Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Levofloxacin Cures Experimental Pneumonic Plague in African Green Monkeys

Background Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, is considered a potential bioweapon due to rapid lethality when delivered as an aerosol. Levofloxacin was tested for primary pneumonic plague treatment in a nonhuman primate model mimicking human disease. Methods and Results Twenty-four African Green monkeys (AGMs, Chlorocebus aethiops) were challenged via head-only aerosol inhalation with 3–145 (mean = 65) 50% lethal (LD50) doses of Y. pestis strain CO92. Telemetered body temperature >39°C initiated intravenous infusions to seven 5% dextrose controls or 17 levofloxacin treated animals. Levofloxacin was administered as a “humanized” dose regimen of alternating 8 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg 30-min infusions every 24-h, continuing until animal death or 20 total infusions, followed by 14 days of observation. Fever appeared at 53–165 h and radiographs found multilobar pneumonia in all exposed animals. All control animals died of severe pneumonic plague within five days of aerosol exposure. All 16 animals infused with levofloxacin for 10 days survived. Levofloxacin treatment abolished bacteremia within 24 h in animals with confirmed pre-infusion bacteremia, and reduced tachypnea and leukocytosis but not fever during the first 2 days of infusions. Conclusion Levofloxacin cures established pneumonic plague when treatment is initiated after the onset of fever in the lethal aerosol-challenged AGM nonhuman primate model, and can be considered for treatment of other forms of plague. Levofloxacin may also be considered for primary presumptive-use, multi-agent antibiotic in bioterrorism events prior to identification of the pathogen.
Exchange Rate, Equity Prices and Capital Flows

We develop an equilibrium model in which exchange rates, stock prices, and capital flows are jointly determined under incomplete foreign exchange (forex) risk trading. Incomplete hedging of forex risk, documented for U.S. global mutual funds, induces the following price and capital flow dynamics: Higher returns in the home equity market relative to the foreign equity market are associated with a home currency depreciation. Net equity flows into the foreign market are positively correlated with a foreign currency appreciation. The model predictions are strongly supported at daily, monthly, and quarterly frequencies for 17 OECD countries vis-a-vis the United States. Correlations are strongest after 1990 and for countries with higher equity market capitalization relative to GDP, suggesting that the observed exchange rate dynamics is indeed related to equity market development. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
Point Pair Features Based Object Detection and Pose Estimation Revisited

We present a revised pipe-line of the existing 3D object detection and pose estimation framework based on point pair feature matching. This framework proposed to represent 3D target object using self-similar point pairs, and then matching such model to 3D scene using efficient Hough-like voting scheme operating on the reduced pose parameter space. Even though this work produces great results and motivated a large number of extensions, it had some general shortcoming like relatively high dimensionality of the search space, sensitivity in establishing 3D correspondences, having performance drops in presence of many outliers and low density surfaces. In this paper, we explain and address these drawbacks and propose new solutions within the existing framework. In particular, we propose to couple the object detection with a coarse-to-fine segmentation, where each segment is subject to disjoint pose estimation. During matching, we apply a weighted Hough voting and an interpolated recovery of pose parameters. Finally, all the generated hypothesis are tested via an occlusion-aware ranking and sorted. We argue that such a combined pipeline simultaneously boosts the detection rate and reduces the complexity, while improving the accuracy of the resulting pose. Thanks to such enhanced pose retrieval, our verification doesn't necessitate ICP and thus achieves better compromise of speed vs. accuracy. We demonstrate our method on existing datasets as well as on our scenes. We conclude that via the new pipe-line, point pair features can now be used in more challenging scenarios.
Capturing the Value Premium in the U.K. 1955-2001

Using a new dataset of accounting information merged with share price data we find a strong value premium in the U.K. for the period 1955-2001. It exists among small-caps as well as among large-caps. However, there are challenges for small-cap managers wishing to capture these higher expected returns. We show that rebalancing-induced portfolio turnover for indexed small-value strategies can be substantial. Coupled with the relative illiquidity of the U.K. market for small-value stocks, this calls for strategies that sacrifice tracking accuracy in favor of reduced trading needs and lower trading costs.
Effect of Procedural Justice on Organizational Commitment:Evidence from Pakistan

Procedural justice and organizational commitment are extensively studied factors paying significantly in organizational success. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of procedural justice on organizational commitment. For the said purpose primary data have been collected from 120 academicians of Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan. A likert type questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The data was collected through questionnaire and put in the data matrix on SPSS 17. The regression was used to measure the effect of procedural Justice on organizational commitment. The results indicate that procedural justice has positive significant influence on organizational commitment. Keywords : Procedural Justice, Organizational Commitment, and Academicians, Pakistan.
Critically endangered island endemic or peripheral population of a widespread species? Conservation genetics of Kikuchi's gecko and the global challenge of protecting peripheral oceanic island endemic vertebrates

To highlight the significant conservation challenge of evaluating peripheral endemic vertebrates in island archipelago systems and to assess empirically the complexities of approaches to conservation genetic studies across political and biogeographic boundaries. To demonstrate the poignant need for international collaboration and coordination when species delimitation problems with high conservation concern involve island endemics with biogeographically peripheral ranges.
Public-Private Sector Wage Differential in Estonia: Evidence from Quantile Regression

In this paper the wage differential between the public and private sector is estimated by means of the quantile regression method, which will provide a more complex picture of the distribution of the public-private sector wage differential than can be obtained with ordinary mean regression. The evidence from quantile regression shows that there is a negative wage differential for higher quantiles, but no significant difference in wages for lower quantiles. The other main results are that women benefit more from working in the public sector than men, and that employees with higher educational levels benefit more from working in the public sector than low-educated workers.
CORRELATION OF IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE AND INFECTIVITY IN THE DEVELOPING BOVINE CUTANEOUS PAPILLOMA.

Summary Bovine papilloma antigen detected by fluorescent antibody was correlated with the appearance of infectious virus and with epithelial hyperplasia and hyperkeratinization in the developing bovine cutaneous papilloma. Neither antigen nor infectious virus was found in the earliest stages of growth characterized by connective tissue proliferation and by little or no epithelial change. The cellular localization of papilloma virus antigen in nuclear material of the superficial epithelium was the same when first observed as it was in the well developed wart. Regression of the warts was accompanied by a decrease in specific antigen. Marked variations in susceptibility of individual calves to bovine papilloma virus were observed, as well as differences in the histologic development of warts produced by virus administered intradermally and by scarification.
Comparative study of normal and sensitive skin aerobic bacterial populations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if the sensitive skin syndrome, a frequent skin disorder characterized by abnormal painful reactions to environmental factors in the absence of visible inflammatory response, could be linked to a modification in the skin bacterial population. A total of 1706 bacterial isolates was collected at the levels of the forehead, cheekbone, inner elbow, and lower area of the scapula on the skin of normal and sensitive skin syndrome‐suffering volunteers of both sexes and of different ages. Among these isolates, 21 strains were randomly selected to validate in a first step the Matrix‐Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI)‐Biotyper process as an efficient identification tool at the group and genus levels, by comparison to API® strips and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing identification techniques. In a second step, identification of the skin microbiota isolates by the MALDI‐Biotyper tool allowed to pinpoint some differences in terms of bacterial diversity with regard to the collection area, and the volunteer's age and gender. Finally, comparison of the skin microbiota from normal and sensitive skin syndrome‐suffering volunteers pointed out gender‐related variations but no detectable correlation between a phylum, a genus or a dominant bacterial species and the sensitive skin phenotype. This study reveals that there is no dysbiosis of aerobic cultivable bacteria associated with the sensitive skin syndrome and further demonstrates that the MALDI‐Biotyper is a powerful technique that can be efficiently employed to the study of cultivable human skin bacteria. To our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on bacteria in the sensitive skin syndrome. These results are of potential importance for pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, which are looking for new strategies to treat this multiparametric disorder.
Insights Into Negotiating Shaun Tan’s The Arrival Using a Literature Cyberlesson

Abstract This teacher research inquiry investigated the text structural supports and challenges in reading and understanding Shaun Tan’s award winning visual narrative, The Arrival. It also studied the supports and challenges of an Internet-based instructional sequence in supporting the viewers’ comprehension of this text. Participants were 40 teachers within the context of graduate school coursework on teaching multicultural literature and the language arts. Data sources were compiled and analyzed documenting the teachers’ interpretations of the visual images and understanding of the text before, during and after the reading of the text. Results show that the text provided visual text structural cues that provided important information to readers about literary conventions such as setting and timeframe, foreshadowing, symbolism and the like. It was determined that a more systematic approach to teaching and assessing visual textual conventions would enhance understanding of the text. Three areas of strength of the instructional sequence that facilitated an understanding of the text were 1) the opportunities for social interaction and the co construction of meaning throughout the instructional sequence 2) the availability of the Internet as a tool to facilitate inquiry at the point of need, and 3) the opportunity to make the content relevant to the participants as they applied what they learned to a personal experience with immigration. This study has implications for guiding the comprehension of complex visual narratives such as The Arrival .
Beyond the PhD : the significance of boundaries in the early careers of highly qualified Greek scientists and engineers

Higher education and research have come to the forefront of international debate about economic growth highlighting the significance of doctoral education for fostering innovation and international competitiveness. Currently, there is limited information about doctoral graduates in Greece from both a demand and supply side. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the early career paths of Greek doctoral graduates in natural sciences and engineering educated in Greece and the UK, and how they are deployed in the labour market. This study is informed by the debate on human capital and its links to productivity and growth, social capital influences, career theories and the existing evidence on highly skilled migration. A mixed methods approach was adopted to deliver new quantitative and qualitative data and enable the understanding of complex phenomena, such as careers. An online survey of Greek PhD graduates was complemented by followup interviews with a sub-sample, to explore their perceptions of doctoral education and its outcomes. The career trajectories of Greek doctorate holders, together with individual and contextual determinants that shape career choices are presented. Within this investigation, the effect of country of doctoral study, and doctoral education experience are also explored. Emphasis is given to disciplinary labour markets in relation to engineering and biological sciences and the academic system in Greece as contextual considerations that influence career choices. This information is extended by a small number of interviews with Greek based non-academic employers, contributing to a better understanding of their views, informing both the PhD graduates and employers’ (mis)perceptions regarding doctoral education and its value beyond academia. Overall, it will be concluded that Greek PhD graduates are under-utilised in the Greek labour market raising concerns about educational investment and potential brain drain under the current economic crisis in Greece.
Reduced natural oscillatory frequency of frontal thalamocortical circuits in schizophrenia.

CONTEXT Converging evidence from electrophysiological studies suggests that in individuals with schizophrenia, electroencephalographic frontal fast oscillations are reduced. It is still unclear whether this reduction reflects an intrinsic deficit of underlying cortical/thalamocortical circuits and whether this deficit is specific for frontal regions. Recent electrophysiological studies in healthy individuals have established that, when perturbed, different brain regions oscillate at a specific, intrinsically generated dominant frequency, the natural frequency. OBJECTIVE To assess the natural frequency of the posterior parietal, motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortices in patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. DESIGN High-density electroencephalographic recordings during transcranial magnetic stimulation of 4 cortical areas were performed. Several transcranial magnetic stimulation–evoked electroencephalographic oscillation parameters, including synchronization, amplitude, and natural frequency, were compared across the schizophrenia and healthy control groups. SETTING Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Wisconsin–Madison. PARTICIPANTS Twenty patients with schizophrenia and 20 age-matched healthy control subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES High-density electroencephalographic measurements of transcranial magnetic stimulation–evoked activity in 4 cortical areas, scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and performance scores (reaction time, accuracy) on 2 computerized tasks (word memory [Penn Word Recognition Test] and facial memory [Penn Facial Memory Test]). RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia showed a slowing in the natural frequency of the frontal/prefrontal regions compared with healthy control subjects (from an average of a 2-Hz decrease for the motor area to an almost 10-Hz decrease for the prefrontal cortex). The prefrontal natural frequency of individuals with schizophrenia was slower than in any healthy comparison subject and correlated with both positive Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores and reaction time on the Penn Word Recognition Test. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia have an intrinsic slowing in the natural frequency of frontal cortical/thalamocortical circuits, that this slowing is not present in parietal areas, and that the prefrontal natural frequency can predict some of the symptoms as well as the cognitive dysfunctions of schizophrenia.
Barriers to Non-Formal Professional Training in Spain in Periods of Economic Growth and Crisis. An Analysis with Special Attention to the Effect of the Previous Human Capital of Workers

We analyze the determining factors of access to non-formal professional training in Spain and their evolution in recent years. Specifically, a comparison is made between a moment during a period of economic growth (2007) and the current crisis period (2012). The data used is from the Economically Active Population Survey. The sample is divided according to gender and interaction variables are included to analyze the differential effects of human capital on the probability of receiving training in the two periods considered. The hypothesis is that there are significant barriers that make access to non-formal professional training difficult (we focus on previous human capital available) and that these barriers have not ceased to operate during the economic crisis.
European economic and monetary union: Background and implications

The European Union, which currently consists of 15 states, occupies an important place among the advanced economies. The final stage of the European economic and monetary union (EMU) is scheduled to begin in January 1999 with the adoption of a common currency called the "euro. " A decision on which countries will participate in the euro area in 1999 will be made next spring based in part on the achievement of the economic criteria laid out in the Maastricht Treaty. In this article, the authors, after a brief discussion of the historical background, cast some light on the institutional aspects of the EMU, on the formulation and implementation of economic policy, as well as on the internal and external effects of EMU completion. For Canada, the direct implications of the shift to the euro appear to be relatively modest, at least in the short run.
The Effects of Walking or Walking-with-Poles Training on Tissue Oxygenation in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease

This randomized trial proposed to determine if there were differences in calf muscle StO2 parameters in patients before and after 12 weeks of a traditional walking or walking-with-poles exercise program. Data were collected on 85 patients who were randomized to a traditional walking program (n = 40) or walking-with-poles program (n = 45) of exercise training. Patients walked for 3 times weekly for 12 weeks. Seventy-one patients completed both the baseline and the 12-week follow-up progressive treadmill tests (n = 36 traditional walking and n = 35 walking-with-poles). Using the near-infrared spectroscopy measures, StO2 was measured prior to, during, and after exercise. At baseline, calf muscle oxygenation decreased from 56 ± 17% prior to the treadmill test to 16 ± 18% at peak exercise. The time elapsed prior to reaching nadir StO2 values increased more in the traditional walking group when compared to the walking-with-poles group. Likewise, absolute walking time increased more in the traditional walking group than in the walking-with-poles group. Tissue oxygenation decline during treadmill testing was less for patients assigned to a 12-week traditional walking program when compared to those assigned to a 12-week walking-with-poles program. In conclusion, the 12-week traditional walking program was superior to walking-with-poles in improving tissue deoxygenation in patients with PAD.
Numerical Analysis of Stochastic Schemes in Geophysics

We present and study the stability, convergence, and order of convergence of a numerical scheme used in geophysics, namely, the stochastic version of a deterministic "implicit leapfrog" scheme which has been developed for the approximation of the so-called barotropic vorticity model. Two other schemes which might be useful in the context of geophysical applications are also introduced and discussed.
M ODELING OF S PEECH P RODUCTION FROM THE P ERSPECTIVE OF N EUROSCIENCE

Recent neural models are capable of generating quantitative patterns of speech articulation and speech acoustics. Five models are discussed here: the DIVA model, the task dynamics model, the ACT model, the Warlaumont model and the Hickok model. These models have a more or less strong background in neuroscience. Directions are identified in this paper for a further development of quantitative production models in order to bring models more in line with recent research outcomes from neuroscience.
When Push doesn't Come to Shove

This article develops the construct of workplace forgiveness by drawing from several relevant literatures. Forgiveness is defined as a process by which an offended worker cognitively acknowledges the wrongfulness of an injurious act and deliberately chooses to release negative emotions and inhibit the desire for revenge. In contrast to revenge, forgiveness may repair damaged workplace relationships in the aftermath of a personal offense. The authors conclude with a research agenda in the form of objectives that provides researchers with a plan for investigating forgiveness.
Citizens and co-production of welfare services

Abstract A growing number of scholars question the sustainability of liberal representative democracy and a welfare state dominated by the big organizations in both the public and private sectors. The state is over extended and democracy is stretched to its limits. Walzer proposes to democratize the means of distributing welfare services by greater citizen involvement, while Hirst calls for devolving many of the functions of the state to civil society. However, missing from such macro proposals is a micro perspective of citizens co-producers. The first part of this presentation introduces the concept of co-production, with a focus on greater citizen participation in the provision of public services. A review of the literature demonstrates several advantages of co-production, but also some major hurdles. The second part ties the concept of co-production to a discussion of parents' participation in the provision of childcare services in Europe. Finally, the importance of co-production for promoting the development and renewal of democracy and the welfare state is discussed.
Guidelines on the management of ascites in cirrhosis

The British Society of Gastroenterology in collaboration with British Association for the Study of the Liver has prepared this document. The aim of this guideline is to review and summarise the evidence that guides clinical diagnosis and management of ascites in patients with cirrhosis. Substantial advances have been made in this area since the publication of the last guideline in 2007. These guidelines are based on a comprehensive literature search and comprise systematic reviews in the key areas, including the diagnostic tests, diuretic use, therapeutic paracentesis, use of albumin, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and beta-blockers in patients with ascites. Where recent systematic reviews and meta-analysis are available, these have been updated with additional studies. In addition, the results of prospective and retrospective studies, evidence obtained from expert committee reports and, in some instances, reports from case series have been included. Where possible, judgement has been made on the quality of information used to generate the guidelines and the specific recommendations have been made according to the ‘Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE)’ system. These guidelines are intended to inform practising clinicians, and it is expected that these guidelines will be revised in 3 years’ time.