Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological study of an Acinetobacter baumannii outbreak by using polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was applied to the fingerprinting of different strains of Acinetobacter baumannii from a cluster of patients infected or colonized with the incriminated pathogen. The DNA was extracted by boiling and was subjected to PCR amplification by using the core sequence of the M13 phase as a single primer. The amplified products were separated by agarose gel electrophoresis and were detected by staining with ethidium bromide. In 1990, 49 multiresistant A. baumannii strains were isolated from 13 patients from the same intensive care unit of the Charité Hospital; 45 of these outbreak isolates obtained from 12 patients showed the same PCR patterns, indicating an epidemiological relatedness of these strains. Four strains isolated from the same patient belonged to another genetic group, as revealed by a distinct amplification pattern. Another single subtype of A. baumannii was identified as the causative agent in patients during a second outbreak at a different intensive care unit in the same hospital. Seventeen isolates recovered from 10 immunocompromised patients had the same amplification patterns, which were distinct from all other PCR profiles. Five strains were obtained from two other hospitals; three isolates from the hospital of Magdeburg, Germany, had identical PCR patterns which, however, could be clearly distinguished from the patterns of all other strains. The remaining two isolates displayed individual patterns of amplified fragments. PCR fingerprinting may provide a useful and particularly rapid identification technique for epidemiological investigations of nosocomial infections.
Easing the Constraints of Motherhood: The Effects of All‐Day Schools on Mothers' Labor Supply

Low rates of female labor force participation (LFP) have been linked to the absence of childcare policies. This article examines the degree to which extending the school day by 3.5 hours in elementary schools, a large implicit childcare subsidy, affects LFP, the number of weekly hours worked, and the monthly earnings of females with elementary‐school‐age children. To do so, we exploit within‐individual variation in access to full‐time schools and a rotating panel of households that contains 12 years of individual‐level data on labor outcomes and sociodemographic characteristics. Results from long‐difference models show that extending the school day increases mothers' labor supply, increasing LFP by 5.5 percentage points and the number of weekly hours worked by 1.8. Moreover, these increases are accompanied by a raise in monthly earnings. (JEL I25, J13, J22)
Optimal Sequential Screening with Ex Post Participation Constraint

We study a principal-agent model. The parties are symmetrically informed at first; the principal then designs the screening mechanism and, concurrently, the process by which the agent learns his type. Because the agent can opt out of the mechanism ex post, it must leave him with nonnegative rents ex post. We characterize the profit-maximizing mechanism. In that optimal mechanism, learning proceeds in continuous time and, at each moment, the agent learns a lower bound on his type. For each type, there is one of two possible outcomes: the type is allocated the efficient quantity or is left with zero rents ex post.
Effects of Trade and FDI Policies: Evidence from the U.S. and China

This thesis is a collection of three empirical essays in international trade and labor economics. The first and second essays develop empirical methodologies to investigate the distributional effect of globalization on labor market outcomes in the United States and China, respectively. The first essay studies the effect of export expansion on U.S. labor market outcomes over the last two decades at the industry level. The second essay connects new economic geography (NEG) model with detailed individual-level data to test theoretical mechanisms linking wages and geographic access to markets in China. The third essay investigates the role of Chinese industrial policy as embodied in its regulation of foreign direct investment, which promotes firm entries and exports of high-technology industries. EFFECTS OF TRADE AND FDI POLICIES: EVIDENCE FROM THE U.S. AND CHINA
Measuring health beliefs in Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes: adapting an existing instrument.

Mexican Americans bear a disproportionate burden of type 2 diabetes, and although clinicians and researchers are beginning to develop culturally competent interventions, few instruments are available for measuring variables relevant to health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a diabetes-related health belief instrument translated for use with Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans. Three hundred and twenty-six Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans from Starr County, a Texas-Mexico border community, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes participated in the study. Factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the instrument, and reliability testing was conducted to determine the internal consistency of the resulting factors. The final instrument had 25 items with four subscales-Barriers, Social Support for Diet, Impact of Job on Therapy, and Benefits of Therapy-and one item to measure, Control. Internal consistency coefficients for these subscales were . 56, . 62, . 86, and . 90, respectively. The translated instrument needs to be tested over time with other Hispanic populations.
Differential sensitivity of four Lobaria lichens to copper in vitro

Treatment of Lobaria amplissima, Lobaria pulmonaria, Lobaria scrobiculata, and Lobaria virens with 0 to 500 μM CuSO4 for 0 to 120 min at 25.0°C resulted in a time‐ and copper‐concentration‐dependent decrease in the thallus total potassium content and a release of K+ from the thallus, indicating that copper damaged the cytoplasmic membrane of the fungal hyphae. Lobaria pulmonaria was the most sensitive species, L. virens the most resistant to copper treatment. Lobaria amplissima and L. scrobiculata displayed intermediate sensitivity. Treatment with copper also resulted in a time‐dependent increase in the thallus copper content. For all four Lobaria species, the thallus potassium content decreased linearly with increasing thallus copper content, suggesting that, as cupric ions bound to the thallus, they reach target sites in the membrane. Acetone extracts contained low concentrations of chlorophyll a, amino acids, polyols, and sugars, but detectable or considerable amounts of lichen substances, i.e., constictic, norstictic, stictic, and usnic acids and scrobiculin. Titration of the extracts with copper and assay of free Cu2+ revealed the presence of copper‐binding ligands, most probably corresponding to the lichen substances detected in the extracts. Acetone extracts of L. amplissima and L. virens bound small or very small amounts of Cu2+; binding was monophasic and probably involved scrobiculin. Acetone extracts of L. pulmonaria and L. scrobiculata bound high or intermediate amounts of copper; binding was polyphasic and probably involved the lichen acids detected in the extracts. It was concluded that, in the studied Lobaria species, acetone extracts containing lichen substances could bind, in vitro, considerable amounts of Cu2+, but this binding did not prevent membrane damage in the thallus. Several hypotheses are presented to explain these results.
An empirical nexus between oil price collapse and economic growth in Sub-Saharan African oil based economies

The focus of this study, is to empirically investigate the nexus between oil price collapse and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa oil based economies, specifically from Angola, Nigeria and Sudan between January, 2010 and December, 2015, through panel random effects model (REM): Economic growth rate (GDPR) and independent variables: Oil price (OPR), Exchange rate (EXR), Industrial Output (IND) and Terms of Trade (TOT. REM result showed that there is negative link between oil price collapse and the economic growth in the case of Angola, Nigeria and Sudan, which confirmed the nexus between oil price collapse and economic growth. Post estimation tests such as Hausman and Breusch and Pagan Lagrange Multiplier Test were adopted to empirically show the consistency and efficiency of the model. Interestingly, the two key variables (GDPR and OPR) disclose how unprecedented oil price fall disrupts economic growth of the selected economies. Meanwhile, poor institutional quality in the oil sector coupled with poor fiscal measure among others, further expose these economies to unprecedented external shocks that was characterized by skyrocket exchange rate, hence destabilize growth within the period under review. Therefore, the need for a robust fiscal measure is pertinent in order to sustain economic growth
An Arsenate Reductase from Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 Exhibits a Novel Combination of Catalytic Characteristics

ABSTRACT The deduced protein product of open reading frame slr0946 from Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, SynArsC, contains the conserved sequence features of the enzyme superfamily that includes the low-molecular-weight protein-tyrosine phosphatases and the Staphylococcus aureus pI258 ArsC arsenate reductase. The recombinant protein product of slr0946, rSynArsC, exhibited vigorous arsenate reductase activity (Vmax = 3.1 μmol/min · mg), as well as weak phosphatase activity toward p-nitrophenyl phosphate (Vmax = 0.08 μmol/min · mg) indicative of its phosphohydrolytic ancestry. pI258 ArsC from S. aureus is the prototype of one of three distinct families of detoxifying arsenate reductases. The prototypes of the others are Acr2p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and R773 ArsC from Escherichia coli. All three have converged upon catalytic mechanisms involving an arsenocysteine intermediate. While SynArsC is homologous to pI258 ArsC, its catalytic mechanism exhibited a unique combination of features. rSynArsC employed glutathione and glutaredoxin as the source of reducing equivalents, like Acr2p and R773 ArsC, rather than thioredoxin, as does the S. aureus enzyme. As postulated for Acr2p and R773 ArsC, rSynArsC formed a covalent complex with glutathione in an arsenate-dependent manner. rSynArsC contains three essential cysteine residues like pI258 ArsC, whereas the yeast and E. coli enzymes require only one cysteine for catalysis. As in the S. aureus enzyme, these “extra” cysteines apparently shuttle a disulfide bond to the enzyme's surface to render it accessible for reduction. SynArsC and pI258 ArsC thus appear to represent alternative branches in the evolution of their shared phosphohydrolytic ancestor into an agent of arsenic detoxification.
Calibrating the Magnitude of the Countercyclical Capital Buffer using Market-based Stress Tests

This paper proposes a novel methodology to calibrate the magnitude of the cap on the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) using market-based stress tests. The macroprudential authority in our paper aims to contain the possibility of a breach of a minimum capital ratio in the event of a severe system-wide shock within a certain permissible failure probability. To meet its objective during periods of challenging macro-financial conditions, the macroprudential authority requires banks to build up the CCyB during credit booms. We show how market-based stress tests can be used to estimate the necessary magnitude of the CCyB. We apply the methodology to major banks in six advanced economies. Our estimates suggest a magnitude of the cap on the CCyB in a range from 1.4 to 1.7 per cent of total assets, depending on the ability of the macro-prudential authority to forecast macrofinancial conditions.
Relational Team Contract and Inequity Aversion

The Thesis studies moral hazard problem in teams. We consider team production models where incentive can be provided through explicit sharing and relational contract. Incentive provision is discussed under various information structures. Under deterministic production, the output itself act as a strong signal of deterring shirking, thus noisy soft signal would not help to improve efficiency. While in cases where soft information is sufficient to infer agents’ effort, we show that the optimal sharing would concentrate negative sharing on one agent who will be fully motivated by relational incentive. We further studied a model with sub-teams where sub-team performances are deterministic signals to sub-team members’ effort. The value of the certainty in the soft information crucially depends on the structure of the sub-teams. Once we can ensure some heterogeneity between the organizational structure within the sub-teams, strongest relational incentive can be provided to cope with unilateral deviation. A necessary and sufficient condition for implementing a target effort level is then provided under general sharing. However, once we restrict the sharing rule to be linear, utilities among agents are no longer transferable. We show that linear sharing can implement the efficient effort, but with more restrictions on surplus distributions among agents. In general, linear sharing can be applied without loss of generality only if the surplus distribution is relatively balanced. Finally we had some preliminary discussion of non-monetary incentive provision based on inequality aversion model on linear public good games. Applying Fehr and Schmidt [1999]’s model with Bayesian game technique, we explore a boarder range of equilibriums with positive contributions. However, equilibrium behavior relies on how inequality is defined among players, future theoretical and experimental work needs to be done to enable inequality aversion as a tool of incentive provision.
Prevention of fall-related injuries in the elderly: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma practice management guideline

BACKGROUND Fall-related injuries among the elderly (age 65 and older) are the cause of nearly 750,000 hospitalizations and 25,000 deaths per year in the United States, yet prevention research is lagging. Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma produced this practice management guideline to answer the following injury prevention–related population, intervention, comparator, outcomes (PICO) questions: PICO 1: Should bone mineral–enhancing agents be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly? PICO 2: Should hip protectors be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly? PICO 3: Should exercise programs be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly? PICO 4: Should physical environment modifications be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly? PICO 5: Should risk factor screening be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly? PICO 6: Should multiple interventions tailored to the population or individual be used to prevent fall-related injuries in the elderly? METHODS A comprehensive search and review of all the available literature was performed. We used the GRADE methodology to assess the breadth and quality of the data specific to our PICO questions. RESULTS We reviewed 50 articles that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria as they applied to our PICO questions. CONCLUSION Given the data constraints, we offer the following suggestions and recommendations: PICO 1: We conditionally recommend vitamin D and calcium supplementation for frail elderly individuals. PICO 2: We conditionally recommend hip protectors for frail elderly individuals, in the appropriate environment. PICO 3: We conditionally recommend evidence-based exercise programs for frail elderly individuals. PICO 4: We conditionally recommend physical environment modification for frail elderly people. PICO 5: We conditionally recommend frailty screening for the elderly. PICO 6: We strongly recommend risk stratification with targeted comprehensive risk-reduction strategies tailored to particular high-risk groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Systematic review, level III.
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012. Current Population Reports P60-245.

1.2 1.0 1.7 1.3 1.9 * 1.4 0.7 * 0.6 1.2 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.3 * 1.1 1.9 * 1.5 0.9 0.7 1.2 18.8 1.7 14.1 0.7 1 12.9 1.0 13 12.4 1.2 11.7 10.8 0.8 11.0 14.3 1.3 13.9 11.8 1.2 11.7 1. 9.2 0.7 9.0 0.7 10.0 1.0 10.1 1.2 12.7 1.2 11.4 1.3 13 9.0 1.0 9.2 1.1 9.6 2 1.3 12.7 1.4 13.8 8 15.4 0.9 15.2 1 7 1.0 9.1 1.3 2 9.9 1.3 8 1 1.2 1.4 1. 49 59,925 8,979 57,555 ,421 19,890 57,783 35,316 20,538 58,155 37,335 21,977 58,865 37,773 22,425 59,369 37,913 22,561 59,506 39,923 23,100 57,861 41,195 23,330 56,6 39,750 23,355 58 39,479 23,221 2 63,6 26,160 64 ,530 26,691 41,259 26,89 40,898 27,0 40,207 2 38,789 39,79 39,8 39
Amide proton transfer imaging of human brain tumors at 3T

Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging is a technique in which the nuclear magnetization of water‐exchangeable amide protons of endogenous mobile proteins and peptides in tissue is saturated, resulting in a signal intensity decrease of the free water. In this work, the first human APT data were acquired from 10 patients with brain tumors on a 3T whole‐body clinical scanner and compared with T1‐ (T1w) and T2‐weighted (T2w), fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and diffusion images (fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)). The APT‐weighted images provided good contrast between tumor and edema. The effect of APT was enhanced by an approximate 4% change in the water signal intensity in tumor regions compared to edema and normal‐appearing white matter (NAWM). These preliminary data from patients with brain tumors show that the APT is a unique contrast that can provide complementary information to standard clinical MRI measures. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CT Assessment of Woodworkers’ Nasal Adenocarcinomas Confirms the Origin in the Olfactory Cleft

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endoscopic endonasal surgery let us observe that woodworkers’ nasal adenocarcinomas originate in the olfactory cleft. Our aim was the identification of CT imaging features that corroborate the olfactory cleft as the site of origin for woodworkers’ adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed a retrospective study to compare CT scans of 27 unilateral olfactory cleft adenocarcinomas with 30 cases of nasosinusal polyposis (NSP) and 33 healthy sinus controls. Enlargement of the olfactory cleft, lateralization of the ethmoidal turbinate wall, and contralateral bulging of the nasal septum were measured on coronal scans passing through crista galli and posterior half of both ocular globes. Comparisons have been performed by using analysis of variance and the Bonferroni procedure. RESULTS: The nasal septum was significantly bulging across the midline in adenocarcinoma (4.6 ± 3 mm; range, −0.1–13.7 mm) compared with NSP (0.7 ± 1 mm; range, −2.1–2.3 mm) or healthy sinus controls (0.5 ± 1 mm; range, −1.2–2 mm) (P < .001). The olfactory cleft was significantly wider in adenocarcinoma (15.1 ± 4.5 mm; range, 8.6–25.7 mm) than in NSP (3.6 ± 0.4 mm; range, 2.8–4.6 mm) or healthy sinus controls (3.3 ± 0.7 mm; range, 1.4–4.6 mm). The ethmoidal labyrinth width was significantly smaller on the pathologic side in adenocarcinoma (7.2 ± 2.7 mm; range, 3.2–14.2 mm) than in the control groups (P < .001). Whereas the angle between the conchal lamina and vertical midline was close to zero degrees in NSP (0.03 ± 2.25°; range, −5°–3°) and healthy sinus controls (0.45 ± 2.13°, range, −5°–5°), it reached 39.76 ± 13.83° (P < .001) in adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Radiologists should suspect nasal adenocarcinoma on sinus CT scans showing a unilateral expanding opacity of the olfactory cavity.
Detecting common method bias in predicting creative tourists behavioural intention with an illustration of theory of planned behaviour

With the rapid development of creative industries in the global economy, creative tourism is viewed as a development tool for stimulating national economies and highlighting industries, regions, and cities, making a significant contribution in changing the tourist experience. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) is empirically well-supported as a conceptual framework for predicting human behavioural intentions and behaviours. This study aims to apply the TPB to develop a theoretical framework for understanding tourists’ revisit intentions in the context of creative tourism. Moreover, this study also intends to detect the potential effects of common method bias (CMB) within applications of the TPB in tourism domains. An empirical study was carried out in three popular creative tourism attractions, Meinong, Singang, and Yingge, in Taiwan. The data collection resulted in 395 valid questionnaires. The current study validates the notion that the TPB is a theoretical and practical framework for understanding tourists’ intention to revisit in the context of creative tourism. In addition, this study also contributes to enhancing awareness of the potential effects of CMB with regard to the application of the TPB in tourism.
Unequal Rewards to Firms: Stock Market Responses to the Trump Election and the 2017 Corporate Tax Reform

Massive dollars shuttled back and forth among firms on the twisted path to and passage of the 2017 tax reform. Prices of individual stocks responded to the difference between initial and revised expectations. From the bill's initiation in the House to final passage, high-tax firms gained significantly, given the dramatic cut from 35 percent to 21 percent in the corporate tax rate. Internationally-oriented firms suffered notably, since investors assessed that the surprisingly high repatriation tax outweighed the benefits from territorial taxation. Daily price movements show that the aggregate market responded positively to lower expected taxes.
Toward more rational nerve conduction interpreations: The effect of height

One hundred four normal subjects ranging in age from 17 to 77 years and in height from 115 to 203 cm underwent nerve conduction studies of sural, peroneal, tibial, and median nerves. Foot temperature was measured in each patient. A strong inverse correlation was found between height and sural (r = −0.7104), peroneal (r = −0.6842), and tibial (r = −0.5044) conduction velocities. These correlations were significant at the P< 0.001 level. Median conduction velocity was not correlated with height. Height was correlated with the distal latencies of all nerves studied (sural r = 0.6518), peroneal r = 0.4583, tibial r = 0.7217, median (r = 0.5440). These correlations were significant at the P < 0.001 level. Age was inversely correlated with both tibial (r = −0.4071) and median (r = −0.3464) nerve conduction velocities but not with sural and peroneal conductions. There were no correlations between distal latencies and age. If the variation in conduction velocity accounted for by the linear relationship with height was removed, then age would be inversely correlated to all conduction velocity measurements with the exception of the sural. Temperature is inversely correlated with the sural (r = −0.2233), peroneal (r = −0.2102), and tibial (r = −0.2710) distal latencies. In all instances, the effects of age and temperature were minor determinants when compared with the effects of height. Diagnostic conclusions made from nerve conduction data without correcting for height may be invalid in patients taller and shorter than normal. We believe that using normal values for nerve conductions that do not take height into account can no longer be considered an acceptable standard of practice.