Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chloramphenicol Resistance in Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Bacteremia: Impact of Prior Fluoroquinolone Use?

Abstract Objective: The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has increased markedly during the past decade. Few data exist regarding the epidemiology of resistance of VRE to chloramphenicol, one of the few therapeutic options. Design: Survey and case-control study. Setting: A 725-bed, tertiary-care academie medical center and a 344-bed urban community hospital. Patients: Hospitalized patients with blood cultures demonstrating VRE. Methods: We examined the trends in the prevalence of chloramphenicol resistance in VRE blood isolates at our institution from 1991 through 2002 and conducted a case-control study to identify risk factors for chloramphenicol resistance among these isolates. Results: From 1991 through 2002, the annual prevalence of chloramphenicol-resistant VRE increased from 0% to 12% (P < .001, chi-square test for trend). Twenty-two case-patients with chloramphenicol-resistant VRE bloodstream isolates were compared with 79 randomly selected control-patients with chloramphenicol-susceptible VRE. Independent risk factors for chloramphenicol-resistant VRE were prior chloramphenicol use (odds ratio [OR], 10.9; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.72-68.91; P = .01) and prior fluoroquinolone use (OR, 4.74; CI95, 1.15-19.42; P = .03). Chloramphenicol-resistant VRE isolates were more likely to be susceptible to beta-lactams and resistant to tetracycline than were chloramphenicol-susceptible VRE isolates. Conclusions: Significant increases in the prevalence of chloramphenicol-resistant VRE may limit the future utility of chloramphenicol in the treatment of VRE infections, and close monitoring of susceptibility trends should continue. The association between fluoroquinolone use and chloramphenicol-resistant VRE, reflecting possible co-selection of resistance, suggests that recent dramatic increases in fluoroquinolone use may have broader implications than previously recognized.
Effects of Long‐term Enalapril Treatment on Persistent Microalbuminuria in Normotensive Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Results of a 4‐year, Prospective, Randomized Study

The beneficial effect of long‐term treatment with an angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor on urinary microalbumin excretion (UAE) and renal function was investigated in a 4 year, randomized prospective study in normotensive patients with non‐insulin‐dependent (Type 2) diabetes mellitus. Sixty‐two normotensive patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and microalbuminuria but normal renal function were randomized to receive either enalapril 5 mg day−1 or no treatment. In the enalapril‐treated patients, UAE was reduced from 115.4 ± 80.1 to 95.6 ± 61.7 mg 24 h−1 after 12 months (p<0.05) and to 75.3 ± 44.8 mg 24 h−1 after 48 months (p<0.001). In the untreated group, UAE increased slowly from 93.9 ± 69.9 to 150.0 ± 144.5 mg 24 h−1 after 48 months. No changes in creatinine clearance, blood pressure or HbA1C were seen in either group during the 4‐year period. In normotensive Type 2 diabetic patients with early stage of diabetic nephropathy, the ACE inhibitor enalapril may have a beneficial effect by decreasing microalbuminuria. This effect is long‐lasting and probably independent of the antihypertensive action of the drug.
Age adjustment using the 2000 projected U.S. population.

Age adjustment, using the direct method, is the application of observed age-specific rates to a standard age distribution to eliminate differences in crude rates in populations of interest that result from differences in the populations’ age distributions. This adjustment is usually done when comparing two or more populations at one point in time or one population at two or more points in time. Age adjustment is particularly relevant when populations being compared have different age structures, for example, the U.S. white and Hispanic populations. The classic literature on age adjusting, as well as more recent National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) publications, has focused on adjusting death rates and provides comprehensive discussions of age-adjustment techniques. However, age adjustment can be applied to any population-based event. This report describes several sets of age-adjustment weights, based on the year 2000 projected U.S. population, that were used to generate age-adjusted baseline data for a number of Healthy People 2010 objectives. This work builds on the foundation set by the Department of Health
A study of assessment results, teacher effectiveness ratings, and teacher perceptions under a value-added teacher evaluation model

DISSERTATION: A Study of Assessment Results, Teacher Effectiveness Ratings, and Teacher Perceptions under a Value-Added Teacher Evaluation Model STUDENT: Chad E. Michalek DEGREE: Doctor of Education COLLEGE: Teachers College DATE: December 2014 PAGES: 138 This dissertation addressed an evolving area of educational policy, value-added teacher evaluations. It investigated how teachers in one large urban Indiana school district perceived the use of value-added measures as part of an evaluation framework. A quantitative research design was utilized through various analyses of student assessment data in conjunction with teacher evaluation data. Additionally, teacher surveys were used to analyze teacher perceptions of the evaluation system. Results suggest student mean test scores did not consistently improve under value-added teacher evaluations; however, in contrast student mean test score growth consistently improved at a statistically significant level under value-added teacher evaluations. Also, student achievement growth was most impacted by student previous year achievement score with a negative association, meaning that as a student’s previous year achievement score decreased achievement growth increased. Additionally, there was very poor consistency between teacher effectiveness ratings and principal-based observations. Finally, teachers generally perceived the new evaluation system negatively. These results were consistent with other research and have implications for teachers, administrators, parents, and policy makers.
Longitudinal MRI studies in the isoflurane‐anesthetized rat: long‐term effects of a short hypoxic episode on regulation of cerebral blood flow as assessed by pulsed arterial spin labelling

MRI is a powerful tool for measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) longitudinally. However, most animal studies require anesthesia, potentially interfering with normal physiology. Isoflurane anesthesia was used here to study CBF regulation during repetitive scanning in rats. MR perfusion images were acquired using FAIR (flow‐sensitive alternating inversion recovery) arterial spin labeling, and absolute CBF was calculated. CBF changes in response to a hypoxic (12% O2) and hypercapnic (5% CO2) gas stimulus were monitored. Hypercapnia led to a robust increase in CBF compared with baseline (195.5 ± 21.5 vs 123.6 ± 17.9 ml/100 g/min), and hypoxia caused a smaller non‐significant increase in mean CBF values (145.4 ± 13.4 ml/100 g/min). Strikingly, when measurements were repeated 5 days later, CBF was dramatically reduced in hypoxia (93.2 ± 8.1 ml/100 g/min) compared with the first imaging session. Without application of the hypoxic and hypercapnic gases during the first MRI, baseline CBF and CBF changes in response to hypoxia at the second MRI were similar to naive rats. Blood gas analyses revealed a slight reduction in arterial oxygenation during the second period of anesthesia compared with the first. These findings indicate that, in isoflurane‐anesthetized rats, even a short hypoxic episode can have long‐lasting effects on cerebrovascular regulation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating ancestry in South Africa: a comparison of geometric morphometrics and traditional craniometrics

v TABLE OF CONTENTS . vii LIST OF TABLES . ix LIST OF FIGURES . xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER 2: PREVIOUS RESEARCH . 8 The History of Ancestry in South Africa . 12 Traditional Craniometrics and the Use of FORDISC . 17 Geometric Morphometrics . 21 CHAPTER 3: METHODS . 28 Sample . 28 Collection of Data . 30 Analysis of Data . 38
The Influence of Mechanical Properties of Contact Materials on the Contact Performance

Mechanical properties of two sorts of CuCr(75/25) contact materials adopted widely for vacuum interrupters were determined by standard tensile test and impact test, and fracture characteristics of these two materials after tests were analyzed by optical and SEM equipped with EDS. It was shown that the tensile strength, ductility and impact strength of Cu-25Cr alloy contact material by vacuum casting are superior to that of CuCr25 p/m contact material by sintering technique; Fractographs of these contact materials revealed distinct fracture mechanisms, i.e. dimply ductile fracture of Cu-25Cr alloy materials, in contrast with primarily cleavage fracture of Cr-particles and interfacial fracture between Cr and Cu-matrix in CuCr25 p/m materials. The influence of strength, ductility and interfacial bonding strength between Cr/Cu phases on the contact performance of contact materials were discussed
The molecular characterization and tissue distribution of the human cysteinyl leukotriene CysLT(2) receptor.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs), slow-reacting substances of anaphylaxis, are lipid mediators known to possess potent proinflammatory action. Pharmacological studies using CysLTs indicate that at least two classes of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), named CysLT(1) and CysLT(2), exist; the former is sensitive and the latter is resistant to the CysLT(1) antagonists currently used to treat asthma. Although the CysLT(1) receptor gene has been recently cloned, the molecular identity of the CysLT(2) receptor has remained elusive. Here we show that the pharmacological profile of an orphan GPCR (PSEC0146) is consistent with that of the CysLT(2) receptor. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells that express the PSEC0146 cDNA, leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)) and leukotriene D(4) (LTD(4)) induce equal increases in intracellular calcium mobilization; these increases are not affected by CysLT(1) antagonists. Additionally, [(3)H]LTC(4) specifically binds to membranes from COS-1 cells transiently transfected with PSEC0146. Large amounts of the PSEC0146 mRNA are found in human heart, placenta, spleen, and peripheral blood leukocytes but not in the lung and the trachea. Pharmacological feature and expression studies will eventually lead to a better understanding of the classification of CysLT receptors, possibly leading to a reconsideration of the pathological and physiological role of CysLTs.
The Role of Nomination Committee in Selecting Female Directors: A Case of Malaysia

The growing importance of board diversity among directors has been established as a result of global financial crisis in 2008. According to the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance 2012, nominating committee shall be responsible to select directors with diverse background that meet the needs of the company. This paper attempts to examine the impacts of having female directors in a nomination committee on gender diversity on board. For this purpose, 393 (50%) non-financial Malaysian listed companies were selected for the three year period of 2011 to 2013. Results indicated that having female directors in a nomination committee is significantly related to the level of gender diversity on board. The results also signify the importance to have female directors in nomination committee as it will influence gender diversity on board.
Identification of Protein-Protein Interactions and Topologies in Living Cells with Chemical Cross-linking and Mass Spectrometry*S

We present results from a novel strategy that enables concurrent identification of protein-protein interactions and topologies in living cells without specific antibodies or genetic manipulations for immuno-/affinity purifications. The strategy consists of (i) a chemical cross-linking reaction: intact cell labeling with a novel class of chemical cross-linkers, protein interaction reporters (PIRs); (ii) two-stage mass spectrometric analysis: stage 1 identification of PIR-labeled proteins and construction of a restricted database by two-dimensional LC/MSMS and stage 2 analysis of PIR-labeled peptides by multiplexed LC/FTICR-MS; and (iii) data analysis: identification of cross-linked peptides and proteins of origin using accurate mass and other constraints. The primary advantage of the PIR approach and distinction from current technology is that protein interactions together with topologies are detected in native biological systems by stabilizing protein complexes with new covalent bonds while the proteins are present in the original cellular environment. Thus, weak or transient interactions or interactions that require properly folded, localized, or membrane-bound proteins can be labeled and identified through the PIR approach. This strategy was applied to Shewanella oneidensis bacterial cells, and initial studies resulted in identification of a set of protein-protein interactions and their contact/binding regions. Furthermore most identified interactions involved membrane proteins, suggesting that the PIR approach is particularly suited for studies of membrane protein-protein interactions, an area under-represented with current widely used approaches.
Defining Power Components in Nonsinusoidal Unbalanced Polyphase Systems: The Issues

Defining power components for unbalanced three-phase systems operating under nonsinusoidal conditions is an area of active research which spawned many theories. The approaches may be classified into two groups: the first is a bottom-up approach that extends well accepted definition of power components for single-phase systems operating under ideal sinusoidal situations to the case of unbalanced three-phase systems in nonsinusoidal situations. The second group involves a top-down approach that tries to offer a definition for nonlinear polyphase systems in nonsinusoidal situations and apply it to linear single phase systems in sinusoidal situations by considering the former as the general case and the latter as a special case. This paper summarizes previously published approaches and concludes that none of the approaches in the literature can lead to power components definitions that satisfy all required power properties. Different analysis tools other than those based on frequency or time domain are recommended in this paper for future work.
Post-traumatic growth in mothers of children with autism: A phenomenological study

While the adverse effects of raising a child with autism are well demonstrated, there have been few reports of the post-traumatic growth of mothers of children with autism. The purpose of this research was to explore dimensions of post-traumatic growth in this population in Mainland China and identify the factors facilitating post-traumatic growth. A total of 11 mothers of pre-school children were recruited from five rehabilitation centres of children with disabilities in Shanghai. The semi-structured interviews were conducted between August 2012 and October 2012 and analysed using thematic analysis. The data partially confirmed Tedeschi and Calhoun’s model of post-traumatic growth. A new philosophy of life, appreciation of life, relating to others, personal strength and spiritual change were five domains of post-traumatic growth in mothers of children with autism. Perceived social support, peer example, effective coping style and self-efficacy enhancement were facilitating factors of post-traumatic growth. Further studies are needed to understand how to promote the post-traumatic growth of mothers of children with autism.
Modulation of ozone-sensitive genes in alpha-tocopherol transfer protein null mice

Alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (ATTP) null mice (ATTP−/−) have a systemic alpha-tocopherol (AT) deficiency, with their lung AT levels being < 10% of those in AT-replete ATTP+/+ mice when fed a standard rodent chow diet. ATTP+/+ and ATTP−/− mice (4 wk old male mice, n = 16 per group) were fed a standard diet (35 IU AT/kg diet) for 8–12 wk, exposed 6 h/day for 3 days to either to O3 (0.5 ppm) or filtered air, then sacrificed. No significant differences in plasma or lung AT concentrations were observed in response to this level of O3 exposure. Lung genomic responses of the lungs to O3 were determined using Affymetrix 430A 2.0 arrays containing over 22,600 probe sets representing 14,000 well-characterized mouse genes. As compared with filtered air exposure, O3 exposure resulted in 99 genes being differentially expressed in ATTP−/− mice, as compared to 52 differentially expressed genes in ATTP+/+ mice. The data revealed an O3-induced upregulation of genes related to cell proliferation/DNA repair and inflammatory-immune responses in both ATTP+/+ and ATTP−/− mice, with the expression of 22 genes being common to both, whereas 30 and 77 genes were unique to ATTP+/+ and ATTP−/− mice, respectively. The expressions of O3 sensitive genes—Timp1, Areg, Birc5 and Tnc—were seen to be further modulated by AT status. The present study reveals AT modulation of adaptive response of lung genome to O3 exposure.
Identical components of yeast transcription factor IIIB are required and sufficient for transcription of TATA box-containing and TATA-less genes

Specific transcription by RNA polymerase III requires recognition of the promoter-bound transcription factor IIIB (TFIIIB), of which the TATA-binding protein (TBP) is a subunit. The recruitment of TFIIIB to TATA-less genes is mediated by protein-protein interactions with transcription factor IIIC (TFIIIC) bound to the box A and box B elements. Here we examine interactions involved in the recruitment of TFIIIB to the TATA element-containing yeast U6 small nuclear RNA gene SNR6. TFIIIC is not required for the formation of TFIIIB-SNR6 gene complexes with purified components. The same three components of TFIIIB that are necessary for TFIIIC-dependent transcription of tRNA genes (recombinant TBP and Brf and the denaturing-gel-purified 90-kDa subunit) are required and sufficient for TATA box-directed U6 transcription. Despite its TFIIIC-independent, DNA sequence-dependent assembly, the TFIIIB-SNR6 complex shares important features with tDNA- and 5S rDNA-TFIIIB complexes, such as extent and location of footprint, stability, and resistance to heparin. These properties are clearly distinct from those of a TBP-SNR6 complex. In the SNR6 gene, box B, the primary binding site for TFIIIC, is suboptimally spaced relative to box A. At limiting TBP concentrations and on bare DNA, TFIIIC stimulates the formation of TFIIIB complexes with SNR6 but contributes poorly, at best, to the formation of properly placed complexes.
The Rise of Supplemental Lending at the World Bank

World Bank projects sometimes receive supplemental loans months or years after initial project approval. The number of supplemental loans has surged after 2006, in some years accounting for 30% of all new loans. Supplemental loans can be sizeable yet come without the long approval and disbursement delays associated with new projects. In addition, they are more common for zero-interest IDA credits, making them a particularly valuable source of development finance. This paper explores the political economy of supplemental loans. We find nonpermanent United Nations Security Council membership is a strong determinant, supporting the hypothesis that fast-moving supplemental loans are particular useful for short-run incentives where time is of the essence.
Radiation Properties Enhancement of a GSM/WLAN Microstrip Antenna Using a Dual Band Circularly Symmetric EBG Substrate

This communication presents a dual band circular patch antenna with improved radiation properties at GSM and WLAN frequency bands, i.e., 1.8 and 2.4 GHz. The improvement has been achieved using a dual band circularly symmetric EBG (CS-EBG) structure. The structure has been simulated, fabricated and measured demonstrating notable enhancement in antenna radiation patterns at both frequency bands. Results show 5 dB and 7 dB improvement in front to back ratio at design frequencies of 1.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz respectively. In addition, measurement results demonstrate 0.8 dB increase in antenna gain and significant reduction in cross polarization level at both frequency bands.
Locus of the single-channel bottleneck in dual-task interference

Two experiments used the locus-of-cognitive-slack method to determine whether dual-task interference occurs before or after the response selection stage. The experiments used the overlapping tasks paradigm, in which two signals, each requiring a different speeded choice response, are presented in rapid succession. In Experiment 1, stimulus-resp onse (S-R) compatibility was manipulated by varying whether Task 2 stimuli were mapped onto their responses by a rule or arbitrarily. Compatibility effects were additive with the effects of degree of task overlap, manipulated by varying the stimulus onset asynchrony between the signals. Experiment 2 examined 2 additional forms of S-R compatibility: symbolic compatibility (arrows vs. letters) and spatial compatibility (the "Simon" effect). Effects of symbolic compatibility were additive with effects of degree of task overlap, whereas the effects of spatial compatibility and degree of task overlap were underadditive. It is argued that only a central-bottle neck model provides a consistent account of these results. The nature of the central bottleneck is considered. People are severely limited in their ability to perform two or more tasks at the same time (Pashler & Johnston, 1989; Vince, 1948; Welford, 1952). The study of this kind of performance limit is important both theoretically and practically. At a theoretical level, understanding multitask interference provides clues to cognitive architecture and the control of mental processes (Keele, 1973). At a practical level, interference between tasks severely limits the functioning of operators in multitask environments such as air traffic control towers. A better understanding of multitask limitations could help improve the performance of such operators.
Diffusion and directed motion in cellular transport.

We study the motion of a probe driven by microtubule-associated motors within a living eukaryotic cell. The measured mean square displacement, <x(t)2> of engulfed 2 and 3 microm diameter microspheres shows enhanced diffusion scaling as t(3/2) at short times, with a clear crossover to ordinary or subdiffusive scaling, i.e., t(gamma) with gamma less than or equal to 1, at long times. Using optical tweezers we tried to move the engulfed bead within the cell in order to relate the anomalous diffusion scaling to the density of the network in which the bead is embedded. Results show that the larger beads, 2 and 3 microm diameter, must actively push the cytoskeleton filaments out of the way in order to move, whereas smaller beads of 1 microm diameter can be "rattled" within a cage. The 1 microm beads also perform an enhanced diffusion but with a smaller and less consistent exponent 1.2<gamma<1.45. We interpret the half-integer power observed with large beads based on two diverse phenomena widely studied in purified cytoskeleton filaments: (1) the motion of the intracellular probe results from random forces generated by motor proteins rather than thermal collisions for classical Brownian particles, and (2) thermal bending modes of these semiflexible polymers lead to anomalous subdiffusion of particles embedded in purified gel networks or attached to single filaments, with <x(t)2> approximately t(3/4). In the case of small beads, there may also be a Brownian contribution to the motion that results in a smaller exponent.