bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Live Oral Typhoid Vaccine Ty21a Induces Cross-Reactive Humoral Immune Responses against Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi A andS. Paratyphi B in Humans
Authors: Wahid Rezwanul , Simon Raphael , Zafar Shah J. , Levine Myron M. , Sztein Marcelo B. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTEnteric fever caused bySalmonella entericaserovar Paratyphi A infection has emerged as an important public health problem. Recognizing that in randomized controlled field trials oral immunization with attenuatedS. entericaserovar Typhi live vaccine Ty21a conferred significant cross-protection againstS. Paratyphi B but notS. Paratyphi A disease, we undertook a clinical study to ascertain whether humoral immune responses could explain the field trial results. Ty21a immunization of adult residents of Maryland elicited predominantly IgA antibody-secreting cells (ASC) that recognizeS. Typhi lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cross-reactivity toS. Paratyphi A LPS was significantly lower than that toS. Paratyphi B LPS. ASC producing IgG and IgA that bind LPS from each of theseSalmonellaserovars expressed CD27 and integrin α4β7 (gut homing), with a significant proportion coexpressing CD62L (secondary lymphoid tissue homing). No significant differences were observed in serum antibody against LPS of the different serovars. Levels of IgA B memory (BM) cells toS. Typhi LPS were significantly higher than those againstS. Paratyphi A or B LPS, with no differences observed betweenS. Paratyphi A and B. The response of IgA BMto outer membrane proteins (OMP) fromS. Typhi was significantly stronger than that to OMP ofS. Paratyphi A but similar to that to OMP ofS. Paratyphi B. The percentages of IgG or IgA BMresponders to LPS or OMP from theseSalmonellastrains were similar. Whereas cross-reactive humoral immune responses toS. Paratyphi A or B antigens are demonstrable following Ty21a immunization, they cannot explain the efficacy data gleaned from controlled field trials.
New Real-Time PCR Assay Using Allelic Discrimination for Detection and Differentiation of Equine Herpesvirus-1 Strains with A
2254
and G
2254
Polymorphisms
Authors: Smith Kathryn L. , Li Yanqiu , Breheny Patrick , Cook R. Frank , Henney Pamela J. , Sells Stephen , Pronost Stéphane , Lu Zhengchun , Crossley Beate M. , Timoney Peter J. , Balasuriya Udeni B. R. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACT

A single-nucleotide polymorphism (A
2254
or G
2254
) in open reading frame 30 (ORF30) has been linked to the neuropathogenic phenotype of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). Identification of this polymorphism led to the development of a real-time PCR (rPCR) assay using allelic discrimination (E
2
) to distinguish between potentially neuropathogenic and nonneuropathogenic EHV-1 strains (G. P. Allen, J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 19:69–72, 2007). Although this rPCR assay can detect and genotype EHV-1 strains, subsequent studies demonstrated that it lacks the sensitivity for the routine detection of viral nucleic acid in clinical specimens. Therefore, a new allelic discrimination EHV-1 rPCR assay (E
1
) was developed by redesigning primers and probes specific to ORF30. The E
1
and E
2
rPCR assays were evaluated using 76 archived EHV isolates and 433 clinical specimens from cases of suspected EHV-1 infection. Nucleotide sequence analysis of ORF30 was used to confirm the presence of EHV-1 and characterize the genotype (A
2254
or G
2254
) in all archived isolates plus 168 of the clinical samples. The E
1
assay was 10 times more sensitive than E
2
, with a lower detection limit of 10 infectious virus particles. Furthermore, all A
2254
and G
2254
genotypes along with samples from three cases of dual infection (A
2254
+G
2254
) were correctly identified by E
1
, whereas E
2
produced 20 false dual positive results with only one actual mixed A
2254
+G
2254
genotype confirmed. Based on these findings, E
1
offers greater sensitivity and accuracy for the detection and A/G
2254
genotyping of EHV-1, making this improved rPCR assay a valuable diagnostic tool for investigating outbreaks of EHV-1 infection.
Technology adoption and implementation in organisations: comparative case studies of 12 English NHS Trusts
Authors: Kyratsis Yiannis , Ahmad Raheelah , Holmes Alison 
Published: April 2012

ObjectivesTo understand organisational technology adoption (initiation, adoption decision, implementation) by looking at the different types of innovation knowledge used during this process.DesignQualitative, multisite, comparative case study design.SettingOne primary care and 11 acute care organisations (trusts) across all health regions in England in the context of infection prevention and control.Participants and data analysis121 semistructured individual and group interviews with 109 informants, involving clinical and non-clinical staff from all organisational levels and various professional groups. Documentary evidence and field notes were also used. 38 technology adoption processes were analysed using an integrated approach combining inductive and deductive reasoning.Main findingsThose involved in the process variably accessed three types of innovation knowledge: ‘awareness’ (information that an innovation exists), ‘principles’ (information about an innovation's functioning principles) and ‘how-to’ (information required to use an innovation properly at individual and organisational levels). Centralised (national, government-led) and local sources were used to obtain this knowledge. Localised professional networks were preferred sources for all three types of knowledge. Professional backgrounds influenced an asymmetric attention to different types of innovation knowledge. When less attention was given to ‘how-to’ compared with ‘principles’ knowledge at the early stages of the process, this contributed to 12 cases of incomplete implementation or discontinuance after initial adoption.ConclusionsPotential adopters and change agents often overlooked or undervalued ‘how-to’ knowledge. Balancing ‘principles’ and ‘how-to’ knowledge early in the innovation process enhanced successful technology adoption and implementation by considering efficacy as well as strategic, structural and cultural fit with the organisation's context. This learning is critical given the policy emphasis for health organisations to be innovation-ready.
Combining process indicators to evaluate quality of care for surgical patients with colorectal cancer: are scores consistent with short-term outcome?
Authors: Kolfschoten N E , Gooiker G A , Bastiaannet E , van Leersum N J , van de Velde C J H , Eddes E H , Marang-van de Mheen P J , Kievit J , van der Harst E , Wiggers T , Wouters M W J M , Tollenaar R A E M ,   On behalf of the Dutch Surgical Colorectal Audit group
Published: April 2012

ObjectiveTo determine if composite measures based on process indicators are consistent with short-term outcome indicators in surgical colorectal cancer care.DesignLongitudinal analysis of consistency between composite measures based on process indicators and outcome indicators for 85 Dutch hospitals.SettingThe Dutch Surgical Colorectal Audit database, the Netherlands.Participants4732 elective patients with colon carcinoma and 2239 with rectum carcinoma treated in 85 hospitals were included in the analyses.Main outcome measuresAll available process indicators were aggregated into five different composite measures. The association of the different composite measures with risk-adjusted postoperative mortality and morbidity was analysed at the patient and hospital level.ResultsAt the patient level, only one of the composite measures was negatively associated with morbidity for rectum carcinoma. At the hospital level, a strong negative association was found between composite measures and hospital mortality and morbidity rates for rectum carcinoma (p<0.05), and hospital morbidity rates for colon carcinoma.ConclusionsFor individual patients, a high score on the composite measures based on process indicators is not associated with better short-term outcome. However, at the hospital level, a good score on the composite measures based on process indicators was consistent with more favourable risk-adjusted short-term outcome rates.
The impact of implementing the single provider model of emergency medicine in a paediatric hospital: a retrospective cohort analysis
Authors: Crosby Bradley J , Mannelli Francesco , Nisavic Mladen , Passannante Alberto , Cline David M , Gillespie Charles P , Messineo Antonio , Ban Kevin M 
Published: April 2012

Study ObjectiveThe Meyer Pediatric Hospital in Florence, Italy recently implemented the single provider model of emergency medicine. Prior to these changes, patients were triaged to a paediatric surgeon or paediatrician based on the complaint. The authors assess the outcomes of patients evaluated by surgeons prior to this change and compare them with those of patients seen by emergency physicians.MethodsA retrospective, cohort study was performed reviewing patients seen in the emergency department between 2005 and 2008 for the three most common surgical complaints encountered before the systems change: head trauma, testicular pain and abdominal pain. Outcomes include misdiagnoses, consultation rates, dispositions, imaging, interventions and surgeries.ResultsA total of 2415 patient visits were included. Emergency physicians saw more patients (1388 vs 1027) and obtained more consultations (25.6% vs 8.1%) than surgeons. Patients triaged directly to surgeons were more likely to be admitted to the hospital (10.3% vs 7.6%), undergo urgent interventions (9.5% vs 6.7%), undergo surgery (8.0% vs 4.8%), have more radiographic images to evaluate head trauma (12.1% vs 5.3%), be misdiagnosed (1.0% vs 0.3%) and have more plain films for abdominal pain (3.1% vs 1.3%). There is an overall trend towards fewer missed diagnoses by emergency physicians (0.3% vs 0.9%), but this difference is only statistically significant in the abdominal pain subset analysis (p=0.032, combined data p=0.052).ConclusionsThe single provider model of emergency medicine where emergency physicians manage all patients presenting to the emergency department appears to be a safe and efficient model of emergency medical care.
Complex Wavenumber Rossby Wave Ray Tracing
Authors: Shaman Jeffrey , Samelson R. M. , Tziperman Eli 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
This paper presents a methodology for performing complex wavenumber ray tracing in which both wave trajectory and amplitude are calculated. This ray-tracing framework is first derived using a scaling in which the imaginary wavenumber component is assumed to be much smaller than the real wavenumber component. The approach, based on perturbation methods, is strictly valid when this scaling condition is met. The framework is then used to trace stationary barotropic Rossby waves in a number of settings. First, ray-traced Rossby wave amplitude is validated in a simple, idealized system for which exact solutions can be calculated. Complex wavenumber ray tracing is then applied to both solid-body rotation on a sphere and observed climatological upper-tropospheric fields. These ray-tracing solutions are compared with similarly forced solutions of the linearized barotropic vorticity equation (LBVE). Both real and complex wavenumber ray tracings follow trajectories matched by LBVE solutions. Complex wavenumber ray tracings on observed two-dimensional zonally asymmetric atmospheric fields are found to follow trajectories distinct from real wavenumber Rossby waves. For example, complex wavenumber ray tracings initiated over the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean during boreal summer propagate northward and northeastward into the subtropics over the Atlantic Ocean, as well as southeastward into the Southern Hemisphere. Similarly initiated real wavenumber ray tracings remain within the deep tropics and propagate westward. These complex wavenumber Rossby wave trajectories and ray amplitudes are generally consistent with LBVE solutions, which indicates this methodology can identify Rossby wave effects distinct from traditional real wavenumber tracings.
Bulk Convergence of Cloud-Resolving Simulations of Moist Convection over Complex Terrain
Authors: Langhans Wolfgang , Schmidli Juerg , Schär Christoph 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
The explicit treatment of moist convection in cloud-resolving models with kilometer-scale horizontal resolution is increasingly used for atmospheric research and numerical weather prediction purposes. However, several previous studies have implicitly questioned the physical validity of this approach, as the accurate representation of the structure and evolution of moist convective phenomena requires considerably higher resolution. Unlike these studies, which focused on single convective systems, here the convergence of bulk properties of an ensemble of moist convective cells in kilometer-scale simulations is considered.
To address the convergence, the authors focus on the bulk net heating and moistening in a large control volume, the associated vertical fluxes, and the diurnal evolution of regionally averaged precipitation. Besides numerical convergence, “physical” convergence (Reynolds number increases with resolution) is addressed for two conceptually different subgrid-mixing approaches (1D mesoscale and 3D LES). Simulations are conducted for a 9-day period of diurnal summer convection over the Alps, using a large computational domain with grid spacings of 4.4, 2.2, 1.1, and 0.55 km and grid-independent topography.
Results show that for the model and episode considered, the simulated bulk properties and vertical fluxes converge numerically toward the 0.55-km solution. In terms of bulk effects, differences between the simulations are surprisingly small, even within the physical convergence framework that exhibits a sensitivity of the small-scale dynamics and ensuing convective structures to the horizontal resolution. Despite some sensitivities related to the applied turbulence closure, the results support the feasibility of kilometer-scale models to appropriately represent the bulk feedbacks between moist convection and the larger-scale flow.
An Object-Based Approach to Assessing the Organization of Tropical Convection
Authors: Dias Juliana , Tulich Stefan N. , Kiladis George N. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
The organization of tropical convection is assessed through an object-based analysis of satellite brightness temperature data Tb, a proxy for convective activity. The analysis involves the detection of contiguous cloud regions (CCRs) in the three-dimensional space of latitude, longitude, and time where Tb falls below a given threshold. A range of thresholds is considered and only CCRs that satisfy a minimum size constraint are retained in the analysis. Various statistical properties of CCRs are documented including their zonal speed of propagation, which is estimated using a Radon transformation technique. Consistent with previous studies, a majority of CCRs are found to propagate westward, typically at speeds of around 15 m s−1, regardless of underlying Tb threshold. Most of these zonally propagating CCRs have lifetimes less than 2 days and zonal widths less than 800 km, implying aggregation of just a few individual mesoscale convective systems. This object-based perspective is somewhat different than that obtained in previous Fourier-based analyses, which primarily emphasize the organization of convection on synoptic and planetary scales via wave–convection coupling. To reconcile these contrasting views, an object-based data reconstruction is developed that objectively demonstrates how the spectral peaks of synoptic- to planetary-scale waves can be attributed to the organization of CCRs into larger-scale wave envelopes. A novel method based on the randomization of CCRs in physical space leads to an empirical background spectrum for organized tropical convection that does not rely on any smoothing in spectral space. Normalization by this background reveals spectral peaks associated with synoptic- and planetary-scale waves that are consistent with previous studies.
Parental choice of infant feeding behaviours in South West Sydney: A preliminary investigation
Authors: Arora A , Gay M , Thirukumar D 
Published: April 2012

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test a research instrument that could possibly be used for longitudinal research on infant feeding and to report on the preliminary results from the data collected. Design: Mixed methods approach – cross-sectional survey and qualitative research. Setting: Mother–infant dyads in South West Sydney, Australia. Methods: Mother–infant dyads ( n=211) were recruited (response rate – 88%) within six weeks post-partum by Child and Family Health Nurses in Sydney South West. The parents were subsequently followed up by telephone interview when the child was four months or older. Cross-sectional data on infant feeding practices such as breast-feeding, formula feeding and introduction of solids and other fluids, bio-medical factors and socio-demographic data were recorded. Results: Of the 211 who agreed to participate, 187 were able to be followed up post-partum. The telephone questionnaire was not found to be intrusive and interviewers had no problems collecting data. Only 33% of mothers ( n=62) were found to be exclusively breastfeeding at four months post-partum. Higher maternal education was significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding at four months. Maternal education, maternal country of birth, maternal age, gestational age and maternal antibiotic use post-partum were independent predictors of introduction of fluids. Female infants and residing in a rural/remote area were noted to be independent predictors of introduction of solid food at four months. Conclusions: The questionnaire was acceptable to parents and useful data was collected for future longitudinal studies in childhood nutrition and dental health. Given the substantial evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding and later introduction of complementary feeds, health promotion interventions should be targeted at the specific ‘at-risk’ families.
The association between in-patient death, utilization of hospital resources and availability of palliative home care for cancer patients
Authors: Alonso-Babarro Alberto , Astray-Mochales Jenaro , Domínguez-Berjón Felicitas , Gènova-Maleras Ricard , Bruera Eduardo , Díaz-Mayordomo Antonio , Centeno Cortes Carlos 
Published: April 2012

Background: The impact of palliative home care programs on in-patient admissions and deaths has not been appropriately established. Aim: The main objectives of this study have been to evaluate the frequency of in-patient hospital deaths and the use of hospital resources among cancer patients in two areas of the Madrid Region, as well as to assess differences between one area with and one without a palliative home care team (PHCT) in those variables. Design and setting: We conducted a population-based study comparing two adjacent metropolitan areas of approximately 200,000 inhabitants each in the Madrid Region, Spain, measuring in-patient deaths, emergency room admissions and in-patient days among cancer patients who died in 2005. Only one of the two areas had a fully established PHCT. Results: 524/549 cancer patients (95%) had an identified place of death: 74% died in hospital, 17% at home, 6% in an in-patient hospice and 3% in a nursing home. The frequency of hospital deaths was significantly lower among patients of the PHCT area (61% versus 77%, p < 0.001), as well as the number of patients using emergency and in-patient services (68% versus 79%, p = 0.004, and 66 versus 76%, p = 0.012, respectively). After adjusting for other factors, the risk of hospital death was lower among patients older than 80 (OR, 95% CI, 0.3, 0.1–0.5), higher among patients with hematological malignancies (OR 6.1, 2.0–18.9) and lower among patients of the PHCT area (OR 0.4, 0.2–0.6). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a PHCT is associated with reduced in-patient deaths and overall hospitalization over the last two months of life.
Delicious Peace Coffee
Authors: Auerbach Nancy Neiman 
Published: April 2012

This article asserts the economic relevancy of human connectedness and community. It argues that if the goal of economics is to maximize human happiness, then approaches that directly address social phenomena and community building, rather than utility and income maximization by individual economic actors, are more promising and indeed “rational.” The fair trade movement, insofar as it supports community-based cooperatives, can play an important role in this process. However, the real story behind successful cooperatives is often more about the nature of the rural “peasant” community that supports it. Viewing economic decision making through the lens of the Mirembe Kawomera coffee cooperative in Uganda reveals a market that is socially embedded in a community rich in social capital, or more appropriately social productive power of labor, rather than one that constitutes a separate market sphere. When economic incentives encompass a more holistic set of costs and benefits, even those that may be less tangible, economic activity and strong community tend to be mutually reinforcing. JEL codes: O,P,Q
Association of SNPs rs6498169 and rs10984447 with multiple sclerosis in Saudi patients: a model of the usefulness of familial aggregates in identifying genetic linkage in a multifactorial disease
Authors: Al Jumah M , Al Balwi M , Hussein M , Kojan S , Al Khathaami A , Al Fawaz M , Al Muzaini B , Jawhary A , Al Abdulkareem I 
Published: April 2012

Objective: Genome-Wide association studies (GWAS) showed an association between subset of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and multiple sclerosis. Our study aims to study this association in Saudi familial multiple sclerosis patients. Methods: Four subject groups were used in this study: sporadic MS (MS patients without family history), FMS (MS patients who have at least one family member diagnosed with MS), related controls (relatives of FMS patients who appear to be free of the disease) and independent controls (healthy volunteers). Subjects were genotyped for 15 SNPs. The variation in the genotype distribution was analyzed across study groups by using logistic regression. Results: 342 subjects were included. 99 were in the sporadic MS group, 22 were FMS, 89 were related control, and 132 were independent control. SNPS rs3135388, rs7577363, rs1321172, rs6897932, rs6498169, rs12487066, and rs4763655were associated with MS when MS and independent control groups were compared. Same SNPS were identified but with stronger association when the FMS and independent control groups were compared. Finally, when the patients and the controls were selected from a much more homogenous genetic pool from which it would be expected that only SNPs highly linked to MS would persist, only two SNPs rs6498169[OR 4.26, CI (1.17 – 15.51)];, and rs10984447 [OR 13.63, CI(1.54, 120.83) ][were associated with MS. Conclusions: Our results suggest that using a more homogenous genetic pool of cases and controls could help to identify the most significant MS-associated SNPs. Our finding is in agreement with other studies including larger sample size and more diverse populations.