Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
National Factors in Gubernatorial Elections

This paper explores the determinants of gubernatorial election outcomes at the national level. Gubernatorial elections are found to be sensitive to swings in the national economy and presidential popularity. Somewhat surprisingly, gubernatorial elections are not found to be sensitive to the type of midterm election phenomenon found in congressional elections. Also, incumbency is a very important determinant of gubernatorial election outcomes.
Circulating prolactin and breast cancer risk among pre- and postmenopausal women in the EPIC cohort.

BACKGROUND Experimental and epidemiological evidence suggests that prolactin might play a role in the etiology of breast cancer. We analyzed the relationship of prediagnostic circulating prolactin levels with the risk of breast cancer by menopausal status, use of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at blood donation, and by estrogen and progesterone receptor status of the breast tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the data from a case-control study nested within the prospective European EPIC cohort, including 2250 invasive breast cancer and their matched control subjects. RESULTS Statistically significant heterogeneity in the association of prolactin levels with breast cancer risk between women who were either pre- or postmenopausal at the time of blood donation was observed (Phet = 0.04). Higher serum levels of prolactin were associated with significant increase in the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women [odds ratio (OR)Q4-Q1 = 1.29 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.05-1.58), Ptrend = 0.09]; however, this increase in risk seemed to be confined to women who used postmenopausal HRT at blood donation [ORQ4-Q1 = 1.45 (95% CI 1.08-1.95), Ptrend = 0.01], whereas no statistically significant association was found for the non-users of HRT [ORQ4-Q1 = 1.11 (95%CI 0.83-1.49), Ptrend = 0.80] (Phet = 0.08). Among premenopausal women, a statistically non-significant inverse association was observed [ORQ4-Q1 = 0.70 (95% CI 0.48-1.03), Ptrend = 0.16]. There was no heterogeneity in the prolactin-breast cancer association by hormone receptor status of the tumor. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that higher circulating levels of prolactin among the postmenopausal HRT users at baseline may be associated with increased breast cancer risk.
Hybrid Firms and Transit Delivery: The Case of Berlin

type="main" xml:lang="de"> Berlin, en Allemagne, a utilise un modele de restructuration du secteur public et de privatisation partielle pour reduire les couts du travail et promouvoir les innovations de processus dans son reseau de transport en commun. A partir de donnees financieres et empiriques, les auteurs estiment que la privatisation partielle reduit les salaires et les avantages mais qu'un effort important de syndicalisation a erode la plupart des economies de cout du travail. Ils trouvent qu'une restructuration partielle du service du secteur public est plus efficace que la privatisation dans le but d'encourager la diminution du personnel et de concevoir une voie de restructuration reduisant les couts du systeme tout en augmentant la satisfaction des utilisateurs/consommateurs par rapport aux services de transport. Cette etude de cas suggere que des entreprises mixtes publiques-privees peuvent etre moins importantes comme moyen de maitrise des avantages de la gestion du secteur prive et plus importantes comme moyen de defier les droits du travail.
Can Cultures Really Change? The Impact of Specialist Sports College Status on an English High School.

This research explores the development of a Specialist Sports College within a framework of educational justice. It asks whether the development of the Specialist School can really mean equality of opportunity for all children, when some schools will, as a result, receive considerably more funding than others. It also considers the contentious policy location of the Specialist Sports College, found somewhere between ideologies of health and fitness for all and the development of elite sportsmen and women of the future. By investigating the transformation of one school into a Specialist College using a Case Study approach, this research explores the concept of transforming a school’s culture, and questions the Government’s expectations within this concept arena. What are the micro, lived effects of the macro policy of the Specialist School? By exploring the key themes that emerged through the data I conclude that transforming cultures is a far more complicated task than the Government perceive and also that the introduction of a single subject specialism may, in reality, lead to more division than unity. I also question whether PE can ever be a subject area that truly offers the possibility of success for all.
Prevalence and genotypic relatedness of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most common multidrug-resistant pathogen causing nosocomial infections across the world. MRSA is not only associated with significant mortality and morbidity but also places a large economic strain on our health care system. MRSA isolates are also typically resistant to multiple, non-β-lactam antibiotics. We conducted a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital, to determine the prevalence of MRSA and to establish the clonal distribution of MRSA isolates recovered from various clinical specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinical samples were cultured and S. aureus was identified as per standard microbiological procedures. Susceptibility testing was done by agar disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method as recommended by CLSI. Methicillin resistance was detected by phenotypic methods namely, oxacillin disc diffusion (ODD), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of oxacillin, cefoxitin disk diffusion (CDD), and MIC of cefoxitin. Amplification of mecA gene by PCR was used as gold standard for detection of methicillin resistance. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing was performed for MRSA isolates. RESULTS Out of 390 S. aureus isolates, 154 (39.48%) isolates were MRSA and 236 (60.51%) isolates were MSSA. Penicillin was the least effective antibacterial drug against the hospital associated S. aureus isolates with 85.64% resistance rate. All the isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. The MRSA showed a high level of resistance to all antimicrobials in general in comparison to the MSSA and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Multiplex PCR performed for all strains showed amplification of both the mecA and nucA genes in MRSA strains whereas MSSA strains showed amplification of only nucA gene. PFGE of these isolates showed 10 different patterns. CONCLUSION Prevalence of MRSA in our hospital was 39.48%. Most of these isolates were resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, cotrimoxazole, and ciprofloxacin, whereas high sensitivity was seen to vancomycin followed by gentamicin. CDD and MIC for cefoxitin showed 100% sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV as compared to PCR for mecA gene. In maximum number of isolates PFGE type A pattern was seen suggesting clonal relatedness.
A Study of Primary Schools in the Elias Piña Province on the Dominican Haitian Border: Immigrant Haitian Access to Education in the Dominican Republic in the 2010 Post-Earthquake Era

The research question of the study asked "In the post 2010 earthquake, what are the conditions faced by Haitian immigrants in accessing primary public education in the Dominican Republic"? Within the context of primary education, the study takes place in the town of Comendador, the capital of the Eli? as Pin? a province in the Dominican Republic. Using a mixed methods approach, incorporating ethnographic methods and database analysis, the study documents the voices of Haitian and Dominican parents, Dominican school personnel, non-governmental organization (NGO) officials and community stakeholders. Within the construct of access, there are six areas of focus: educational policy, curriculum and instruction, professional development and resources, parent involvement, intercultural communications, and praxis. Data collection tools included field notes, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, analysis of the Latin American Opinion Project (LAPOP), and analysis of a household composition database. The findings of the study indicate six themes: (1) educational policy, Dominican law provides Haitian children with school registration, yet school officials are allowed the flexibility of adherence; (2) curriculum and instruction, using a national curriculum, teachers are not providing a comprehensible education to Haitian students; (3) professional development and resources, teachers recognized the need to make instruction meaningful for Haitian students; (4) parent involvement, undocumented Haitian parents did not feel safe at school sites; (5) intercultural communications (ICC), educators' behaviors towards Haitian immigrant children and parents demonstrated empathy, yet lacked more advanced levels of ICC and, (6) praxis, there was an absence of advocates for Haitian. In the case of stakeholders and educators in Eli? as Pin? a the study suggests that, for the most part, few had the experience and background to understand the complexity of Haitian immigrant students and families who expressed living in fear of the authorities, suspicion of who to trust, and despair with regards to living day to day. While education for their children was seen as a positive need for survival in the Dominican Republic, Haitians' lack of understanding of the Dominican educational system leads to the perception that Haitian immigrant parents were not engaged in the education of their children.
The performance of exchange rate forecasting models: An economic evaluation

Theoretical models of exchange rate determination have not proven useful as accurate predictors of movements in exchange rates. However, these conclusions are the result of evaluation on the basis of statistical criteria of performance; implicitly assuming such criteria are optimal in the subsequent economic decision framework. This assumption is suspect, though, because statistical criteria do not account for market timing is applied in this study to four forecasting models of both the Canadian dollar/US dollar and the West German mark/US dollar exchange rates over the period 1976:11–1984:8. Of these models, only the unconstrained static and dynamic forecasting models exhibited significant markete timing value with respect to the Canadian dollar and then only over a one month time horizon. The constrained dynamic model had market timing abillity at the three month time horizon under Decision Rule I. With respect to the West German mark, the constrained static forecasting model showed market timing abilit.
Inherent and growth stage‐related differences in growth and lipid and sterol composition of algal species sensitive and tolerant to sterol‐inhibiting fungicides

Fourteen algal species representing five algal classes were evaluated as to the effects of four sterol‐inhibiting fungicides (SIFs) on growth. Sensitivity to SIFs was related to species, chemical, and concentration. Species of Chlorella sensitive and tolerant to SIFs were further compared relative to inherent and growth stage‐related differences in lipid, free sterol (FS), and steryl ester (SE) composition. Inherent and growth stage‐related qualitative and quantitative differences in FS and SE composition were apparent between the two species examined. The qualitative FS and SE composition was particularly different. The importance of lipids, FS, and SE in membrane structure and control of membrane function is well established. Species differences and environmentally (growth stage, light, temperature, and nutrition) induced changes in lipid composition may be part of the basis for sensitive and tolerant responses to SIFs and xenobiotics in general. The ability of lipophilic xenobiotics to partition into membranes most likely depends on the qualitative and quantitative composition of membrane components, at any given time, and seems to be highly dynamic. Although the biochemical mechanism of action of SIFs is well established, the ability for passive bioaccumulation of such compounds in algae may be equally as important.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Region of Difference (RD) 2 Antigen Rv1985c and RD11 Antigen Rv3425 Have the Promising Potential To Distinguish Patients with Active Tuberculosis from M. bovis BCG-Vaccinated Individuals

ABSTRACT Antigens encoded in the region of difference (RD) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis constitute a potential source of specific immunodiagnostic antigens for distinguishing tuberculosis (TB) infection from BCG vaccination. We evaluated the diagnostic potential of specific T-cell epitopes selected from two immunodominant antigens, Rv1985c and Rv3425, from RD2 and RD11, respectively, on the basis of epitope mapping, in TB patients and BCG-vaccinated healthy individuals. Using a whole-blood gamma interferon release assay, a wide array of epitopes was recognized on both Rv1985c and Rv3425 in TB patients. Those epitopes that could specifically discriminate TB infection from BCG vaccination were carefully selected, and the most promising peptide pools from Rv1985c showed a sensitivity of 53.9% and a specificity of 95.5%. When the novel specific peptides from Rv1985c joined the diagnostic antigens in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) assay, the sensitivity was increased from 86.4% to 96.2%, with no drop in specificity. These results indicate that the peptide pools selected from Rv1985c and Rv3425 have the potential to diagnose TB infection by a method that may be routinely used in clinical laboratories.
Technology transfer as technological learning: a source of competitive advantage for firms with limited R&D resources

The objective of this article is to answer why and how firms in developing countries with limited R&D resources can gain sustainable competitive advantage through technology transfer (TT). Successful firms are those that can accumulate competence through internal technological learning after transferring technologies from external technology sources. Organizational intelligence, firm specificity of technology, and causal ambiguity are identified as three mediators between technological learning performance and several antecedents previously discussed in the literature. A survey of Taiwanese manufacturers is conducted to explore the technological learning phenomenon as an integral part of TT, which is important but often neglected. This article also provides an interesting research setting for the evaluation of technological learning theories.
The organizational culture of family firms as a key factor of competitiveness

In the current research work we build and test a model for the analysis and management of the organizational culture of family firms based on the main arguments of neo-institutional theory and transformational leadership theory. The model we have built allows us to test for the existence of positive relations between the values defining the second level of organizational culture (commitment, harmony, long term orientation and customer service and performance, measured through variables, such as profitability, survival and group cohesion. The model will prove to be useful tool to exploit the competitive potential that the organizational culture represents for this type of firms.
Evaluation of an oscillometric blood pressure monitor on anesthetized cats and the effect of cuff placement and fur on accuracy.

OBJECTIVES (1) To determine the usefulness of one specific oscillometric monitor for making indirect measurements of arterial pressure in cats. (2) To determine the difference between two specific cuff placement sites. (3) To determine if clipping the hair beneath the cuff has an affect on the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure determination. STUDY DESIGN Prospective study comparing the accuracy of the Datascope Passport (Datascope Corp, Paramus, NJ) with concurrent invasive measurements. ANIMALS Six anesthetized domestic felines weighing 4.5 to 5 kg. METHODS The direct arterial pressure was measured using a cannula placed in the right common carotid artery. Oscillometric cuffs of appropriate size were placed on both thoracic limbs distal to the elbow and both pelvic limbs distal to the stifle. The hair in the areas of cuff placement on the right limbs was clipped circumferentially. Measurements of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were taken for each site during normotension, hypotension, and hypertension. Comparisons between indirect and direct measurements were made using a parametric analysis of method comparison. RESULTS No significant differences were noted when the clipped limbs were compared with the corresponding limbs which were left unclipped (P > .378) or when the thoracic limb measurements were compared with those of the pelvic limb (P > .088). There were significant differences (P < or = .002) between the two pressure measurement methods for the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures over all three pressure ranges. CONCLUSIONS The Datascope Passport did not accurately estimate the invasively measured arterial pressure. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Use of noninvasive blood pressure monitoring equipment is increasing in use in veterinary medicine, and the accuracy of one specific monitor is reported.
The Psychopathology of Bulimic Women Who Report Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Mediating Role of Core Beliefs

Although reported sexual abuse in childhood is associated with bulimic behaviors, less is known about the cognitive factors that explain this association. This study examined the potential role of core beliefs as a mediator in the abuse-bulimia link. Sixty-one bulimic women were interviewed regarding any history of childhood sexual abuse and completed measures of bulimic behaviors, dissociation, depression, and core beliefs. The 21 women who reported a history of childhood sexual abuse had significantly higher levels of several core beliefs and greater levels of psychopathology. Different core beliefs acted as mediators in the relationships between sexual abuse and individual symptoms. The findings support the suggestion that schema-focused cognitive therapy may be useful in working with bulimics, particularly if they have been sexually abused in childhood. Further research is needed to determine the role of core beliefs in mediating the impact of other forms of trauma and how traumas relate to other "escape" behaviors.
The Rise of Kenyan Supermarkets and the Evolution of Their Horticulture Product Procurement Systems

Supermarkets are rapidly penetrating urban food retail in Kenya and spreading well beyond their initially tiny market niche among the urban middle class into the food markets of lower-income groups. Having penetrated processed and staple food markets much earlier and faster than fresh foods, they have recently begun to make inroads into the fresh fruits and vegetables category. Supermarkets in Kenya already buy about half the volume of produce exported, and thus represent a significant new 'dynamic market' opportunity for farmers. The important changes in their procurement systems bring significant opportunities and challenges for small farmers, and have implications for agricultural diversification and rural development programmes and policies. Copyright Overseas Development Institute, 2004.
Bacteriophage LM33_P1, a fast-acting weapon against the pandemic ST131-O25b:H4 Escherichia coli clonal complex.

OBJECTIVES Amongst the highly diverse Escherichia coli population, the ST131-O25b:H4 clonal complex is particularly worrisome as it is associated with a high level of antibiotic resistance. The lack of new antibiotics, the worldwide continuous increase of infections caused by MDR bacteria and the need for narrow-spectrum antimicrobial agents have revived interest in phage therapy. In this article, we describe a virulent bacteriophage, LM33_P1, which specifically infects O25b strains, and provide data related to its therapeutic potential. METHODS A large panel of E. coli strains (n = 283) was used to assess both the specificity and the activity of bacteriophage LM33_P1. Immunology, biochemistry and genetics-based methods confirmed this specificity. Virology methods and sequencing were used to characterize this bacteriophage in vitro, while three relevant mouse models were employed to show its in vivo efficacy. RESULTS Bacteriophage LM33_P1 exclusively infects O25b E. coli strains with a 70% coverage on sequence types associated with high antibiotic resistance (ST131 and ST69). This specificity is due to an interaction with the LPS mediated by an original tail fibre. LM33_P1 also has exceptional intrinsic properties with a high adsorption constant and produces over 300 virions per cell in <10 min. Using animal pneumonia, septicaemia and urinary tract infection models, we showed the in vivo efficacy of LM33_P1 to reduce the bacterial load in several organs. CONCLUSIONS Bacteriophage LM33_P1 represents the first weapon that specifically and quickly kills O25b E. coli strains. Therapeutic approaches derived from this bacteriophage could be developed to stop or slow down the spread of the ST131-O25b:H4 drug-resistant clonal complex in humans.
Zone of tolerance for banks: a diagnostic model of service quality

Service quality has become an increasingly important factor for success and survival in the banking sector. Provision of high-quality service aids in meeting several requirements such as customer satisfaction and its consequent loyalty and market share, soliciting new customers, financial performance, and profitability (Cui, C.C., Lewis, B.R., & Park, W. (2003). Service quality measurement in the banking sector in South Korea. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 21(4), 191–201. ). This paper presents the bank service quality measurement in its extended form. It deals with the concept of ‘zone of tolerance’ in judgments of service quality proposed by Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1993, The nature and determinants of customer expectations of service. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 21(1), 1–12. ). The ‘zone of tolerance’ is recognized in the service quality literature as representing a range of expectations and an area of acceptable outcomes in service interactions. The present study describes the zone of tolerance for young customers’ service expectations and determines the customer satisfaction level for banks. The study focusses only on the youth market to formulate long-term strategies because young customers tend to keep themselves up to date with latest technological developments. A conceptual model BANKZOT is presented in this study, and the results demonstrate that evaluation of services can be scaled according to different types of expectations – ‘desired' and ‘adequate’ – and that customers use these two types of expectations as a comparison standard in evaluating bank services. The findings reveal that young customers have a narrow zone of tolerance with regard to the services provided by the banks. The results with respect to gap analysis reveal that there was a shortfall in the service quality provided by the banks in the sample, with the largest gap being found in tangibles and empathy of service quality dimensions. The results of exploratory factor analysis reveal that the SERVQUAL model is found to be uni-dimensional in this study. The results, managerial implications, and future research implications are discussed in detail.