dependence symptomatology, but findings indicate that substance‐specific influences account for the majority of the genetic variance in the cannabis use and dependence phenotypes. By contrast, the substantial correlations between alcohol use and AD symptoms and between cannabis use and cannabis dependence symptoms suggest that measures of heaviness of use capture much of the same genetic liability to alcohol‐ and cannabis‐related problems as dependence symptomatology.
The Role of Natriuretic Peptides in Patients With Chronic Complex (Mixed or Multiple) Heart Valve Disease
Authors: Bissessor Naylin , Shanahan Luke , Wee Yong Shen , Stewart Ralph , Lowe Boris , Kerr Andrew , Zeng Irene , Jayasinghe Rohan , White Harvey 
Published: December 2009

N‐terminal prohormone B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) is an important biomarker of prognosis in heart failure and single valve disease. There are limited studies of complex valve disease. Patients with complex valve disease adopt a sedentary lifestyle, so symptoms may be difficult to detect. The authors aimed to determine whether NT‐proBNP correlates with the severity of the valve lesion and underlying cardiac function and whether resting NT‐proBNP predicts impaired peak VO2 in patients with complex valve disease. Forty‐five patients with complex moderate to severe stenosis or regurgitation of the heart valves underwent a clinical assessment, echocardiography, resting NT‐proBNP assessment, and formal cardiopulmonary exercise testing. In a multivariate analysis, the log NT‐proBNP (β=−9.3, SE=1.9, P<.0001) and lean body weight (β=0.59, SE=0.22, P=.01) were dominant independent predictors of peak VO2. An NT‐proBNP value of 84 pmol/L had 77% sensitivity and 70% specificity to predict impaired functional capacity, peak VO2 <60% (predicted), area under the curve=0.80. Resting NT‐proBNP was the best predictor of peak VO2 in patients with complex valve disease, while symptoms and ejection fraction are a less reliable guide.Congest Heart Fail. 2010;16:50–54. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Francisella tularensis
T-Cell Antigen Identification Using Humanized HLA-DR4 Transgenic Mice
Authors: Yu Jieh-Juen , Goluguri TataReddy , Guentzel M. Neal , Chambers James P. , Murthy Ashlesh K. , Klose Karl E. , Forsthuber Thomas G. , Arulanandam Bernard P. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

There is no licensed vaccine against the intracellular pathogen
Francisella tularensis
. The use of conventional mouse strains to screen protective vaccine antigens may be problematic, given the differences in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding properties between murine and human antigen-presenting cells. We used engineered humanized mice that lack endogenous MHC class II alleles but that express a human HLA allele (HLA-DR4 transgenic [tg] mice) to identify potential subunit vaccine candidates. Specifically, we applied a biochemical and immunological screening approach with bioinformatics to select putative
F. tularensis
subsp.
novicida
T-cell-reactive antigens using humanized HLA-DR4 tg mice. Cell wall- and membrane-associated proteins were extracted with Triton X-114 detergent and were separated by fractionation with a Rotofor apparatus and whole-gel elution. A series of proteins were identified from fractions that stimulated antigen-specific gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production, and these were further downselected by the use of bioinformatics and HLA-DR4 binding algorithms. We further examined the validity of this combinatorial approach with one of the identified proteins, a 19-kDa
Francisella tularensis
outer membrane protein (designated
Francisella
outer membrane protein B [FopB]; FTN_0119). FopB was shown to be a T-cell antigen by a specific IFN-γ recall assay with purified CD4
+
T cells from
F. tularensis
subsp.
novicida
Δ
iglC
-primed HLA-DR4 tg mice and cells of a human B-cell line expressing HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0401) functioning as antigen-presenting cells. Intranasal immunization of HLA-DR4 tg mice with the single antigen FopB conferred significant protection against lethal pulmonary challenge with an
F. tularensis
subsp.
holarctica
live vaccine strain. These results demonstrate the value of combining functional biochemical and immunological screening with humanized HLA-DR4 tg mice to map HLA-DR4-restricted
Francisella
CD4
+
T-cell epitopes.
Targeted Delivery of Small Interfering RNA to Human Dendritic Cells To Suppress Dengue Virus Infection and Associated Proinflammatory Cytokine Production
Authors: Subramanya Sandesh , Kim Sang-Soo , Abraham Sojan , Yao Jiahong , Kumar Mukesh , Kumar Priti , Haridas Viraga , Lee Sang-Kyung , Shultz Leonard D. , Greiner Dale , N Manjunath , Shankar Premlata 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Dengue is a common arthropod-borne flaviviral infection in the tropics, for which there is no vaccine or specific antiviral drug. The infection is often associated with serious complications such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS), in which both viral and host factors have been implicated. RNA interference (RNAi) is a potent antiviral strategy and a potential therapeutic option for dengue if a feasible strategy can be developed for delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages, the major
in vivo
targets of the virus and also the source of proinflammatory cytokines. Here we show that a dendritic cell-targeting 12-mer peptide (DC3) fused to nona-
d
-arginine (9dR) residues (DC3-9dR) delivers siRNA and knocks down endogenous gene expression in heterogenous DC subsets, (monocyte-derived DCs [MDDCs], CD34
+
hematopoietic stem cell [HSC])-derived Langerhans DCs, and peripheral blood DCs). Moreover, DC3-9dR-mediated delivery of siRNA targeting a highly conserved sequence in the dengue virus envelope gene (siFvE
D
) effectively suppressed dengue virus replication in MDDCs and macrophages. In addition, DC-specific delivery of siRNA targeting the acute-phase cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which plays a major role in dengue pathogenesis, either alone or in combination with an antiviral siRNA, significantly reduced virus-induced production of the cytokine in MDDCs. Finally to validate the strategy
in vivo
, we tested the ability of the peptide to target human DCs in the NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγ
−/−
mouse model engrafted with human CD34
+
hematopoietic stem cells (HuHSC mice). Treatment of mice by intravenous (i.v.) injection of DC3-9dR-complexed siRNA targeting TNF-α effectively suppressed poly(I:C)-induced TNF-α production by DCs. Thus, DC3-9dR can deliver siRNA to DCs both
in vitro
and
in vivo
, and this delivery approach holds promise as a therapeutic strategy to simultaneously suppress virus replication and curb virus-induced detrimental host immune responses in dengue infection.
Genetic and Pathobiologic Characterization of Pandemic H1N1 2009 Influenza Viruses from a Naturally Infected Swine Herd
Authors: Weingartl Hana M. , Berhane Yohannes , Hisanaga Tamiko , Neufeld James , Kehler Helen , Emburry-Hyatt Carissa , Hooper-McGreevy Kathleen , Kasloff Samantha , Dalman Brett , Bystrom Jan , Alexandersen Soren , Li Yan , Pasick John 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT
Since its initial identification in Mexico and the United States, concerns have been raised that the novel H1N1 influenza virus might cause a pandemic of severity comparable to that of the 1918 pandemic. In late April 2009, viruses phylogenetically related to pandemic H1N1 influenza virus were isolated from an outbreak on a Canadian pig farm. This outbreak also had epidemiological links to a suspected human case. Experimental infections carried out in pigs using one of the swine isolates from this outbreak and the human isolate A/Mexico/InDRE4487/2009 showed differences in virus recovery from the lower respiratory tract. Virus was consistently isolated from the lungs of pigs infected with A/Mexico/InDRE4487/2009, while only one pig infected with A/swine/Alberta/OTH-33-8/2008 yielded live virus from the lung, despite comparable amounts of viral RNA and antigen in both groups of pigs. Clinical disease resembled other influenza virus infections in swine, albeit with somewhat prolonged virus antigen detection and delayed viral-RNA clearance from the lungs. There was also a noteworthy amount of genotypic variability among the viruses isolated from the pigs on the farm. This, along with the somewhat irregular pathobiological characteristics observed in experimentally infected animals, suggests that although the virus may be of swine origin, significant viral evolution may still be ongoing.
Nature versus Nurture in Shallow Convection
Authors: Romps David M. , Kuang Zhiming 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Tracers are used in a large-eddy simulation of shallow convection to show that stochastic entrainment (and not cloud-base properties) determines the fate of convecting parcels. The tracers are used to diagnose the correlations between a parcel’s state above the cloud base and both the parcel’s state at the cloud base and its entrainment history. The correlation with the cloud-base state goes to zero a few hundred meters above the cloud base. On the other hand, correlations between a parcel’s state and its net entrainment are large. Evidence is found that the entrainment events may be described as a stochastic Poisson process. A parcel model is constructed with stochastic entrainment that is able to replicate the mean and standard deviation of cloud properties. Turning off cloud-base variability has little effect on the results, which suggests that stochastic mass-flux models may be initialized with a single set of properties. The success of the stochastic parcel model suggests that it holds promise as the framework for a convective parameterization.
Forcing of Tropical SST Anomalies by Wintertime AO-like Variability
Authors: Wu Qigang 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
A lagged maximum covariance analysis (MCA) is utilized to investigate large-scale patterns of covariability between sea surface temperature (SST) in the global tropics and 500-mb geopotential height (Z500) in the extratropics at monthly to interannual time scales distinct from the conventional El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal during the Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter. The first MCA mode indicates a strong impact of tropical SST anomalies associated with ENSO on the extratropical atmosphere. The second MCA mode corresponds with coupling between Arctic Oscillation (AO)-like atmospheric variations and tropical SST anomalies. An AO-like MCA mode appears to depict an atmosphere-to-ocean forcing, in which the tropical ocean responds to the higher extratropical AO-like atmospheric anomalies with an intraseasonal time lag. In winter, AO-like atmospheric variability is associated with the northern tropical Atlantic mode and the tropical Pacific ENSO Modoki mode through enhanced or weakened trade winds.
The above forced SST anomalies by the AO-like variability may play a role in the subsequent evolution of the conventional ENSO phenomena.
High-dose cyclophosphamide for severe aplastic anemia: long-term follow-up
Authors: Brodsky Robert A. , Chen Allen R. , Dorr Donna , Fuchs Ephraim J. , Huff Carol Ann , Luznik Leo , Smith B. Douglas , Matsui William H. , Goodman Steven N. , Ambinder Richard F. , Jones Richard J. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a life-threatening bone marrow failure disorder that can be treated with bone marrow transplantation, immunosuppressive therapy, and high-dose cyclophosphamide. Here, we report long-term follow-up on 67 SAA patients (44 treatment-naive and 23 refractory) treated with high-dose cyclophosphamide. At 10 years, the overall actuarial survival was 88%, the response rate was 71% with the majority being complete, and the actuarial event-free survival was 58% in 44 treatment-naive SAA patients. Patients with refractory SAA fared less well after high-dose cyclophosphamide therapy; at 10 years, overall actuarial survival, response, and actuarial event-free survival rates were 62%, 48%, and 27%, respectively. High-dose cyclophosphamide is highly effective therapy for severe aplastic anemia. Large randomized controlled trials will be necessary to establish how results of high-dose cyclophosphamide compare with either bone marrow transplantation or standard immunosuppressive regimens, such as antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine.
BLAST+: architecture and applications
Authors: Camacho Christiam , Coulouris George , Avagyan Vahram , Ma Ning , Papadopoulos Jason , Bealer Kevin , Madden Thomas L 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background
Sequence similarity searching is a very important bioinformatics task. While Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) outperforms exact methods through its use of heuristics, the speed of the current BLAST software is suboptimal for very long queries or database sequences. There are also some shortcomings in the user-interface of the current command-line applications.

Results
We describe features and improvements of rewritten BLAST software and introduce new command-line applications. Long query sequences are broken into chunks for processing, in some cases leading to dramatically shorter run times. For long database sequences, it is possible to retrieve only the relevant parts of the sequence, reducing CPU time and memory usage for searches of short queries against databases of contigs or chromosomes. The program can now retrieve masking information for database sequences from the BLAST databases. A new modular software library can now access subject sequence data from arbitrary data sources. We introduce several new features, including strategy files that allow a user to save and reuse their favorite set of options. The strategy files can be uploaded to and downloaded from the NCBI BLAST web site.

Conclusion
The new BLAST command-line applications, compared to the current BLAST tools, demonstrate substantial speed improvements for long queries as well as chromosome length database sequences. We have also improved the user interface of the command-line applications.