Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathogens Implicated in Acute Otitis Media Failures After 7-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Implementation in France: Distribution, Serotypes, and Resistance Levels

Background: Before 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) implementation in France, several studies had described the microbiology of acute otitis media (AOM) treatment failures. The causative pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) followed by nontypable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of pathogens involved in AOM treatment failures or recurrences. Methods: This French multicentric prospective study enrolled 143 children with AOM treatment failure between 2007 and 2009 observed by 8 ear, nose, and throat specialists. Failure was defined as the persistence of AOM symptoms after at least 48 hours of antibiotic therapy or their recurrence within 4 days after the end of treatment. Standardized history and physical examination findings were recorded, and culture of middle ear fluid (MEF) was obtained. Results: Mean age was 16.9 ± 9.9 months (median, 13.7). Eighty-eight percent of children had received more than 1 dose of PCV7, and 70.6% attended day care. The most common antibiotic used at the time of treatment failure or recurrence was a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanate (51.1%). Bacteriologic sampling demonstrated that in 35% of cases (n=50), no otopathogen was cultured at the time of treatment failure or recurrence. Similar proportions of Sp and NTHi were observed in the 86 patients (60.1%) from whom only a single species was recovered from MEF (46.5% for Sp, n=40 and 45.3% for NTHi, n=39). Among Sp strains, 4.4% were penicillin susceptible, 77.8% were penicillin intermediate, and 17.8% were fully penicillin resistant, and serotype 19A represented 84.5% of all serotypes detected. Among NTHi isolates, 15.5% (n=7) were &bgr;-lactamase–producing strains (including 2 strains with only this mechanism of resistance), and strains with reduced susceptibility by changes in protein binding to penicillin (&bgr;-lactamase–negative ampicillin resistant strains) represented 35.5% of cases. Among the 50 sterile MEF samples, polymerase chain reaction was performed in 32, of which 4 were positive for HI, 3 for Sp, and 3 for both. Conclusions: Among children with AOM treatment failures in France, Sp and NTHi were equally distributed; 19A was the main Sp serotype, and the main resistance mechanism for NTHi was &bgr;-lactamase–negative ampicillin resistance.
Training Induced Changes in Maximum Heart Rate

The present study aimed to examine maximum heart rate (HRmax) in elite athletes. 130 (68 male, 23.2 +/- 4.8 years, 62 female, 21.0 +/- 5.1 years) endurance trained athletes, 40 (24 male, 24.0 +/- 5.6 years, 16 female, 22.8 +/- 4.6 years) anaerobically trained athletes, and 95 (39 male, 24.8 +/- 4.8 years, 56 female, 23.0 +/- 4.8 years) sedentary participants entered the study. All participants undertook a standard ramp protocol to volitional exhaustion to establish HRmax. Significant differences in HRmax were identified due to mode of exercise (p < 0.001) and gender (p = 0.001). The mean HRmax for the three modes of exercise were; aerobic 190.3 (SEE = 0.66), anaerobic 190.1 (SEE = 1.12) and sedentary 194.8 (SEE = 0.73) beats . min (-1) estimated at the average age of 23.1 years. The slope parameter for age varied between genders, the beta slope for females being significantly more negative than male subjects (- 1.1 beats . min (-1) . year (-1) vs. - 0.55 beats . min (-1) . year (-1), respectively). The predictive HRmax equation for male athletes was HRmax = 202 - 0.55 x age, and for female athletes it was HRmax = 216 - 1.09 x age. HRmax is similar between aerobically and anaerobically trained athletes. HRmax is significantly lower in athletes compared with age matched sedentary counterparts. The mechanisms underlying the lower HRmax remain to be elucidated.
Multisource effects on the satisfaction formation process

Customer satisfaction research is integrated with research on higher education in developing a model of alumni satisfaction with college education. The model proposes that alumni satisfaction with higher education is a function of two performance and disconfirmation attributes: intellectual environment and employment preparation. The model was tested among 475 alumni of a major Eastern undergraduate business school and demonstrates the advantage of modeling the disconfirmation paradigm with multiple sources of satisfaction.
A Regional Biogeography of Shore Molluscs: Influence of the Kuroshio Current and the Two Capes

The regional pattern of shore molluscan assemblages was investigated along a 650-km coastline of the Kii Peninsula in central Japan. Hydrography of the coastal waters differed between three subareas, the Inner Kii Channel (IKC), the Outer Kii Channel (OKC), and the Sea of Kumano (SOK), which are demarcated by the two prominent capes, Cape Hinomisaki and Cape Shionomisaki. The water of OKC was warm, saline, and transparent compared to that of the other subareas, due to the influence of the intruding Kuroshio current. Corresponding to this hydrographic difference, the composition of shore malacofauna differed between OKC and the other subareas. Species diversity and relative abundance of the southern species (< 35° N) increased southward and were higher in the OKC than in the other subareas. Multivariate analysis on various environmental and biotic parameters detected significant relationships between the temperature and geographic groups of species, and between substratum geology and trophic groups. The present and previous results elucidated the following biogeographic process in the study area. The Kuroshio washes the coast of the OKC, and enriches the southern species by increasing the temperature and providing their larvae; thus the diversified warm-water malacofauna of the OKC intervenes between the colderwater malacofaunas of the IKC and SOK. This major pattern is further modified by shore geology and the degree of wave exposure at local scales. The present survey method, a semi-quantitative timed search for intertidal assemblages required less time than, and yet yielded results similar to, the widely used dispersed quadrat survey for the parameters selected in the present analysis.
Insulin effects on myocardial function and bioenergetics in l‐bupivacaine toxicity in the isolated rat heart

Background and objectives: A positive effect of insulin‐glucose‐potassium infusion in severe bupivacaine‐induced cardiovascular collapse has been described in vivo. It has been speculated that an antagonistic influence of insulin on sodium channel inhibition, transient outward potassium current, calcium‐dependent adenosine triphosphatase or even improved myocardial energetics may be responsible for this effect. Using an isolated heart model, we therefore sought to further elucidate insulin effects in l‐bupivacaine‐induced myocardial depression. Methods: An isolated rat heart constant‐pressure perfused, non‐recirculating Langendorff preparation was used. Hearts were exposed to l‐bupivacaine 5 &mgr;g mL−1 and insulin 10 mIU mL−1. Heart rate, systolic pressure, the first derivative of left ventricular pressure (+dP/dt), coronary flow, double product, PR and QRS intervals were recorded. Hearts were freeze‐clamped and high‐performance liquid chromatography measurement of the total adenine nucleotide pool was performed. Results: l‐Bupivacaine led to a significant decrease in heart rate, +dP/dt, systolic pressure, coronary flow and double product, and to an increase in PR and QRS. Insulin exerted a positive inotropic effect, significantly augmenting +dP/dt and systolic pressure in both l‐bupivacaine‐treated and control hearts. Heart rate, coronary flow, total adenine nucleotides, PR and QRS were not significantly changed by the insulin intervention. Conclusion: Insulin did not have a significant effect on total adenine nucleotides in controls and in l‐bupivacaine‐treated hearts. However, it does exert a positive inotropic action in bupivacaine‐induced myocardial depression. We conclude that the positive effect of insulin application lies in positive inotropic action and not in changes in total adenine nucleotides.
Does Strategic Planning Enhance or Impede Innovation and Firm Performance

Does strategic planning enhance or impede innovation and firm performance? The current literature provides contradictory views. This study extends the resource-advantage theory to examine the conditions in which strategic planning increases or decreases the number of new product development projects and firm performance. The authors test the theoretical model by collecting data from 227 firms. The empirical evidence suggests that more strategic planning and more new product development (NPD) projects lead to better firm performance. Firms with organizational redundancy benefit more from strategic planning than firms with less organizational redundancy. Increasing R&D intensity boosts both the number of NPD projects and firm performance. Strategic planning is more effective in larger firms with higher R&D intensity for increasing the number of NPD projects. The results reported in this study also consist of several findings that challenge the traditional views of strategic planning. The evidence suggests that strategic planning impedes, not enhances, the number of NPD projects. Larger firms benefit less, not more, from strategic planning for improving firm performance. Larger firms do not necessarily create more NPD projects. Increasing organizational redundancy has no effect on the number of NPD projects. These empirical results provide important strategic implications. First, managers should be aware that, in general, formal strategic planning decreases the number of NPD projects for innovation management. Improvised rather than planned activities are more conducive to creating NPD project ideas. Moreover, innovations tend to emerge from improvisational processes, during which the impromptu execution of NPD activities without planning spurs “thinking outside the box,” which enhances the process of creating NPD project ideas. Therefore, more flexible strategic plans that accommodate potential improvisation may be needed in NPD management since innovation-related activities cannot be planned precisely due to the unexpected jolts and contingencies of the NPD process. Second, large firms with high levels of R&D intensity can overcome the negative effect of strategic planning on the number of NPD projects. Specifically, a firm's abundant resources, when allocated and deployed for NPD activities, signal the high priority and importance of the NPD activities and thus motivate employees to acquire, collect, and gather customer and technical knowledge, which leads to creating more NPD projects. Finally, managers must understand that managing strategic planning and generating NPD project ideas are beneficial to the ultimate outcome of firm performance despite the adverse relationship between strategic planning and the number of NPD projects.
Transphyseal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Patients With Open Physes

Background: The treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in skeletally immature patients is controversial. Current evidence supports the view that surgical techniques restore knee stability and prevent progressive articular damage. However, most of the studies on this topic are small case series or they have short- or medium-term follow-up times. Purpose: To determine the long-term functional outcomes and secondary complications of transphyseal intra-articular ACL reconstruction with hamstring graft in skeletally immature patients. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Transphyseal ACL reconstruction with autograft hamstrings was performed in 27 skeletally immature patients. The average age at surgery was 13 years (range, 12-16 years), and the average follow-up time was 10.6 years (range, 10-13 years). Clinical outcomes were assessed with preoperative and final follow-up Tegner, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective, and Lysholm scores. Surgery details, return to sports, and ACL reconstruction failures were collected. The anteroposterior knee laxity was assessed by arthrometry, and the presence of deformities and lower limb length discrepancies were evaluated by radiographs. The presence of degenerative signs on anteroposterior and lateral knee radiographs at final follow-up was also evaluated. Results: Transphyseal ACL reconstruction was performed with vertically oriented tunnels, 7 to 10 mm in diameter, using semitendinosus-gracilis autograft. The average preoperative Tegner, IKDC, and Lysholm scores were 7, 55, and 40, respectively. Significant differences in these scores were observed at the time of the final assessment (Tegner, 6 [P = .026]; IKDC, 94 [P < .001]; Lysholm, 92 [P < .001]). Two patients reported instability during sports activity. Three patients had a rupture of the ACL graft. No leg length discrepancy, axis malalignment, or degenerative changes were observed. Conclusion: The transphyseal ACL reconstruction in skeletally immature patients is a safe option, with high functional and satisfaction results, without significant growth plate damage in this series of patients.
Mere exposure effect can be elicited in transient global amnesia

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is one of the most severe forms of anterograde amnesia seen in clinical practice, yet patients may show evidence of spared learning during the amnesic episode. The scope of spared learning in such a severe form of amnesia remains uncertain, and it is also unclear whether findings from single-case studies hold up in group studies of TGA patients. In this group study, we found evidence that extended the domain of spared learning in TGA to include the mere exposure effect, whereby enhanced preference is primed by prior exposure to stimuli. We demonstrate this effect during an acute episode in a group of TGA patients, where they showed enhanced preference for previously exposed faces, despite markedly impaired performance on standard anterograde memory tests.
Adaptation of neuromagnetic N1 without shifts in dipolar orientation

306-channel magnetoencephalography, coregistered with high-resolution volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, was used with 10 healthy participants to test if repetition adapts subsequent processing of sounds in a sequence and whether this adaptation influenced the orientation of the dipolar sources in the auditory cortex. Auditory N1m responses to 1 kHz pure tones were indexed by clusters of sensors situated bilaterally over the temporal lobes. N1m was augmented in amplitude at an interstimulus interval of 16 s relative to 1 s. This neuromagnetic amplitude augment occurred in dipoles in the vicinity of the auditory cortex, without significant shifts in the dipolar orientation. Recent repetition thus adapts auditory cortical neurons, in a manner subject to recovery after a period of silence.
Bid Together, Buy Together: On the Efficacy of Group-Buying Models in Internet-Based Selling.

In recent years, the advent of electronic commerce has led to the creation of many new and interesting business models for Internet-based selling. In this paper, we will explore a variant of the typical dynamic pricing mechanism, in which buyers and sellers actively engage in the price discovery process, that emphasizes the power of group buying. Dynamic pricing approaches are used by many well known Internet-based firms, including firms that offer online auctions such as eBay and Amazon.com. A group-buying discount is a dynamic pricing mechanism that mimics the general approach of traditional “discount shopping clubs. ” Group buying pricing mechanisms permit buyers to aggregate their purchasing power and obtain lower prices than they otherwise would be able to get individually. However, with the recent closing of Mercata.com, a leading group-buying Web site, and the change in strategic direction of another market leader, Mobshop.com, the future of group-buying discount business models in Internet-based selling is no longer clear. In this essay, we will: (1) introduce the innovations associated with group-buying business models in Internet-based selling; (2) characterize the operational aspects of dynamic pricing mechanisms for group-buying through a discussion of a series of mini-cases with different firms that are widely recognized as the innovators in this area; (3) assess the quality of their business models relative to other new business models for Internet-based selling; and (4) draw conclusions about their sustainability in light of competitive forces in the marketplace.
Consumer price knowledge in Turkey – before and after the changeover of the national currency

Purpose – The first objective of the paper is to determine whether the national currency changeover in Turkey has altered the level of consumer price knowledge. The second objective is to investigate the level of consumer price knowledge in an emerging economy, quite apart from the currency changeover.Design/methodology/approach – The paper looks at price knowledge by comparing consumers' price estimations with actual market prices. Data was collected, designed as a panel interview, at two points of time. The price data contains the actual prices of six selected products, from 27 retail stores in Istanbul. The choice of retail outlets was conducted in such a manner, that they provide a highly representative image of prices in Istanbul. The price estimation was obtained at personal interviews (599 individuals) outside a shopping situation in different parts of Istanbul.Findings – The analysis suggests that the price knowledge of Turkish consumers has not deteriorated since the currency changeover. On the c.
Determination of the Minimal Erythema Dose and Colorimetric Measurements as Indicators of Skin Sensitivity to UV-B Radiation¶

Abstract There is a strong relation between chronic UV-B–induced sunburns and the development of skin cancer. Therefore, it is important to obtain a method that can be reproduced easily to detect individuals with similar skin color but different sensitiveness to sun exposure. The study evaluated 193 healthy volunteers (68% women; the average age was 38 years). They were divided into six groups of at least 30 subjects, according to skin type. The minimal erythema dose (MED) was assessed in two non–sun-exposed areas (thorax–infra-axillary area and on the buttocks), using a UV-B source (0.5 mW/cm2), with openings of 1 cm2, in increasing doses. The same areas were evaluated with a Minolta CR 300 Chromameter (L*a*b* system). The MED values ranged from 13 to 156 mJ/cm2; the coordinate L* (brightness) ranged from 75.96 to 30.15. The correlation between the MED and the brightness was negative in both areas (Pearson's correlation r = −0.91, P < 0.05). Color measurements, especially brightness, can be used to quickly assess skin sensibility. Considering the MED, there is a substantial overlapping of adjacent phototypes, but they could be separated into two groups: more sensitive individuals (Types I, II, III and IV) and less sensitive ones (Types V and VI).
Mutual dependence, partner substitutability, and repeated partnership: the survival of cross‐border alliances

Drawing on the resource dependence perspective, this study suggests that alliance survival is an adaptive response to both environmental dependence and partner dependence independently and jointly. Based on a sample of cross-border alliances formed and terminated by local and foreign firms in a longitudinal setting, the results suggest that the mutual trade dependence between a home country and a host country is positively related to the survival of cross-border alliances in the host country. Whereas partner substitutability reduces the probability of alliance survival, repeated partnership increases the probability. Moreover, mutual trade dependence reduces the negative effect of partner substitutability on alliance survival. The findings support the idea that resource dependence theory provides an important framework for the study of cross-border alliances. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Direct effect of chlorine dioxide, zinc chloride and chlorhexidine solution on the gaseous volatile sulfur compounds

Abstract Objective. This study focused on the ability of aqueous anti-volatile-sulfur-compound (VSC) solutions to eliminate gaseous VSCs by direct contact in a sealed space to describe possible mode of action of anti-VSC agents. Materials and methods. Twenty milliliters of each experimental solution, 0.16% sodium chlorite, 0.25% zinc chloride, 0.1% chlorhexidine and distilled water, was injected into a Teflon bag containing mixed VSCs, hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide and mixed vigorously for 30 s. The VSC concentration was measured by gas chromatography before, immediately after, 30 min and 60 min after mixing. Results. The sodium chlorite solution reduced the VSC concentration remarkably. After mixing, nearly all VSCs were eliminated immediately and no VSCs were detected at 30 and 60 min post-mixing. However, in the other solutions, the VSC concentration decreased by ∼30% immediately after mixing and there was no further decrease. Conclusion. The results suggest that sodium chlorite solution has the effect of eliminating gaseous VSCs directly. This must be because it can release chlorine dioxide gas which can react directly with gaseous VSCs. In the case of other solutions that have been proved to be effective to reduce halitosis clinically, it can be proposed that their anti-VSC effect is less likely due to the direct chemical elimination of gaseous VSCs in the mouth.
Effect of saline inhalation on vocal fold epithelial morphology evaluated by optical coherence tomography

Examination of tissue structures by optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been shown to be useful on mucous membranes of the vocal folds, but so far its application to the human larynx has been limited because it is technically cumbersome and usually needs to be performed with sedation. Here a newly developed, noninvasive combined laryngoscopy and OCT procedure is described and its suitability for ambulatory OCT studies evaluated. Because inhalation therapies utilizing saline solutions are commonly used as a treatment option for disorders of the airways, and vocal fold epithelium is most likely to be affected due to its superficial positioning, epithelial thickness was chosen as a relevant test parameter and evaluated before and after saline inhalation.
Identification of a Phosphatase‐Sensitive Epitope of Rabies Virus Nucleoprotein Which Is Recognized by a Monoclonal Antibody 5‐2‐26

We have investigated a phosphatase‐sensitive sequential epitope of the nucleoprotein (N), one of the phosphoproteins of rabies virus, which is recognized by the monoclonal antibody (MAb) #5‐2‐26. The epitope was shared in common by all of the rabies virus strains we tested, including the HEP, ERA, CVS and Japanese strains (Nishigahara and Komatsukawa). Thin layer chromatography of the acid hydrolyzates of 32P‐labeled N protein showed that the protein contained phosphoserine and phospho‐threonine at a molar ratio of about 4 to 1, while no phosphotyrosine was detected. Immunoprecipitation studies with several deletion mutants of the N protein showed that the epitope is located in a region spanning from amino acid 344 to 415. If the phosphatase‐sensitive epitope is located at or near the phosphoamino acid, the location of the latter could be narrowed further to a region from amino acid 354 to 389 by comparing the amino‐acid sequences among the viral strains. To examine this assumption, point mutation was introduced by amino‐acid substitution with alanine at either of five potential phosphorylation sites (i.e., positions 354, 375, 377, 386 and 389) in the 354–389 region. Among those, only one substitution, at position 389, greatly affected the antigenicity. Substitution of serine‐389 by threonine also reduced the antigenicity. These results strongly suggest that serine‐389 is a phosphorylation site and essential for constructing or stabilizing the antigenic structure for MAb 5‐2‐26.