Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of cumin (Cuminum cyminum) seed essential oil on biofilm formation and plasmid Integrity of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Seeds of the cumin plant (Cuminum cyminum L.) have been used since many years in Iranian traditional medicine. We assessed the effect of cumin seed essential oil on the biofilm-forming ability of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains and on the integrity of a native resistance plasmid DNA from K. pneumoniae isolates, treated with essential oil. Antibacterial coaction between the essential oil and selected antibiotic disks were determined for inhibiting K. pneumoniae. The essential oil of the cumin seeds was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clavenger system. A simple method for the formation of biofilms on semiglass lamellas was established. The biofilms formed were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of essential oil on plasmid integrity was studied through the induction of R-plasmid DNA degradation. The plasmid was incubated with essential oil, and agarose gel electrophoresis was performed. Disk diffusion assay was employed to determine the coaction. The essential oil decreased biofilm formation and enhanced the activity of the ciprofloxacin disk. The incubation of the R-plasmid DNA with essential oil could not induce plasmid DNA degradation. The results of this study suggest the potential use of cumin seed essential oil against K. pneumoniae in vitro, may contribute to the in vivo efficacy of this essential oil.
Shifting paradigms in multiple sclerosis: from disease-specific, through population-specific toward patient-specific.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW In recent years we notice paradigm shifts in the understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to important transition in the patients' management. This review discusses some of the recent findings and developments underlying the conceptual changes being translated from 'treating the disease' to 'treating the patient' with MS (PwMS). RECENT FINDINGS Applying advanced technologies combined with cross-disciplinary efforts in the fields of neuropathology, neuroimmunology, neurobiology, and neuroimaging, together with clinical neurology provided support for the notion that MS is not a single disease but rather a spectrum. Predictive markers of disease subtypes, disease activity and response to therapy are being developed; some already applied to practice, allowing informed management. In parallel, population-specific issues, some genetic-driven, others caused by environmental (sun-exposure, life-style, etc.), gender-related (hormones) and epigenetic factors, are being elucidated. Additionally, patient empowerment-based approaches, including integration of patient-reported outcome measures (PRO) as well as tools to enhance patients' adherence to medications, are being developed, some already provided as part of emerging mobile-health technologies. SUMMARY Developments in the MS field, elucidating disease subtypes and interpopulation diversities, together with integration of patient-centered approaches, allow transition toward precision medicine in MS clinical trials and patient care.
Business Cycles and Firm Dynamics

This paper builds a framework for the analysis of macroeconomic business cycles that incorporates the endogenous determination of the number of producers over the business cycle. Economic expansions induce higher entry rates by prospective entrants subject to irreversible investment costs. The sluggish response of the number of producers (due to the sunk entry costs) generates a new and potentially important endogenous propagation mechanism for real business cycle models (which typically rely on the accumulation of physical capital by a fixed number of producers). Consistent with the data, our framework predicts a procyclical number of producers, and procyclical profi ts. We use the same modeling framework to analyze how endogenous entry affects the efficiency properties of business cycle models. We show that the market equilibrium of our model is efficient, even with prices above marginal costs, if labor supply is inelastic. When labor supply is endogenous, efficiency is restored by taxing leisure at a rate equal to the net markup in the market for consumption goods.
TESTING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN FUTURES MARKET FOR WHITE MAIZE / TOETSING VAN DIE DOELTREFFENDHEID VAN DIE SUID-AFRIKAANSE TERMYNKONTRAKMARK VIR WITMIELIES

Cointegration analysis is used to test whether the South African futures market for white maize was efficient (futures prices predict spot (cash) prices that reflect all publicly available information) in 1997 and 1998. Tests are also conducted to assess whether or not white maize futures prices are unbiased predictors of future spot prices (for effective price discovery). There was no long-run relationship between white maize futures and spot prices for 1997, but there is evidence of a long-run relationship between these price series in 1998. Furthermore, the 1998 futures price was an unbiased predictor of future spot prices for both the annual and three-month contract. This could be evidence of a market learning process and a progression towards efficiency, which has seen a marked increase in market liquidity (contract volumes traded) since late 1996.
Factors affecting the bid/no bid decision in the Palestinian construction industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank the factors that affect the bid/no bid decision according to their relative importance from the perspective of the contracting parties operating in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.Design/methodology/approach – The objectives of this research were investigated through a postal questionnaire, which covered a randomly selected sample of 63 contractors, 29 clients and 13 consultants operating in the construction industry in the Gaza strip. The questionnaire was structured based on related literature, the pilot study and actual factors affecting bidders' decisions to bid or not that arise from special conditions in the Gaza Strip. A total of 78 factors that affect the bid/no bid decision were identified. These factors were then ranked according to their relative importance to contracting parties operating in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.Findings – The results illustrate that the financial capability of the contractors, the financial capability of the clients, .
An Analysis of the Barriers and Benefits to Diversity Inclusion in North Carolina Secondary Agricultural Education Curricula

The purpose of this study was to analyze the attitudes of North Carolina secondary agricultural education teachers toward increasing diversity inclusion in North Carolina secondary agricultural education programs. Overall North Carolina agricultural educators found diversity to be of great value, additionally it was perceived that it aided agricultural education students in character and leadership skill development. Respondents perceived that diversity in agricultural education could improve the critical thinking skills of agricultural students. Guidance counselors and the perception of agriculture itself were seen as major influences upon diversity inclusion in agricultural education. Recommendations included preservice multicultural training, reflective diversity teaching practices, establishing collaborative relationships with guidance counselors, and the creation of diversity evaluation plans.
Economic Growth in East Asia: Accumulation versus Assimilation

THE IMPRESSIVE economic performance of many Asian economies during the past three decades is now an old story. The growth of per capita GDP averaged over 4 percent in China and the major East Asian economies (Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand) between 1960 and 1994, compared with less than 2 percent in other developing economies and 2.6 percent among the industrial countries. ' East Asia stands out as the only region where living standards are catching up to those in industrial countries, while other parts of the developing world seem to be struggling to either tread water or fall further and further behind (see table 1). The exemplary performance of many East Asian economies has been the basis for a large and varied literature, much of which explores reasons for the persistently high growth and draws lessons for other countries that would like to follow suit. A surprising aspect of this literature is the lack of agreement on fundamental aspects of the performance record that analysts seek to explain. Is the basis for East
Fiscal shocks and the exchange rate

This paper studies how the interaction between the monetary policy regime and the degree of home bias in public consumption affects the exchange-rate response to fiscal shocks in dynamic open-economy models. Our analysis compares the classic Redux model of Obstfeld and Rogoff (1995) and a modern New Keynesian DSGE two-country model, and highlights the substantially different transmission mechanism between the two.
Whole‐cell and single‐channel currents activated by GABA and glycine in granule cells of the rat cerebellum.

1. Patch‐clamp methods have been used to characterize GABA‐and glycine‐activated channels and spontaneous synaptic currents in granule cells in thin cerebellar slices from 7‐ to 20‐day‐old rats. 2. All granule cells responded to 10 microM GABA, while approximately 60% responded to 100 microM glycine. With repeated against application, whole‐cell responses to GABA, but not those to glycine, declined over a period of minutes unless the pipette solution contained Mg‐ATP. 3. Whole‐cell concentration‐response curves gave EC50 values at 45.2 and 99.6 microM and Hill slopes of 0.94 and 2.6 for GABA and glycine, respectively. At saturating concentrations, currents evoked by GABA were fivefold larger than those evoked by glycine. 4. Whole‐cell current‐voltage (I‐V) relationships of GABA‐ and glycine‐activated currents reversed close to the predicted Cl‐ equilibrium potential. Partial replacement of intracellular Cl‐ with F‐ shifted the GABA reversal potential to a more negative value. ‘Instantaneous’ I‐V relationships produced by ionophoretic application of GABA were linear, while ‘steady‐state’ I‐V relationships produced by ramp changes in potential showed outward rectification. For glycine, ‘steady‐state’ I‐V plots were linear. 5. Responses to GABA were blocked by the GABAA receptor antagonists bicuculline (15 microM), SR‐95531 (10 microM) and picrotoxinin (100 microM) while responses to glycine were selectively blocked by strychnine (200 nM), indicating the presence of two separate receptor types. 6. In outside‐out membrane patches, GABA opened channels with conductances of 16 and 28 pS. The proportion of openings to each of the conductances varied between patches, possibly indicating the activation of two distinct channel types. Glycine‐activated single‐channel currents had conductances of 32, 55 and 104 pS. Single‐channel I‐V relationships were linear. 7. Spontaneous synaptic currents with a rapid rise time and biexponential decay were present in more than half of the cells examined. These currents were eliminated by bicuculline (15 microM) or SR‐95331 (10 microM) and were greatly reduced in frequency by tetrodotoxin (TTX; 300 nM), suggesting that they were mediated by GABA and arose from spontaneous activity in Golgi interneurones. In granule cells where this spontaneous synaptic activity was apparent, glycine and low concentrations of GABA increased the frequency of the synaptic currents. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Quantitative easing by the Bank of Japan

the wake of continued weakness in the Japanese economy and recent market turbulence due to the terrorist attacks in the U.S., the Bank of Japan (BOJ) recently increased the intensity of its quantitative easing program, which it had begun in March of this year. The BOJ initially switched from the usual approach to expansionary monetary policy—namely, a reduction in the target short-term interest rate— to quantitative easing because by that time it had been pursuing a target very close to zero (0.15%). The BOJ argued that, at an interest rate so close to zero, further nominal interest rate target reductions were constrained to be small, as under normal circumstances nominal interest rates are bounded at zero. As a result, the possible stimulus obtained through further reduction in the interest rate target was likely to be limited. Under quantitative easing, the BOJ conducts open market operations aimed at increasing the money supply and reducing long-term interest rates. The recent intensification of the program has come in a number of forms. The increase in quantitative easing involves the BOJ engaging in open market transactions aimed at increasing its balance of current bank accounts held at the BOJ. Balances were initially increased from 5 trillion yen to 6 trillion yen. After September 11, 2001, balances rose as high as 12.5 trillion yen, but the BOJ gradually brought balances back down to 7 trillion yen a month later. In addition, the BOJ announced that it would increase its outright purchase of long-term government bonds from 400 billion yen per month to 600 billion yen per month. Finally, the BOJ also intervened against the dollar; while the BOJ has intervened repeatedly recently against the rising yen, the latest intervention was notable because it was unsterilized, meaning that the central bank allowed the intervention to increase the money supply. In this Economic Letter, I examine the prospects for these strategies in an environment where nominal rates are close to zero. I argue that, in this environment , a modest expansion in the growth rate of the money supply is likely to have a limited expansionary impact unless it is accompanied by the public's expectation of higher future inflation rates. And neither quantitative easing nor unsterilized intervention against the yen is likely to change inflation expectations. However, insofar as BOJ open market purchases of long-term government debt raise the price of these assets, they also may lower …
Co‐induction and laryngeal mask insertion# A comparison of thiopentone versus propofol

Conditions for insertion of the laryngeal mask airway were assessed in 70 unpremedicated patients comparing the co‐induction with midazolam‐alfentanil‐thiopentone and midazolam–alfentanil–propofol. Following pre‐induction doses of midazolam 0.04 mg.kg−1 and alfentanil 10 μg. kg−1, patients received equipotent doses of either thiopentone or propofol. Whilst jaw relaxation and ease of laryngeal mask insertion were similar between the two groups, patients receiving propofol were less likely to have undesired responses requiring additional boluses of induction agent (p < 0.05). We conclude that, using these doses, propofol is superior to thiopentone for laryngeal mask airway insertion when using a co‐induction technique.
Growth, Governance and Corporate Payout Policy

type="main" xml:id="acfi12070-abs-0001"> We show that when growth opportunities decreased following the end of the Cold War, defence firms responded by increasing total payout. This change in policy was largely driven by increased stock buybacks as opposed to changes in cash dividends and primarily by firms that faced stronger external governance. On the other hand, firms with weaker internal governance that were more severely affected by the reduced growth chose to alter the mix of payout at the expense of repurchases. Overall, our findings (i) demonstrate a causal link where exogenous shocks to growth cause payout policy changes, (ii) support the role of internal governance in payout policy design where entrenched managers pre-commit to higher dividends and (iii) emphasize the monitoring role of external governance in mitigating agency costs of free cash flow.
External Ties and the Reduction of Knowledge Asymmetries among Clusters within Global Value Chains: The Case of the Ceramic Tile District of Castellon

Abstract Classical industrial districts' literature is not focused on the role played by external ties but gives more importance to the local districts' endogenous development. Global value chains connect clusters to other external agents through external linkages and constitute a framework to analyse the complex inter-linkages between clusters and other external agents. In the field of the external ties and the global value chain approach Academia is primarily focused on the ties which link clusters in developing nations to global markets, although global value chains also consider connections between clusters in similar activities and even when both are located in developed nations. Thus, external linkages are mainly performed by multinational enterprise (MNE) affiliates which play fundamental role of knowledge diffusers and absorbers in the process of knowledge exchange throughout global value chains. The work examines the process of knowledge exchange between clusters through external ties using the global value chain approach. For this purpose, empirical work is conducted with 22 face-to-face interviews to provide a case study about a leading cluster in the global ceramic tile industry. Results show that the basic knowledge to successfully compete is locally originated, although it can be complemented with global knowledge learnt or generated in other territories. MNE affiliates bridge structural holes through external ties and reduce knowledge asymmetries within global value chains. External ties on network-based governance chains exist, matter and affect clusters allowing upgrading even between developed nations.
Dualism and vocational education and training: Creating the people who require training

Abstract Governments in advanced liberal democracies have assigned Vocational Education and Training (VET) a critical role in preparing a productive workforce for the broader economy. This linkage opens the way to use economic theories to expand the understanding of VET. Noted economic theorists have described the use of one economic reductionist technique as ‘dualism’. Dualism identifies two mutually exclusive categories and is commonly used to reduce complex economic realities into scenarios more amenable to theorisation and computation. This paper examines the continued relevance of this work for the second decade of the 21st century by examining how VET is problematised. The use of dualism to control and limit the discourses in VET, expressed in dichotomies such as competent vs. not competent, skilled vs. unskilled and advantaged vs. disadvantaged, will be linked to how the apparatus for government intervention in training demonstrates remarkable longevity and thrives upon reductionist conceptions of groups of individuals. It is proposed that the limited range of government responses facilitates dualistic problematisation in VET by creating sub-populations, in this case trainees, who are viewed as other than normal and require intervention. This Australian case study will also demonstrate the adaptability and enduring nature of a governmental training apparatus in the face of varying problem populations that are defined by dualistic thinking.
Real-Time PCR for Detection and Quantitation of Leishmania in Mouse Tissues

ABSTRACT Leishmania spp. are intracellular protozoan parasites that cause a wide spectrum of diseases in humans and dogs worldwide. However, monitoring of the Leishmania burden in its different hosts is still based on cumbersome and poorly sensitive methods. Here we have developed a highly accurate real-time PCR assay with which to reproducibly detect and quantify the relative Leishmania major burden in mouse tissue samples. The assay is performed with the LightCycler system using SYBR Green I and primers amplifying a ca. 120-bp fragment from minicircles of the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). The assay was able to detect as little as 100 fg of L. major DNA per reaction, which is equivalent to 0.1 parasite. The standard curve designed for quantitation of parasites showed linearity over an at least 6-log DNA concentration range, corresponding to 0.1 to 104 parasites per reaction, with a correlation coefficient of 0.979. The assay also proved to have a detection range of the same magnitude as that used for detection of L. donovani and L. amazonensis, but it was 100-fold less sensitive for L. mexicana. When applied to tissues from experimentally infected mice, the real-time PCR assay is not only as sensitive as a conventional PCR assay for detection of Leishmania kDNA but also more rapid. Results indicate that this assay is compatible with the clinical diagnosis of leishmaniasis and will be a great help to scientists who use animals to monitor the efficacy of antileishmanial drugs or vaccines or decipher the unique properties of the life cycle of Leishmania spp .
Diagnosis of Rectal Varices via Color Doppler Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVES:There has been no report on the hemodynamic evaluation of rectal varices by percutaneous color Doppler ultrasonography. Here, we report the usefulness of color Doppler ultrasonography for this purpose.METHODS:Color Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 44 patients: 31 patients with portal hypertension, 7 with liver cirrhosis (LC) without portal hypertension, and 6 non-LC patients. We examined color flow images and measured velocity of blood flow in rectal varices using fast-Fourier transform (FFT) analysis. Next, we performed colonoscopy on these 44 patients as follow-up to confirm findings by color Doppler. Endoscopic findings of rectal varices were evaluated according to the grading system outlined in “The General Rules for Recording Endoscopic Findings of Esophageal Varices” prepared by the Japanese Research Committee on Portal Hypertension.RESULTS:Rectal varices were shown by Doppler color flow images in 27 of the 31 patients (87.1%) with portal hypertension. Blood flow velocity in those 27 rectal varices ranged from 2.0 to 11.6 cm/s (mean 6.5 ± 2.4 cm/s). Rectal varices were observed in all 27 of these cases by colonoscopy. On the other hand, rectal varices were not observed by colonoscopy in the 7 LC patients without portal hypertension and the 6 non-LC patients not shown to have rectal variceal blood flow via color Doppler ultrasonography. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 27/27 (100%), 17/17 (100%), 44/44 (100%), respectively, for detection of rectal varices with color Doppler ultrasonography. Next, we compared velocities of rectal varices obtained by color Doppler ultrasonography with colonoscopic findings. Mean velocity (7.1 ± 2.3 cm/s) in Cb variceal cases (N = 20) was significantly higher than that (4.9 ± 1.7 cm/s) in the Cw rectal variceal cases (N = 7) (P < 0.05). Mean velocity (8.5 ± 2.0 cm/s) in the RC-positive cases (N = 9) was significantly higher than that (5.4 ± 1.8 cm/s) in RC-negative cases (N = 18) (P < 0.01). Mean velocity (9.8 ± 1.6 cm/s) in rectal bleeding cases (N = 3) was significantly higher than that (6.1 ± 2.1 cm/s) in patients without bleeding (N = 24) (P < 0.05). Seven days after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) treatment, color Doppler ultrasonography showed an extreme decrease in blood flow in all three rectal varices in comparison with values before EIS.CONCLUSIONS:Color Doppler ultrasonography can be considered a very useful noninvasive tool for diagnosis of rectal varices.