bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence Supporting Cap and Trade as a Groundwater Policy Option for Reducing Irrigation Consumptive Use1
Authors: Thompson Christopher L. , Supalla Raymond J. , Martin Derrel L. , McMullen Brian P. 
Published: December 2009

Thompson, Christopher L., Raymond J. Supalla, Derrel L. Martin, and Brian P. McMullen, 2009. Evidence Supporting Cap and Trade as a Groundwater Policy Option for Reducing Irrigation Consumptive Use. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 45(6):1508‐1518.Abstract:  In the American West water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource. Obligations to bordering states, endangered species protection, and long‐term resource sustainability objectives have created a need for most western states to reduce the consumption of irrigation water. In Nebraska specifically, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NDNR) and local Natural Resource Districts (NRDs) are meeting a large part of this need by using a regulatory approach, commonly called groundwater allocation. The cost of allocation, which occurs in the form of reduced economic returns to irrigation, could be greatly reduced by using an integrated cap and trade approach. Much like environmental cap and trade programs which are used to reduce the cost of limiting environmental pollution, the trading of capped groundwater allocations can reduce the cost of limiting water use. In an analysis of a typical case in the Nebraska Republican Basin, we found that the impact of a water market to trade groundwater allocations depended on the size of the allocation and on the characteristics of the land and irrigation systems involved in the trade. Potential economic benefits from trade ranged from US$0 to US$120 per 1,000 cubic meters traded, from US$25 to US$250 per 1,000 cubic meters of reduction in consumptive use, and from US$16 to US$50 per hectare of irrigated land in the region. The highest benefits occurred at relatively high allocations, which capped withdrawals at 65‐75% of the expected unrestricted pumping level. These gains from trade would be split between buyers and sellers based on the negotiated selling price.
The responsiveness of remittances to price of oil: the case of the GCC
Authors: Naufal George S. , Termos Ali 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe investigate the responsiveness of remittances from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to the changes in the price of crude oil. Most of the GCC countries rank in the top 20 remitting countries in the world. We find that oil price elasticity of remittances is around 0.4. While most studies have examined the impact of remittances on the real economic activities in the receiving countries, this study emphasises the impact of remittances on the remitting countries. We examine various policy implications with regard to macroeconomic shocks, monetary policy and fiscal policy of the GCC countries.
Effects of oil price shocks on industrial production: evidence from some oil‐exporting countries
Authors: Mehrara Mohsen , Sarem Mehdi 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis paper examines the effects of oil price shocks on industrial production in three oil‐exporting countries, namely Iran, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia using annual data for the period 1970–2005. First, the Gregory and Hansen cointegration technique, allowing for the presence of potential structural breaks in data, is applied to empirically examine the long‐run co‐movement between oil price and output. Second, we test whether different measures of oil price shocks, including non‐linear or asymmetric ones, Granger‐cause output. The results indicate a strong causality from oil price shocks to output growth for Iran and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the oil prices–output relationship in these two countries appears more significant when asymmetric specifications are used to model the relationship between variables. In the case of Indonesia, however, none of the oil proxies have any significant effect on output both in the short and long run. The results confirm the relatively successful experience of countries such as Indonesia in the diversification of the real sector to minimise the harmful effects of oil booms and busts.
Underlying consumer preferences and their contribution to energy demand
Authors: Adeyemi Olutomi I. , Broadstock David C. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe demand for energy is not simply a function of price and income, but can be shown to also be a function of the underlying energy demand trend (UEDT). The UEDT not only captures behavioural responses to non‐fiscal instruments, including technological change, but also encapsulates attitudinal responses/changes in demand that might result, for instance, from increased public awareness of how environmentally damaging energy use can be; hence, reflecting underlying consumer preferences.This study estimates a longitudinal econometric model for the aggregate demand functions of a sample of 17 Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries for the period 1960–2005. This approach to modelling will enable UEDTs to be observed for each of the countries, as well as normal price and income elasticities. The model results will provide an indication of the extent to which price/income‐based instruments can be used to reduce the demand for energy, as well as indicating the extent to which consumers have responded to non‐price/income instruments.
Molecular Characterization of Antibody Epitopes of
Ehrlichia chaffeensis
Ankyrin Protein 200 and Tandem Repeat Protein 47 and Evaluation of Synthetic Immunodeterminants for Serodiagnosis of Human Monocytotropic Ehrlichiosis
Authors: Luo Tian , Zhang Xiaofeng , Nicholson William L. , Zhu Bing , McBride Jere W. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Recently, major species-specific antibody epitopes in three immunoreactive tandem repeat proteins (TRPs) of
Ehrlichia chaffeensis
, TRP32, TRP47, and TRP120, have been identified and molecularly characterized within tandem repeat (TR) regions. In this study, we mapped the major immunodeterminants of the
E. chaffeensis
200-kDa ankyrin protein (Ank200) and the minor immunodeterminants in the N- and C-terminal regions of
E. chaffeensis
TRP47. Major antibody epitopes of Ank200 were localized to four polypeptide regions (18-mer, 20-mer, 20-mer, and 21-mer, respectively) in terminal acidic domains, which reacted with antibodies in sera from human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME) patients and an
E. chaffeensis
-infected dog. Two minor epitope-containing regions were identified in the N terminus and the C terminus of TRP47. The sensitivities and specificities of synthetic peptides representing these and other well-defined major immunodeterminants of
E. chaffeensis
were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Thirty-one HME patient serum samples that had detectable
E. chaffeensis
antibodies (titers from 64 to 8,192) by indirect fluorescent-antibody assay (IFA) were tested. All 31 serum samples reacted with at least one
E. chaffeensis
peptide, 30 (96.8%) with TRP120 peptides, 27 (87.1%) with TRP32 peptides, 24 (77.4%) with TRP47 peptides, 19 (61.3%) with Ank200 peptides, and 28 (90.3%) with recombinant TRP120-TR protein. A mixture of the two most sensitive peptides from TRP120 and TRP32 did not provide enhanced analytical sensitivity compared to that provided by TRP120 alone. Our results demonstrate that the TRP120 peptide can be utilized for development of standardized sensitive point-of-care and reference laboratory immunodiagnostics for HME. This is the first study to compare analysis of molecularly defined major antibody epitopes with IFA for diagnosis of HME.
Antibodies against Structural and Nonstructural Proteins of Human Bocavirus in Human Sera
Authors: Shirkoohi Reza , Endo Rika , Ishiguro Nobuhisa , Teramoto Shinobu , Kikuta Hideaki , Ariga Tadashi 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT
Immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) for detection of human bocavirus (HBoV) proteins (VP1, VP2, NP-1, and NS1) were developed. The VP1 IFA was the most sensitive for detection of IgG antibody and suitable for screening. IgG antibodies in convalescent-phase sera from HBoV-positive patients were detected by VP1 and VP2 IFAs. Sensitivities of NP-1 and NS1 IFAs were low.
Drinking Habits Are Associated with Changes in the Dental Plaque Microbial Community
Authors: Signoretto Caterina , Bianchi Franco , Burlacchini Gloria , Sivieri Francesca , Spratt Dave , Canepari Pietro 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Caries and gingivitis are the most prevalent oral infectious diseases of humans and are due to the accumulation of dental plaque (a microbial biofilm) on the tooth surface and at the gingival margin, respectively. Several
in vitro
and
in vivo
studies have shown that many natural components of foods and beverages inhibit the adhesion of and/or exert activity against oral bacteria. These biological activities have mainly been attributed to the polyphenol fraction. In order to explore the possibility that diet can alter the dental plaque community, in this study we evaluated the composition of the microbiota of supra- and subgingival plaque samples collected from 75 adult subjects with different drinking habits (drinkers of coffee, red wine, or water for at least 2 years) by analyzing the microbial population through the separation of PCR-amplified fragments using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) technique. The mean numbers of bands of the DGGE profiles from all three categories were evaluated. There were no significant differences between the two kinds of plaque collected from the control group (water drinkers), and this group showed the highest number of bands (supragingival plaque, 18.98 ± 3.16 bands; subgingival plaque, 18.7 ± 3.23 bands). The coffee and wine drinker groups generated the lowest numbers of bands for both supragingival plaque (coffee drinkers, 8.25 ± 3.53 bands; wine drinkers, 7.93 ± 2.55 bands) and subgingival plaque (coffee drinkers, 8.3 ± 3.03 bands; wine drinkers, 7.65 ± 1.68 bands). The differences between coffee drinkers or wine drinkers and the control group (water drinkers) were statistically significant. A total of 34 microorganisms were identified, and the frequency of their distribution in the three subject categories was analyzed. A greater percentage of subjects were positive for facultative aerobes when supragingival plaque was analyzed, while anaerobes were more frequent in subgingival plaque samples. It is noteworthy that the frequency of identification of anaerobes was significantly reduced when the frequencies for coffee and wine drinkers were compared with the frequencies for subjects in the control group. The DGGE profiles of the organisms in both plaque samples from all groups were generated and were used to construct dendrograms. A number of distinct clusters of organisms from water, coffee, and wine drinkers were formed. The clustering of some of the DGGE results into cohort-specific clusters implies similarities in the microbiotas within these groups and relevant differences in the microbiotas between cohorts. This supports the notion that the drinking habits of the subjects may influence the microbiota at both the supragingival and the subgingival levels.
Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis and Multilocus Sequence Typing Reveal Genetic Relationships among
Clostridium difficile
Isolates Genotyped by Restriction Endonuclease Analysis
Authors: Marsh Jane W. , O'Leary Mary M. , Shutt Kathleen A. , Sambol Susan P. , Johnson Stuart , Gerding Dale N. , Harrison Lee H. 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Numbers of
Clostridium difficile
infections have increased worldwide in the past decade. While infection with
C. difficile
remains predominantly a health care-associated infection, there may also be an increased incidence of community-associated infections.
C. difficile
strains of public health significance continue to emerge, and reliable genotyping methods for epidemiological investigations and global surveillance of
C. difficile
are required. In this study, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) were performed on a set of 157 spatially and temporally diverse
C. difficile
isolates that had been previously genotyped by restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) to determine the concordance among these genotyping methods. In addition, sequence analysis of the
tcdC
genotype was performed to investigate the association of allelic variants with epidemic
C. difficile
isolates. Overall, the MLST and MLVA data were concordant with REA genotyping data. MLST was less discriminatory than either MLVA or REA, yet this method established
C. difficile
genetic lineage. MLVA was highly discriminatory and demonstrated relationships among the MLST genetic lineages and REA genotypes that were previously unrecognized. Several
tcdC
genotypes were specific to epidemic clones, highlighting the possible importance of toxin misregulation in
C. difficile
disease pathogenesis. This study demonstrates that a combination of MLST and MLVA may prove useful for the investigation and surveillance of emergent
C. difficile
clones of global public health concern.
Epidemiological Link between Gastric Disease and Polymorphisms in VacA and CagA
Authors: Jang Sungil , Jones Kathleen R. , Olsen Cara H. , Joo Young Min , Yoo Yun-Jung , Chung In-Sik , Cha Jeong-Heon , Merrell D. Scott 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer are a few of the diverse disease manifestations that have been shown to be associated with infection by
Helicobacter pylori
. Why some individuals develop more severe forms of disease remains largely unknown. In this study, 225 South Korean strains were genotyped for
vacA
and then analyzed to determine if particular genotypes varied across disease state, sex, or
cagA
allele. Of these strains, 206 strains carried an s1/i1/m1 allele, 11 strains carried an s1/i1/m2 allele, and 8 strains carried an s1/i2/m2 allele. By using Fisher's exact test, a statistical association between variations in the
cagA
and
vacA
alleles was identified (
P
= 0.0007), and by using log linear modeling, this variation was shown to affect the severity of disease outcome (
P
= 0.027). Additionally, we present evidence that variation within the middle region of VacA contributes significantly to the distribution of
vacA
alleles across gender (
P
= 0.008) as well as the association with disease outcome (
P
= 0.011). In this South Korean population, the majority of
H. pylori
strains carry the
vacA
s1/i1/m1 allele and the CagA EPIYA-ABD allele. These facts may contribute to the high incidence of gastric maladies, including gastric cancer.
C. Diff Quik Chek Complete Enzyme Immunoassay Provides a Reliable First-Line Method for Detection of
Clostridium difficile
in Stool Specimens
Authors: Quinn Criziel D. , Sefers Susan E. , Babiker Wisal , He Ying , Alcabasa Romina , Stratton Charles W. , Carroll Karen C. , Tang Yi-Wei 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

We evaluated a single membrane device assay for simultaneously detecting both
Clostridium difficile
glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin A/B antigens against a standard that combines two PCR assays and cytotoxigenic culture. Results showing dual GDH and toxin A/B antigen positives and negatives can be reported immediately as true positives and negatives, respectively. Specimens with discrepant results for GDH and toxins A/B, which comprised 13.2% of the specimens, need to be retested.
Application of
rpoB
and Zinc Protease Gene for Use in Molecular Discrimination of
Fusobacterium nucleatum
Subspecies
Authors: Kim Hwa-Sook , Lee Dae-Sil , Chang Young-Hyo , Kim Min Jung , Koh Sukhoon , Kim Joongsu , Seong Jin-Hyo , Song Soo Keun , Shin Hwan Seon , Son Jae-Beum , Jung Min Young , Park Soon-Nang , Yoo So Young , Cho Ki Woon , Kim Dong-Kie , Moon Seonghoon , Kim Dooil , Choi Yongseok , Kim Byung-Ock , Jang Hyun-Seon , Kim Chun Sung , Kim Chan , Choe Son-Jin , Kook Joong-Ki 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Fusobacterium nucleatum
is classified into five subspecies that inhabit the human oral cavity (
F. nucleatum
subsp.
nucleatum
,
F. nucleatum
subsp.
polymorphum
,
F. nucleatum
subsp.
fusiforme
,
F. nucleatum
subsp.
vincentii
, and
F. nucleatum
subsp.
animalis
) based on several phenotypic characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization patterns. However, the methods for detecting or discriminating the clinical isolates of
F. nucleatum
at the subspecies levels are laborious, expensive, and time-consuming. Therefore, in this study, the nucleotide sequences of the RNA polymerase β-subunit gene (
rpoB
) and zinc protease gene were analyzed to discriminate the subspecies of
F. nucleatum
. The partial sequences of
rpoB
(approximately 2,419 bp), the zinc protease gene (878 bp), and 16S rRNA genes (approximately 1,500 bp) of the type strains of five subspecies, 28 clinical isolates of
F. nucleatum
, and 10 strains of
F. periodonticum
(as a control group) were determined and analyzed. The phylogenetic data showed that the
rpoB
and zinc protease gene sequences clearly delineated the subspecies of
F. nucleatum
and provided higher resolution than the 16S rRNA gene sequences in this respect. According to the phylogenetic analysis of
rpoB
and the zinc protease gene,
F. nucleatum
subsp.
vincentii
and
F. nucleatum
subsp.
fusiforme
might be classified into a single subspecies. Five clinical isolates could be delineated as a new subspecies of
F. nucleatum
. The results suggest that
rpoB
and the zinc protease gene are efficient targets for the discrimination and taxonomic analysis of the subspecies of
F. nucleatum
.
Detection and Identification of
Ehrlichia
Species in Blood by Use of PCR and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Eshoo Mark W. , Crowder Chris D. , Li Haijing , Matthews Heather E. , Meng Shufang , Sefers Susan E. , Sampath Rangarajan , Stratton Charles W. , Blyn Lawrence B. , Ecker David J. , Tang Yi-Wei 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

Rapid detection and identification of
Ehrlichia
species improves clinical outcome for patients suspected of ehrlichiosis. We describe an assay that employs multilocus PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) to detect and identify
Ehrlichia
species directly from blood specimens. The results were compared to those of a colorimetric microtiter PCR enzyme immunoassay (PCR-EIA) used as a diagnostic assay. Among 213 whole-blood samples collected from patients who were clinically suspected of ehrlichiosis from 1 May to 1 August 2008 at Vanderbilt University Hospital, 40 were positive for an
Ehrlichia
species by PCR/ESI-MS, giving a positive rate of 18.8%. In comparison to the PCR-EIA, PCR/ESI-MS possessed a sensitivity, a specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 95.0%, 98.8%, 95.0%, and 98.8%, respectively. The 38 specimens that were positive for
Ehrlichia
by both PCR/ESI-MS and the PCR-EIA were further characterized to the species level, with 100% agreement between the two assays. In addition,
Rickettsia rickettsii
was detected by PCR/ESI-MS from four specimens that were confirmed retrospectively by serology and PCR-EIA. In three specimens, the PCR/ESI-MS assay identified
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Neisseria meningitidis
, and
Staphylococcus aureus
; these were confirmed by culture and/or clinical diagnosis as being clinically relevant. From specimen processing to result reporting, the PCR/ESI-MS assay can be completed within 6 h, providing another laboratory tool for the diagnosis of ehrlichiosis. Moreover, this system may provide rapid detection and identification of additional pathogens directly from blood specimens.
Regional Profiling for Determination of Genotype Diversity of Mastitis-Specific
Staphylococcus aureus
Lineage in Canada by Use of Clumping Factor A, Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, and
spa
Typing
Authors: Said Kamaleldin B. , Ismail Johanne , Campbell Jennifer , Mulvey Michael R. , Bourgault Anne-Marie , Messier Serge , Zhao Xin 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

One of the major concerns in global public health and the dairy industry is the emergence of host-specific virulent
Staphylococcus aureus
strains. The high degree of stability of the species genome renders detection of genetic microvariations difficult. Thus, approaches for the rapid tracking of specialized lineages are urgently needed. We used clumping factor A (
clfA
) to profile 87 bovine mastitis isolates from four regions in Canada and compared the results to those obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and
spa
typing. Twenty-five pulsotypes were obtained by PFGE with an index of discrimination of 0.91. These were assigned to six PFGE lineage groups A to F and seven
spa
types, including two novel ones. Group A had 48.3% of the isolates and group D had 43.7% of the isolates, while only 8% of the isolates were variable. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that all isolates were sensitive to methicillin and the non-beta-lactam antibiotics, while three isolates were resistant to penicillin and one isolate was resistant to tetracycline. All isolates had the
clfA
gene and belonged to 20
clfA
repeat types with an index of discrimination of 0.90. The dominant
clfA
types, types X, Q, C, and Z, formed 82% and 43% of PFGE groups A and D, respectively, and had copy numbers that varied only within a narrow range of between 46 and 52 copies, implying clonal selection. The rest were variable and region specific. Furthermore, the dominant groups contained subpopulations in different regions across Canada. Sequence information confirmed the relatedness obtained by the use of
clfA
repeat copy numbers and other methods and further revealed the occurrence of full-repeat deletions and conserved host-specific codon-triplet position biases at 18-bp units. Thus, concordant with the results of PFGE and
spa
typing,
clfA
typing proved useful for revealing the clonal nature of the mastitis isolate lineage and for the rapid profiling of subpopulations with comparable discriminatory powers.
Tissue-Specific Differences in PD-1 and PD-L1 Expression during Chronic Viral Infection: Implications for CD8 T-Cell Exhaustion
Authors: Blackburn Shawn D. , Crawford Alison , Shin Haina , Polley Antonio , Freeman Gordon J. , Wherry E. John 
Published: December 2009

ABSTRACT

The PD-1/PD-L pathway plays a major role in regulating T-cell exhaustion during chronic viral infections in animal models, as well as in humans, and blockade of this pathway can revive exhausted CD8
+
T cells. We examined the expression of PD-1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, in multiple tissues during the course of chronic viral infection and determined how the amount of PD-1 expressed, as well as the anatomical location, influenced the function of exhausted CD8 T cells. The amount of PD-1 on exhausted CD8 T cells from different anatomical locations did not always correlate with infectious virus but did reflect viral antigen in some tissues. Moreover, lower expression of PD-L1 in some locations, such as the bone marrow, favored the survival of PD-1
Hi
exhausted CD8 T cells, suggesting that some anatomical sites might provide a survival niche for subpopulations of exhausted CD8 T cells. Tissue-specific differences in the function of exhausted CD8 T cells were also observed. However, while cytokine production did not strictly correlate with the amount of PD-1 expressed by exhausted CD8 T cells from different tissues, the ability to degranulate and kill were tightly linked to PD-1 expression regardless of the anatomical location. These observations have implications for human chronic infections and for therapeutic interventions based on blockade of the PD-1 pathway.