Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Activities of Nontraditional Antimicrobials against Multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Isolated in an Intensive Care Unit Outbreak

ABSTRACT Fifteen multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from patients in intensive care units and 14 nonoutbreak strains were tested to determine in vitro activities of nontraditional antimicrobials, including cefepime, meropenem, netilmicin, azithromycin, doxycycline, rifampin, sulbactam, and trovafloxacin. The latter five drugs were further tested against four of the strains for bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity by performing kill-curve studies at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 times their MICs. In addition, novel combinations of drugs with sulbactam were examined for synergistic interactions by using a checkerboard configuration. MICs at which 90% of the isolates tested were inhibited for antimicrobials showing activity against the multiresistant A. baumannii strains were as follows (in parentheses): doxycycline (1 μg/ml), azithromycin (4 μg/ml), netilmicin (1 μg/ml), rifampin (8 μg/ml), polymyxin (0.8 U/ml), meropenem (4 μg/ml), trovafloxacin (4 μg/ml), and sulbactam (8 μg/ml). In the kill-curve studies, azithromycin and rifampin were rapidly bactericidal while sulbactam was more slowly bactericidal. Trovafloxacin and doxycycline were bacteriostatic. None of the antimicrobials tested were bactericidal against all strains tested. The synergy studies demonstrated that the combinations of sulbactam with azithromycin, rifampin, doxycycline, or trovafloxacin were generally additive or indifferent.
The Dynamics of Job Creation and Job Destruction in an African Economy: Evidence from Ethiopia

A growing share of manufacturing in GDP and in employment is a common feature observed in successful developing countries. Manufacturing, however, has not been a major source of employment in Ethiopia and in other Sub-Saharan African countries. This paper relies on a unique census-based panel data covering the period 1996–2007 to analyse the micro-dynamics of aggregate employment changes. The analysis shows that the weak employment performance of Ethiopian manufacturing is not due to limited job creation but a consequence of simultaneous offsetting processes of job creation and destruction. We find strong evidence of intra-industry job mobility and attribute a substantial proportion of job creation and destruction to firm entry and exit. However, jobs created by small firms tend to be transitory and there has been a re-allocation of jobs from small to larger firms during periods of faster aggregate net employment growth. Overall, the evidence suggests that employment growth and job re-allocation are not necessarily restrained by labour laws and regulations. Copyright 2013 , Oxford University Press.
The expansion of education in Europe in the 20 th Century

1! 1. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION 2! 2. EDUCATIONAL EXPANSION: DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 4! 3. FACTORS DRIVING THE EDUCATIONAL EXPANSION 6! 3.1 Path-dependency 6! 3.2 Economic factors 7! 3.3 Political factors 8! 3.4 Contagion factors 9! 4. DATA AND METHODOLOGY 11! 4.1 Dataset and definitions 11! 4.2 Econometric problems and methods 14! 5. DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS: TRENDS OF EDUCATIONAL EXPANSION 16! 5.1 The European pattern 16! 5.2 Geo-political areas 19! 5.3 An ordered categorical measure 26! tables 2-4 about here 27! 6. RESULTS: EXPLANATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL EXPANSION 34! 6.1 Lower secondary education 34! 6.2 Upper secondary education 37! 6.3 Tertiary education 40! 6.4 Convergence 43! 6.5 Gender 43! CONCLUSIONS 46! REFERENCES 47! Gabriele Ballarino, Elena Meschi, Francesco Scervini
A Pharmacodynamic Comparison Study of Different Botulinum Toxin Type A Preparations

BACKGROUND Because more botulinum toxin (BoNT) preparations have become available worldwide, there is a clinical need to compare the pharmacologic profiles of these products. OBJECTIVE We compared three different preparations: onabotulinumtoxinA (ona‐BoNT/A), abobotulinumtoxinA (abo‐BoNT/A), and Neuronox (neu‐BoNT/A), in a mouse model using a digit abduction scoring (DAS) assay. METHODS The efficacy, duration of effect, and safety margin of each preparation was determined after delivering a single injection to the right gastrocnemius (0–240 U/kg body weight of neu‐BoNT/A or ona‐BoNT/A; 0–600 Speywood Units/kg body weight of abo‐BoNT/A). RESULTS Neu‐BoNT/A (intramuscular (IM) median effective dose (ED50) 11.2 ± 2.7 U/kg) and ona‐BoNT/A (IM ED50 11.9 ± 2.4 U/kg) had similar effects in terms of muscle weakness at significantly lower doses than abo‐BoNT/A (IM ED50 41.2 ± 2.4 U/kg; p < .001). The safety margin (ratio between IM ED50 and IM median lethal dose (LD50)) of neu‐BoNT/A (10.7 ± 2.6 U/kg) was also similar to that of ona‐BoNT/A (10.3 ± 1.3 U/kg) but significantly higher than that of abo‐BoNT/A (5.9 ± 0.4 U/kg; p < .02). Neu‐BoNT/A and ona‐BoNT/A also produced comparable patterns of DAS response and body weight recovery by day 29. CONCLUSION Neu‐BoNT/A and ona‐BoNT/A may be interchangeable based on a simple dose ratio.
The Effects of Inflation and Money Supply Announcements on Interest Rates

This paper examines the impact of the money supply and inflation rate announcements on interest rates. Survey data on expectations of the money supply and consumer and producer price indexes are used to distinguish anticipated and unanticipated components of the announcements. This distinction is used to test for the efficiency of the financial market response to the announcements of new information. The results indicate that the unanticipated components of the announced changes in the Producers Price Index and in the money supply have an immediate positive effect on short term interest rates.The Consumer Price Index announcement has no apparent effect. There is no evidence of a delayed announcement effect. However, there is some indication of liquidity effect of the money supply change on interest rates. This takes place when reserves are changing and several weeks prior to the information announcement.
CFS Working Paper No . 2011 / 10 Is Rated Debt Arm ’ s Length ? Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions *

In this paper we challenge the view that corporate bonds are always arm’s length debt. We analyze the effect of bond ratings on the stock price return to acquirers in M&A transactions, which tend to have significant effects on creditor wealth. We find acquirers abnormal returns to be higher if they are unrated, controlling for a wide variety of other effects identified in the literature. Tracing the difference in returns to distinct managerial decisions, we find that, everything else constant, rated firms increase their leverage in takeover transactions by less than their unrated counterparts. Consistent with a significant role for rating agencies, we find monitoring effects to be strongest when acquirer bonds are rated at the borderline between investment grade and junk. Finally, we are able to empirically exclude a large number of alternative explanations for the empirical regularities that we uncover. JEL Classification: G21, G24, G32, G34
Distribution of HLA alleles in Portugal and Cabo Verde. Relationships with the slave trade route

HLA‐A, ‐B, and ‐DR frequencies were analysed in populations from Portugal and the Madeira and Cabo Verde Archipelagos, aiming to characterize their genetic composition. Portuguese settlers colonized both Archipelagos in the 15th and 16th centuries. Madeira received many sub‐Saharan slaves to work in the sugar plantations, and Cabo Verde served as a pivotal market in the Atlantic slave trade and was populated by individuals coming from the Senegambia region of the West African coast. The population of Madeira shows the highest genetic diversity and the presence of alleles and haplotypes usually linked to sub‐Saharan populations, the haplotypes accounting for 3.5% of the total. Cabo Verde presents typical markers acknowledged to be of European or Ibero‐Mediterranean origin, thus revealing the admixture of European settlers with Sub‐Saharan slaves. Altogether the number of European haplotypes reaches 15% of the total. The Portuguese population shows a perceivable and significant heterogeneity both in allele and haplotype frequencies, unveiling a differential input of peoples from different origins. A PCA of the populations studied, plus other relevant ones, clearly shows gene heterogeneity in mainland Portugal as well as the differences and relationships between these populations and Madeira and Cabo Verde.
Price Impact or Trading Volume: Why is the Amihud (2002) Measure Priced?

The return premium associated with the Amihud (2002) measure is generally considered a liquidity premium that compensates for price impact. We find that the pricing of the Amihud measure is not attributable to the construction of the return-to-volume ratio that is intended to capture price impact, but driven by the trading volume component. Additionally, the high-frequency price impact and spread benchmarks are priced only in January and do not explain the pricing of the trading volume component of the Amihud measure. Further analyses suggest that the trading volume effect on stock return is due to mispricing, not compensation for illiquidity.
Pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors

ABSTRACT Introduction: Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) are the first-line drugs in the management of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, over the past two decades tremendous efforts have been made to identify new clinical uses of PDE5Is beyond their roles in ED. Areas covered: Basic science articles, clinical trials, reviews, and meta-analysis published between 1996 and 2015 were searched using MEDLINE (PubMed interface) to collect the most relevant and impactful studies from our perspectives as practicing urologists. This review mainly focuses on the level one evidence-based clinical efficacy and drug-related toxicity of oral PDE5Is. In addition, drug discovery, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, potential use in other diseases, and future directions are discussed. Expert opinion: On-demand PED5Is for the treatment of ED has shifted toward chronic administration in a broad spectrum of conditions that are thought to be associated with endovascular health. Several studies have shown that PDE5Is may play a cardioprotective or neuroprotective role. Further studies are under way to verify beneficial effects of PDE5I in non-urological conditions.
The Effects of Pro Forma Earnings Disclosures on Analysts' and Nonprofessional Investors' Equity Valuation Judgments

This paper presents an experiment that examines the effect of pro forma earnings disclosures on the judgments of analysts (i.e., more sophisticated investors) and nonprofessional (i.e., less sophisticated) investors. In the experiment, participants developed stock price assessments after reviewing background financial information and a current earnings announcement for a company. The earnings announcement was manipulated to report only GAAP earnings in one condition and both pro forma and GAAP earnings in the other condition. Consistent with empirical evidence, the pro forma earnings in our experiment exceeded GAAP earnings. The results indicate that nonprofessional investors who received an earnings announcement that contained both pro forma and GAAP disclosures assessed a higher stock price than did nonprofessionals who received an announcement containing only GAAP disclosures. Financial analysts' stock price judgments were not affected by the pro forma disclosures. Followup analyses suggest that analys.
The Effect of State Policies on the Location of Manufacturing: Evidence from State Borders

This paper provides new evidence that state policies play a role in the location of industry. The paper classifies a state as probusiness if it has a right‐to‐work law and antibusiness if it does not. The paper finds that, on average, there is a large, abrupt increase in manufacturing activity when one crosses a state border from an antibusiness state into a probusiness state.
The effect of body condition of dairy cows at calving on their food intake and performance when given complete diets

In two trials, three groups of eight dairy cows were fed for 2 months before calving to achieve condition scores at calving of 1·5 to 2 (low), 2·5 to 3 (medium) and 3·5 to 4 (high). For 16 weeks after calving, all cows were given a complete diet composed of silage, malt distillers' grains, barley, swedes and soya bean meal (metabolizable energy 12·25 and 12·35 MJ/kg dry matter in trials 1 and 2 respectively). In both trials, significant differences were found between groups in dry-matter intake after calving. Cows that had higher condition scores at calving ate less and reached maximum intake of dry matter later than cows with lower condition scores (high, medium and low condition-score cattle attained maximum intakes in 14·5, 12·7 and 9·3 weeks in trial 1, and in 141, 9·6 and 7·9 weeks in trial 2). In trial 1, no difference was found in milk yield but, in trial 2, cows that had lower condition scores at calving produced slightly more milk. In both trials, cows that had higher condition scores at calving lost more body weight and condition, over a longer period, and started to regain the losses later than cows with lower condition scores. The biological efficiencies of milk production (energy output/energy input) from 8 weeks before calving until 16 weeks after calving were 0·302, 0·299 and 0·295 in trial 1, and 0·312, 0·290 and 0·306 in trial 2, for the low, medium and high groups respectively. It was concluded that cows with lower condition scores at calving produced more milk directly from food rather than via body fat, were in positive energy balance earlier in lactation and over the total period were biologically more efficient than cows with higher condition scores. There appears to be no benefit from feeding cows to achieve a condition score greater than 1·5 to 2 at calving if high-energy complete diets are offered in early lactation.
Cracking the Phosphatase Code: Docking Interactions Determine Substrate Specificity

Studies of the motifs that guide interactions between phosphatases and cellular proteins provide insight into phosphatase selectivity. Many biological processes are regulated through alterations in the phosphorylation state of their protein components. Identifying the protein kinases and phosphatases that add and remove phosphate groups to these proteins is critical to understand cellular regulation. Most phosphoserine- and phosphothreonine-specific dephosphorylation is performed by a handful of protein phosphatases, each of which dephosphorylates sites that share little similarity in amino acid sequence. How do these enzymes recognize such diverse substrates with specificity? Studies show that several regions of the phosphatase that are not involved in catalysis are required for its recognition of protein partners. These regions, or docking surfaces, are conserved, and each binds weakly to a small, degenerate sequence motif (that is, a docking site) in a substrate or regulator of a phosphatase. Several of these weak interactions combine to achieve overall binding specificity. This Review, which contains 3 figures and 67 references, discusses genetic and structural studies that identify conserved docking surfaces in protein phosphatase type 1 (PP1) and the Ca2+-calmodulin–regulated phosphatase calcineurin, and show that some phosphatase inhibitors—for example, the immunosuppressants FK506 and cyclosporin A—act by interfering with substrate docking rather than with catalytic activity. Phosphoserine- and phosphothreonine-directed phosphatases display remarkable substrate specificity, yet the sites that they dephosphorylate show little similarity in amino acid sequence. Studies reveal that docking interactions are key for the recognition of substrates and regulators by two conserved phosphatases, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and the Ca2+-calmodulin–dependent phosphatase calcineurin. In each case, a small degenerate sequence motif in the interacting protein directs low-affinity binding to a docking surface on the phosphatase that is distinct from the active site; several such interactions combine to confer overall binding specificity. Some docking surfaces are conserved, such as a hydrophobic groove on a face opposite the active site that serves as a major recognition surface for the “RVxF” motif of proteins that interact with PP1 and the “PxIxIT” motif of substrates of calcineurin. Secondary motifs combine with this primary targeting sequence to specify phosphatase binding. A comprehensive interactome for mammalian PP1 was described, analysis of which defines several PP1-binding motifs. Studies of “LxVP,” a secondary calcineurin-binding sequence, establish that this motif is a conserved feature of calcineurin substrates and that the immunosuppressants FK506 and cyclosporin A inhibit the phosphatase by interfering with LxVP-mediated docking.
A structural model of the impact of Quality Management Practices and purchasing-related Information Systems on purchasing performance: A TQM perspective

Many studies claim that the implementation of quality management practices and specific information systems can help organizations to improve performance. However, little is known about the effect of Quality Management Practices in Purchasing (QMPP) on related Information System practices (IS) and their combined effect on purchasing performance. The objective of this article is to advance the literature by providing an empirically evaluated and comprehensive model that relates QMPP with IS and purchasing performance. Measurement scales for these three constructs were developed and assessed for convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability. Findings from this study indicate that there is significant evidence to support the hypothesized model in which QMPP has a direct impact on related IS practices and purchasing performance; it also has an indirect impact on purchasing performance mediated through IS.1
Dexamethasone Regulates Cochlear Expression of Deafness-associated Proteins Myelin Protein Zero and Heat Shock Protein 70, as Revealed by iTRAQ Proteomics

Aim Using proteomics, we aimed to identify the proteins differentially regulated by dexamethasone in the mouse cochlea based on mass-spectrometry data. Background Glucocorticoid therapy is widely used for many forms of sensorineural hearing loss; however, the molecular mechanism of its action in the cochlea remains poorly understood. Methods Dexamethasone or control saline was intratympanically applied to the cochleae of mice. Twelve hours after application, proteins differentially regulated by dexamethasone in the cochlea were analyzed by isobaric Tag for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ)–mass spectrometry. Next, dexamethasone-dependent regulation of these proteins was verified in the cochleae of mice with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and systemic administration of dexamethasone by western blotting. Immunolocalizations of these proteins were examined in cochleae with NIHL. Results A total of 247 proteins with a greater than 95% confidence interval of protein identification were found, and 11 differentially expressed proteins by dexamethasone were identified by the iTRAQ–mass spectrometry. One protein, myelin protein zero (Mpz), was upregulated (1.870 ± 0.201-fold change, p < 0.01) at 6 hours post-systemic dexamethasone and noise exposure in a mouse model of NIHL. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) was downregulated (0.511 ± 0.274-fold change, p < 0.05) at 12 hours post-systemic dexamethasone. Immunohistochemistry confirmed Mpz localization to the efferent and afferent processes of the spiral neurons, whereas Hsp70 showed a more ubiquitous expression pattern in the cochlea. Conclusion Both Mpz and Hsp70 have been reported to be closely associated with sensorineural hearing loss in humans. Dexamethasone significantly modulated the expression levels of these proteins in the cochleae of mice.
Socioeconomic Determinants of the Utilization of Antenatal Care and Child Vaccination in India

Antenatal care and child vaccination services are adopted worldwide to reduce the risk of child mortality, maternal mortality, and burden of infectious diseases. This article examines the effect of socioeconomic factors on the utilization of antenatal care and child vaccination services in India. The generalized linear model has been used along with the Indian National Family Health Survey data for the period 2005-2006. The analysis shows that the health insurance plan has a significant effect on the use of antenatal care but not in the child vaccination. Furthermore, there is inequality in the utilization of antenatal care as well as child vaccination services and it is positively related to the wealth. The study suggests that there is a need to improve the socioeconomic status of the financially weaker section of the society for improving the use of child and maternal care services.
Sustainable consumption in Brazil: Identification of preliminary requirements to guide product development and the definition of public policies

Sustainable product development is closely related to sustainable consumption. The understanding of consumers' purchase, use and discard behaviours may facilitate the identification of requirements to guide manufacturers in the development of sustainable goods and services. The aim of this paper is to investigate consumers' perception about factors that motivate or discourage the consumption of sustainable products to identify demands and convert them into requirements. South Brazilian green and traditional consumers were asked to complete an exploratory qualitative questionnaire. Their answers were organized and compared to identify differences and similarities between the demands of these two groups. Furthermore, demands were converted into requirements for packages, products, manufactures, stores planning and discard systems. The interpretation of factors that motivate or discourage the purchase of sustainable products given by interviewees led to the creation of a list of possible public policies or programmes, aiming to support sustainable consumption. The results demonstrate the necessity of further quantitative investigation between consumer groups, for validation purposes.
Oral hygiene practices and periodontitis in health care professionals.

BACKGROUND One in 3 adults in the United States has periodontitis, yet there are few widely applied methods for its prevention. Few studies have assessed oral hygiene practices related to periodontitis. METHODS There were 533 participants in this study (14.8% male dentists; 13.7% male non-dentist health care professionals; and 71.5% female nurses), all of whom are enrolled in ongoing cohort studies in the United States which have inquired about their oral hygiene practices and whether they have professionally diagnosed periodontitis. We studied the relationship between oral hygiene practices and periodontitis, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS The participants were 69 years old on average, 84.2% white, 12.4% current smokers, and 8.3% diabetic. Seventy percent of the dentists and nurses brushed at least twice a day compared to 56% of the other health professionals. Two-thirds of the nurses, 56.3% dentists, and 36.4% other health professionals flossed at least once daily. Persons brushing twice daily were as likely to have periodontitis as those brushing once or less daily (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64 to 2.10); persons flossing less than once a day were as likely to have periodontitis as those who flossed daily (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.63 to 2.13) after controlling for profession, age, gender, smoking, diabetes, coronary heart disease, history of periodontal surgery, and number of teeth present. CONCLUSIONS People who reported better oral hygiene practices did not report less periodontitis, after controlling for potential confounders. Oral hygiene practices were not associated with periodontitis in this population.