Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with the presence of drug-resistant bacteria and recurrent acute otitis media in children – a study in a private clinic

Conclusions. The proportion of drug-resistant bacteria was lower than previous reports. In children with acute otitis media (AOM), lower age, presence of multiple bacteria, and otitis media with effusion (OME) represented significant factors for recurrent AOM and the presence of drug-resistant bacteria. Objective. Recently, the proportion of drug-resistant bacteria has been increasing in children with AOM. We studied the proportion of drug-resistant bacteria and background factors for detection of drug-resistant bacteria and recurrent AOM in a private clinic. Subjects and methods. Subjects comprised 170 patients <12 years old with AOM. Middle ear fluid was collected and pathogenic bacteria were identified. The following factors were considered: age, sex, use of antibiotics in the past 1 month, past history of recurrent AOM, presence of OME, and multiple bacteria of the three main strains (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis). Results. A total of 169 strains were detected in 77% of children with AOM. Drug-resistant bacteria comprised 44 of the 169 strains (26%). Lower age (p=0.001) and presence of multiple bacteria (p<0.001) represented significant factors for the presence of drug-resistant bacteria. OME was a significant factor for recurrent AOM (p<0.001).
Syncytial giant-cell hepatitis due to autoimmune hepatitis type II (LKM1+) presenting as subfulminant hepatitis

Giant cell hepatitis (GCH) in adults is a rare event. The diagnosis of GCH is based on findings of syncytial giant hepatocytes. It is commonly associated with either viral infection or autoimmune hepatitis type I. A patient with GCH due to autoimmune hepatitis type II (LKM1+) is described, a combination that has not been previously reported. Corticosteroid therapy was effective in decreasing serum liver enzymes; however, the patient deteriorated rapidly and developed subfulminant hepatic failure. Although an emergency orthotopic liver transplantation was performed, the patient died because of reperfusion injury. Interestingly, only a few giant hepatocytes were noted in the explanted liver. This case stresses the association of GCH with autoimmune disorders, the possible immune mechanism involved in the formation of giant cell hepatocytes, and illustrates the rapidly progressive course and unfavorable prognosis that these patients can develop.
Muller cell expression of genes implicated in proliferative vitreoretinopathy is influenced by substrate elastic modulus.

PURPOSE Matrix stiffness is recognized increasingly as a significant factor in cell and tissue function. To understand better the mechanosensitivity of Müller cells and its association with vitreoretinal disorders, we examined morphology, propagation, and expression of genes in Müller cells that were cultured on substrates of varying elastic moduli. METHODS A conditionally immortalized mouse Müller cell line was cultured on laminin-coated polyacrylamide substrates with calibrated Young's moduli. Glass was used as a control. Phase contrast, fluorescence, and atomic force microscopy were used to study cell morphology and propagation. Expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes was analyzed using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. RESULTS The adherent area, stiffness, and propagation of Müller cells all are affected by matrix stiffness, but to different extents and with different ranges of sensitivity. Of 85 ECM genes tested 11 showed a continuous >4-fold increase or decrease in mRNA expression as a function of the substrate elastic modulus. The changes were statistically significant in four genes: connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf, P = 0.04), tenascin C (Tnc, P = 0.035), Collagen Iα1 (Col1a1, P = 0.0001), and Collagen IVα3 (Col4a3, P = 0.05), with all showing increased expression on softer substrates. CONCLUSIONS There are significant changes in morphology, cytoskeletal integrity, and gene regulation in Müller cells as a function of the stiffness of the substrate. Changes in local tissue elastic modulus may have a role in vitreoretinal disorders. These findings also may have implications for strategies for improved integration of retinal prosthetics, and for stem cell therapies, particularly targeting the transcriptional regulators YAP and TAZ.
The Politics of Bluefin Tuna in Malta

This paper analyzes the politics of bluefin tuna in Malta within the first years of EU accession (2004-9). The paper concludes that despite making certain impacts, ENGOs (environmental non-governmental organizations) were unsuccessful in creating a hegemonic formation to stop the fishing of bluefin tuna until stocks recover.
Accounting for public heritage facilities – assets or liabilities of the government?

Public heritage facilities – national parks, art galleries, museums and so on – are now required by professional accounting standards in Australia to be valued and included in government general purpose financial statements as assets. This study challenges the appropriateness of such an accounting treatment in relation to the SAC4 definition of assets and the purported usefulness of the information. Instead it is argued that these facilities are public goods, and that commercial accounting principles should not be applied to them. The article explains the nature and significance of public goods and how they differ from private goods. It explains why commercial accounting principles are irrelevant for public heritage facilities because their objectives are social rather than financial and why commercial valuations are irrelevant and unreliable if applied to them. Finally, it is contended that the facilities are assets held in trust for the nation by government and hence should not be included in its general purpose financial reports.
Glucose Effectiveness in Obese Children: Relation to Degree of Obesity and Dysglycemia

OBJECTIVE Impaired glucose effectiveness (GE) plays a role in the deterioration of glucose metabolism. Our aim was to validate a surrogate of GE derived from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and to assess the impact of degrees of obesity and of glucose tolerance on it. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The OGTT-derived surrogate of GE (oGE) was validated in obese adolescents who underwent an OGTT and an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT). We then evaluated anthropometric determinants of the oGE and its impact on the dynamics of glucose tolerance in a cohort of children with varying degrees of obesity. RESULTS The correlation of oGE and IVGTT-derived GE in 98 obese adolescents was r = 0.35 (P < 0.001) as a whole and r = 0.51 (P < 0.001) in subjects with normal glucose tolerance. In a cohort of 1,418 children, the adjusted GE was associated with increasing obesity (P < 0.001 for each category of obesity). Quartiles of oGE and the oral disposition index were associated with 2-h glucose levels (P < 0.001 for both). Among 421 nondiabetic obese subjects (276 subjects with normal glucose tolerance/145 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance who repeated their OGTT after a mean time of 28 ± 16 months), oGE changes were tightly associated with weight (r = 0.83, P < 0.001) and waist circumference changes (r = 0.67, P < 0.001). Baseline oGE and changes in oGE over time emerged as significant predictors of the change in 2-h glucose levels (standardized B = −0.76 and B = −0.98 respectively, P < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS The oGE is associated with the degree of and changes in weight and waist circumference and is an independent predictor of glucose tolerance dynamics.
Tuberculosis in Greenland — current situation and future challenges

Objective. To describe the tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology in Greenland in 1998–2002 and to identify possible obstacles for reducing the TB incidence. Study design/Methods. TB notification data were collected from the annual reports of the Chief Medical Officer, and culture verification data were collected from the International Reference Laboratory of Mycobacteriology at Statens Serum Institut, Denmark. Results. The TB incidence in Greenland reached a peak of 185/100,000 in 2001. In 1999-2001, the majority of cases were related to an outbreak in the Southern districts. In 1998-2002, 0.5% drug-resistance was found among patients living in Greenland in contrast to 13.1% drug-resistance found previously among Inuit patients in Denmark. In 1998-2001, microscopy positive cases made up 65% of all culture confirmed cases and DNA subtyping demonstrated the emergence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains that were previously infrequently found. Conclusion. It is important to eliminate factors that fuel the epidemic and to improve general living conditions in Greenland. Treatment seems effective as limited drugresistance is detected. TB reduction will therefore depend on early detection of active disease and thorough contact tracing. Greenland will face a pool of persons latently infected some of whom will progress to active disease. Sufficient resources need to be allocated for TB control in the years to come.
Do Workplace Smoking Bans Reduce Smoking?

In recent years there has been a heightened public concern over the potentially harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). In response, smoking has been banned on many jobs. Using data from the 1991 and 1993 National Health Interview Survey and smoking supplements to the September 1992 and May 1993 Current Population Survey, we investigate whether these workplace policies reduce smoking prevalence and smoking intensity among workers. Our estimates suggest that workplace bans reduce smoking prevalence by 5 percentage points and average daily consumption among smokers by 10 percent. The impact of the ban is greatest for those with longer work weeks. Although workers with better health habits are more likely to work at establishments with workplace smoking bans, estimates from bivariate probit and two-stage least square equations suggest that these estimates are not subject to an omitted variables bias. The rapid increase in workplace bans can explain all of the recent sharp fall in smoking among workers relative to non-workers.
Accrual accounting in the public sector: the case of the New South Wales government

Accounting technologies have dominated public sector management reforms and accrual based financial reporting has been significant amongst these technologies. This paper examines the process of change in the New South Wales Government’s early adoption of accrual based financial reporting. The study’s main objective is to present a history that identifies the agents of change promoting and facilitating an early adoption of public sector accrual accounting. The main primary data source for this research was interviews with three categories of participants who had some involvement in the decision that dates back to the late 1980s. Historical research methods were used within an analytical framework provided by a proposed variant of Luder’s (1994) Contingency Model. The paper finds that a revised Contingency Model is useful as a framework and that the major role played by management consultants was a significant aspect of the case study.
Simultaneous monitoring of separate fetal magnetocardiographic signals in twin pregnancy

Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) allows the non-invasive recording of fetal cardiac electrical activity with increasing efficacy as gestation progresses. Many reports on the successful extraction of reliable fetal magnetocardiographic traces in singleton pregnancies exist in the literature, whereas there is only one report on the reconstruction of averaged fetal cardiac signals obtained in a twin pregnancy with the use of a double sensor array system. In this paper, we aimed at assessing the effectiveness of an ICA-based procedure to reconstruct the time course of fetal cardiac signals recorded with a single-shot multi-channel fMCG device in an uncomplicated twin pregnancy at 27 weeks. The evaluation of heart rate and beats synchronicity permitted the differentiation of fetal components; the quality of reconstructed fetal signals allowed visual inspection on single cycles and the simultaneous monitoring of separate fetal heart rate patterns. The proposed technique might be applied in twin pregnancies not only to characterize fetal arrhythmias, but also in all cases of discordant fetal growth, either in the case of intra-uterine growth retardation affecting one fetus, or in the case of twin–twin transfusion syndrome, a life-threatening condition where both fetuses are at risk of heart failure.
Taxes and Stock Return Seasonality: Evidence from the London Stock Exchange

Prior to the introduction of capital-gains taxes, seasonality is not detected in the returns of firms that traded on the London Stock Exchange. However, after the imposition of a capital-gains tax, the British stock return data exhibit apparent monthly effects in both Jan uary and April. Additional analysis reveals that, while the April effect is consistent with the tax-loss-selling hypothesis, the January effect cannot be attributed solely to the introduction of capital-gains taxation. Furthermore, the authors efforts indicate that much caution should be exercised when interpreting studies that compare results from non-U.S. data sources with those from U.S. data. Copyright 1987 by the University of Chicago.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

INTRODUCTION After cardiac surgery, patients have a limitation in respiratory muscle strength, which favors the appearing of pulmonary complications. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on the painful process and respiratory muscle strength in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). METHODS The study included patients after on-pump CABG through sternotomy, general anesthesia, without being under the influence of neuromuscular blockade, with use of chest and mediastinal tubes, and extubation within 6 hours after the procedure and presenting index equal to or greater than three visual analog scale (VAS) of pain being on the first day after surgery. We recruited 20 patients divided into two groups with no predominance of sex: the control group (n = 10), who received more physiotherapy analgesic therapy, and TENS group received analgesic therapy, physiotherapy and TENS. The TENS was applied for 30 minutes, three times a day, a 3-hour period each application. RESULTS For the degree of pain, there was an average start and end, respectively, 7.0 / 1.0 for the TENS group and 7.0 / 8.0 for the control group. For inspiratory muscle strength, - 102.5 cmH2O / - 141.17 cm H2O to the TENS group and - 97.0 cmH2O / - 100.3 cm H2O for control. The expiratory muscle strength, 63cmH2O/125 cmH2O for the TENS group and 55.3 cmH2O/53, 2 cmH2O for the control group. CONCLUSIONS TENS has shown significant effectiveness in reducing pain, and the increase in respiratory muscle strength at first-day after CABG surgery.
Shooting an Elephant: and other essays

Why I write the spike a hanging shooting an elephant bookshop memories Charles Dickens boy's weeklies my country right or left looking back on the Spanish War n defense of English cooking good bad books the sporting spirit nonsense poetry the prevention of literature books versus cigarettes decline of the English murder some thoughts on the common toad confessions of a book reviewer politics versus literature - an examination of "Gulliver's Travels" how the poor die such, such were the joys reflections on Gandhi.
Protectionism in Direct Democracy

Public choice theory provides arguments to explain why protectionism is prevalent all over the world. In this paper it is argued that even when citizens have the possibility to decide on trade barriers in direct democracy, tariffs are maintained or even increased. This result is traced to the process of drafting the proposal, the individual decision to participate in the vote and the efforts to become informed properly about the alternatives put to the vote. As first an empirical investigation is made to test the theoretical hypotheses about protectionism in direct democracy by using data for referendums in Switzerland.
A spatial cross-sectional analysis of political trends in Italian municipalities

The aim of this paper is to detect mimicking behaviour in the tax setting of local governments which share similar political ideology. We conduct an empirical investigation of municipalities' cross-sectional data of the Marche region using spatial econometrics models. Discriminating between several sources of fiscal interaction, empirical evidence suggests that municipalities governed by the same coalition tend to implement similar tax rates according to their ideology. Copyright (c) 2008 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2008 RSAI.
An Ecotourism Behavioural Model of National Forest Recreation Areas in Taiwan

SUMMARY This study applied satisfaction as the mediating variable and combined theory of planned behaviour to develop the ecotourism behavioural model for national forest recreation areas in Taiwan. Six national forest recreation areas in different altitude zones were sampled using stratified random sampling. Visitors were randomly sampled and surveyed at national forest recreation area exits using the systematic sampling method. A total of 1 057 valid questionnaires were analyzed. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control affected satisfaction directly and behavioural intention and behaviour indirectly. Subjective norm had the strongest affect on satisfaction, followed by perceived behavioural control and attitude. Satisfaction and behavioural intention were significant mediating variables in this behavioural model.
The employment effect of minimum wage using 77 international studies since 1992: A meta-analysis

Until the early 90’s a strong consensus existed among economists that minimum wage has negative employment effects. However, in 1992, the studies by Card (1992a) and Katz and Krueger (1992), who found insignificant and slightly positive effects, respectively, came to create a schism. Since then a divergence of views expressed by conflicting empirical studies exists in the literature. In our paper, we use a meta-sample of 77 international studies from 18 countries to investigate this relationship. Our analysis suggests that there is evidence of publication selection, but no effect of minimum wages on employment measures. Additionally, using 27 moderators as potential explanatory variables in order to explain the variation among studies, we find that study characteristics related to the data, the model specifications and the group concerned, diversify the degree of the effect.
The Utility of Teacher and Student Surveys in Principal Evaluations: An Empirical Investigation. REL 2015-047.

Does adding teacher and student survey measures to existing measures (such as supervisor ratings and student attendance rates) increase the power of principal evaluation models to explain across-school variance in valueadded achievement gains? This study found that the classroom instructional environment measure and the instructional leadership measure significantly increase the explained across-school variance in valueadded achievement gains—by 28.8 percentage points in math and by 26.5 percentage points in a composite of math and reading.
Diffusion du capital humain et effets d'entreprise. Approche par frontière de gains sur données appariées marocaines et tunisiennes

[eng] Human capital diffusion and firm effects: an earnings frontier approach on moroccan and tunisian data. This article proposes an estimation on Moroccan and Tunisian matched data of the human capital external effects on wages and of interfirms wage differentials. The data allow to introduce the organizational features and the average human capital of firms into an earnings function. The results show that teamwork and job rotation stimulate a positive externality of education on earnings. Interfirms wage differentials of Moroccans are explained by compensating wages for working conditions. The wage practices of Tunisian employers could be justified by alternative approaches (efficiency wages). The estimation technique allows to isolate and to examine the distribution of the "wage inefficiency" of employees. [fre] Cet article propose une estimation, sur des donnees appariees marocaines et tunisiennes, des effets externes du capital humain sur les gains et des differentiels de gains interentreprises. Les donnees permettent d'introduire dans une fonction de gains les facteurs organisationnels et le capital humain moyen des entreprises. Les resultats montrent que le travail en groupe et la polyvalence stimulent l'externalite positive de l'education sur les gains. Les differentiels de gains interentreprises des Marocains s'expliquent par des compensations de salaire pour les conditions de travail. Les pratiques salariales des employeurs tunisiens pourraient etre justifiees par des approches alternatives (salaire d'efficience). La technique d'estimation permet d'isoler la repartition des « inefficiences salariales » des employes.
Greenbelts to Contain Urban Growth in Ontario, Canada: Promises and Prospects

Abstract Greenbelts have been widely applied to contain urban growth, provide recreational opportunities, and improve the quality of life. Since 2005, the Province of Ontario, Canada has established a greenbelt in response to rapid urban growth threatening agricultural lands and natural heritage. This research paper assesses Ontario's greenbelt initiative by examining four factors identified by previous studies as contributors to successful applications of greenbelt policies. Factors examined include: political will, pubic support, greenbelt planning, and enabling legislation. The paper points to Ontario's greenbelt strengths and challenges, and provides policy recommendations that may contribute to successful greenbelt applications.
Finance, Corporate Governance, and the Employment Relationship

This comparative paper examines the relationship between equity markets and corporate governance on one hand, and job tenure, training, and pay on the other. Two dimensions of equity markets and corporate governance are used: share trading activity and mergers and acquisitions. There is support for the posited links between these measures and job tenure, employee stock ownership plans, pay dispersion, and collective bargaining arrangements. Evidence on the relationship with training is more mixed.
THE IMPACT OF UNEXPECTED EARNINGS AND DIVIDENDS ON ABNORMAL RETURNS TO EQUITY

: This paper contributes to the empirical literature which documents the existence of a positive association between unexpected earnings and/or dividend announcements and abnormal returns to equity. The paper addresses some of the methodological limitations evident in the literature. In particular, one methodological difficulty encountered by previous studies is that since earnings and dividend announcements are usually made contemporaneously it is difficult to assess the marginal effect of either announcement on security returns. This problem is dealt with by constructing portfolios of securities which are randomized with respect to unexpected earnings (dividends), but which are systematically ranked on unexpected dividends (earnings). The results indicate that unexpected earnings announcements have a significant marginal impact on abnormal returns. In addition, there is evidence of an impact of unexpected dividends on returns, but it is weaker than unexpected earnings.