bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Gulf Menhaden Recruitment and Mississippi River Flow: Model Development and Potential Application for Management
Authors: Vaughan Douglas S. , Govoni John J. , Shertzer Kyle W. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
The Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus is one of the most abundant pelagic fishes in the northern coastal Gulf of Mexico (hereafter, “Gulf”) and is the principal forage for various commercial and sport fishes, sea birds, and marine mammals. Part of the life history of Gulf menhaden is spent on the continental shelf and part is spent within estuaries. Adults spawn near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and larvae aggregate within the river plume front. Larval Gulf menhaden transit the continental shelf and enter estuaries of the northern Gulf as juveniles. Govoni (1997) demonstrated an association between the discharge of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers and Gulf menhaden recruitment. In particular, he found an inverse association between Mississippi River discharge and estimated recruitment of half-year-old fish based on recruitment data from Vaughan et al. (1996). Vaughan et al. (2000) updated this relationship with a regression analysis. Here, we revisit the relationship with additional years of data through 2004. The inverse relationship continues to hold. In addition, we reframed this relationship to produce a 1-year-ahead prediction model for forecasting recruitment to age 1 from Mississippi River discharge; this model can be used in proactive fishery management. Finally, we revisited the stock assessment model of Vaughan et al. (2007) and demonstrated an improvement in model performance when information on annual river discharge was incorporated.
Received August 4, 2010; accepted March 10, 2011
Structural and magnetic properties of tetragonal and orthorhombic Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 thin films
Authors: Chen X G , Ma X B , Yang Y B , Liu S Q , Du H L , Han J Z , Wang C S , Yang Y C , Yang J B 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
Pr0.5Sr0.5MO3 (PSMO) films with tetragonal and orthorhombic structures were epitaxially grown on a [0 0 1]-oriented LaAlO3 substrate (LAO) and a BaTiO3 substrate (BTO), respectively. It was found that the M(T) curves of the tetragonal PSMO films exhibit one/two distinguished magnetic transition peaks depending on the thickness of the film, which is related to the competition between ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions in the films. The tetragonal film shows an insulator-to-metal transition (MIT) as well as a metal-to-semiconductor transition with increasing temperature from 10 to 300 K, and the AFM insulating state of the film can be transformed into the metallic state under a magnetic field of 5 T due to the collapse of the AFM insulator state. For the orthorhombic film on BTO substrate, only a FM metallic state is observed without MIT from 10 to 300 K. In addition, a significant colossal magnetoresistance effect is observed with a wide temperature range from T
C (182 K) to 10 K for the tetragonal films, while only around T
C (240 K) for the orthorhombic films.
Effects of high and low stress on proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines
Authors: Koh Kyung Bong , Lee Young‐Joon , Beyn Keyng Min , Chu Sang Hee , Kim Duck Man , Seo Won Youl 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe effects of stress, which varies throughout an academic year, on proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines were examined in 44 medical students. This was tested by comparing stimulated cytokines during a baseline period, stress period, and poststress vacation period. During the stress period, compared with the baseline period, levels of IL‐6 were reduced, while levels of IL‐10 were elevated. During the poststress vacation period, compared with the stress period, levels of IL‐6 and TNF‐α were increased. However, the changes in stress‐related psychological and physiological variables were not significantly associated with changes in levels of proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines. These results suggest that vacation is more likely to have a counterstress effect on proinflammatory cytokines than on an antiinflammatory cytokine and that a stressor may affect changes in immune function independently of self‐reported stress.
Relationship Between Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Among Nurses Through Mediation of Affective Organizational Commitment
Authors: Kazemipour Farahnaz , Mohamad Amin Salmiah , Pourseidi Bahram 
Published: July 2012

AbstractPurpose: This study aims to investigate the relationships between workplace spirituality, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and affective organizational commitment among nurses, and whether affective commitment mediates the relationship between workplace spirituality and OCB.Methods: In the present correlational study, a cross‐sectional design was employed, and data were collected using a questionnaire‐based survey. Based on the random sampling, 305 nurses were chosen and questionnaires were distributed among respondents in four public and general hospitals located in Kerman, Iran. To analyze the data descriptive statistics, Pearson coefficient, simple and multiple regression, and path analyses were also conducted.Findings: Workplace spirituality has a positive influence on nurses’ OCB and affective commitment. Workplace spirituality explained 16% of the variation in OCB, while it explained 35% of the variation in affective commitment among nurses. Moreover, affective organizational commitment mediated the impact of workplace spirituality on OCB.Conclusions: Workplace spirituality predicts nurses’ OCB and affective organizational commitment. It emphasizes benefits from the new perspective of workplace spirituality, particularly among nurses who need to be motivated in their work.Clinical Relevance: This study illustrates that there are potential benefits owing to the positive influence of workplace spirituality on OCB and affective commitment among nurses. Managers of nursing services should consider workplace spirituality and its positive influence on nurses’ outcomes in order to improve their performance and, subsequently, the healthcare system.
Comparison of the Volatile Organic Compounds from Different Biological Specimens for Profiling Potential*
Authors: Kusano Maiko , Mendez Eladio , Furton Kenneth G. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract:Previous work has demonstrated the ability to differentiate individuals based on the analysis of human scent hand odor chemicals. In this paper, a range of forensic biological specimens are shown to also have the ability to differentiate individuals based upon the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present. Human VOC profiles from hand odor, oral fluid, breath, blood, and urine of 31 individuals were analyzed by solid‐phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME‐GC‐MS) and combined methods of chromatogram comparison, Spearman rank correlation comparison, and principal component analysis. Intra‐specimen comparisons demonstrated the distinguishability of individuals above 99%. Inter‐specimen VOC profiles from the same individual were found to be too different to be used for scent‐matching purposes, with Spearman rank coefficients below 0.15. A 6‐month VOC profile monitoring of two individuals demonstrated the consistency of VOC profiles over time across specimens.
Early Strains of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Kentucky Sequence Type 198 from Southeast Asia Harbor Salmonella Genomic Island 1-J Variants with a Novel Insertion Sequence
Authors: Le Hello Simon , Weill François-Xavier , Guibert Véronique , Praud Karine , Cloeckaert Axel , Doublet Benoît 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Salmonella
genomic island 1 (SGI1) is a 43-kb integrative mobilizable element that harbors a great diversity of multidrug resistance gene clusters described in numerous
Salmonella enterica
serovars and also in
Proteus mirabilis
. The majority of SGI1 variants contain an In104-derivative complex class 1 integron inserted between resolvase gene
res
and open reading frame (ORF) S044 in SGI1. Recently, the international spread of ciprofloxacin-resistant
S. enterica
serovar Kentucky sequence type 198 (ST198) containing SGI1-K variants has been reported. A retrospective study was undertaken to characterize ST198
S
. Kentucky strains isolated before the spread of the epidemic ST198-SGI1-K population in Africa and the Middle East. Here, we characterized 12 ST198
S
. Kentucky strains isolated between 1969 and 1999, mainly from humans returning from Southeast Asia (
n
= 10 strains) or Israel (
n
= 1 strain) or from meat in Egypt (
n
= 1 strain). All these ST198
S
. Kentucky strains did not belong to the XbaI pulsotype X1 associated with the African epidemic clone but to pulsotype X2. SGI1-J subgroup variants containing different complex integrons with a partial transposition module and inserted within ORF S023 of SGI1 were detected in six strains. The SGI1-J4 variant containing a partially deleted class 1 integron and thus showing a narrow resistance phenotype to sulfonamides was identified in two epidemiologically unrelated strains from Indonesia. The four remaining strains harbored a novel SGI1-J variant, named SGI1-J6, which contained
aadA2
,
floR2
,
tetR
(G)-
tetA
(G), and
sul1
resistance genes within its complex integron. Moreover, in all these
S
. Kentucky isolates, a novel insertion sequence related to the IS
630
family and named IS
Sen5
was found inserted upstream of the SGI1 complex integron in ORF S023. Thus, two subpopulations of
S
. Kentucky ST198 independently and exclusively acquired the SGI1 during the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike the ST198-X1 African epidemic subpopulation, the ST198-X2 subpopulation mainly from Asia harbors variants of the SGI1-J subgroup that are encountered mainly in the Far East, as previously described for
S. enterica
serovars Emek and Virchow.
Mechanism of Action of the Arylomycin Antibiotics and Effects of Signal Peptidase I Inhibition
Authors: Smith Peter A. , Romesberg Floyd E. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Clinically approved antibiotics inhibit only a small number of conserved pathways that are essential for bacterial viability, and the physiological effects of inhibiting these pathways have been studied in great detail. Likewise, characterizing the effects of candidate antibiotics that function via novel mechanisms of action is critical for their development, which is of increasing importance due to the ever-growing problem of resistance. The arylomycins are a novel class of natural-product antibiotics that act via the inhibition of type I signal peptidase (SPase), which is an essential enzyme that functions as part of the general secretory pathway and is not the target of any clinically deployed antibiotic. Correspondingly, little is known about the effects of SPase inhibition or how bacteria may respond to mitigate the associated secretion stress. Using genetically sensitized
Escherichia coli
and
Staphylococcus aureus
as model organisms, we examine the activity of arylomycin as a function of its concentration, bacterial cell density, target expression levels, and bacterial growth phase. The results reveal that the activity of the arylomycins results from an insufficient flux of proteins through the secretion pathway and the resulting mislocalization of proteins. Interestingly, this has profoundly different effects on
E. coli
and
S. aureus
. Finally, we examine the activity of arylomycin in combination with distinct classes of antibiotics and demonstrate that SPase inhibition results in synergistic sensitivity when combined with an aminoglycoside.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Palivizumab, a Humanized Anti-Respiratory Syncytial Virus Monoclonal Antibody, in Adults and Children
Authors: Robbie Gabriel J. , Zhao Liang , Mondick John , Losonsky Genevieve , Roskos Lorin K. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT
Although it has been on the market for over a decade, confusion remains regarding the pharmacokinetics (PK) and optimal dosing of palivizumab, a humanized IgG1κ monoclonal antibody indicated for the prevention of serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in pediatric patients at high risk of RSV disease. The objectives of this analysis were to characterize the population PK of palivizumab in adults and children using nonlinear mixed-effect modeling, quantify the effects of individual covariates on variability in palivizumab disposition, and compare palivizumab exposures for various dosing scenarios. Palivizumab PK data from 22 clinical studies were used for model development. The model was developed using a two-stage approach: (i) a 2-compartment model with first-order absorption after intramuscular administration was fitted to adult data, and (ii) the same structural model was fitted to the sparse pediatric data using the NONMEM $PRIOR subroutine, with informative priors obtained from the adult analysis. Body weight and an age descriptor that combines gestational age and postnatal age (PAGE) using an asymptotic-exponential model best described palivizumab clearance in pediatric patients. Palivizumab clearance increased slightly from 10.2 ml/day to 11.9 ml/day as a function of PAGE ranging from 7 to 18 months. Covariate analysis indicated a 20% higher clearance in children with chronic lung disease and in children with antidrug antibody titer values of ≥80. These covariates did not substantially explain interindividual variability. In the label-indicated pediatric population, body weight was the primary demographic factor affecting palivizumab PK. Body weight-based dosing of 15 mg/kg yields similar palivizumab concentrations in children of different gestational and postnatal ages. Simulations demonstrated that there was little difference in palivizumab PK between healthy term and premature infants. Simulations also demonstrated that the 5 monthly palivizumab doses of 15 mg/kg, consistent with the label and studied in two randomized, clinical trials, provided greater and more prolonged palivizumab exposure than did an abbreviated dosing regimen of 3 monthly doses.
Risk Factors for Multidrug-Resistant Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in South Africa, a Setting with High HIV Prevalence, in the Prevaccine Era from 2003 to 2008
Authors: Crowther-Gibson Penny , Cohen Cheryl , Klugman Keith P. , de Gouveia Linda , von Gottberg Anne 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Streptococcus pneumoniae
complicates disease management. We aimed to determine risk factors associated with MDR invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in South Africa and evaluate the potential for vaccination to reduce disease burden. IPD data collected by laboratory-based surveillance from 2003 through 2008 were analyzed. Multidrug resistance was defined as nonsusceptibility to any three or more different antibiotic classes. Risk factors for multidrug resistance were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Of 20,100 cases of IPD identified, 3,708 (18%) had MDR isolates, with the proportion increasing from 16% (461/2,891) to 20% (648/3,326) (
P
< 0.001) over the study period. Serotypes included in the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) accounted for 94% of MDR strains. Significant risk factors for MDR IPD included PCV13 (1,486/6,407; odds ratio [OR] of 6.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] of 5.0 to 7.9) and pediatric (3,382/9,980; OR of 12.8; 95% CI of 10.6 to 15.4) serotypes, age of <5 (802/3,110; OR of 2.0; 95% CI of 1.8 to 2.3) or ≥65 (39/239; OR of 1.5; 95% CI of 1.0 to 2.2) years versus age of 15 to 64 years, HIV infection (975/4,636; OR of 1.5; 95% CI of 1.2 to 1.8), previous antibiotic use (242/803; OR of 1.7; 95% CI of 1.4 to 2.1), previous hospital admissions (579/2,450; OR of 1.2; 95% CI of 1.03 to 1.4), urban location (883/4,375; OR of 2.0; 95% CI of 1.1 to 3.5), and tuberculosis treatment (246/1,021; OR of 1.2; 95% CI of 1.03 to 1.5). MDR IPD prevalence increased over the study period. The effect of many of the MDR risk factors could be reduced by more judicious use of antibiotics. Because PCV13 serotypes account for most MDR infections, pneumococcal vaccination may reduce the prevalence of multidrug resistance.
OmpL1 Is an Extracellular Matrix- and Plasminogen-Interacting Protein of Leptospira spp
Authors: Fernandes Luis G. V. , Vieira Monica L. , Kirchgatter Karin , Alves Ivy J. , de Morais Zenaide M. , Vasconcellos Silvio A. , Romero Eliete C. , Nascimento Ana L. T. O. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis with multisystem involvement caused by pathogenic strains of the genus
Leptospira
. OmpL1 is an outer membrane protein of
Leptospira
spp. that is expressed during infection. In this work, we investigated novel features of this protein. We describe that OmpL1 is a novel leptospiral extracellular matrix (ECM)-binding protein and a plasminogen (PLG) receptor. The recombinant protein was expressed in
Escherichia coli
BL21(DE3) Star/pLysS as inclusion bodies, refolded, and purified by metal-chelating chromatography. The protein presented a typical β-strand secondary structure, as evaluated by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The recombinant protein reacted with antibodies in serum samples from convalescent leptospirosis patients with a high specificity compared to serum samples from individuals with unrelated diseases. These data strengthen the usefulness of OmpL1 as a diagnostic marker of leptospirosis. The characterization of the immunogenicity of recombinant OmpL1 in inoculated BALB/c mice showed that the protein has the capacity to elicit humoral and cellular immune responses, as denoted by high antibody titers and the proliferation of lymphocytes. We demonstrate that OmpL1 has the ability to mediate attachment to laminin and plasma fibronectin, with

K
D

(equilibrium dissociation constant) values of 2,099.93 ± 871.03 nM and 1,239.23 ± 506.85 nM, respectively. OmpL1 is also a PLG receptor, with a

K
D

of 368.63 ± 121.23 nM, capable of generating enzymatically active plasmin. This is the first report that shows and characterizes OmpL1 as an ECM-interacting and a PLG-binding protein of
Leptospira
spp. that may play a role in bacterial pathogenesis when expressed during infection.
Targeting TRAIL Death Receptor 4 with Trivalent DR4 Atrimer Complexes
Authors: Allen Joshua E. , Ferrini Roger , Dicker David T. , Batzer Glenda , Chen Elise , Oltean Daniela I. , Lin Bing , Renshaw Mark W. , Kretz-Rommel Anke , El-Deiry Wafik S. 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
TRAIL is a trimeric protein that potently induces apoptosis in cancer cells by binding to the trimeric death receptors (DR4 or DR5). Death receptors are attractive therapeutic targets through both the recombinant TRAIL ligand as well as receptor agonist monoclonal antibodies. Although efficacy of the ligand is hampered by its short half-life, agonistic antibodies have a much longer half-life and have shown some clinical efficacy as antitumor agents. However, the efficacy of these antibodies may be limited by their bivalent nature that does not optimally mimic the trimeric ligand. To overcome limitations of currently used death receptor-targeting agents, we engineered trimeric proteins called Atrimer complexes that selectively bind DR4 and potently induce apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. Atrimer complexes are based on human tetranectin, a trimeric plasma protein of approximately 60 kDa. Loop regions within the tetranectin C-type lectin domains (CTLD) were randomized to create a large phage display library that was used to select DR4-binding complexes. A panel of unique and potent agonist DR4 Atrimer complexes with subnanomolar affinity to DR4 and no detectable binding to DR5 or the decoy receptors was identified. Mechanism of action studies with a selected Atrimer complex, 1G2, showed that Atrimer complexes induce caspase-dependent and DR4-specific apoptosis in cancer cells while sparing normal human fibroblasts and, importantly, hepatocytes. This proof-of-principle study supports the use of alternative proteins engineered to overcome limitations of therapeutically desirable molecules such as TRAIL. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(10); 2087–95. ©2012 AACR.
The Effect of Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization on the Comprehension of Three-Variable Bar and Line Graphs
Authors: Ali Nadia , Peebles David 
Published: July 2012

Objective: We report three experiments investigating the ability of undergraduate college students to comprehend 2 × 2 “interaction” graphs from two-way factorial research designs. Background: Factorial research designs are an invaluable research tool widely used in all branches of the natural and social sciences, and the teaching of such designs lies at the core of many college curricula. Such data can be represented in bar or line graph form. Previous studies have shown, however, that people interpret these two graphical forms differently. Method: In Experiment 1, participants were required to interpret interaction data in either bar or line graphs while thinking aloud. Verbal protocol analysis revealed that line graph users were significantly more likely to misinterpret the data or fail to interpret the graph altogether. Results: The patterns of errors line graph users made were interpreted as arising from the operation of Gestalt principles of perceptual organization, and this interpretation was used to develop two modified versions of the line graph, which were then tested in two further experiments. One of the modifications resulted in a significant improvement in performance. Conclusion: Results of the three experiments support the proposed explanation and demonstrate the effects (both positive and negative) of Gestalt principles of perceptual organization on graph comprehension. Application: We propose that our new design provides a more balanced representation of the data than the standard line graph for nonexpert users to comprehend the full range of relationships in two-way factorial research designs and may therefore be considered a more appropriate representation for use in educational and other nonexpert contexts.
Effects of low-dose pioglitazone on glucose control, lipid profiles, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and natriuretic peptides in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease
Authors: Kurisu Satoshi , Iwasaki Toshitaka , Ishibashi Ken , Mitsuba Naoya , Dohi Yoshihiro , Nishioka Kenji , Kihara Yasuki 
Published: July 2012

Background: Pioglitazone ameliorates insulin resistance, but has an adverse effect of oedema that may result in subsequent heart failure, especially in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. In this study, we evaluated the effects of low-dose pioglitazone on glucose control, lipid profiles, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) system and natriuretic peptides in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. Methods and results: We studied 22 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease and more than 40% of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients were treated with 15 mg of pioglitazone for 12 weeks, in addition to their other hypoglycaemic agents. Pioglitazone significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (155.2±52.9 mg/dl to 131.1±38.4 mg/dl, p<0.01) and haemoglobin A1C (7.13±0.44 to 6.69±0.47, p<0.001). It did not affect low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but significantly decreased triglyceride (115.6±28.8 mg/dl to 99.4±30.0 mg/dl, p<0.05) and atherogenic index of plasma (0.28±0.17 to 0.19±0.16, p<0.05). Pioglitazone did not affect plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone, human atrial natriuretic peptide or N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. Conclusion: Our data suggested that low-dose pioglitazone was a safe and useful agent at least in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease and preserved LVEF.