Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retaining nurses in metropolitan areas: insights from senior nurse and human resource managers.

AIM To investigate the views of senior nurse and human resource managers of strategies to retain hospital nurses in a metropolitan area. BACKGROUND Against a global shortage, retaining nurses is a management imperative for the quality of hospital services. METHOD Semi-structured interviews, thematically analysed. RESULTS Metropolitan areas have many health organisations in geographical proximity, offering nurses choices in employer and employment. Senior nurse and human resource managers recognised the complexity of factors influencing nurse turnover, including those that 'pulled' nurses out of their jobs to other posts and factors that 'pushed' nurses to leave. Four themes emerged in retaining nurses: strategy and leadership, including analysis of workforce and leavers' data, remuneration, the type of nursing work and career development and the immediate work environment. CONCLUSIONS In contexts where multiple organisations compete for nurses, addressing retention through strategic leadership is likely to be important in paying due attention and apportioning resources to effective strategies. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Aside from good human resource management practices for all, strategies tailored to different segments of the nursing workforce are likely to be important. This metropolitan study suggests attention should be paid to strategies that address remuneration, progressing nursing careers and the immediate work environment.
Correlation between the size of the live animal and carcass yield or cuts yield

The Amazon region is recognized as source of fish for the food industry. The interest in new products made from exotic animal meat has increased. The present study was carried out to evaluate carcass and meat characteristics of Amazon caiman. Samples (n=184) of Melanosuchus niger were collected from a protected area in the Amazonas State (Brazil). The meat was analyzed for proximate composition: Moisture content 78.17%, protein 19.23%, lipids 1.09%, and ash 0.73%. The yield of the carcasses and cuts were evaluated, and the average yield of carcass was 57.02%. The tail cuts had the highest yield. The results obtained can be useful for new Amazon basin products as well as for product labeling.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens can obtain sulphur from an opine that is synthesized by octopine synthase using S‐methylmethionine as a substrate

Agrobacterium tumefaciens incites plant tumours that produce nutrients called opines, which are utilized by the bacteria during host colonization. Various opines provide sources of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous, but virtually nothing was previously known about how A. tumefaciens acquires sulphur during colonization. Some strains encode an operon required for the catabolism of the opine octopine. This operon contains a gene, msh, that is predicted to direct the conversion of S‐methylmethionine (SMM) and homocysteine (HCys) to two equivalents of methionine. Purified Msh carried out this reaction, suggesting that SMM could be an intermediate in opine catabolism. Purified octopine synthase (Ocs, normally expressed in plant tumours) utilized SMM and pyruvate to produce a novel opine, designated sulfonopine, whose catabolism by the bacteria would regenerate SMM. Sulfonopine was produced by tobacco and Arabidopsis when colonized by A. tumefaciens and was utilized as sole source of sulphur by A. tumefaciens. Purified Ocs also used 13 other proteogenic and non‐proteogenic amino acids as substrates, including three that contain sulphur. Sulfonopine and 11 other opines were tested for induction of octopine catabolic operon and all were able to do so. This is the first study of the acquisition of sulphur, an essential element, by this pathogen.
Audit Quality and Earnings Management to Avoid Losses and Earnings Decreases: The French Case

Burgstahler and Dichev’s (1997) show that companies willingly manage their earnings with the aim of meeting or exceeding the two earnings targets: zero earnings and last period’s earnings. In this paper, we focus on the impact of audit quality on the distributions of earnings and distributions of earnings changes among a sample of SBF 250 listed firms from 2001 to 2007. The results obtained confirm prior findings in Burgstahler and Dichev of discontinuities around zero and prior year earnings in histograms of earnings. We also do not find evidence supportive that high-quality audits provide a constraint on earnings management to avoid losses and earnings decreases.
Adolescents and young adults at ultrahigh risk of psychosis: detection, prediction and treatment. A review of current knowledge.

BACKGROUND The onset of psychosis is mostly preceded by a prodromal phase in which occur a series of various attenuated positive symptoms, negative symptoms and functional impairment. Recently, several longitudinal studies have evaluated the validity and prediction power of the "prodromal risk syndrome for psychosis", which could lead to a better focused management of the patients at real risk of developing schizophrenia. At the same time, several authors have studied the pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for people at ultrahigh risk. METHODS AND AIMS The objective of this review is to establish the status of our current knowledge about what is the most sensitive and specific tool to predict high risk of psychosis in the young population and which treatments have currently proved to be the most effective in the risk versus benefits balance. We will try to answer to these questions by reviewing the international literature from 2005 until today. RESULTS Recent studies show significant improvement in the identification of individuals at high risk of developing psychosis, using validated detection scales such as SIPS and CAARMS, multivariate neuroanatomical pattern classification and specific genetic factors. Cognitive Behavioral therapy, approach improving social functioning, and Long-Chain Ω-3 Fatty Acids appears to be promising alternatives to antipsychotics, for which the balance between benefice and adverse side effects seems questionable. CONCLUSIONS Detection of young people at ultrahigh risk of psychosis has significantly improved during the last 6 years. The challenge for the next decade will be to define a nosologic entity specific and sensitive enough to become a diagnostic category by itself, which could lead to specific guidelines for the preventive management of psychosis.
Abuse of Methylamphetamine

Seventy-four regular users of methylamphetamine injections were interviewed in four settings by use of a relatively structured standardized questionary. All but two had injected methylamphetamine within the previous 48 hours and had on average been using methylamphetamine continuously for 19 months. Significant features found in those interviewed were British nationality, single status, under 25 years of age, and a history of parental separation, absence, or bereavement. Educational standards were poor and a history of consistent truancy from secondary school was frequently reported. Comparison of their best and present occupations showed that downward drift had occurred. Forty-one per cent. of the sample had some definite or tentative evidence of neurotic disturbance in childhood. Twenty-three per cent. had been sentenced to detention centre, approved school, or Borstal training, and 20% had been sentenced to prison. Sixty-five per cent. had been charged with offences of one sort and 24% had been convicted of both drug and non-drug offences. A significant number had been heavy drinkers in the past, while most had been, and in many cases still were, multiple-drug users who had first started to use drugs between the ages of 16 and 20 years. They tended to have obtained methylamphetamine initially from people they knew or from sellers. While the majority were currently getting methylamphetamine from doctors, the fact that 40% gave non-medical agents as their major source of drugs suggests that a significant number were supplementing their supplies from illicit sources. More than one-half were rated as being continually involved in the “drug scene. ” Most of those interviewed accepted frequent psychotic episodes as a side-effect of their use of methylamphetamine. Malnutrition, weight loss, and sleep disturbance were frequent.
Advocacy Coalitions in Ontario Land Use Policy Development

In 2005, the Ontario government passed the Places to Grow Act and the Greenbelt Act, both major changes in land use policy designed to preserve greenspaces and combat urban sprawl in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Canada's largest conurbation. This article examines the actors, actor beliefs, and inter-actor alliances in the southern Ontario land use policy subsystem from the perspective of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). Specifically, this paper undertakes an empirical examination of the ACF's Belief Homophily Hypothesis, which holds that inter-actor alliances form on the basis of shared policy-relevant beliefs, creating advocacy coalitions. The analysis finds strong evidence of three advocacy coalitions in the policy subsystem—an agricultural coalition, an environmentalist coalition, and a developers' coalition—as predicted by the hypothesis. However, it also finds equally strong evidence of a cross-coalition coordination network of peak organizations, something not predicted by the Belief Homophily Hypothesis, and in need of explanation within the ACF.
Heat‐induced MMP‐1 expression is mediated by TRPV1 through PKCα signaling in HaCaT cells

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase‐1 (MMP‐1) is considered a key initiator of collagen degradation in inflammatory responses. A heat‐gated channel, transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), induces release of proinflammatory mediators. TRPV1 channels have been localized to the epidermis and we have recently suggested that they act as mediators of heat‐induced MMP‐1. The aim of this study was to investigate the signaling of TRPV1 in MMP‐1 regulation by heat shock in human epidermal keratinocytes.
Relationship Between Inflation and Economic Activity and Its Variation Over Time in Latvia

This paper studies the relationship between inflation and economic slack in Latvia with a particular focus on its time variation. The results suggest that the Phillips curve for Latvia had been steepening before the crisis against the backdrop of rising inflation. In the more recent years, there has been tentative evidence of the Phillips curve flattening as Latvia's economy entered a period of very low inflation. If the current trend of an even weaker response of inflation to economic activity in Latvia persists and proves to be statistically significant, unconventional monetary policy instruments may be of limited effectiveness to control inflation in Latvia. This calls for structural reforms aimed at increasing competition and reducing price stickiness.
Investigating multiple components of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived control: an examination of the theory of planned behaviour in the exercise domain.

The presence of two subcomponents within each theory of planned behaviour (TPB) concept of attitude (affective and instrumental), subjective norm (injunctive and descriptive), and PBC (self-efficacy and controllability) has been widely supported. However, research has not examined whether the commonality of variance between these components (i.e. a general factor) or the specificity of variance within the subcomponents influences intention and behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the optimal conceptualization of either two subcomponents or a general common factor for each TPB concept within an omnibus model. Further, to test whether conceptualizations may differ by population even within the same behavioural domain, we examined these research questions with 300 undergraduates (M age = 20) and 272 cancer survivors (M age = 61) for exercise behaviour. Results identified that a general subjective norm factor was an optimal predictive conceptualization over two separate injunctive and descriptive norm components. In contrast, a specific self-efficacy component, and not controllability or a general factor of PBC, predicted intention optimally for both samples. Finally, optimal models of attitude differed between the populations, with a general factor best predicting intention for undergraduates but only affective attitude influencing intention for cancer survivors. The findings of these studies underscore the possibility for optimal tailored interventions based on population and behaviour. Finally, a discussion of the theoretical ambiguity of the PBC concept led to suggestions for future research and possible re-conceptualization.
Examining the economies of scale of water and sewage utilities in the urban sector: the case of Israel

This study applies econometric tools to examine the economies of scale of the water and sewage utilities corporation (utilities) in the urban sector in Israel, and to find whether reducing the number of utilities will maximize efficiency in the urban water sector. Using an econometric analysis of an elasticity Translog cost function, which allows the estimation of returns to scale, the authors examined the optimal size for water and sewage utilities in Israel, based on panel data of 51 utilities. According to the study9s results, there is a distinct advantage of economies of scale in Israel9s water utilities, and the current distribution of the urban water sector in Israel is characterized by inefficiency and high cost. The results indicate that reducing the number of utilities will achieve an increase in water quantities by utility, and the costs of water production will decline due to economies of scale.
Induction of proliferative lesions of ventral prostate, seminal vesicle, and other accessory sex glands in rats by N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea: Effect of castration, pretreatment with cyproterone acetate and testosterone propionate, and rat strain

Wistar (Cpb:WU), F344 or Sprague‐Dawley rats were sequentially treated with cyproterone acetate (CA) for 21 days, testosterone propionate (TP) for 3 days, followed by a single i.v. injection of N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea (MNU). One group of Wistar rats was castrated 4 weeks after MNU injection, and another group 58 weeks after MNU, when the first prostatic carcinoma was detected. Control groups received only CA + TP, CA, MNU, or they remained untreated. Early or late castration inhibited the development of atypical hyperplasia of the ventral prostate in Wistar rats. This lesion was induced by the CA + TP + MNU treatment in F344 rats, but not Sprague‐Dawley rats; in Wistar rats, it was induced by CA + TP treatment, irrespective of whether MNU was given. Hypertrophichyperplastic lesions of the seminal vesicle were induced by MNU, irrespective of pretreatment, and their development was prevented by early castration and inhibited by late orchiectomy. Dorsolateral prostate carcinomas and preneoplasia occurred only in low incidence in Wistar and Sprague‐Dawley rats. These lesions were absent in F344 rats that had received treatment with CA + TP + MNU. No dorsolateral prostate (pre)neoplasia was found in Wistar rats subjected to early orchiectomy, but rats castrated at 58 weeks had an incidence similar to that for the intact group treated with CA + TP + MNU. This finding supports the contention that androgens are required for the development of MNU‐induced prostatic cancer in rats but that advanced carcinomas are androgen insensitive. Differences in incidence and localization of prostatic proliferative lesions between F344 and Wistar rats and between dorsolateral and ventral prostate could not be explained by differences in epithelial cell proliferative responses to CA +TP treatment at the time of MNU injection, since they were similar in ventral and dorsolateral prostate and were more prominent in F344 rats than in Wistar rats. DNA damage as estimated by MNU‐induced unscheduled DNA synthesis also did not differ between dorsolateral and ventral prostate.
Examination of the Lille Apathy Rating Scale in Parkinson disease

Apathy is a unique, multidimensional syndrome commonly encountered in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Recently, the Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS), a semistructured interview yielding a global score, and composite subscores for different domains of apathy (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, affective, self awareness), was developed and given to a sample of patients with PD in France. This study is the first outside of its original developers to examine the English language version of the LARS in PD. We found the LARS to be a coherent instrument demonstrating both convergent and divergent validity, as compared to the Apathy Scale (AS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI‐II). Using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis comparing the LARS to the AS, a validated and widely‐used measure, we identified a cut‐off score (sensitivity = 64%, specificity = 92%, PPV = 88%, NPV = 75%) that was higher than that proposed by the original authors, who derived their cut‐off by comparing LARS global scores to clinical judgments of apathy. Although the present study does not compare the LARS to a diagnostic gold standard or promote its utility for diagnosing apathy, it provides further support for the LARS as a promising instrument to examine apathy in PD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Pneumolysin Released during Streptococcus pneumoniae Autolysis Is a Potent Activator of Intracellular Oxygen Radical Production in Neutrophils

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of otitis media, pneumonia, meningitis, and septicemia in humans. The host defense against this pathogen largely depends on bacterial killing by neutrophils. A peculiar property of pneumococci is their tendency to undergo autolysis, i.e., autoinduced disruption of the bacterial cell wall mediated by activation of the enzyme LytA, under stationary growth conditions. LytA is a virulence factor, but the molecular background for this has not been fully clarified. Here we examine how bacterial compounds released upon autolysis affect the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neutrophils. We found that the S. pneumoniae strains A17 and D39 induced activation of the NADPH oxidase and the production of ROS in human neutrophils and that this activation was blocked when LytA was inactivated. The ROS-inducing bacterial substance released from autolyzed bacteria was identified as the cytoplasmic toxin pneumolysin. Further screening of clinical pneumococcal strains of various sero- and genotypes revealed that selected strains expressing toxins with reduced pneumolysin-dependent hemolytic activity had decreased abilities to induce ROS in neutrophils. Furthermore, a mutated form of purified pneumolysin lacking hemolytic and complement binding functions (PdT) did not induce any oxygen radical production. The ROS produced in response to pneumolysin formed mainly intracellularly, which may explain why this production was not detected previously. ROS released intracellularly may function as signaling molecules, modifying the function of neutrophils in bacterial defense.
Some Factors Associated with Operations of Village Community Banks (VICOBAs) for Poverty Alleviation in Tanzania

Village Community Bank (VICOBA) is a grassroots based lending scheme focusing on fostering participant's ability to innovate and manage viable income generating activities. This aimed to reduce extreme poverty among group members in the community for achievement ofthe Millennium Development Goal one (MDG1). VICOBA members share knowledge on how to generate income and how to use the savings through provision of small loans for themselves. In some VICOBA groups, there was lack of capital because loans taken by some members are not paid on time. Loan repayment in VICOBA is a challenge although all transactions are made transparently to all members of the group. A community based cross sectional study was employed in analysing loan repayment determinants in VICOBA. A multistage sampling technique was used to obtain the study participants. A structured questionnaire on loan repayment was administered to the sampled members from the selected groups. The collected information was analysed by Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Multivariate analysis (logistic regression) was used to determine factors for loan repayment. The survey involved 404 VICOBA members from Ilala District. More than three quarters; 82.7% (334 of 404) of the VICOBA members owned loan from their groups. Overall, 16% (53 of 334) of VICOBA members who own loan were loan defaulters. Factors for loan default were the use of loan for investing in a new business (P = 0.001), short loan duration (P = 0.001), sickness (P<0.001) and poor performance of the business (P<0.001). There was high lending of loan in VICOBA in Ilala District. Also, loan defaulting by VICOBA members was fairly high (16%). Use of the loan for investing in a new business, falling sickness, poor performance of the business and short duration of the loan were factors for loan repayment by VICOBA members; therefore implementers of VICOBA should revise loan duration for borrowers to reduce loan defaulting. Also, implementers should continue to train VICOBA members on business management after two years of group inception or at the beginning of the new cycle.
The effect of chronic bladder outlet obstruction on neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in the intramural ganglia of the guinea pig bladder.

PURPOSE We examined the effect of chronic partial outlet obstruction on expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the intramural ganglion cells of the guinea pig bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS Partial urethral ligation was done in young male guinea pigs. The animals were sacrificed 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks after partial outlet obstruction and nNOS immunohistochemistry was done in the intramural neurons of the bladder. This was compared to controls (normal and sham operated). In addition, the mRNA expression of nNOS in bladders of 4-week sham operated and operated animals was also investigated using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Two weeks after urethral obstruction a decrease in the number of nNOS positive intramural neurons was detected. This decrease was most drastic at 4 weeks. Cell counting showed a 60.6% decrease in the number of nNOS positive neurons compared to controls. Some neurons appeared to undergo degenerative changes, such as irregular outline, vacuolation and lysis. At 6 weeks the number of nNOS positive neurons increased from the nadir level at 4 weeks and the increase was sustained until 12 weeks, when the number of nNOS positive neurons was almost at the level of controls. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction also showed 42.4% down-regulation of nNOS expression 4 weeks after obstruction comparing with sham operation. CONCLUSIONS Partial urethral ligation resulted in an initial decrease in nNOS positive neurons, which have been due to actual neuronal loss and/or enzyme down-regulation. This may be attributable to regional hypoxia as a result of decreased blood flow consequent to high intravesical pressure created by partial ligation. The decrease in nNOS expression followed by a compensatory increase in nNOS positive neurons also suggests an attempt or mechanism to up-regulate nitric oxide bioactivity following increased bladder outlet resistance.
L-serine degradation in Escherichia coli K-12: a combination of L-serine, glycine, and leucine used as a source of carbon

Escherichia coli K-12 strain CU1008 cannot use L-serine as the sole carbon source, but it could use L-serine as an auxiliary carbon source with glucose, L-alanine, or pyruvate and could derive energy from L-serine to support oxygen uptake. CU1008 grew with L-serine if it was also provided with glycine and leucine. These may act by increasing the available activity of L-serine deaminase; other explanations are also explored.