Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Active efflux as a mechanism of resistance to ciprofloxacin in Streptococcus pneumoniae

The accumulation of fluoroquinolones (FQs) was studied in a FQ-susceptible laboratory strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae (strain R6). Uptake of FQs was not saturable, was rapidly reversible, and appeared to occur by passive diffusion. In the presence of glucose, which energizes bacteria, the uptake of FQs decreased. Inhibitors of the proton motive force and ATP synthesis increased the uptake of FQs in previously energized bacteria. Similar results were observed with the various FQs tested and may be explained to be a consequence simply of the pH gradient that exists across the cytoplasmic membrane. From a clinical susceptible strain (strain SPn5907) we isolated in vitro on ciprofloxacin an FQ-resistant mutant (strain SPn5929) for which the MICs of hydrophilic molecules were greater than those of hydrophobic molecules, and the mutant was resistant to acriflavine, cetrimide, and ethidium bromide. Strain SPn5929 showed a significantly decreased uptake of ciprofloxacin, and its determinant of resistance to ciprofloxacin was transferred by transformation to susceptible laboratory strain R6 (strain R6tr5929). No mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions of the gyrA and parC genes were found. In the presence of arsenate or carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, the levels of uptake of ciprofloxacin by the two resistant strains, SPn5929 and R6tr5929, reached the levels of uptake of their susceptible parents. These results suggest an active efflux of ciprofloxacin in strain SPn5929.
Voluntary Corporate Divestitures and Value

Divestiture activity by U.S. corporations has increased sharply in recent years. In 1981, for example, the value of voluntary corporate divestitures (i.e., not a result of antitrust or similar action) in the U.S. exceeded $12 billion, a record and approximately twice the value of divestitures in 1980. There were over 500 divestitures in 1981, 45 of which exceeded $50 million in value. This study attempts to ascertain whether a voluntary divestiture has any real economic value to the divesting firm by examining varying factors related to the divestitures. Since the shareholders are the resid-
Distinct auditory and lateral line nuclei in the midbrain of catfishes

The catfish torus semicircularis (TS) comprises two major nuclei, which are specialized to process separately inputs of three acousticolateral modalities: VIII nerve acoustic input in one, and lateral line mechanoreceptive and electroreceptive input in the other. Electrophysiological recording and mapping experiments demonstrate a medial auditory region, a lateral electroreceptive region, and an intercalated mechanoreceptive region in the TS. Nissl and Golgi‐Cox preparations distinguish two rostrocaudally elongate, nuclear divisions, which correlate, one with the auditory and the other with the mechano‐ and electroreceptive regions.
Effects of Institutional Confinement for Delinquency on Levels of Depression and Anxiety Among Male Adolescents

Youths within the juvenile justice system report higher rates of mental illnesses than their peers. This study tested whether institutional confinement increases levels of depression and anxiety among male adolescents. The authors examined heterogeneous trajectories of depression and anxiety from ages 11 to 14 years for 510 male adolescents. Youths who were first placed in custody at age 15 (treatment group) were matched with control boys (no official arrest or reported confinement during adolescence) within each trajectory group using a propensity score (PS) matching procedure. Matches were found for 37 pairs for depression and 34 pairs for anxiety. There were no significant differences between the confined and control groups in levels of depression or anxiety at age 16. More research is needed to identify aspects of the juvenile justice system, which may positively or negatively affect youth’s mental health status.
Electricity Demand Analysis and Forecasting- The Tradition is Questioned

The present paper seeks to cast scepticism on the validity and value of the results of all earlier studies in India on energy demand analysis and forecasting based on time series regression, on three grounds. (i) As these studies did not care for model adequacy diagnostic checking, indispensably required to verify the empirical validity of the residual whiteness assumptions underlying the very model, their results might be misleading. (ii) As the time series regression approach of these studies did not account for possible non-stationarity (i.e., unit root integratedness) in the series, their significant results might be just the misleading result of spurious regression. (iii) These studies, by adopting a methodology suitable to a developed power system in advanced economies, sought to correlate the less correlatables in the context of an underdeveloped power system in a less developed economy. [Working Paper No. 312]
The Role of Agriculture in Modern Japanese Economic Development

Japan is a relative late-comer to modern economic development, and still remains the only industrialized country in Asia. These features have undoubtedly left their mark on Japanese economic growth. Recently, efforts have been made to give a clearer quantitative picture of this growth, and even though certain vague points still remain, we believe that it is now possible to provide a more thorough sectoral analysis.
Capital financing behaviour: evidence from firms listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange

This study investigates the determinants of capital structure for a sample of 22 firms listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange during the period 1991–1999. Reduced form equations derived from the static trade-off model and the pecking order hypothesis are estimated and tested using panel data techniques. The results show that a pecking order model with an adjustment process cannot be rejected. Specifically, it is found that the main determinants of capital financing behaviour consist of information asymmetries, non-debt tax shields and local capital market infrastructure.
Health and medical tourism: a kill or cure for global public health?

Purpose – The major purpose of this introduction to the special issue of Tourism Review on health and medical tourism is to outline some of main issues that exist in the academic literature in this rapidly developing field.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews relevant health and medical tourism and cognate literature.Findings – The paper identifies some of the interrelationships between different areas of health and medical tourism, including wellness and wellbeing tourism, dental tourism, stem‐cell tourism, transplant tourism, abortion tourism, and xeno‐tourism. Key to defining these areas are the relationships to concepts of wellness and illness and the extent to which regulation encourages individuals to engage in cross‐border purchase of health services and products. Key themes that emerge in the literature include regulation, ethics, the potential individual and public health risks associated with medical tourism, and the relative lack of information on the extent of medical tourism.Social.
Retinoic acid derived from the fetal ovary initiates meiosis in mouse germ cells

Meiotic initiation of germ cells at 13.5 dpc (days post‐coitus) indicates female sex determination in mice. Recent studies reveal that mesonephroi‐derived retinoic acid (RA) is the key signal for induction of meiosis. However, whether the mesonephroi is dispensable for meiosis is unclear and the role of the ovary in this meiotic process remains to be clarified. This study provides data that RA derived from fetal ovaries is sufficient to induce germ cell meiosis in a fetal ovary culture system. When fetal ovaries were collected from 11.5 to 13.5 dpc fetuses, isolated and cultured in vitro, germ cells enter meiosis in the absence of mesonephroi. To exclude RA sourcing from mesonephroi, 11.5 dpc urogenital ridges (UGRs; mesonephroi and ovary complexes) were treated with diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) to block retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) activity in the mesonephros and the ovary. Meiosis occurred when DEAB was withdrawn and the mesonephros was removed 2 days later. Furthermore, RALDH1, rather than RALDH2, serves as the major RA synthetase in UGRs from 12.5 to 15.5 dpc. DEAB treatment to the ovary alone was able to block germ cell meiotic entry. We also found that exogenously supplied RA dose‐dependently reduced germ cell numbers in ovaries by accelerating the entry into meiosis. These results suggest that ovary‐derived RA is responsible for meiosis initiation. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 627–639, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evaluating design performance

The role of design as a means of differentiating products and services is increasing as it becomes difficult to sustain competitive advantage through technology alone. Yet until recently, there has been virtually no quantitative information available relating to the contribution of design to business performance, and there are only a few studies on performance measurement of design. This paper, which is based on a review of the relevant literature, two case studies and extensive discussions with design managers and consultants, highlights the need for a clear understanding of the pervasiveness of the design activity that is being evaluated and an appreciation of the many disparate roles that it plays from the idea generation stage through to development, packaging, market positioning and promotion. The span of design over a product's life cycle, encompassing form (appearance), function (performance) and fit (ergonomics), is just one reason why the design function may be located in RD this diffusion of the design activity increases the difficulty of evaluation. The research identified several factors that influence the balance between quantitative and qualitative measures of design performance. The two projects examined in this study revealed a strong top management preference for ex-ante evaluation, and an ex-post emphasis on metrics for the performance of the project and the cross-functional team responsible, rather than on single disciplines within the team. The study also suggests that the complexity and dynamics of the competitive environment in many industries requires new conceptual models and a new, less linear, way of thinking about performance measurement, in particular.
A Comparative Study on Regional Finance in Japan and Korea: Evidence from Three Questionnaires

In this paper, to analyze the similarities and differences between the regional finance of Japan and South Korea (hereinafter, “Korea”), we compared questionnaires to small to midsize companies located in Korea’s Daegu/Gyeongbuk region with questionnaires to small to midsize companies located in Japan’s Kansai and Tokai regions. From the results, we were able to confirm that regional finance systems in Japan and Korea are very similar. For example, in the US, there is an overwhelming amount of small to midsize companies with only one partner bank, however, in Japan and Korea, having multiple partner banks is the norm. Therefore, the practice of having multiple partner banks should not be considered as being unique to Japan, rather, it can be inferred that such a phenomenon is natural in certain social, economical, and legal systems. Contrastingly, we found various differences between Japan and Korea. For example, in response to the question on the assessment of financial institutions, Korea firms gave the most positive assessment for “provision of funds,” whereas Japanese firms gave the most positive assessment for “knowledge on your companies. ” These differences can be understood as the causes of the discrepancy between Japan and Korea in the level of economic development.
Stabex versus IMF compensatory financing: impact on fiscal policy

The supply of external financing to developing countries generally tends to increase in periods when export earnings are booming and thus, in periods of increasing government revenues. Conversely, Stabex and IMF Compensatory Financing transfers are primarily designed to take place in response to a fall in export earnings, and thus, in periods when government revenues are decreasing. However, these transfers occur in an unsteady way with respect to the cycle of government revenues. When occurring in periods of decreasing government revenues, only Stabex transfers are used to finance additional primary expenditures (i.e. expenditures other than interest on public debt). This effect contrasts with the effects usually reported for other instruments of external financing. In periods of increasing government revenues, Stabex and Compensatory Financing transfers have no impact on fiscal deficit. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Farmers' markets in low income communities: impact of community environment, food programs and public policy

Farmers' markets are an increasing priority for communities and health advocates. They contribute to the health of community members and the economic livelihood of small farms. Despite increasing recognition of the positive impact that farmers' markets have in revitalizing communities, relatively little is published on strategies that sustain markets in lower income communities. This paper describes how community level factors, federal food assistance programs and related public policies have an effect on farmers' markets in underserved areas. Best practices for developing and maintaining markets are discussed, as well as strategies to help sustain markets, such as expanded access to federal food assistance programs and use of bonus vouchers. Policy issues for improving healthy food access in low income communities are also discussed.
Intra-Industry Effects of the Accident at Three Mile Island

On March 28, 1979, failure occurred in one of the two nuclear reactors at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power generation facility owned by General Public Utilities (GPU). This nuclear “accident” was the first of its type in the United States, and much anecdotal evidence suggests that the accident intensified public concern and increased regulatory activity. Since this event, several proposed nuclear plants have been cancelled; safety rules have been tightened; certification (by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) of newly completed nuclear plants has been delayed; and the pressure to curtail or ban the use of nuclear technology continues.
Evidence on Price Stabilization and Underpricing in Early IPO Returns

Using data on 560 firm-commitment initial public offerings of common stock for the 1982-1983 period, we find that the cross-sectional distribution of one-day returns is modeled better as a mixture of two distributions, with the parameter estimates of one distribution being consistent with underpricing and the other with price stabilization. Further, the evidence that early IPO returns are drawn from a mixture distribution persists for at least four weeks. The implications of these results for the analysis of IPO returns are illustrated by examining the influence of a measure of ex ante price uncertainty on IPO pricing. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
Use of a single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis to perform a simple genotyping of bovine κ-casein A and B variants

We propose an alternative method for casein genotyping, generally carried out using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Application of the single-strand conformation polymorphism technique detects nucleotide changes in the fragment amplified by means of polymerase chain reaction and thus avoids the use of restriction enzymes. A 453 bp fragment from exon IV of κ-casein has been amplified. The two variants (A and B), found with the highest frequencies in most bovine breeds and included in some dairy cattle selection schemes, can be discriminated using single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of heat denatured fragments in acrylamide–bis-acrylamide (100[ratio ]1) gels followed by silver staining. κ-Casein genotyping is therefore simplified, although variants A and E on the one hand, and B and C on the other, are not distinguishable with this technique.
A Unified Framework for Using Micro-Data to Compare Dynamic Time-Dependent Price-Setting Models

Abstract This paper develops a statistical framework of steady-state identities which enable us to match the distributions of durations found in the micro-data to generalized Taylor and Calvo models of time-dependent pricing. We illustrate the approach with the UK micro CPI data for 1996-2009, and employ the pricing models in a simple macromodel. We find that the Generalized Taylor Economy generates a hump shaped inflation impulse response function, whilst the Generalized Calvo does not.
Civic Culture, Community and Citizen Participation in Contrasting Neighbourhoods

This paper uses survey and qualitative evidence from four neighbourhoods in two cities to explore the hypothesis that citizen participation in urban governance is fostered by political structures and public policy as well as by a civic culture supportive of citizen involvement. The analysis shows that although the prospects for citizen participation are likely to be least propitious in poor neighbourhoods demonstrating lower educational attainment levels, for example, such factors may be mitigated by political mobilisation and the approaches to urban governance, including citizen participation, adopted by local institutions. Citizen participation may be fostered as much by the creation of opportunity structures that build confidence in the efficacy of participation as by the intrinsic levels of civic culture. The key policy lesson is that the effort devoted to creating greater institutional thickness and participatory structures is not wasted.
The Land/Housing Problem in Japan: A Macroeconomic Approach

Abstract This paper presents an overlapping generation model for the framework of analyzing the long-run trend in land prices, with the following propositions: First, a steady state is defined in which land price measured in terms of the commodity price is rising; the land price increase in this case is due to "fundamentals. " Second, the real exchange rate of a land-constrained country appreciates more than that of a land-abundant country. When the combination of a tax on residential use and a subsidy for productive (nonhousing) activity is introduced to this economy, the ratio of residential use will decrease. Moreover, the size of the current account imbalance will increase by the tax–subsidy program. Theory predicts that the land value and GNP would increase at the same rate. Data for the United States and Japan before the mid-1970s look consistent with this theoretical prediction. Since the mid-1970s, a large fluctuation and an increasing trend are prominent in the Japanese land value/GNP ratio. J. Japan. Int. Econ.,March 1993, 7(1), pp. 1–31. Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186, Japan.
Internal evaluation, historically speaking

The author analyzes the growth and nature of internal evaluation from the 1960s to the present and suggests that internal evaluation has been on the increase because of its perceived importance. Although the 1960s were characterized by a rich intellectual development of evaluation theory and practice, the fiscal conservatism of the 1980s ushered in evaluation practice focused more specifically on cost effectiveness. During that time, internal evaluation began to increase. In the 1990s this trend continued and was intensified by the reinvention of government known as the New Public Management. The author argues that in this results‐oriented neoliberal context, evaluation is maintained as an internal function, but focuses primarily on descriptive accounts of performance. The chapter concludes with some speculation about the nature of future internal evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Margin Requirements and the Security Market Line

Between the years 1934 and 1974, the Federal Reserve frequently changed the initial margin requirement in the U.S. stock market. I use this exogenous variation in margin requirements to test whether leverage constraints affect the security market line, i.e. the relation between betas and expected returns. Consistent with the theoretical predictions of Frazzini and Pedersen 2014, but somewhat contrary to their empirical findings, I find that tighter leverage constraints result in a flatter security market line. My results provide strong empirical support for the idea that funding constraints faced by investors may, at least partially, help explain the empirical failure of the capital asset pricing model.
Assessment and Treatment of Socially Phobic Children: A Cross Cultural Comparison

In this study we examined the psychopathology and behavioral treatment of White and African American preadolescent children with social phobia. The comprehensive assessment strategy, including semistructured diagnostic interviews, clinician ratings of impairment, behavioral observations, parental ratings, and self-report inventories, did not reveal differences in symptomatic presentation between African American and White children. Whereas all children improved from pre- to posttreatment, there were no significant differences based on race. The results are discussed in terms of the applicability of models 0of social phobia and treatment outcome across these 2 ethnic groups.
The Role of Food Policy Councils in Developing Sustainable Food Systems

ABSTRACT Over the past 3 decades, several public and private organizations have fostered the creation of cross-sectoral “food policy councils” (FPCs) to engage and educate among a broad range of public, private, and academic institutions on theory and components necessary to the development of more sustainable food systems. Through an examination of data drawn from interviews with 13 food policy councils in the United States and Canada, this article examines the emerging role of FPCs in developing sustainable food systems. A grounded theory approach was utilized in collecting and analyzing information related to the organizational role of FPCs. Findings from interviews reflect on the overall “food policy council” concept and the role of these organizations in relation to government, policy change, facilitation, networking, and education. Significantly, interviews also indicated that FPCs actually focus more attention on programmatic as opposed to policy work.
Contagious Speculation and a Cure for Cancer: A Nonevent that Made Stock Prices Soar

A Sunday "New York Times" article on a potential development of new cancer-curing drugs caused EntreMed's stock price to rise from 12.063 at the Friday close, to open at 85 and close near 52 on Monday. It closed above 30 in the three following weeks. The enthusiasm spilled over to other biotechnology stocks. The potential breakthrough in cancer research already had been reported, however, in the journal "Nature", and in various popular newspapers (including the "Times") more than five months earlier. Thus, enthusiastic public attention induced a permanent rise in share prices, even though no genuinely new information had been presented. Copyright The American Finance Association 2001.