bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Methods for Identification ofStaphylococcus aureusIsolates in Cases of Bovine Mastitis
Authors: Boerlin Patrick , Kuhnert Peter , Hüssy Daniela , Schaellibaum Melchior 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACTA total of 272 staphylococcal isolates from cases of bovine mastitis (159Staphylococcus aureus) belonging to 12 different species were identified with ID32 STAPH galleries, and 51 of them were confirmed by 16S rRNA gene (rrs) sequencing. The same isolates were examined for their hemolytic activity on sheep blood agar, DNase activity, and coagulase activity and with two rapid identification kits (Slidex Staph Plus kit and RAPIDEC Staph from Bio-Merieux). The results of this study confirm those obtained by other groups with hemolysis, DNase, and coagulase. Only 50% ofS. aureusisolates from mastitis cases show coagulase activity after 4 h of incubation, and a 24-h incubation is necessary for the full sensitivity of this test. In contrast to results from other studies with human isolates, the Slidex Staph Plus kit was not sensitive enough for the identification ofS. aureusfrom bovine mastitis samples. The aurease test of the RAPIDEC Staph kit showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Used in conjunction with hemolysis patterns, the RAPIDEC Staph kit is therefore very well adapted to rapid, efficient, and cost-effective identification ofS. aureusin cultures from bovine mastitis samples. Sequencing ofrrsgenes also proved very efficient in identifying theStaphylococcusspecies encountered in these samples and confirming phenotypical identification results with unsatisfactory scores. With continuously improving technologies and decreasing costs, genetic identification methods likerrsgene sequencing will soon find a place in routine veterinary diagnostics.
Multicenter Quality Control for the Detection of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Seminal Plasma Specimens
Authors: Bourlet Thomas , Levy Rachel , Laporte Silvy , Blachier Stéphane , Bocket Laurence , Cassuto Guy , Chollet Lionel , Leruez-Ville Marianne , Maertens Anne , Mousnier Fabienne , Pasquier Christophe , Payan Christopher , Pellegrin Bertrand , Schvoerer Evelyne , Zavadzki Patricia , Chouteau Jacques , Duverlie Gilles , Izopet Jacques , Lunel-Fabiani Françoise , Pawlotsky Jean-Michel , Profizi Nerina , Rouzioux Christine , Stoll-Keller Françoise , Thibault Vincent , Wattré Pierre , Pozzetto Bruno 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

The discrepant results available in the literature about the presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in seminal plasma of men chronically infected by this agent are related, at least in part, to the molecular techniques used and particularly to the wide range of protocols dedicated to RNA extraction. In order to evaluate these protocols and to standardize the method of detection of HCV RNA in this fluid, a panel of coded specimens was tested blindly in 12 French laboratories; it included 14 seminal plasma specimens and four water controls spiked with HCV RNA ranging from 10 to 20,000 IU/ml and two HCV-negative seminal plasma specimens. The extraction step was performed according to methods using either silica beads (NucliSens [Organon Teknika S.A., Fresnes, France]; RNA viral kit [Qiagen, Courtaboeuf, France]) or guanidinium thiocyanate (Amplicor HCV assay; Roche Diagnostics, Meylan, France), preceded or not by a centrifugation of the seminal plasma. For the amplification step, all the laboratories performed the same reverse transcription-PCR technique (Amplicor HCV Cobas assay). The percentage of correct results ranged from 53.3 to 100, the poorest results being obtained when no centrifugation step preceded the Amplicor extraction protocol. The rate of correct results was significantly higher in laboratories using a preliminary centrifugation of the specimen (
P
= 0.034 by chi-square test). By contrast, the overall number of correct results was not correlated to the initial volume of sample used for the test. These results allowed us to validate standardized techniques adapted to the performance of this test on a routine basis, especially in men infected with HCV and involved in programs of medically assisted reproduction.
Evaluation of Four Commercially Available Rapid Serologic Tests for Diagnosis of Leptospirosis
Authors: Bajani Mary D. , Ashford David A. , Bragg Sandra L. , Woods Christopher W. , Aye Tin , Spiegel Richard A. , Plikaytis Brian D. , Perkins Bradley A. , Phelan Maureen , Levett Paul N. , Weyant Robbin S. 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

Four rapid tests for the serologic diagnosis of leptospirosis were evaluated, and the performance of each was compared with that of the current standard, the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The four rapid tests were a microplate immunoglobulin M (IgM)-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), an indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), an IgM dipstick assay (LDS), and an IgM dot-ELISA dipstick test (DST). A panel of 276 sera from 133 cases of leptospirosis from four different geographic locations was tested as well as 642 sera from normal individuals or individuals with other infectious or autoimmune diseases. Acute-phase sera from cases (
n
= 148) were collected ≤14 days (median = 6.0) after the onset of symptoms, and convalescent-phase sera (
n
= 128) were collected ≥15 days after onset (median = 29.1). By a traditional method (two-by-two contingency table), the sensitivities for detection of leptospirosis cases were 93.2% by LDS, 92.5% by DST, 86.5% by ELISA, and 79.0% by IHA. Specificity was 98.8% by DST, 97% by ELISA and MAT, 95.8% by IHA, and 89.6% by LDS. With a latent class analysis (LCA) model that included all the rapid tests and the clinical case definition, sensitivity was 95.5% by DST, 94.5% by LDS, 89.9% by ELISA, and 81.1% by IHA. The sensitivity and specificity estimated by the traditional methods were quite close to the LCA estimates. However, LCA allowed estimation of the sensitivity of the MAT (98.2%), which traditional methods do not allow. For acute-phase sera, sensitivity was 52.7% by LDS, 50.0% by DST, 48.7% by MAT and ELISA, and 38.5% by IHA. The sensitivity for convalescent-phase sera was 93.8% by MAT, 84.4% by DST, 83.6% by LDS, 75.0% by ELISA, and 67.2% by IHA. A good overall correlation with the MAT was obtained for each of the assays, with the highest concordance being with the DST (kappa value, 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to 0.90). The best correlation was between ELISA and DST (kappa value, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.91). False-positive LDS results were frequent (≥20%) in sera from individuals with Epstein-Barr virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and periodontal disease and from healthy volunteers. The ease of use and significantly high sensitivity and specificity of DST and ELISA make these good choices for diagnostic testing.
Optimum Detection Times for Bacteria and Yeast Species with the BACTEC 9120 Aerobic Blood Culture System: Evaluation for a 5-Year Period in a Turkish University Hospital
Authors: Durmaz Gül , Us Tercan , Aydinli Aydin , Kiremitci Abdurrahman , Kiraz Nuri , Akgün Yurdanur 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

We tracked and documented the time of positivity of blood cultures by using the BACTEC 9120 (Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Instrument Systems) blood culture system over a 5-year study period. A 7-day protocol of the incubation period was selected, and a total of 11,156 blood cultures were evaluated. The clinically significant microorganisms (32.95%) were isolated in 3,676 specimens. Gram-positive and -negative bacterial isolation rates were found to be 41.07 and 44.88%, respectively. Yeasts were found in 14.03% of all pathogens. Both the false-positivity and -negativity rates were very low (0.1 and 0.3%, respectively). The mean detection times for all of the pathogens were determined to be 19.45 h. Yeasts, nonfermentative gram-negative bacteria, and
Brucella melitensis
strains were isolated within 5 days. By taking these data into account, we decided to establish a 5-day-incubation protocol in our laboratory instead of the 7 days that are commonly used.
Identification of Dermatophyte Species by 28S Ribosomal DNA Sequencing with a Commercial Kit
Authors: Ninet Béatrice , Jan Isabelle , Bontems Olympia , Léchenne Barbara , Jousson Olivier , Panizzon Renato , Lew Daniel , Monod Michel 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

We have shown that dermatophyte species can be easily identified on the basis of a DNA sequence encoding a part of the large-subunit (LSU) rRNA (28S rRNA) by using the MicroSeq D2 LSU rRNA Fungal Sequencing Kit. Two taxa causing distinct dermatophytoses were clearly distinguished among isolates of the
Trichophyton mentagrophytes
species complex.
Genetic Analysis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Russia
Authors: Yashina Lyudmila , Vyshemirskii Oleg , Seregin Sergei , Petrova Irina , Samokhvalov Evgeny , Lvov Dmitry , Gutorov Valery , Kuzina Irina , Tyunnikov Georgy , Tang Yi-Wei , Netesov Sergei , Petrov Vladimir 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

Genetic analysis of wild-type Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus strains recovered in the European part of Russia was performed. Reverse transcriptase PCR followed by direct sequencing was used to recover partial sequences of the CCHF virus medium (M) genome segment (M segment) from four pools of
Hyalomma marginatum
ticks and six human patients. Phylogenetic analysis of the M-segment sequences from Russian strains revealed a close relatedness of the strains (nucleotide sequence diversity, ≤5.0%). The strains differed significantly from CCHF viruses from other regions of the world (nucleotide sequence diversity, 10.3 to 20.4%), suggesting that CCHF virus strains recovered in the European part of Russia form a distinct group.
Comparative Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant, Non-Multidrug-Resistant, and Archaic Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
Isolates from Central Sydney, Australia
Authors: Watson Jason , Givney Rod , Beard-Pegler Mary , Rose Barbara , Merlino John , Vickery Alison , Gottlieb Tom , Bradbury Ross , Harbour Colin 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

In this study, the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of 50 methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) isolates (43 contemporary and 7 archaic strains from the mid-1960s) from four Sydney hospitals in the central Sydney area were compared. Phenotypic analysis based on antibiotic profiles and phage typing patterns categorized the MRSA isolates into three major groups: multidrug resistant (mMRSA), non-multidrug resistant (nmMRSA), and archaic. The nmMRSA isolates could be further subdivided into nmMRSA group 1, which was phage typeable and similar to the archaic group; nmMRSA group 2, which was non-phage typeable and only resistant to ciprofloxacin; and nmMRSA group 3, which was also nontypeable and generally resistant to other antibiotics. The characterization of all five phenotypic groups was then extended by genetic analysis. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis showed the 50 isolates could be sorted into 20 group-specific pulsotypes.
mecI
gene deletions and mutations at various percentages among the five MRSA groups were detected by sequencing. Several
mec
promoter mutations were also found. The overall findings indicated that nmMRSA strains may have independently acquired
mec
DNA and are more likely to be newly emergent strains than nmMRSA variants.
Transcriptional Analysis of
p30
Major Outer Membrane Protein Genes of
Ehrlichia canis
in Naturally Infected Ticks and Sequence Analysis of
p30-10
of
E. canis
from Diverse Geographic Regions
Authors: Felek Suleyman , Greene Russell , Rikihisa Yasuko 
Published: February 2003

ABSTRACT

Rhipicephalus sanguineus
ticks transmit
Ehrlichia canis
, the etiologic agent of canine ehrlichiosis. In experimentally infected ticks, only
p30-10
transcript was detected among 22
p30
paralogs encoding immunodominant major outer membrane P30 proteins of
E. canis
. The present study revealed transcription of
p30-10
by
E. canis
in naturally infected ticks and sequence conservation of
p30-10
genes for
E. canis
from diverse geographic regions.
Confidentiality and the duties of care: Table 1
Authors: O’Brien J , Chantler C 
Published: February 2003

Doctors have an ethical and legal duty to respect patient confidentiality. We consider the basis for this duty, looking particularly at the meaning and value of autonomy in health care. Enabling patients to decide how information about them is disclosed is an important element in autonomy and helps patients engage as active partners in their care.Good quality data is, however, essential for research, education, public health monitoring, and for many other activities essential to provision of health care. We discuss whether it is necessary to choose between individual rights and the wider public interest and conclude that this should only rarely be necessary. The paper makes some recommendations on practical steps which could help ensure that good quality information is available for work which benefits society and the public health, while still enabling patients’ autonomy to be respected.
Psychiatric research: what ethical concerns do LRECs encounter? A postal survey: Table 1
Authors: Osborn D P J , Fulford K W M 
Published: February 2003

Background and methods:Psychiatric research can occasionally present particular ethical dilemmas, but it is not clear what kind of problems local research ethics committees (LRECs) actually experience in this field. We aimed to assess the type of problems that committees encounter with psychiatric research, using a postal survey of 211 LRECs.Results:One hundred and seven (51%) of those written to replied within the time limit. Twenty eight (26%) experienced few problems with psychiatric applications. Twenty six (24%) emphasised the value of a psychiatric expert on the committee. The most common issues raised were informed consent (n=64, 60%) and confidentiality (n=17, 16%). The use of placebos (and washout periods) (n=18, 17%), the validity of psychiatric questionnaires (n=16, 15%) and overuse of psychiatric “jargon” (n=14, 13%) in psychiatric applications also raised concern.Conclusions:Our results suggest that LRECs have specific concerns regarding methodology, consent, and confidentiality in psychiatric research, and that they find psychiatric input invaluable.
INNOVATION DIFFUSION AND IMPLEMENTATION
Authors: DRURY D. H. , FARHOOMAND A. 
Published: February 2003

Economic progress continues to be greatly influenced by the development and adoption of innovations. Maintaining momentum necessitates understanding factors that influence the choices made by organisations. Diffusion and implementation research have each sought to understand necessary conditions and motivations and to identify obstacles. Whether these two areas of research have the same determinants, overlap, or are separate is controversially affecting the interpretation of current research. This issue is the subject of this paper. The empirical investigation compares variables of the diffusion chronology with the choice decision in implementation. This macro-level analysis reveals that the two areas are connected but there are also substantial differences. The results of this study reconfirm the emerging evidence in the literature that the innovation adoption decision should not be treated as a dichotomous organisational choice. Furthermore, the evidence strongly points to the need to develop integrative theories that include the chronological aspects of the innovation adoption process.
A RESOURCE-BASED VIEW OF ALLIANCES: THE CASE OF THE HANDHELD COMPUTER INDUSTRY
Authors: MINSHALL TIM 
Published: February 2003

Strategic alliances are a common feature of uncertain competitive environments driven by fast-changing technologies. However, research also reveals that firms find strategic alliances frequently to be more expensive, less efficient and more difficult to manage than anticipated. Alliances based around emerging technologies can suffer higher failure rates and incur greater costs than the formation of a new business venture. This paper uses a resource-based perspective to examine the variety of roles that, despite the problems they present, alliances have played in the strategies of three firms competing within the rapidly evolving handheld computer industry. The paper concludes by presenting a view that the ability of a firm to set up and manage strategic alliances can be considered as a distinct organisational capability for firms seeking to compete in a fast changing competitive environment driven by emerging technologies, and indicates possible directions for future research in this area.
CORPORATE ACTIVITIES IN SPEECH RECOGNITION AND NATURAL LANGUAGE: ANOTHER "NEW SCIENCE"-BASED TECHNOLOGY
Authors: KOUMPIS KONSTANTINOS , PAVITT KEITH 
Published: February 2003

We have used data on patents and publications, and from an Internet-based survey, to analyse corporate technological activities in Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies. Two distinct clusters of firms exist: large firms mainly in telecommunications, desktop computing and consumer electronics; and small firms specialising in speech technologies. The small specialised firms depend heavily on nearby universities and public research institutes and, to some extent, on nearby large firms; their relations with the large firms are complementary as well as competitive. Similar patterns can be observed in other, recently emerging, "new science"-based technologies. Integration between ASR and NLP has so far been weak with the two research communities functioning more or less independently, with the former progressing more rapidly than the latter. Having built technological capabilities in ASR and NLP with a small proportion of their corporate technological resources, the large firms have two options depending on the rate of progress in these technologies (especially NLP) in the future. If it is high, substantial investments (including those in complementary technologies) could open up massive market opportunities. If it is low, modest investments will allow the exploitation of niche markets.
GHOST FETUSES, FALSE PREGNANCIES, AND THE PARAMETERS OF MEDICAL UNCERTAINTY IN CLASSICAL CHINESE GYNECOLOGY
Authors: Wu Yi-Li 
Published: February 2003

AbstractThis paper examines the issue of medical uncertainty in Chinese gynecology by analyzing how classical medicine defined and explained different forms of false pregnancy. Besides recognizing that false pregnancies could mimic true ones, Chinese gynecology also recognized that true fetuses could deviate from the normal course of gestation and thus mimic false pregnancies. Therefore, the paper argues that the perceived difficulty of distinguishing between true and false pregnancies was intimately linked to the belief that female reproductive energies were easily subverted by external pathogens and internal imbalances. Special attention is given to the syndrome known as Ghost Fetus, which was originally explained as the product of human-ghost intercourse but later understood primarily as the result of excessive female emotion. During the Qing, furthermore, discussions of Ghost Fetus and other forms of false pregnancy frequently merged into discussions of female depletion and menstrual irregularity. The paper concludes that these changes in the definition of Ghost Fetus are part of a larger change in gender norms during the Ming-Qing that increasingly focused on female emotionality and physical debility.
BODY AND IDENTITY IN LIAOZHAI ZHIYI
Authors: Francis Sing-Chen Lydia 
Published: February 2003

AbstractThis paper discusses how Pu Songling (1640-1715) constructs an alternative self-identity through his artistic representations of the body in Liaozhai zhiyi. Pu's fantastic discourse of the body subverts late imperial cultural and fictional discourses, in which the corporeal body becomes a material marker of essentialized cultural identity. In Liaozhai, the body is problematized as a signifier of selfhood. The figure of the phallus as a symbol of power is detached from the physical body and dissociated from conventional concepts of sex and gender. On the thematic level, the deconstructed bodies in Liaozhai may be read as embodiments of class and gender identities transformed through an alternative fictional discourse of self-expression.
YOU MUST NOT ADD ANYTHING TO WHAT I COMMAND YOU: PARADOXES OF CANON AND AUTHORSHIP IN ANCIENT ISRAEL
Authors: Levinson Bernard 
Published: February 2003

AbstractFor all the debate in the contemporary humanities about the canon, there is little interdisciplinary dialogue on the issue, nor even meaningful input from the perspective of academic biblical studies, the one discipline that specializes in the formation and interpretation of the canon. Seeking to provide such a perspective, this article shows how cultures having a tradition of prestigious or authoritative texts address the problem of literary and legal innovation. Engaging the work of Jonathan Z. Smith on exegetical ingenuity, the study begins with cuneiform law, and then shows how ancient Israel's development of the idea of divine revelation of law creates a cluster of constraints that would be expected to impede legal revision or amendment. As a test-case, the article examines the idea that God punishes sinners transgenerationally, vicariously extending the punishment due them to three or four generations of their progeny. A series of inner-biblical and post-biblical responses to the rule demonstrates, however, that later writers were able to criticize, reject, and replace it with the alternative notion of individual retribution. The conclusions stress the extent to which the formative canon sponsors this kind of critical reflection and intellectual freedom.
RELIGION AND ETHNICITY: COMMUNITY FORMATION IN THE BRITISH ALEVI COMMUNITY
Authors: Geaves Ron 
Published: February 2003

AbstractThe article explores the Alevi community, a little-studied Muslim-influenced heterogeneous religious tradition whose roots are in Eastern Turkey, and provides recent fieldwork of the Alevi presence in London which has appeared through migration since the 1980s. This community development is compared with the older Alevi community in Istanbul. The intention is to use the high number of Alevis who live in diaspora communities to analyse the relationship between religion and ethnicity. The author argues, that even though the Alevi revival that has manifested since the 1990s and in which Alevi youth participate visibly, appears to be cultural rather than religious, closer examination of Alevi religious traditions indicates that the forms taken by the revival have their roots in traditional Alevi spiritual beliefs and practices in which values of tolerance, heterodoxy, freedom and justice prevail. The article concludes that although Alevi youth appear to be diverging significantly from their Sunni Muslim counterparts in their respective identity quests, religion plays a significant role for both although the manifestations of revival are almost diametrically opposed. This can be explained by the different manifestations of belief and practice in each community.