Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Insect Peptide Coprisin Prevents Clostridium difficile-Mediated Acute Inflammation and Mucosal Damage through Selective Antimicrobial Activity

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis are typically treated with vancomycin or metronidazole, but recent increases in relapse incidence and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of C. difficile indicate the need for new antibiotics. We previously isolated coprisin, an antibacterial peptide from Copris tripartitus, a Korean dung beetle, and identified a nine-amino-acid peptide in the α-helical region of it (LLCIALRKK) that had antimicrobial activity (J.-S. Hwang et al., Int. J. Pept., 2009, doi:10.1155/2009/136284). Here, we examined whether treatment with a coprisin analogue (a disulfide dimer of the nine peptides) prevented inflammation and mucosal damage in a mouse model of acute gut inflammation established by administration of antibiotics followed by C. difficile infection. In this model, coprisin treatment significantly ameliorated body weight decreases, improved the survival rate, and decreased mucosal damage and proinflammatory cytokine production. In contrast, the coprisin analogue had no apparent antibiotic activity against commensal bacteria, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are known to inhibit the colonization of C. difficile. The exposure of C. difficile to the coprisin analogue caused a marked increase in nuclear propidium iodide (PI) staining, indicating membrane damage; the staining levels were similar to those seen with bacteria treated with a positive control for membrane disruption (EDTA). In contrast, coprisin analogue treatment did not trigger increases in the nuclear PI staining of Bifidobacterium thermophilum. This observation suggests that the antibiotic activity of the coprisin analogue may occur through specific membrane disruption of C. difficile. Thus, these results indicate that the coprisin analogue may prove useful as a therapeutic agent for C. difficile infection-associated inflammatory diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis.
The relationship between dividend policy, financial structure, profitability and firm value

This paper investigates the value creation process in the Tunisia stock exchange using a sample including more than 90% of the listed companies. In order to find out the determinants of the value creation of the selected companies, it uses the random probit model estimation procedure with unbalanced panel data. The results indicate that the probability of creating future values is positively and significantly correlated with profitability factor. In addition, the results also suggest that the value creation is affected by industry patterns (listed banks are the more value creator in the Tunisia stock exchange), by size (the probability to create value is stronger in small firms than in big ones) and by nature of property (the probability to create value is stronger in private-owned firms than in public-owned ones). Last but not least, the time trend factor is positive and highly significant. This finding suggests that the progressive reforms of the Tunisian stock exchange have attracted new investors, who have contributed by their purchase to the appreciation of the value of listed shares.
The effects of adding various doses of clonidine to ropivacaine in spinal anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE In this study, we compared the clinical effects of combined doses of ropivacaine and clonidine. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-five patients between ages 18 and 75, in ASA I-III groups who were to undergo elective lower extremity surgery, were included in the study with informed consent. Subjects were randomly assigned to 3 groups. Group I: % 1 ropivacaine 12 mg, group II: % 1 ropivacaine 12 mg + clonidine 15 µg, group III: % 1 ropivacaine 12 mg + clonidine 30 µg. Mean arterial pressure, breathing, heart rate and peripheral oxygen saturation, total amount of ephedrine and atropine used, sensory and motor block levels, level of sedation, pain level and complications were monitored. RESULTS The mean arterial pressure recorded in group III decreased significantly at 75, 105 and 120 min compared to groups I and II. In group I, time to two segment regression and time to sensory block to S2 was shorter when compared to the other groups (P<0.0001). The time to voiding and the duration of motor blockade was significantly longer in group I in comparison to the other groups. The need for atropine in group III was significantly higher (P<0.001). The incidence of hypotension and the requirement for ephedrine were significantly higher in groups II and III as compared to group I (P<0.01). Similarly, sedation in group III was significantly higher compared to the other groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION In summary, our study revealed that clonidine can be added to ropivacaine for spinal anesthesia in surgical interventions to obtain deeper and longer sensory and motor block. However, hypotension, bradycardia and sedation should be monitored closely.
Antagonistic Activity of Fungi Against Pythium debaryanum (Hesse) Isolated From Chilli Field Soil

Fungal phytopathogens are cause of many plant disea ses and much loss of crop yields, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Che mical fungicides are extensively used in agriculture. However, these products may cause prob lems such as environmental pollution and affect human health. Microorganisms as biocontrol a gents have high potential to control plant pathogens and no effect on the environment. In the present study antagonistic activity of some soil fungi against pythium debaryanum were studied in in vitro dual culture experiments. All the Trichoderma sp. showed the ability to inhibit the p athogen some of the species showed variability in the percentage of inhibition were di scussed.
An empirical method for the determination of wall perturbation factors for parallel-plate chambers in high-energy electron beams

The calibration of ion chambers in high-energy electron beams in terms of absorbed dose to water at the National Physical Laboratory requires knowledge of the ratio of perturbation factors in graphite and water phantoms. During a review of data required for the NPL calibration procedure an empirical model was developed to calculate the perturbation due to the rear wall, pwall, of a well-guarded ion chamber in a high-energy electron beam. The overall uncertainty in this method is estimated to be 0.4%, which is the lowest value reported to date. The model reproduces measured data at the 0.1% level or better and indicates that the NACP ion chamber has a nonzero perturbation factor in electron beams due to backscatter from the rear wall. The effect is small (<0.5%) at high energies (R50 > 4 cm, E0 > 10 MeV) but becomes large at low energies—up to 1.4% at E0 = 4 MeV (R50 = 1.2 cm). The model indicates that there is a nonzero correction for the NACP chamber in both a graphite and water phantom and that material adjacent to the air cavity has a significant effect on the measured ionization. These values are consistent with previous measurements and recent Monte Carlo calculations. The model could be used in the design of ion chambers and in the estimation of corrections for non-homogeneous systems, especially in the absence of accurate Monte Carlo simulations.
Localization of rat CLC-K 2 chloride channel mRNA in the kidney

Yoshikawa, Momono, Shinichi Uchida, Atsushi Yamauchi, Akiko Miyai, Yujiro Tanaka, Sei Sasaki, and Fumiaki Marumo. Localization of rat CLC-K2 chloride channel mRNA in the kidney. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Renal Physiol. 45): F552–F558, 1999. —To gain insight into the physiological role of a kidney-specific chloride channel, CLCK2, the exact intrarenal localization was determined by in situ hybridization. In contrast to the inner medullary localization of CLC-K1, the signal of CLC-K2 in our in situ hybridization study was highly evident in the superficial cortex, moderate in the outer medulla, and absent in the inner medulla. To identify the nephron segments where CLC-K2 mRNA was expressed, we performed in situ hybridization of CLC-K2 and immunohistochemistry of marker proteins (Na1/ Ca21 exchanger, Na1-Cl2 cotransporter, aquaporin-2 water channel, and Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein) in sequential sections of a rat kidney. Among the tubules of the superficial cortex, CLC-K2 mRNA was highly expressed in the distal convoluted tubules, connecting tubules, and cortical collecting ducts. The expression of CLC-K2 in the outer and inner medullary collecting ducts was almost absent. In contrast, a moderate signal of CLC-K2 mRNA was observed in the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop, but the signal in the cortical thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop was low. These results clearly demonstrated that CLC-K2 was not colocalized with CLC-K1 and that its localization along the nephron segments was relatively broad compared with that of CLC-K1.
Consumer Credit, Liquidity, and the Transmission Mechanism of Monetary Policy

That the lending channel is alive and well for consumer lending is at first glance a compelling notion given the growth in consumer credit. However, this paper demonstrates with disaggregated monthly and quarterly consumer credit data that the consumer loan-supply effect has diminished over time. Contrary to assumptions motivating the lending channel, households are not constrained in accessing credit from any lender (or in any form) in response to a monetary shock. The findings of this paper have important implications for research on the monetary transmission mechanism beyond the lending channel and for business cycle research in general.
Luck versus Forecast Ability: Determinants of Trader Performance in Futures Markets

Statistical techniques are used to demonstrate that the fortunes of individual futures traders are determined by luck, not forecast ability. Even though a large number of traders appear to exhibit significantly superior forecast ability, the investigation strongly supports three conclusions: there are fewer participants with significantly superior skill than expected if participants trade randomly, there are more traders exhibiting no skill than expected if participants trade randomly, and forecast ability is not correlated over time--superior forecasters in the early period are only average forecasters in the later period. Therefore it is luck that determines trader performance. Copyright 1991 by University of Chicago Press.
New Estimates of Government Net Capital Stocks for 22 OECD Countries 1960-2001

The issue of whether government capital is productive has received a great deal of recent attention. Yet empirical analyses of public capital productivity have generally been limited to the official capital stock estimates available in a small sample of countries. Alternatively, many researchers have investigated the output effects of public investment- recognizing that investment may be a poor proxy for the corresponding capital stock. This paper attempts to overcome the data shortage by providing internationally comparable capital stock estimates for 22 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
The Roles of Supervisors, Employees, and Stewards in Grievance Initiation

The authors develop a model of grievance initiation that incorporates the grievance-related behaviors of supervisors, employees, and shop stewards, such as the frequency of employee complaints to stewards and the frequency of steward attempts to resolve potential grievances informally. The model is estimated with 1989 survey data on 231 work groups. The grievance-related behavior patterns of the actors are found to be better predictors of grievance rates than the demographic characteristics, attitudes, personality, or other characteristics of employees, stewards, and the workplace, which have been the focus of previous research on grievance initiation.
The Development and Psychometric Characteristics of the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ‐20)

According to 19th century French psychiatry and contemporary clinical observations, dissociation pertains to both psychological and somatoform components of experience, reactions, and functions. Because such an instrument was lacking, we aimed to develop a self-reporting questionnaire measuring what we propose to call somatoform dissociation. Patients with dissociative disorder and with other DSM-TV psychiatric diagnoses completed a list of 75 items that, according to clinical experience and expert judgment, could reflect instances of somatoform dissociation. Separate logistic analyses and determination of discriminant indices per item revealed 20 items that best discriminated between those with and without dissociative disorders. Mokken analysis showed that these items are strongly scalable on a dimensional latent scale interpreted to measure somatoform dissociation. Reliability of the scale was high. Construct validity was supported by high intercorrelations with the Dissociation Questionnaire, which measures psychological dissociation, and higher scores of patients with dissociative identity disorder compared with patients with dissociative disorders not otherwise specified. In conclusion, the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20) is a scale of good psychometric quality, which measures somatoform dissociation. The symptoms pertain to negative and positive dissociative phenomena, which were well known in 19th century French psychiatry as the mental stigmata and mental accidents of hysteria.
'We have got the freedom' A Study of Autonomy and Discretion among Vocational Teachers in Norway and the UK

The paper examines the claim that the Scandinavian ‘social democratic’ model has been able to support ‘better’ forms of work organisation, which afford employees higher levels of autonomy and control, when compared with ‘liberal market economies’, such as the UK. It focuses specifically upon the experience of one occupational group, vocational teachers in English and Welsh colleges of further education (FE) and their counterparts in Norwegian upper secondary schools. This group has been subject to a process of educational restructuring and the application of new public management, albeit in different forms and to differing degrees. However, very little is known about how their jobs compare in terms of their levels of discretion and autonomy, and their influence in decision-making processes both within the college/school and in the wider policy environment. The paper draws upon a range of interviews undertaken within FE colleges and upper secondary schools in England, Wales and Norway, alongside interviews with national stakeholder representatives. The research finds evidence to support the view that Scandinavia is indeed distinctive, with Norwegian teachers enjoying comparatively higher levels of job quality in relation to the key indicators of autonomy, discretion and decision-making influence.
On the Contrarian Investment Strategy

Recent research has found an abnormal return on the strategy of buying lo sers and selling winners in the stock market, a finding sometimes int erpreted as support for the market overreaction hypothesis. This arti cle explores an alternative interpretation of this evidence. The auth or finds that the risks of losers and winners are not constant. The e stimation of the return of this strategy is, therefore, sensitive to the methods used. When risk changes are controlled for, only small ab normal returns are found. The model of risk and return used in the pa per is the standard capital asset pricing model. Copyright 1988 by the University of Chicago.
A Model of Dynamic Compensation and Capital Structure

This paper studies the optimal compensation problem between shareholders and the agent in the Leland (1994) capital structure model, and finds that the debt-overhang effect on the endogenous managerial incentives lowers the optimal leverage. Consistent with data, our model delivers a negative relation between pay-performance sensitivity and firm size, and the interaction between debt-overhang and agency issue leads smaller firms to take less leverage relative to their larger peers. During financial distress, a firm's cash flow becomes more sensitive to underlying performance shocks due to debt-overhang. The implications on credit spreads and debt covenants are also considered.
Rural-Urban Migration and Employment Quality: A Case Study from Thailand

This study investigates the effects of rural–urban migration on economic development in Thailand. It draws upon a panel database of 2,000 rural households collected from 2008 to 2010 in three provinces from Northeast Thailand and a survey of 650 migrants in the Greater Bangkok area conducted in 2010. The study offers some new findings on migration in Thailand. First, there is evidence that there is a need for better social protection for urban migrants. Second, the study shows that migration offers the benefit of income growth for rural households but is less effective in reducing inequality and relative poverty in rural areas. Generally, migrants are more educated albeit at an overall low education level in the rural areas. The message emerging from this paper is that poor rural households tend to produce poor migrants which could be one of the reasons for the continuous existence of a wide rural–urban divide in welfare. The crucial importance of good quality education for migrants to achieve higher quality employment calls for more investment in education quality in rural areas.
Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand: an empirical investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute further on the twin deficits debate in a developing economy.Design/methodology/approach – The data for Thailand over three decades are used as a case study.Findings – The major findings are: first, a stable, long‐run equilibrium relationship between fiscal deficit, interest rate, exchange rate, and current account was found. Second, the causal relationship between the two deficits runs from fiscal deficit to current account deficit. This evidence is supportive of the twin deficits hypothesis. Further econometric analysis reveals that the two financial variables (interest rate and exchange rate) act as intermediating variables – that is an increased fiscal deficit causes interest rate to rise, and this in turn puts pressure on the exchange rate. The appreciation of the domestic currency causes a current account deficit.Originality/value – The paper is of value by showing both direct and indirect channels to uncover the twin deficits phenomena. Based on a.
The Roles of Worker Expertise, Information Sharing Quality, and Psychological Safety in Manufacturing Process Innovation: An Intellectual Capital Perspective

This paper examines the roles of three elements of intellectual capital in implementing process innovations. Building upon prior literature, we develop a model describing how worker expertise, information sharing quality, and psychological safety work together as elements of the human, structural, and social dimensions of intellectual capital to influence the technical success of manufacturing process innovation (MPI) projects. Results of an analysis of data describing 179 MPI projects in US firms strongly support a multidimensional, process‐oriented view of intellectual capital's effects on MPI project technical performance. We also find that the incrementalness of an MPI project plays a moderating role over the relationship between worker expertise and MPI performance. Our study provides insights on how intellectual capital can be more effectively accumulated in a project environment.
Regional Dynamics in Japan: A Reexamination of Barro Regressions

Abstract Cross-section regressions, so-called “Barro regressions,” have been widely used in world and regional income data to test whether convergence takes place. This paper applies alternative methodologies, a time series test and a Markov chain model, to Japanese prefectural data and reexamines the results of J. Barro and X. Sala-i-Martin (1992, J. Japan. Int. Econ . 6 , 312–346). These methodologies show that the hypothesis of convergence as “catching up” does not hold for Japanese prefectural data. Through analyses similar to those of Barro and Sala-i-Martin, Markov chain models are shown to be more informative than cross-section regressions about the evolution of cross-section data. J. Japan. Int. Econ. , March 1999, 13 (1), pp. 61–72. ECO/CS3, OECD, 2 rue Andre-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France. Copyright 1999 Academic Press. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C21, C22, C23, E32, E37, O41.
Seeing ecology and “green” innovations as a source of change

States that over the last few years, the growing importance of the ecological question has led many executives to modify their business policies. The integration of “green” issues in the process of strategy formation has significant financial, managerial and organizational implications for the corporate system, thus requiring firms to re‐design their value chain activities and processes. This paper aims at: analysing current patterns of environmental behaviour adopted by firms; discussing whether and how the ecological challenge must be seen as a major source of change, thus identifying specific implications on the corporate system of environmental entrepreneurship; presenting the basic triggers which may foster the introduction of innovative environmental programmes.
Heritage-sustainability: developing a methodology for the sustainable appraisal of the historic environment

The application of sustainable development principles to town planning is by no means a new concept. Yet, relatively little has been written on the links between sustainability and the historic environment, notwithstanding much (recent) work in the UK which has developed methodological frameworks for measuring the environmental capacity of historic areas to accommodate growth. Interest in the relationship between heritage and sustainability, within English practice, dates to the mid 1990s when the government’s lead advisor on conservation initiated a debate on the role of the historic environment in engendering sustainability. A number of instrumental publications, at that time, devoted attention to the relationship between heritage, economic regeneration and identification with place. This powerful amalgamation of benefits, in 2004, became a driving force behind a debate on the benefits of the historic environment, promoted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS, 2004). Much literature in this area extols the virtues of heritage in providing meaning and value to environmental, social and economic criteria. This article sets out to establish a framework for appraising sustainability in the heritage sector. Focusing ostensibly on case study material, a methodology is advanced for the promotion and appraisal of other projects that seek to promote sustainability. The hypothesis tested by this work is that policy makers in the heritage sector need to pay regard to a ‘bespoke’ application of sustainability when devising indicators to measure the consequences of their actions. It follows that the null hypothesis, therefore, is that such projects can be measured by generic indicators, applicable to both heritage and non heritage projects. The case studies are themselves drawn from the work of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, the UK’s (and indeed Europe’s) largest conservation charity and owner of a vast and diverse portfolio of land and property in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This gives the work a particular focus on those jurisdictions; however, wider lessons are drawn which can Planning, Practice & Research, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 285–305, August 2004