bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Poverty in the Enlarged European Union. A Discussion about Definitions and Reference Groups
Authors: Goedemé Tim , Rottiers Stijn 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe enlargement of the European Union (EU) has stirred discussion about the relevance of the traditional EU poverty indicator which measures poverty in relative and national terms. As a result of diverging living conditions of the poor in the old and new member states, some authors have argued in favour of alternative poverty measures. One line of thought is that the reference groups people use for evaluating their living standard have Europeanised and that a poverty measure should incorporate this evolution. Bowing on the rich literature on the conceptualisation of poverty and reference group theory, we argue that a distinction must be made between privately oriented reference groups and publicly oriented reference groups. Although research has mainly focused on the former type of reference groups, only the latter offers a norm to define the poverty threshold. We conclude with a research proposal to construct poverty lines driven by publicly oriented reference groups.
Class Identification in Review: Past Perspectives and Future Directions
Authors: Archer Patrick , Orr Ryan 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe rebirth of class analysis in the last two decades is due, in large part, to a theoretical shift in the field regarding class identification. The notable absence or weakness of class identities has led many theorists to proclaim the death of class, divorce class locations from identification, or rethink class identification as a relative, hierarchical, and individual concept. In each case, assumptions of collective class identification are laid to rest. As a result, some have called for a break from older models of class. In this article, we reexamine the contributions of classical class theory to the debate on collective class identification. By taking a closer look at the works of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Veblen regarding class and collective identification, we suggest that not only are they still relevant to the current debate, but that taken together they form a diverse foundation from which many future directions are possible.
The Paradigm Shift: Pornography Research, Sexualization and Extreme Images
Authors: Attwood Feona 
Published: January 2011

AbstractIn this paper, I focus on what has been called a paradigm shift in pornography research, driven by the development of particular theoretical and political concerns and by changing material conditions, and on the academic work that has emerged from this. I describe the current situation where studies in the area are more diverse than ever before, while public debate continues to draw on a relatively limited approach based on a concern with what media ‘does’ to behaviour. I outline two areas in particular which currently dominate public and political discussions; namely the sexualization of mainstream media and ‘extreme’ imagery on the fringes of culture, and suggest ways in which these present new challenges and opportunities for developing pornography research.
Interpretation of canine and feline blood smears by emergency room personnel
Authors: Lanaux Travis M. , Rozanski Elizabeth A. , Simoni Robert S. , Price Lori Lyn , Buckley Gareth J. , Stockman Cheryl , Knoll Joyce S. 
Published: January 2011

Background: Interpretation of blood smears is commonly used to provide rapid laboratory evaluation of animals in veterinary emergency practice, but the accuracy of results of blood smear interpretation by emergency room personnel (ERP) compared with evaluation by trained veterinary clinical pathology personnel is unknown.Objective: The goal of this study was to compare blood smear evaluation by ERP with that of clinical pathology personnel.Methods: All animals that had a CBC determined by a diagnostic laboratory and had blood smears evaluated by personnel at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals Emergency Room between September 2008 and July 2009 were eligible for study inclusion. ERP who evaluated blood smears completed standardized forms with estimates of the WBC and platelet counts and evaluation of RBC and WBC morphology. Results from point‐of‐care assessment were compared with automated or manual results reported by the veterinary diagnostic laboratory.Results: One hundred and fifty‐five blood smears were evaluated. There was moderate agreement (κ value, 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52, 0.74) between estimated platelet counts by ERP and automated counts. Poor agreement was found between estimated WBC counts by ERP and automated counts (κ value, 0.48; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.60). Specific abnormalities with a high likelihood of clinical significance, eg, toxic change, nucleated RBCs, spherocytes, hemoparasites, and lymphoblasts, were not predictably identified by ERP.Conclusions: ERP interpretation of canine and feline blood smears should be used cautiously and should not replace evaluation by a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.
Dextromethorphan Efficiently Increases Bactericidal Activity, Attenuates Inflammatory Responses, and Prevents Group A Streptococcal Sepsis
Authors: Li Ming-Han , Luo Yueh-Hsia , Lin Chiou-Feng , Chang Yu-Tzu , Lu Shiou-Ling , Kuo Chih-Feng , Hong Jau-Shyong , Lin Yee-Shin 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT
Group A streptococcus (GAS) is an important human pathogen that causes a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from mild throat and skin infections to severe invasive diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Dextromethorphan (DM), a dextrorotatory morphinan and a widely used antitussive drug, has recently been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated the potential protective effect of DM in GAS infection using an air pouch infection mouse model. Our results showed that DM treatment increased the survival rate of GAS-infected mice. Bacterial numbers in the air pouch were lower in mice treated with DM than in those infected with GAS alone. The bacterial elimination efficacy was associated with increased cell viability and bactericidal activity of air-pouch-infiltrating cells. Moreover, DM treatment prevented bacterial dissemination in the blood and reduced serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-1β and the chemokines monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2), and RANTES. In addition, GAS-induced mouse liver injury was reduced by DM treatment. Taken together, DM can increase bacterial killing and reduce inflammatory responses to prevent sepsis in GAS infection. The consideration of DM as an adjunct treatment in combination with antibiotics against bacterial infection warrants further study.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility ofBrucella melitensisIsolates in Peru
Authors: Maves Ryan C. , Castillo Rosa , Guillen Alfredo , Espinosa Benjamin , Meza Rina , Espinoza Nereyda , Núñez Gladys , Sánchez Luis , Chacaltana Jesús , Cepeda David , González Sofía , Hall Eric R. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTBrucellosis is an important public health problem in Peru. We evaluated 48 humanBrucella melitensisbiotype 1 strains from Peru between 2000 and 2006. MICs of isolates to doxycycline, azithromycin, gentamicin, rifampin, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were determined by the Etest method. All isolates were sensitive to tested drugs during the periods of testing. Relapses did not appear to be related to drug resistance.
First Identification and Characterization of an AdeABC-Like Efflux Pump in
Acinetobacter
Genomospecies 13TU
Authors: Roca Ignasi , Espinal Paula , Martí Sara , Vila Jordi 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT

Non-
Acinetobacter baumannii
spp. are emerging among clinical
Acinetobacter
isolates causing nosocomial infections, and some (such as genomospecies 13TU) appear to be multidrug resistant. The prevalence of non-
Acinetobacter baumannii
spp. in the hospital setting is likely understated due to poor identification techniques. We report the first identification of an AdeABC-type efflux pump in an
Acinetobacter
genomospecies 13TU clinical isolate, its contribution to multidrug resistance, and the coexistence of three Ade-type efflux pumps in this strain.
Antimicrobial Resistance among Invasive Nontyphoidal
Salmonella enterica
Isolates in the United States: National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, 1996 to 2007
Authors: Crump John A. , Medalla Felicita M. , Joyce Kevin W. , Krueger Amy L. , Hoekstra R. Michael , Whichard Jean M. , Barzilay Ezra J. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT

Nontyphoidal salmonellae (NTS) are important causes of community-acquired bloodstream infection. We describe patterns of antimicrobial resistance among invasive NTS in the United States. We compared bloodstream NTS isolates with those from stool submitted to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) from 1996 to 2007. We describe antimicrobial resistance among invasive strains by serogroup and serotype. Of the 19,302 NTS isolates, 17,804 (92.2%) were from stool or blood. Of these, 1,050 (5.9%) were bloodstream isolates. The median ages (ranges) of patients with and without bacteremia were 36 (<1 to 97) years and 20 (<1 to 105) years, respectively (
P
< 0.001). Males (odds ratio [OR], 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.38) and those ≥65 years of age were at greater risk for invasive disease.
Salmonella enterica
serotypes Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and Heidelberg were the most common serotypes isolated from blood;
S. enterica
serotypes Dublin, Sandiego, and Schwarzengrund were associated with the greatest risk for bloodstream isolation. Of invasive isolates, 208 (19.8%) were resistant to ampicillin, 117 (11.1%) to chloramphenicol, and 26 (2.5%) to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole; 28 (2.7%) isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid and 26 (2.5%) to ceftriaxone. Antimicrobial resistance to traditional agents is common. However, the occurrence of nalidixic acid and ceftriaxone resistance among invasive NTS is cause for clinical and public health vigilance.
Paraoxonases as Potential Antibiofilm Agents: Their Relationship with Quorum-Sensing Signals in Gram-Negative Bacteria
Authors: Camps Jordi , Pujol Isabel , Ballester Frederic , Joven Jorge , Simó Josep M. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT
The property of many bacteria to form biofilms constitutes a major health problem. Bacteria living in biofilms have a very high resistance to antibiotics. Biofilms may develop at a certain locations with the participation of secreted molecules, termed quorum-sensing signals, when a sufficient density of bacterial growth occurs. In Gram-negative bacteria, acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) have been identified as major quorum-sensing signals. The paraoxonases (PONs) constitute a family of enzymes comprising 3 members (PON1, PON2, and PON3) that have lactonase activity and are able to hydrolyze AHL. In this minireview, we summarize some existing basic knowledge on PON genetics, biochemistry, and function and describe recent research that reports evidence of the important roles that they may play in the organism's defense against biofilm formation. Finally, we propose some lines of future research that could be very productive.
Increased Glycolytic ATP Synthesis Is Associated with Tafenoquine Resistance inLeishmania major
Authors: Manzano José Ignacio , Carvalho Luis , Pérez-Victoria José M. , Castanys Santiago , Gamarro Francisco 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTTafenoquine (TFQ), an 8-aminoquinoline used to treat and preventPlasmodiuminfections, could represent an alternative therapy for leishmaniasis. Indeed, TFQ has shown significant leishmanicidal activity bothin vitroandin vivo, where it targetsLeishmaniamitochondria and activates a final apoptosis-like process. In order not to jeopardize the life span of this potential antileishmania drug, it is important to determine the likelihood thatLeishmaniawill develop resistance to TFQ and the mechanisms of resistance induced. To address this issue, a TFQ-resistantLeishmania majorpromastigote line (R4) was selected. This resistance, which is unstable in a drug-free medium (revertant line), was maintained in intramacrophage amastigote forms, and R4 promastigotes were found to be cross-resistant to other 8-aminoquinolines. A decreased TFQ uptake, which is probably associated with an alkalinization of the intracellular pH rather than drug efflux, was observed for both the R4 and revertant lines. TFQ induces a decrease in ATP synthesis in allLeishmanialines, although total ATP levels were maintained at higher values in R4 parasites. In contrast, ATP synthesis by glycolysis was significantly increased in R4 parasites, whereas mitochondrial ATP synthesis was similar to that in wild-type parasites. We therefore conclude that increased glycolytic ATP synthesis is the main mechanism underlying TFQ resistance inLeishmania.
Dispensability of Surfactant Proteins A and D in Immune Control ofMycobacterium tuberculosisInfection following Aerosol Challenge of Mice
Authors: Lemos Maria P. , McKinney John , Rhee Kyu Y. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTSurfactant proteins A and D (SP-A and -D) play a role in many acute bacterial, viral, and fungal infections and in acute allergic responses.In vitro, human SPs bindMycobacterium tuberculosisand alter human and rat macrophage-mediated functions. Here we report the roles of SP-A and SP-D inM. tuberculosisinfection following aerosol challenge of SP-A-, SP-D-, and SP-A/-D-deficient mice. These studies surprisingly identified no gross defects in uptake or immune control ofM. tuberculosisin SP-A-, SP-D-, and SP-A/-D-deficient mice. While both SP-A- and SP-D-deficient mice exhibited evidence of immunopathologic defects, the CD11bhighCD11chighdendritic cell populations and the gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-dependent CD4+T cell response toM. tuberculosiswere unaltered in all genotypes tested. Together, these data indicate that SP-A and SP-D are dispensable for immune control ofM. tuberculosisin a low-dose, aerosol challenge, murine model of tuberculosis (TB).
TcsL Is an Essential Virulence Factor inClostridium sordelliiATCC 9714
Authors: Carter Glen P. , Awad Milena M. , Hao Yibai , Thelen Tennille , Bergin Ingrid L. , Howarth Pauline M. , Seemann Torsten , Rood Julian I. , Aronoff David M. , Lyras Dena 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTClostridium sordelliiis an important pathogen of humans and animals, causing a range of diseases, including myonecrosis, sepsis, and shock. Although relatively rare in humans, the incidence of disease is increasing, and it is associated with high mortality rates, approaching 70%. Currently, very little is known about the pathogenesis ofC. sordelliiinfections or disease. Previous work suggested that the lethal large clostridial glucosylating toxin TcsL is the major virulence factor, but a lack of genetic tools has hindered our ability to conclusively assign a role for TcsL or, indeed, any of the other putative virulence factors produced by this organism. In this study, we have developed methods for the introduction of plasmids intoC. sordelliiusing RP4-mediated conjugation fromEscherichia coliand have successfully used these techniques to insertionally inactivate thetcsLgene in the reference strain ATCC 9714, using targetron technology. Virulence testing revealed that the production of TcsL is essential for the development of lethal infections byC. sordelliiATCC 9714 and also contributes significantly to edema seen during uterine infection. This study represents the first definitive identification of a virulence factor inC. sordelliiand opens the way for in-depth studies of this important human pathogen at the molecular level.
Genotype Is Correlated with but Does Not Predict Virulence of
Vibrio
vulnificus
Biotype 1 in Subcutaneously Inoculated, Iron Dextran-Treated Mice
Authors: Thiaville Patrick C. , Bourdage Keri L. , Wright Anita C. , Farrell-Evans Melissa , Garvan Cynthia Wilson , Gulig Paul A. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT

Vibrio
vulnificus
is the leading cause of reported deaths from infections related to consumption of seafood in the United States. Affected predisposed individuals frequently die rapidly from sepsis. Otherwise healthy people can experience severe wound infection, which can lead to sepsis and death. A question is why, with so many people consuming contaminated raw oysters, the incidence of severe
V
.
vulnificus
disease is low. Molecular typing systems have shown associations of
V
.
vulnificus
genotypes and the environmental or clinical source of the strains, suggesting that different genotypes possess different virulence potentials. We examined 69
V
.
vulnificus
biotype 1 strains that were genotyped by several methods and evaluated them for virulence in a subcutaneously inoculated iron dextran-treated mouse model. By examining the relationships between skin infection, systemic liver infection, and presumptive death (a decrease in body temperature), we determined that liver infection is predicated on severe skin infection and that death requires significant liver infection. Although most strains caused severe skin infection, not every strain caused systemic infection and death. Strains with polymorphisms at multiple loci (
rrn
,
vcg
, housekeeping genes, and repetitive DNA) designated profile 2 were more likely to cause lethal systemic infection with more severe indicators of virulence than were profile 1 strains with different polymorphisms at these loci. However, some profile 1 strains were lethal and some profile 2 strains did not cause systemic infection. Therefore, current genotyping schemes cannot strictly predict the virulence of
V
.
vulnificus
strains and further investigation is needed to identify virulence genes as markers of virulence.
Shiga Toxin Subtypes Display Dramatic Differences in Potency
Authors: Fuller Cynthia A. , Pellino Christine A. , Flagler Michael J. , Strasser Jane E. , Weiss Alison A. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTPurified Shiga toxin (Stx) alone is capable of producing systemic complications, including hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), in animal models of disease. Stx includes two major antigenic forms (Stx1 and Stx2), with minor variants of Stx2 (Stx2a to -h). Stx2a is more potent than Stx1. Epidemiologic studies suggest that Stx2 subtypes also differ in potency, but these differences have not been well documented for purified toxin. The relative potencies of five purified Stx2 subtypes, Stx2a, Stx2b, Stx2c, Stx2d, and activated (elastase-cleaved) Stx2d, were studiedin vitroby examining protein synthesis inhibition using Vero monkey kidney cells and inhibition of metabolic activity (reduction of resazurin to fluorescent resorufin) using primary human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTECs). In both RPTECs and Vero cells, Stx2a, Stx2d, and elastase-cleaved Stx2d were at least 25 times more potent than Stx2b and Stx2c.In vivopotency in mice was also assessed. Stx2b and Stx2c had potencies similar to that of Stx1, while Stx2a, Stx2d, and elastase-cleaved Stx2d were 40 to 400 times more potent than Stx1.
SOME GPU ALGORITHMS FOR GRAPH CONNECTED COMPONENTS AND SPANNING TREE
Authors: SOMAN JYOTHISH , KOTHAPALLI KISHORE , NARAYANAN P J 
Published: January 2011

Graphics Processing Units (GPU) are application specific accelerators which provide high performance to cost ratio and are widely available and used, hence places them as a ubiquitous accelerator. A computing paradigm based on the same is the general purpose computing on the GPU (GPGPU) model. The GPU due to its graphics lineage is better suited for the data-parallel, data-regular algorithms. The hardware architecture of the GPU is not suitable for the data parallel but data irregular algorithms such as graph connected components and list ranking. In this paper, we present results that show how to use GPUs efficiently for graph algorithms which are known to have irregular data access patterns. We consider two fundamental graph problems: finding the connected components and finding a spanning tree. These two problems find applications in several graph theoretical problems. In this paper we arrive at efficient GPU implementations for the above two problems. The algorithms focus on minimising irregularity at both algorithmic and implementation level. Our implementation achieves a speedup of 11-16 times over a corresponding best sequential implementation.
Design exploration of hybrid caches with disparate memory technologies
Authors: Wu Xiaoxia , Li Jian , Zhang Lixin , Speight Evan , Rajamony Ram , Xie Yuan 
Published: January 2011

Traditional multilevel SRAM-based cache hierarchies, especially in the context of chip multiprocessors (CMPs), present many challenges in area requirements, core--to--cache balance, power consumption, and design complexity. New advancements in technology enable caches to be built from other technologies, such as Embedded DRAM (EDRAM), Magnetic RAM (MRAM), and Phase-change RAM (PRAM), in both 2D chips or 3D stacked chips. Caches fabricated in these technologies offer dramatically different power-performance characteristics when compared with SRAM-based caches, particularly in the areas of access latency, cell density, and overall power consumption. In this article, we propose to take advantage of the best characteristics that each technology has to offer through the use of Hybrid Cache Architecture (HCA) designs.
We discuss and evaluate two types of hybrid cache architectures: intercache-Level HCA (LHCA), in which the levels in a cache hierarchy can be made of disparate memory technologies; and intracache-level or cache-Region-based HCA (RHCA), where a single level of cache can be partitioned into multiple regions, each of a different memory technology. We have studied a number of different HCA architectures and explored the potential of hardware support for intracache data movement and power consumption management within HCA caches. Utilizing a full-system simulator that has been validated against real hardware, we demonstrate that an LHCA design can provide a geometric mean 6% IPC improvement over a baseline 3-level SRAM cache design under the same area constraint across a collection of 30 workloads. A more aggressive RHCA-based design provides 10% IPC improvement over the baseline. A 2-layer 3D cache stack (3DHCA) of high density memory technology within the same chip footprint gives 16% IPC improvement over the baseline. We also achieve up to a 72% reduction in power consumption over a baseline SRAM-only design. Energy-delay and thermal evaluation for 3DHCA are also presented. In addition to the fast-slow region based RHCA, we further evaluate read-write region based RHCA designs.