Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in the Clonal Nature and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Associated with Spread of the EMRSA-15 Clone in a Tertiary Care Portuguese Hospital

ABSTRACT Two hundred eighty methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates recovered from a tertiary care hospital in Oporto, Portugal, between 2003 and 2005 were studied by a combination of molecular typing techniques in order to investigate the genetic backgrounds associated with the changes in the resistance phenotypes observed since 2001 and compare them to those previously found in the hospital. All MRSA isolates were grouped into resistance profiles for a panel of seven antibiotics and characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and SCCmec (staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec) typing. Representative isolates of PFGE types were further studied by spa typing and multilocus sequence typing. Our findings clearly document that the increasing isolation of nonmultiresistant MRSA strains was associated with the decline (from 69% in 1996 to 2000 to 12% in 2003 to 2005) and massive replacement of the multiresistant Brazilian clone (ST239-IIIA) by the epidemic EMRSA-15 clone (ST22-IV), in which resistance to antibiotics other than β-lactams is very rare, as the major clone (80% of isolates). The Iberian clone (ST247-IA), a major clone in 1992 to 1993, was represented in the present study by just one isolate. Two other pandemic MRSA clones were detected, as sporadic isolates, for the first time in our hospital: the New York/Japan (ST5-II) and the EMRSA-16 (ST36-II) clones. Furthermore, the pattern of susceptibility of MRSA isolates both to gentamicin and to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was shown to be an excellent phenotypic marker for the discrimination of the EMRSA-15 clone from other nonmultiresistant MRSA clones present in our hospital.
Outsourcing in India

Starting in the early 1990s and motivated initially by the desire to cut personnel costs, many companies have explored multisite, multi-country software development approaches. India and Eastern Europe, in particular, have drawn attention. Most companies today distribute their development primarily to access human resources and competencies not available at home and only secondarily to cut labor costs. After examining various possible outsourcing models, this article reports on the experiences of Tenovis GmbH and Co. KG, a German company in the private (in-house) telecommunication domain, and its software development partner in Bangalore, India.
Under the microscope: the structure of the foreign exchange market

We provide a detailed, up-to-date description of the microstructure of the foreign exchange market and of the behaviour of participant groups. In the light of this, we highlight shortcomings in existing theoretical models of market interaction and present an outline alternative model that marries theoretical prediction and current market practice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cross-Genre Authorship Verification Using Unmasking

In this paper we will stress-test a recently proposed technique for computational authorship verification, ‘‘unmasking'', which has been well received in the literature. The technique envisages an experimental set-up commonly referred to as ‘‘authorship verification'', a task generally deemed more difficult than so-called ‘‘authorship attribution''. We will apply the technique to authorship verification across genres, an extremely complex text categorization problem that so far has remained unexplored. We focus on five representative contemporary English-language authors. For each of them, the corpus under scrutiny contains several texts in two genres (literary prose and theatre plays). Our research confirms that unmasking is an interesting technique for computational authorship verification, especially yielding reliable results within the genre of (larger) prose works in our corpus. Authorship verification, however, proves much more difficult in the theatrical part of the corpus.
Linking autism measures with the ICF-CY: Functionality beyond the borders of diagnosis and interrater agreement issues

Purpose: This study aims to: (1) link measurements used in the diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health – Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) and (2) analyse issues relating with interrater agreement within this process. Method: Three instruments for ASD diagnosis were linked with the ICF-CY using deductive content analysis. Results: Correspondences between items’ content and ICF-CY dimensions were identified for all ICF-CY components, except for environmental factors. Interrater agreement varied with the content of the units analyzed. Conclusion: The linkage between the ICF-CY and the analyzed measures provides a way to document assessment–intervention outcomes using a common language, as well as to integrate diagnostic and functional data. Diagnostic measurements provide functional information beyond the diagnostic criteria defined for autism. A functional perspective is added to diagnostic outcomes, thus better informing educational and rehabilitation practices for children with ASD.
Understanding Password Choices: How Frequently Entered Passwords Are Re-used across Websites

From email to online banking, passwords are an essential component of modern internet use. Yet, users do not always have good password security practices, leaving their accounts vulnerable to attack. We conducted a study which combines self-report survey responses with measures of actual online behavior gathered from 134 participants over the course of six weeks. We find that people do tend to re-use each password on 1.7-3.4 different websites, they reuse passwords that are more complex, and mostly they tend to re-use passwords that they have to enter frequently. We also investigated whether self-report measures are accurate indicators of actual behavior, finding that though people understand password security, their self-reported intentions have only a weak correlation with reality. These findings suggest that users manage the challenge of having many passwords by choosing a complex password on a website where they have to enter it frequently in order to memorize that password, and then re-using that strong password across other websites.
Dominant Effects of Mutations in the Collagenous Domain of Mannose-Binding Protein1

Individuals heterozygous for mutant alleles encoding serum mannose-binding protein (MBP, also known as mannose-binding lectin) show increased susceptibility to infections caused by a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. To investigate the molecular defects associated with heterozygosity, wild-type rat serum MBP polypeptides (MBP-A: 56% identical in sequence to human MBP) and rat MBP polypeptides containing mutations associated with human immunodeficiency have been coexpressed using a well-characterized mammalian expression system. The resulting proteins are secreted almost exclusively as heterooligomers that are defective in activating the complement cascade. Functional defects are caused by structural changes to the N-terminal collagenous and cysteine-rich domains of MBP, disrupting interactions with associated serine proteases. The dominant effects of the mutations demonstrate how the presence of a single mutant allele gives rise to the molecular defects that lead to the disease phenotype in heterozygous individuals.
The Use of Interventional Open MRI to Assess the Kinematics of the Lumbar Spine in Patients With Spondylolisthesis

Study Design. Open interventional MRI techniques were used to investigate the intervertebral mobility of the lumbar spine in subjects with isthmic and degenerative spondylolisthesis. The findings were compared with those in a published database of subjects with no history of low back pain. Objective. To investigate patterns of intervertebral mobility in subjects with spondylolisthesis to determine the level of spinal instability in this population. Summary of Background Data. Subjects with spondylolisthesis have been considered to present with a special form of spinal instability. Consequently, this condition is frequently managed by spinal fusion. However, confusion exists regarding whether there is excessive motion at the level of the defect. Methods. For this study, 29 subjects presenting to spinal clinics with spondylolisthesis (15 isthmic and 14 degenerative) were recruited and compared with an existing database of control subjects. The motion characteristics of these subjects in flexed and extended positions were investigated using interventional open MRI of known precision. In all the subjects, the level of resting pain, the grade of slip, and the level of the defect were noted. Results. No mobility differences, in terms of both angular and translational motion, were found between the subjects with spondylolisthesis and those with no history of low back pain, suggesting that subjects with spondylolisthesis do not present with either instability or hypermobility. Conclusion. A spondylolytic defect does not lead to detectable instability or hypermobility in the lumbar spine.
COMPARISONS BETWEEN ORGANIC & CONVENTIONAL PASTORAL DAIRY FARMING SYSTEMS: COST OF PRODUCTION AND PROFITABILITY

Organic milk production in New Zealand has expanded in recent years in response to increasing global demand for organic product. Most comparisons between organic and conventional dairying available in the literature are from Europe or North America where the conventional systems are more intensive than conventional systems in New Zealand. This paper compares the cost of production and profitability of certified organic and conventional dairy farming over five years of a Massey University system comparison trial. The difference between these pastoral farming systems was predicted to be less than that noted in the more intensive EU and the US dairy farming systems as fewer changes are required to achieve organic certification. However the results highlight the vulnerability of both pastoral systems to climatic variability and identify the additional risks of organic dairy systems.
A mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae adenylate cyclase, Cyr1K1876M, specifically affects glucose‐ and acidification‐induced cAMP signalling and not the basal cAMP level

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the addition of glucose to derepressed cells and intracellular acidification trigger a rapid increase in the cAMP level within 1 min. We have identified a mutation in the genetic background of several related ‘wild‐type’ laboratory yeast strains (e.g. ENY.cat80‐7A, CEN.PK2‐1C) that largely prevents both cAMP responses, and we have called it lcr1 (for lack of cAMP responses). Subsequent analysis showed that lcr1 was allelic to CYR1/CDC35, encoding adenylate cyclase, and that it contained an A to T substitution at position 5627. This corresponds to a K1876M substitution near the end of the catalytic domain in adenylate cyclase. Introduction of the A5627T mutation into the CYR1 gene of a W303‐1A wild‐type strain largely eliminated glucose‐ and acidification‐induced cAMP signalling and also the transient cAMP increase that occurs in the lag phase of growth. Hence, lysine1876 of adenylate cyclase is essential for cAMP responses in vivo. Lysine1876 is conserved in Schizosaccharomyces pombe adenylate cyclase. Mn2+‐dependent adenylate cyclase activity in isolated plasma membranes of the cyr1met1876 (lcr1) strain was similar to that in the isogenic wild‐type strain, but GTP/Mg2+‐dependent activity was strongly reduced, consistent with the absence of signalling through adenylate cyclase in vivo. Glucose‐induced activation of trehalase was reduced and mobilization of trehalose and glycogen and loss of stress resistance were delayed in the cyr1met1876 (lcr1) mutant. During exponential growth on glucose, there was little effect on these protein kinase A (PKA) targets, indicating that the importance of glucose‐induced cAMP signalling is restricted to the transition from gluconeogenic/respiratory to fermentative growth. Inhibition of growth by weak acids was reduced, consistent with prevention of the intracellular acidification effect on cAMP by the cyr1met1876 (lcr1) mutation. The mutation partially suppressed the effect of RAS2val19 and GPA2val132 on several PKA targets. These results demonstrate the usefulness of the cyr1met1876 (lcr1) mutation for epistasis studies on the signalling function of the cAMP pathway.
Role of Protein Kinase C in Podocytes and Development of Glomerular Damage in Diabetic Nephropathy

The early glomerular changes in diabetes include a podocyte phenotype with loss of slit diaphragm proteins, changes in the actin cytoskeleton and foot process architecture. This review focuses on the role of the protein kinase C (PKC) family in podocytes and points out the differential roles of classical, novel, and atypical PKCs in podocytes. Some PKC isoforms are indispensable for proper glomerular development and slit diaphragm maintenance, whereas others might be harmful when activated in the diabetic milieu. Therefore, some might be interesting treatment targets in the early phase of diabetes.
The muscle‐hypertrophic effect of clenbuterol is additive to the hypertrophic effect of myostatin suppression

In this study we investigated the combined effect of myostatin (MSTN) suppression and β‐agonist (clenbuterol) administration on muscle hypertrophy and the phosphorylation of muscle 4E‐BP1 and p70S6k, two downstream effectors of the Akt/mTOR anabolic pathway.
Successful treatment of toxoplasmic encephalitis diagnosed early by polymerase chain reaction after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: two case reports and review of the literature

Toxoplasmic encephalitis represents a rare, but often fatal infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based preemptive therapy is considered promising for this disease, but is not routinely applied, especially in low seroprevalence countries including Japan. We encountered 2 cases of toxoplasmic encephalitis after transplantation that were successfully treated. The diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis in these cases was confirmed by PCR testing when neurological symptoms were observed. Both patients received pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine treatments within 2 weeks of the development of neurological symptoms, and remained free of recurrence for 32 and 12 months. These results emphasized the importance of the PCR test and immediate treatment after diagnosis for the management of toxoplasmic encephalitis.
Acculturation, familism, and parent-adolescent processes: The role of adherence to traditional cultural values in reducing the risk for delinquency for Mexican American adolescents

Findings that Hispanic youth are at greater risk for delinquency than their Anglo American counterparts, have been used to suggest that traditional Hispanic cultures tolerate or even promote delinquency (Thom, 1997). However, when Hispanic youth are assessed by acculturation level, those most closely connected to the Hispanic culture of origin are at least risk for delinquency (Buriel, Calzada, & Vasquez, 1982; Fridrich & Flannery, 1995). The present study of 527 Mexican American high school students from two-parent families investigated how acculturation may function to minimize the risk for delinquency. Results indicate that Mexican American adolescents' reduced affiliation with Mexican culture is related to lower levels of the traditional Hispanic cultural value of familism and that familism is related to parent-adolescent processes linked to a reduced risk for delinquency, specifically parent-adolescent attachment and parental monitoring. Results also suggest that familism mediates the relationship between acculturation and delinquency through its effect on parent-adolescent processes related to a reduced risk for delinquency. Some gender differences were noted in follow-up analyses. For girls, only maternal monitoring was significantly related to a reduced risk for delinquency. For boys, only mother-son attachment was related to a reduced risk for delinquency. These findings are consistent with a causal model in which decreasing levels of familism help to explain the relationship between acculturation and delinquency to the extent that familism promotes parent-adolescent processes that are related to a reduced risk for delinquency, and suggest that traditional Mexican cultural values function as a protective factor for Mexican American youth and not as a risk factor. Furthermore, traditional gender role values may play a role in explaining the relationship between family processes and a reduced the risk for delinquency for Mexican American adolescents. This study suggests that relevant traditional Hispanic cultural values should be considered in designing and executing delinquency prevention and intervention programs aimed at Hispanic youth.
Influence of resistance and aerobic exercise on hunger, circulating levels of acylated ghrelin, and peptide YY in healthy males.

Resistance (muscle strengthening) exercise is a key component of exercise recommendations for weight control, yet very little is known about the effects of resistance exercise on appetite. We investigated the effects of resistance and aerobic exercise on hunger and circulating levels of the gut hormones acylated ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY). Eleven healthy male students: age 21.1 +/- 0.3 yr, body mass index 23.1 +/- 0.4 kg/m(2), maximum oxygen uptake 62.1 +/- 1.8 ml.kg(-1). min(-1) (means +/- SE) undertook three, 8-h trials, 1) resistance exercise: a 90-min free weight lifting session followed by a 6.5-h rest period, 2) aerobic exercise: a 60-min run followed by a 7-h rest period, 3) control: an 8-h rest, in a randomized crossover design. Meals were provided 2 and 5 h into each trial. Hunger ratings and plasma concentrations of acylated ghrelin and PYY were measured throughout. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant (P < 0.05) interaction effects for hunger, acylated ghrelin, and PYY, indicating suppressed hunger and acylated ghrelin during aerobic and resistance exercise and increased PYY during aerobic exercise. A significant trial effect was observed for PYY, indicating higher concentrations on the aerobic exercise trial than the other trials (8 h area under the curve: control 1,411 +/- 110, resistance 1,381 +/- 97, aerobic 1,750 +/- 170 pg/ml 8 h). These findings suggest ghrelin and PYY may regulate appetite during and after exercise, but further research is required to establish whether exercise-induced changes in ghrelin and PYY influence subsequent food intake.
Physiological responses to upper body exercise on an arm and a modified leg ergometer.

PURPOSE The present study was undertaken to compare cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and perceptual responses to upper body exercise on an arm ergometer (AE) and a modified leg ergometer (LE). METHODS Seventeen male and seven female subjects completed two experimental trials. During each trial, the subjects performed two successive 8-min steady-state arm crank exercises on either an AE or an LE. The crank frequency was kept constant at 50 rev x min(-1) during all exercise bouts. The two power outputs selected were 50 and 75 W for male subjects and 25 and 50 W for female subjects. To achieve these power outputs, the brake resistance was set at 1, 2, and 3 kg at a power output of 25, 50, and 75 W, respectively, for the AE and 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg at a power output of 25, 50, and 75 W, respectively, for the LE. Oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), expired ventilation (VE), gross efficiency (GE), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured every minute during the last 2 min of each exercise bout. RESULTS In male subjects, VO2, HR, RER, VE, and RPE were higher (P < 0.05), whereas GE was lower (P < 0.05) during arm crank exercise on an AE than an LE at power outputs of 50 and 70 W. In female subjects, similar differences in these variables between the two ergometers were also observed when exercise was performed at 50 W. However, VO2, RER, VE, and GE did not differ between the two ergometers when exercise was performed at 25 W. CONCLUSIONS Upper body exercise elicits greater cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and perceptual responses on an AE than an LE at the same power output when power output is computed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Only a click away: an investigation of Facebook memorialization

Online memorializing is increasing in popularity, specifically on Facebook. This type of memorialization has typically taken the form of groups or pages dedicated to the memory of loved ones, which, in turn, creates a community of support for people who are grieving. A sample of 250 people, with a mean age of 31.02 years (ranging from 19 to 77), volunteered to complete a questionnaire assessing use and perceptions of Facebook memorial groups and pages. Participants reported joining Facebook memorial groups, with the majority saying they visit these less than once a month, usually when alone. During these visits, participants typically looked at pictures of the deceased, with sadness being the most commonly experienced emotion. Many participants reported that Facebook memorial groups and pages allow people to remember the life of the deceased and to help in the grieving process. It was found that liking a Facebook memorial page was seen as being supportive rather than disrespectful. The majority of participants reported that Facebook memorial groups should be private rather than public. Participants who reported learning about the death of a family member on Facebook were significantly more likely to report that a deceased’s Facebook account should remain on Facebook but only be accessed by Facebook friends than participants who reported never learning about the death of a family member on Facebook. The implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.
The Effects of Communication Mode on Distributed Requirements Negotiations

Videoconferencing is generally considered as the most appropriate medium to conduct requirements negotiations between remote stakeholders. To improve the effectiveness of distributed requirements negotiations, drawing upon the postulates of theories on media selection, we argue that a combination of lean and rich media is needed. In this paper we empirically test the hypothesis that the early resolution of uncertainties through an asynchronous lean medium can shorten the list of open issues to be negotiated over a synchronous rich channel.