Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of education and performance feedback on handwashing: the benefit of administrative support in Argentinean hospitals.

BACKGROUND Patients admitted to hospitals are at risk of acquiring nosocomial infections. Many peer-reviewed studies show that handwashing (HW) significantly reduces hospital infections and mortality. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of HW by health care workers (HCW) before contact with patients in 3 Argentinean hospitals. We performed an observational study of HCW to measure the effect of 2 interventions: education alone and education plus performance feedback. METHODS A total of 3 hospitals were studied for adherence to a HW protocol. The observed HCW included physicians, nursing personnel, and ancillary staff. After initial observations to establish baseline rates of HW (phase 1), we evaluated the effect of education alone (phase 2), followed by education plus performance feedback (phase 3). We also evaluated the relationship between the administrative support and HW adherence. RESULTS We observed 15,531 patient contacts in 3 hospitals. The baseline rate of HW before contact with patients was 17%. With education, HW before contact with the patients increased to 44% (relative risk 2.65; 95% confidence interval 2.33-3.02; P <.001). Using education and performance feedback HW further increased to 58% (relative risk 1.86; 95% confidence interval 1.38-2.51; P <.001). In the private hospitals where administrative support for the HW program was significantly greater, HW compliance was significantly higher (logistic regression analysis: odds ratio 5.57; 95% confidence interval 5.25-6.31; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS In this study, HW policies and education of HCW significantly improved HCW adherence to the HW protocol, however, when performance feedback was incorporated, the HW compliance increased to a greater degree. We identified that administrative support provides a positive influence in efforts to improve HW adherence.
Innovation, exports and technical efficiency in Spain

This paper analyses the relationship between exports, innovative activities and size and their effect over firms’ technical efficiency and then over their productivity. The analysis takes, also, into account other variables that could affect productivity as industrial sector, or firms’ financial conditions. We use a micro panel data set of Spanish manufacturing firms, during the period 2004–2009, to simultaneously estimate a stochastic frontier production function and the inefficiency determinants. The data source is published in the Spanish Industrial Survey on Business Strategies (Encuesta sobre Estrategias Empresariales, ESEE), collected by Fundacion SEPI. Our results show that exporting firms are more efficient than non-exporting firms; and that small and medium-sized firms’ tent to be more efficient when they focus on international markets.
Regulation of Protein Phosphatase 1I by Cdc25C-associated Kinase 1 (C-TAK1) and PFTAIRE Protein Kinase*

Background: Protein phosphatases exist as multisubunit complexes. Results: Two protein kinases in endogenous brain protein phosphatase 1I were found to regulate its activation in opposing directions through inhibitor 2 phosphorylation. Conclusion: These kinases support a signaling cascade that regulates protein phosphatase 1I activation in global cerebral ischemia. Significance: Understanding the signaling pathways regulating the activity of protein phosphatases is critical to elucidating their physiological and pathological roles. Protein phosphatase 1I (PP-1I) is a major endogenous form of protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1) that consists of the core catalytic subunit PP-1c and the regulatory subunit inhibitor 2 (I-2). Phosphorylation of the Thr-72 residue of I-2 is required for activation of PP-1I. We studied the effects of two protein kinases identified previously in purified brain PP-1I by mass spectrometry, Cdc25C-associated kinase 1 (C-TAK1) and PFTAIRE (PFTK1) kinase, for their ability to regulate PP-1I. Purified C-TAK1 phosphorylated I-2 in reconstituted PP-1I (PP-1c·I-2) on Ser-71, which resulted in partial inhibition of its ATP-dependent phosphatase activity and inhibited subsequent phosphorylation of Thr-72 by the exogenous activating kinase GSK-3. In contrast, purified PFTK1 phosphorylated I-2 at Ser-86, a site known to potentiate Thr-72 phosphorylation and activation of PP-1I phosphatase activity by GSK-3. These findings indicate that brain PP-1I associates with and is regulated by the associated protein kinases C-TAK1 and PFTK1. Multisite phosphorylation of the I-2 regulatory subunit of PP-1I leads to activation or inactivation of PP-1I through bidirectional modulation of Thr-72 phosphorylation, the critical activating residue of I-2.
Subjective Well-Being and National Satisfaction

In “Subjective Well-Being and National Satisfaction: Findings From a Worldwide Survey,” Morrison, Tay, and Diener (2011) argued that identification with one’s nation-state, exemplified by feelings of “national satisfaction,” fosters subjective wellbeing (SWB). We accept the basic premise that affective attachment to a social identity (in this case, one’s nation) should have a positive effect on SWB. However, we argue that this premise must be nuanced. National identity is a multifaceted concept, and SWB may depend not only on the extent to which individuals identify with their nation (in an affective sense), but also on their conception of its social boundaries, and an interaction between these two dimensions. In this context, it is important to distinguish between the ethnic and civic models of nationalism. The former is based on shared ancestry and ethnicity, and the latter on inclusivity and devotion to basic liberal values. Though the distinction between these two models began with historical accounts based on elite discourse (Brubaker, 1992), it does exist in public opinion (Reeskens & Hooghe, 2010). Ethnic and civic nationalism both reflect basic human values (Schwartz, 1992), but they tend to affect SWB in different ways. Although both models of nationalism arguably appeal to conservative tendencies by erecting boundaries between “us” and “them,” the nature of these boundaries reflects opposing values. Ethnic nationalism encourages xenophobia (Pehrson, Vignoles, & Brown, 2009) and suppresses both trust and associational involvement (Reeskens & Wright, in press); thus, it reflects self-enhancement values, especially of power. Given its inward-looking, reactionary, anxious, and authoritarian nature, ethnic nationalism should dampen SWB (DeNeve & Cooper, 1998; Sagiv & Schwartz, 2000; Schwartz, Sagiv, & Boehnke, 2000). Conversely, civic nationalism encourages greater openness to immigration and pluralism (Wright, Citrin, & Wand, in press); thus, this type of nationalism should encourage greater trust and social engagement (Reeskens & Wright, in press). Civic nationalism thus contains elements of universalism and benevolence and would be expected to increase SWB. Method
Pharmacology of L-660,711 (MK-571): a novel potent and selective leukotriene D4 receptor antagonist.

L-660,711 (3-(3-(2-(7-chloro-2-quinolinyl)ethenyl)phenyl) ((3-dimethyl amino-3-oxo propyl)thio)methyl)thio)propanoic acid is a potent and selective competitive inhibitor of [3H]leukotriene D4 binding in guinea pig (Ki value, 0.22 nM) and human (Ki value, 2.1 nM) lung membranes but is essentially inactive versus [3H]leukotriene C4 binding (IC50 value in guinea pig lung, 23 microM). Functionally it competitively antagonized contractions of guinea pig trachea and ileum induced by leukotriene (LT) D4 (respective pA2 values, 9.4 and 10.5) and LTE4 (respective pA2 values, 9.1 and 10.4) and contractions of human trachea induced by LTD4 (pA2 value, 8.5). L-660,711 (5.8 x 10(-8)M) antagonized contractions of guinea pig trachea induced by LTC4 in the absence (dose ratio = 28) but not in the presence of 45 mM L-serine borate (dose ratio less than 2). L-660,711 (1.9 x 10(-5)M) did not block contractions of guinea pig trachea induced by histamine, acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, PGF2 alpha, U-44069, or PGD2. In the presence of atropine, mepyramine, and indomethacin, L-660,711 (1.9 x 10(-5)M) inhibited a small component of the response to antigen on guinea pig trachea but completely blocked anti-IgE-induced contractions of human trachea. L-660,711 (i.v.) antagonized bronchoconstriction induced in anesthetized guinea pigs by i.v. LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4 but did not block bronchoconstriction to arachidonic acid, U-44069, 5-hydroxytryptamine, histamine, or acetylcholine. Intraduodenal L-660,711 antagonized LTD4 (0.2-12.8 micrograms/kg)-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs, and p.o. L-660,711 blocked LTD4- and Ascaris-induced bronchoconstriction in conscious squirrel monkeys and ovalbumin-induced bronchoconstriction in conscious sensitized rats treated with methysergide (3 micrograms/kg). The pharmacological profile of L-660,711 indicates that it is a potent, selective, orally active leukotriene receptor antagonist which is well suited to determine the role played by LTD4 and LTE4 in asthma and other pathophysiologic conditions.
Binaries among low-mass stars in nearby young moving groups

The solar galactic neighborhood contains a number of young co-moving associations of stars (known as young moving groups) with ages of ~10–150 Myr, which are prime targets for a range of scientific studies, including direct imaging planet searches. The late-type stellar populations of such groups still remain in their pre-main sequence phase, and are thus well suited for purposes such as isochronal dating. Close binaries are particularly useful in this regard since they allow for a model-independent dynamical mass determination. Here we present a dedicated effort to identify new close binaries in nearby young moving groups, through high-resolution imaging with the AstraLux Sur Lucky Imaging camera. We surveyed 181 targets, resulting in the detection of 61 companions or candidates, of which 38 are new discoveries. An interesting example of such a case is 2MASS J00302572-6236015 AB, which is a high-probability member of the Tucana-Horologium moving group, and has an estimated orbital period of less than 10 yr. Among the previously known objects is a serendipitous detection of the deuterium burning boundary circumbinary companion 2MASS J01033563-5515561 (AB)b in the z′ band, thereby extending the spectral coverage for this object down to near-visible wavelengths.
The Use of Ontologies in Requirements Engineering

Abstract - With the advent of the Semantic Web and the technologies for its realization, the possibilities for applying ontologies as a means to define the information and knowledge semantics become more and more accepted in different domains. The nature of requirements engineering involves capturing knowledge from diverse sources, including many stakeholders with their own interests and points of view. There are, therefore, many potential uses of ontologies in Requirements Engineering (RE). The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review and present these uses. The main contribution is the classification of approaches that include ontologies within RE, with the aim of clarifying the way in which traditional RE techniques can benefit from them. Furthermore, future trends are identified. Keywords- Requirem ents Engineering, Ontologies, Fram ework I. I NTRODUCTION ntology can be defined as a specification of a conceptualization [1]. More precisely, ontology is an explicit formal specification of how to represent the entities that exist in a given dom ain of interest and the relationships that hold am ong them [2]. In general, for an ontology to be useful, it m ust represent a shared, agreed upon conceptualization.Ontologies have been used in many contexts and for m any purposes throughout the years due to, principally, the advent of the Sem antic Web [3]. Recently, the use of ontologies in software engineering has gained popularity for two m ain reasons: (i) they facilitate the sem antic interoperability and (ii) they facilitate machine reasoning. Researchers have so far proposed m any different synergies between software engineering and ontologies [4]. For example, ontologies are proposed to be used in requirements engineering [5], software im plem entation [6], and software maintenance [7] [8]. There is an increasing am ount of research devoted to utilizing ontologies in software engineering, and Requirem ents Engineering in particular. Thus, the m ain objective of this paper is to further examine this trend. The remainder of the paper is structured as follows: Section 2 presents the m ain concepts related to Requirements Engineering and Ontological Engineering. Section 3 analyzes the benefits of applying ontologies in Requirem ents Engineering and presents a fram ework for integrating ontologies in Requirements ____________________
Effectiveness and Biases of Winkler Litter Extraction and Pitfall Trapping for Collecting Ground-Dwelling Ants in Northern Temperate Forests

ABSTRACT The sampling efficiency of pitfall traps and Winkler litter extraction in northern deciduous forests was compared using ants. Both techniques are among the most common methods used to measure the diversity of organisms active on the forest floor. During 2005–2006, 90 Winkler and 180 pitfall trap samples from urban forest fragments in northeastern Ohio obtained 9,203 ants representing 31 species. Winklers captured all 31 species, whereas pitfall traps collected a total of 24 species. Winkler samples accumulated species more rapidly than did pitfall traps and had greater total species richness and higher abundance of ants recorded. Consistent with other studies, Winkler sampling was found to catch a greater number of smaller ants, whereas pitfall trapping caught a greater number of large-bodied ants. According to estimates of expected species richness, the combination of the two sampling techniques allowed for the collection of ≈90% of the ants expected in the surveyed area. Site variation had little effect on the inherent differences in sampling efficacy between the two methods. Either technique adequately collected samples for broad comparisons and documentation of the more typical and representative ant fauna, but Winkler extraction exhibited the advantage of a more complete inventory. The application of both techniques should be considered if the aims of a study require estimation of community properties, such as relative abundance.
1st international workshop on media studies and implementations that help improving access to disabled users (MSIADU'09)

This Workshop is based on the work carried out during the 3rd International Workshop on Human-Centered Computing (HCC08) held at the ACM Multimedia 2008 conference in Vancouver [1]. There, participants discussed on how to use technology to achieve an accessible environment for the disabled. The event seeks to find original and highly innovative research in the area of Multimedia (studies and implementations) in order to improve accessibility to real and virtual scenarios that might be applied to all kinds of users with disabilities or difficulties when implementing concrete actions (navigation or interaction with a particular medium). Furthermore, we need solutions to adapt the environment, products and services, to the final needs of the user.
Compact Dual-Band GPS Microstrip Antenna Using Multilayer LTCC Substrate

This letter presents the design of a single-feed dual-band microstrip antenna for global positioning satellite (GPS) operations at 1227 MHz (L2) and 1575 (L1) MHz using low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Details of the GPS antenna design and simulated and experimental results are presented and discussed. The measured results confirm the validity of this design, which can meet the requirement of GPS application at L1 and L2 bands. Furthermore, the proposed structure can be deployed in a space-limited environment and multi-dielectric-layer antenna applications.
Anomalous Price Reaction and Differential Stockholder Response to Going-Concern Audit Opinions and Withdrawals

We explore the medium-term market reaction to going-concern modified audit opinions and their withdrawal for a large sample of firms from 1994 to 2002. Results show asymmetric market response to these accounting system disclosures. The market underreacts to going-concern opinions, resulting in a subsequent downward drift of around -16% over the one-year period subsequent to the going-concern opinion, but fully anticipates their withdrawal. This post-going-concern announcement drift is distinct from other established anomalies; however, it is limited to those going-concern cases with negative earnings surprise. Nonetheless, adjusting for transactions costs, the opportunity to earn profits by trading on this anomaly is limited and risky. Analysis of stockholder trading activities reveals that institutions reduce their holdings in such stocks on a timely basis in contrast to retail investors. Our results are original, and indicate that auditors are providing clear messages to financial statement users in the going-concern context but their information content is not being fully impounded by the market on a timely basis.
Composite event detection and identification for WSNs using General Hebbian Algorithm

In this paper, we propose an on-line technique for in-network, distributed and composite event detection and identification for streaming sensor data in resource constrained Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). We use General Hebbian Algorithm (GHA) to find out principal components of a multi-attribute input data which has a linear complexity as opposed to quadratic complexity with eigen value decomposition (EVD). This allows for on-line computation of percentage contributions of individual attributes towards detected event. Comparison with other event detection techniques shows that our scheme incurs low communication overhead as compared to some state-of-the-art schemes. Moreover, our hyper-ellipsoidal clustering based event detection algorithm is shown to achieve high detection rates (DRs) of over 98.88% and very low false positive rates (FPRs) of below 0.01%. Our simulation results and the hardware implementation also show that the accuracy of proposed identification scheme is in strong agreement with EVD based techniques, proving it to be a successful event identification method for WSNs.
Is CEO Human Capital Related to Firm Performance?

The global economy experienced continuous growth from 2002 to 2007 until the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis caused instability in worldwide stock markets. Simultaneously, global CEO turnover continued to fall to 13.8 percent in 2007. In contrast, the CEO turnover rate in Australia increased to 18 percent in 2007. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the type of CEO human capital investment is associated with firm distress which sequentially is associated with firm performance. The empirical study of Australian listed firms (2005-2008) shows that the probability of bankruptcy is negatively associated with CEO’s general human capital and that firm distress is a significant determinant of CEO turnover. A CEO with more valuable firm specific human capital is less likely to be replaced/leave which in turn is associated increasing subsequent financial performance. Increasing financial performance is associated with decreasing investment in general human capital. These results are important because they imply that CEO firm specific experience is more important for increasing firm performance than general managerial skills despite the fact that recent research suggests that general human capital has increased in importance over firm-specific human capital.
The A17 enhancer directs expression of Myf5 to muscle satellite cells but Mrf4 to myonuclei

The myogenic regulatory factors, Myf5 and Mrf4, play key roles in the specification and differentiation of skeletal muscle, respectively. Many cis‐acting regulatory elements at the Mrf4/Myf5 locus have been identified, including the A17 enhancer. During development, A17 in conjunction with the Mrf4 or Myf5 promoter, directs transgene expression either to embryonic or fetal muscles. We now show that this enhancer also regulates Mrf4/Myf5 transcription in the adult. A17 linked to the Myf5 promoter drives expression in muscle satellite cells, whereas with the Mrf4 promoter, A17 directs transgene expression to myonuclei. Interestingly, expression of A17‐Mrf4‐nlacZ transgenes in myonuclei varies between muscles, revealing muscle autonomous transcriptional regulation. During muscle repair, satellite cells are induced to proliferate and differentiate to provide new myonuclei. A17 directs Myf5 expression in satellite cell progeny while it only drives the Mrf4 promoter after differentiation. Importantly, therefore, this promoter‐specific activity directed by A17 reflects aspects of the expression profiles of the endogenous Myf5 and Mrf4 genes. Developmental Dynamics 236:3419–3426, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Complex Regulatory Interplay Between Multidrug Resistance and Oxidative Stress Response in Yeast: The FLR1 Regulatory Network as a Systems Biology Case-Study

Multidrug resistance (MDR), the intrinsic or acquired ability to tolerate toxic concentrations of structurally and functionally diverse chemicals, is a widespread phenomenon that can be found in all living organisms, from bacteria to man (Hayes and Wolf 1997). Its negative consequences include the failure of many therapeutic, antimicrobial and crop protection actions. At the same time, the ability to tolerate multiple stresses is a highly desirable phenotype in organisms used as cell factories that have to cope with fermentation-related stresses (Teixeira et al. 2011b). It is, thus, crucial to understand the molecular basis underlying this phenomenon to be able to circumvent it or to explore it to design more robust industrial strains.
Business Model : An Empirical Study of IC Industry 陳佳誰

In the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry, the c10sed business model which are composed of integrated device manufacturers (IDM) and the open business model which consists of virtual integrated (VI) manufactures are prevalent and both can be well justified. Whether the IDM or the VI model would better position the firms in terms of providing a higher retum or less risk in the IC industry remains to be explored. This study aims to examine the relationship between the profitability of IC companies and their business models (IDM versus VI). NASDAQ listed IC companies were selected as research subjects. The data were collected for the period 2000-2007 and analyzed by using the Fama-French three-factor model. The results show that VI companies significantly outperform IDM counte中arts; however, they also take higher risks than IDM firms. In addition, a comparison of data between the periods of 2000-2003 and 2004-2007 reveals the risks of IDM firms increased while that of VI firms decreased after 2004. This finding provides a valuable insight that business model of virtual integration has been emerging as a trend and more companies have been adopting open business model in many growing industries. Events within different industries are utilized to generalize the empirical results
The reliability of the degree distribution of protein-protein interaction network in different species

Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks play a vital role in living cells. The possible error and bias in collecting protein-protein interaction network data are mainly factors to influence the reliability of the degree distribution of PPI networks. In this study, three factors including the false positive interaction of the PPI experiments, the different annotating of a protein in different protein databases, and the data newly added in the protein databases are considered as Important influence factors to investigate the degree distribution of PPI networks. The results show that in the present data, the stretched-exponential distribution is the best one for describing the degree distribution of PPI networks and it is robust to these factors.