bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Social Learning in LEADER: Exogenous, Endogenous and Hybrid Evaluation in Rural Development
Authors: High Chris , Nemes Gusztáv 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis article considers the relationship between centralised, exogenous institutions and the embedded, endogenous institutions of rural governance in Europe through an examination the evaluation procedures of the European LEADER programme. LEADER is presented in the literature as progressive in terms of innovation and stakeholder engagement. Yet, while the planning and management of LEADER embraces heterogeneity and participation, programmatic evaluation is centralised and is held at arms length from the delivery organisations. The article reviews previous efforts to improve evaluation in LEADER and considers alternative strategies for evaluation, contrasting LEADER practice with participatory evaluation methodologies in the wider international context. Can evaluation in itself be valuable as a mode of social learning and hence a driver for endogenous development in rural communities in Europe? The article concludes by examining the challenges in producing a hybrid form of evaluation that accommodates both endogenous and exogenous values.
Enhancing Statistical Education by Using Role-Plays of Consultations
Authors: Taplin Ross 
Published: April 2007

SummaryRole-plays in which students act as clients and statistical consultants to each other in pairs have proved to be an effective class exercise. As well as helping to teach statistical methodology, they are effective at encouraging statistical thinking, problem solving, the use of context in applied statistical problems and improving attitudes towards statistics and the statistics profession. Furthermore, they are fun. This paper explores the advantages of using role-plays and provides some empirical evidence supporting their success. The paper argues that there is a place for teaching statistical consulting skills well before the traditional post-graduate qualification in statistics, including to school students with no knowledge of techniques in statistical inference.
Ghettos of the Mind: The Empirical Behaviour of Indices of Segregation and Diversity
Authors: Simpson Ludi 
Published: April 2007

SummaryThe effect of immigration on social cohesion is a political issue, expressed as a fear that racially skewed residential patterns represent ghettos which prevent integration. Residential patterns have been measured by indices of segregation. The range of indices is reviewed in the paper and measured empirically for England and Wales by using census data for 1991 and 2001, including a new index of migration dispersal. There has been an increase in residential mixing as a result of growing minority populations and their more even spread across localities. These two trends are identified by two commonly used indices of segregation which are moving in opposite directions for the most recent immigrant groups. The sensitivity of each index to modifiable area boundaries makes them unsuitable for evaluation of cities’ relative performance. The residential patterns of cities after immigration are more clearly understood by using demographic measures of migration and age structure.
A Modification of Honoré’S Triple-Link Model in the Synoptic Problem
Authors: Abakuks Andris 
Published: April 2007

SummaryIn New Testament studies, the synoptic problem is concerned with the relationships between the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. In an earlier paper a careful specification in probabilistic terms was set up of Honoré’s triple-link model. In the present paper, a modification of Honoré’s model is proposed. As previously, counts of the numbers of verbal agreements between the gospels are examined to investigate which of the possible triple-link models appears to give the best fit to the data, but now using the modified version of the model and additional sets of data.
Accounting for site characteristics in DEA: leveling the playing field
Authors: Norton Ronald N. , Sexton Thomas R. , Silkman Richard H. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractMany decision‐making units (DMUs) operate under site characteristics that differ significantly from those experienced by other DMUs and these differences may affect their efficiency rating. Often, these characteristics are beyond the control of a DMU and may involve environmental and demographic factors, such as topography, population density, and economic welfare. Comparing efficiency ratings absent appropriate attention to variations in these factors across DMUs is unfair. This paper presents a new procedure for removing the influence of site characteristics, which is a vital step in performing efficiency analysis when DMUs operate under significantly different conditions.
Two‐stage inference using data envelopment analysis efficiency measurements in univariate production models
Authors: Da Silva e Souza Geraldo , Staub Roberta Blass 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis article addresses the problem of modeling data envelopment analysis (DEA) inefficiencies as dependent on contextual variables. For this purpose we use a statistical model similar in appearance to inefficiency component specifications in stochastic frontier models. The underlying production response is univariate. The approach is asymptotic and is based on a two‐stage statistical inference procedure. In the first stage inefficiencies are estimated using DEA. In the second stage these estimates are modeled as if they were the true inefficiencies by means of a statistical model dependent on the contextual variables. To define this data generating process one could use a flexible family of distributions like the truncated normal. Theoretical inefficiencies are assumed to be independent but not identically distributed. Some of the asymptotic results implied by the two‐stage inference procedure are inspected in finite samples by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The procedure is illustrated with an example where a deterministic production model is fitted to research data generated by the major state company responsible for agricultural research in Brazil.
Does Foreign Direct Investment Provide Desirable Development Finance? The Case of China
Authors: Liang Yan 
Published: April 2007

AbstractForeign direct investment (FDI) is often considered as a cost‐effective and risk‐reducing source for development finance. This paper, however, shows that FDI finance often entails underestimated risks and costs. FDI might react sensitively to business cycles and might not be as “permanent” as conventionally believed. FDI might also accelerate other forms of capital flow in times of financial difficulties and, hence, destabilize financial order. In addition to the risks, compensations to FDI and the high import‐dependency of FDI‐related trade lead to a considerable drain on the balance of payments. Moreover, the reliance on foreign capital for development finance is equivalent to building a Ponzi financing scheme and, therefore, is unsustainable. Given the fact that FDI financing is risky and costly and China does not lack savings, it is suggested in the present paper that China's efforts in attracting FDI should not aim at external capital provisioning.
Hepatitis C virus infection among HIV‐1 infected individuals from northern Mexico
Authors: Rivas‐Estilla Ana M. , Ramírez‐Valles Eda , Martinez‐Hernández Ramón , Charles‐Niño Claudia , Ramírez‐Camacho Ericka , Rositas‐Noriega Felix , Garza‐Rodriguez Maria L. , Barrera‐Saldaña Hugo A. , Trujillo‐Murillo Karina , Ramos‐Jimenez Javier 
Published: April 2007

Aims:  The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, risk factors and HCV genotypes in 140 HIV‐1 infected individuals from northern Mexico was determined.Methods:  Hepatitis C infection was confirmed by the detection of anti‐HCV antibodies and HCV‐RNA in sera, and genotyping was performed by the InnoLiPA‐HCV genotype assay.Results:  Seventeen (12.1%) out of 140 HIV‐infected individuals were found to be HCV‐positive. Coinfected individuals were more likely to be male (87%). The most frequent genotype was 1a (41%), followed by 1b (29.4%), 2a/c (17.6%), 2b (5.9%) and 3 (5.9%). Serum transaminase concentrations (AST and ALT) were higher in coinfected patients. Among the risk factors for coinfection: sexual transmission was the most frequently observed (men who have sex with men (MSM); 64.7% and bisexual behavior; 64.7%) followed by intravenous drug users (IVDU) (53%). There was no association of the HCV genotypes with the age and risk factors for HIV‐1 and HCV infection observed in the studied patients.Conclusion:  The results suggest that the prevalence of HIV‐1/HCV coinfection in Mexico is lower than in other American countries.
Triple therapy of initial high‐dose interferon with ribavirin and amantadine for patients with chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Uyama Hirokazu , Nakamura Hideji , Hayashi Eijiro , Ogawa Hiroyuki , Enomoto Hirayuki , Yoshida Kenya , Okuda Yorihide , Yamamoto Mitsunari , Hada Toshikazu , Hayashi Norio 
Published: April 2007

Aims:  We previously reported the potential effect of combination therapy of an initial high‐dose interferon (IFN) and amantadine on the eradication of HCV‐RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The additive effects of amantadine on interferon and ribavirin combination therapy remain controversial. In this study we investigated the efficacy of initial high‐dose IFN with ribavirin and amantadine on the virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C with a high viral load of genotype 1b.Methods:  Twenty‐two patients with high viral loads of genotype 1b hepatitis C virus were enrolled in this pilot study. Patients were administered IFN‐beta for four weeks and then IFN‐alpha2b for 22 weeks with daily oral administration of ribavirin and amantadine.Results:  A sustained virological response (SVR) was shown in 31.8% (seven of 22 patients). With the naïve patients, the SVR rate was 21.4% (three of 14 patients). In patients who could not eradicate HCV‐RNA by previous IFN monotherapy, the SVR rate was 50% (four of eight patients).Conclusion:  Triple therapy with an initial high dose of IFN with ribavirin and amantadine may be effective, especially for chronic hepatitis C IFN‐retreatment patients with a high viral load of genotype 1b.
Time-Kill and Synergism Studies of Ceftobiprole against
Enterococcus faecalis
, Including β-Lactamase-Producing and Vancomycin-Resistant Isolates
Authors: Arias Cesar A. , Singh Kavindra V. , Panesso Diana , Murray Barbara E. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

Ceftobiprole (BAL9141) is an investigational cephalosporin with broad in vitro activity against gram-positive cocci, including enterococci. Ceftobiprole MICs were determined for 93 isolates of
Enterococcus faecalis
(including 16 β-lactamase [Bla] producers and 17 vancomycin-resistant isolates) by an agar dilution method following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. Ceftobiprole MICs were also determined with a high inoculum concentration (10
7
CFU/ml) for a subset of five Bla producers belonging to different previously characterized clones by a broth dilution method. Time-kill and synergism studies (with either streptomycin or gentamicin) were performed with two β-lactamase-producing isolates (TX0630 and TX5070) and two vancomycin-resistant isolates (TX2484 [VanB] and TX2784 [VanA]). The MICs of ceftobiprole for 50 and 90% of the isolates tested were 0.25 and 1 μg/ml, respectively. All Bla producers and vancomycin-resistant isolates were inhibited by concentrations of ≤1 and ≤4 μg/ml, respectively, at the standard inoculum concentration. Ceftobiprole MICs at a high inoculum concentration for a subset of five Bla
+
E. faecalis
isolates were ≤1 μg/ml. Bactericidal activity was observed against four isolates tested at concentrations as low as 1 μg/ml regardless of the production of β-lactamase or vancomycin resistance. A combination of ceftobiprole (0.5 μg/ml) and streptomycin (25 μg/ml) was synergistic against Bla
+
TX0630 and TX5070. Ceftobiprole (0.5 μg/ml) plus gentamicin (10 μg/ml) was synergistic against VanB isolate TX2484 and showed enhanced killing, but not synergism, against TX2784 (VanA), despite the absence of high-level resistance to gentamicin. In conclusion, ceftobiprole exhibited good in vitro activity against
E. faecalis
, including Bla
+
and vancomycin-resistant strains, and exhibited synergism with aminoglycosides against selected isolates.
bla
VIM-2
-Harboring Integrons Isolated in India, Russia, and the United States Arise from an Ancestral Class 1 Integron Predating the Formation of the 3′ Conserved Sequence
Authors: Toleman Mark A. , Vinodh Hemalatha , Sekar Uma , Kamat Vijaylakshmi , Walsh Timothy R. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

The metallo-β-lactamase gene
bla
VIM-2
was identified in a strain of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
isolated in India. The integron encoding
bla
VIM-2
was virtually identical to those recently found in the United States and Russia. These unusual structures are likely to have arisen from an ancestral integron predating the formation of the 3′ conserved sequence.
The L80I Substitution in the Reverse Transcriptase Domain of the Hepatitis B Virus Polymerase Is Associated with Lamivudine Resistance and Enhanced Viral Replication In Vitro
Authors: Warner Nadia , Locarnini Stephen , Kuiper Michael , Bartholomeusz Angeline , Ayres Anna , Yuen Lilly , Shaw Tim 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACTLong-term lamivudine (LMV) treatment of chronic hepatitis B almost inevitably engenders viral resistance. Mutations that result in the replacement of the methionine at position 204 of the deoxynucleoside triphosphate-binding site of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (rt) by isoleucine, valine, or (rarely) serine (rtM204I/V/S) confer high-level resistance to LMV but reduce replication efficiency. The subsequent selection or coselection of secondary mutations that partially restore replication efficiency is common and may influence drug resistance. Genotyping has shown that LMV treatment can select for HBV rtL80V/I mutants, but their prevalence and phenotype have not been documented. Analysis of a large sequence database revealed that rtL80V/I occurred almost exclusively in association with LMV resistance, and 85% of these isolates encoded rtL80I. Coselection of rtL80V/I occurred in 46% of isolates in which LMV resistance was attributable to rtM204I but only 9% of those in which resistance was attributable to rtM204V. Moreover, rtL80V/I did not occur in HBV genotype A isolates but occurred at similar frequencies in genotype B, C, and D isolates. In vitro phenotyping showed that although the rtL80I mutant by itself replicated less efficiently and was hypersensitive to LMV compared to the replication efficiency and sensitivity of its wild-type parent, the presence of rtL80I enhanced the replication efficiency of rt204I/V mutants without significantly affecting LMV resistance. Molecular modeling revealed that rt80 does not interact directly with the enzyme's substrates. Collectively, these results suggest that coselection of rtL80V/I and rtM204I/V occurs because the former compensates for the loss of replication efficiency associated with the acquisition of LMV resistance, particularly in the case of rtM204I.
Production and Evaluation of Reagents for Detection of
Histoplasma capsulatum
Antigenuria by Enzyme Immunoassay
Authors: Lindsley Mark D. , Holland Heather L. , Bragg Sandra L. , Hurst Steven F. , Wannemuehler Kathleen A. , Morrison Christine J. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

The detection of urinary
Histoplasma capsulatum
polysaccharide antigen (HPA) by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) has proven useful for the presumptive diagnosis of histoplasmosis in AIDS patients. Assay limitations include (i) detection of a largely uncharacterized antigen and (ii) difficulty in reproducibly generating antibodies for use in the EIA. To improve antibody production for use in this test and to better understand the antigen being detected, we compared rabbit antibodies elicited using various immunization schedules, routes, and
H. capsulatum
-derived antigens. Antibodies were evaluated by EIA for their ability to detect purified
H. capsulatum
C antigen (C-Ag) and antigenuria. Reported as enzyme immunoassay (EI) units (the
A
450
with antigen divided by the
A
450
without antigen), results demonstrated that intravenous immunization of rabbits with whole, killed yeast-phase cells (yeast-i.v. regimen) produced antibodies giving the highest EI values in the C-Ag EIA (mean EI units ± standard deviation, 14.9 ± 0.6 versus 6.4 ± 0.4 for rabbits immunized with C-Ag versus 2.4 ± 0.3 for all other regimens combined). Yeast-i.v. antibodies were highly sensitive for the detection of antigenuria in patients with histoplasmosis, as shown by the following results: 12/12 patients compared to 10/12, 6/12, 3/12, and 3/12, respectively, for antibodies from rabbits immunized with (i) C-Ag; (ii) whole, killed yeast-phase cells administered subcutaneously and intramuscularly; (iii) yeast-phase culture filtrates; and (iv) HPA-positive urine. Rabbits immunized using the yeast-i.v. regimen also gave higher peak antibody titers than rabbits immunized by any other regimen (
P
< 0.03), and their antibodies were most comparable in reactivity to antibodies produced for use in the standard HPA-EIA test (
P
< 0.001). Therefore, rabbits immunized using the yeast-i.v. regimen produced the most sensitive antibodies with the highest titers for detection of C-Ag and antigenuria in histoplasmosis patients.
Performance of Two Commercial Immunochromatographic Assays for Rapid Detection of Antibodies Specific to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Types 1 and 2 in Serum and Urine Samples in a Rural Community-Based Research Setting (Rakai, Uganda)
Authors: Kagulire S. C. , Stamper P. D. , Opendi P. , Nakavuma J. L. , Mills L. A. , Makumbi F. , Gray R. H. , Serwadda D. , Reynolds S. J. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT
Rapid detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies is of great importance in developing and developed countries to diagnose HIV infections quickly and at low cost. In this study, two new immunochromatographic rapid tests for the detection of HIV antibodies (Aware HIV-1/2 BSP and Aware HIV-1/2 U; Calypte Biomedical Corporation) were evaluated in rural Africa to determine the tests' performance and comparability to commercially available conventional enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Western blot (WB) tests. This prospective study was conducted from March 2005 through May 2005 using serum and urine from respondents in the Rakai Community Cohort Survey. Nine hundred sixty-three serum samples were tested with the Aware blood rapid assay (Aware-BSP) and compared to two independent EIAs for HIV plus confirmatory Calypte WB for any positive EIAs. The sensitivity of Aware-BSP was 98.2%, and the specificity was 99.8%. Nine hundred forty-two urine samples were run using the Aware urine assay (Aware-U) and linked to blood sample results for analysis. The sensitivity of Aware-U was 88.7% and specificity was 99.9% compared to blood EIAs confirmed by WB analysis. These results support the adoption of the Aware-BSP rapid test as an alternative to EIA and WB assays for the diagnosis of HIV in resource-limited settings. However, the low sensitivity of the Aware-U assay with its potential for falsely negative HIV results makes the urine assay less satisfactory.
Noninferiority of Antibody Response to Human Papillomavirus Type 16 in Subjects Vaccinated with Monovalent and Quadrivalent L1 Virus-Like Particle Vaccines
Authors: Garland Suzanne M. , Steben Marc , Hernandez-Avila Mauricio , Koutsky Laura A. , Wheeler Cosette M. , Perez Gonzalo , Harper Diane M. , Leodolter Sepp , Tang Grace W. K. , Ferris Daron G. , Esser Mark T. , Vuocolo Scott C. , Nelson Micki , Railkar Radha , Sattler Carlos , Barr Eliav 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT
The incorporation of multiple antigens into a single human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may induce immune interference. To evaluate whether interference occurs when HPV type 16 (HPV16) virus-like particles are combined in a multivalent vaccine, we conducted a study to evaluate anti-HPV16 responses among subjects receiving three-dose regimens of either a monovalent HPV16 vaccine or a quadrivalent HPV (types 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccine.
Evaluation of an Enzyme Immunoassay for Detection of Immunoglobulin M Antibodies to West Nile Virus and the Importance of Background Subtraction in Detecting Nonspecific Reactivity
Authors: Rawlins Mindy L. , Swenson Erica M. , Hill Harry R. , Litwin Christine M. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT
Since the introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) in the United States in 1999, several assays have become commercially available to detect antibodies against WNV. Capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of WNV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for clinical testing and are available from Focus Diagnostics and PanBio, Inc. The Focus Diagnostics IgM capture ELISA utilizes a background subtraction protocol in order to detect nonspecific reactivity due to rheumatoid factor, heterophile antibodies, or other interfering substances. A background subtraction procedure is not currently recommended for the PanBio IgM capture ELISA. In previous experiments, we determined the agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of the PanBio first-generation IgM capture ELISA compared to an immunofluorescence assay and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's IgM capture ELISA. The PanBio assay has since been reformulated to improve the specificity of the assay. We evaluated the reformulated PanBio assay with and without an antigen subtraction procedure and compared the results to the Focus IgM capture ELISA. Agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of the PanBio assay were, respectively, 85%, 95%, and 76% without the subtraction protocol and 94%, 95%, and 93% with the subtraction protocol. In general, when the subtraction protocol was applied to the PanBio IgM capture ELISA, there was a reduction in some, but not all, false-positive results. We suggest that all WNV IgM assays be standardized with a procedure such as background subtraction to eliminate nonspecific reactivity that may cause false-positive results.
The HlyU Protein Is a Positive Regulator of
rtxA1
, a Gene Responsible for Cytotoxicity and Virulence in the Human Pathogen
Vibrio vulnificus
Authors: Liu Moqing , Alice Alejandro F. , Naka Hiroaki , Crosa Jorge H. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACT

Vibrio vulnificus
is an opportunistic human pathogen that preferentially infects compromised iron-overloaded patients, causing a fatal primary septicemia with very rapid progress, resulting in a high mortality rate. In this study we determined that the HlyU protein, a virulence factor in
V. vulnificus
CMCP6, up-regulates the expression of VV20479, a homologue of the
Vibrio cholerae
RTX (repeats in toxin) toxin gene that we named
rtxA1
. This gene is part of an operon together with two other open reading frames, VV20481 and VV20480, that encode two predicted proteins, a peptide chain release factor 1 and a hemolysin acyltransferase, respectively. A mutation in
rtxA1
not only contributes to the loss of cytotoxic activity but also results in a decrease in virulence, whereas a deletion of VV20481 and VV20480 causes a slight decrease in virulence but with no effect in cytotoxicity. Activation of the expression of the
rtxA1
operon by HlyU occurs at the transcription initiation level by binding of the HlyU protein to a region upstream of this operon.