Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of molecular methods for identification of strains classified as Salmonella enterica serovar 6, 7:-:- by conventional serotyping

An increased prevalence of Salmonella enterica serovar Tennessee (6, 7: z 29 :-) was observed in broiler flocks in Denmark in 1994 and a parallel increase in the prevalence of Salmonella enterica serovar 6, 7:-:- was demonstrated, albeit at a lower level. Plasmid profiling and ribotyping revealed similar genotypes and it was speculated that serovar 6, 7:-:- could represent a non-motile variant of Salmonella Tennessee. Re-testing of the Salmonella 6, 7:-:- isolates demonstrated the presence of flagella through positive motility. All isolates but one demonstrated motility using both tube tests and light microscopy of overnight broth cultures. Molecular characterization indicated that all but two isolates previously classified as Salmonella 6, 7:-:, were isolates of Salmonella Tennessee and Salmonella Infantis, exhibiting reduced motility. Re-serotyping and multiplex polymerase chain reaction analysis for the phase 2 gene fljB demonstrated variants of Salmonella Infantis (6, 7: r: z 49 ) expressing the R-phase antigen (Rz 49 ) and possessing the gene for normal phase 2 antigen H: 1, 5. One of the two undefined strains demonstrated genotypic identity with a Salmonella Livingstone reference strain. The remaining putative 6, 7:-:- strain could not be identified and was genuinely non-motile. Diagnostic procedures performed initially were thus insufficient to differentiate between the different levels of motility and also resulted in mis-serotyping. As similar observations were made with two of 14 isolates received from a foreign laboratory, this may represent a general diagnostic problem.
Individual Large Shareholders, Earnings Management, and Capital Market Consequences

Using a large hand-collected sample of all blockholders (ownership ≥ 5%) of S&P 1500 firms for the years 2002–2009, we first document significant individual blockholder effects on earnings management (accrual-based earnings management, real earnings management, and restatements). This association is driven primarily by these large shareholders influencing rather than selecting firms’ financial reporting practices. Second, the market’s reaction to earnings announcement suggests that investors recognize the heterogeneity in blockholders’ influence on earnings management. The results highlight the highly individualized effects of blockholders and a mechanism through which shareholders impact reported earnings.
Preventing depression in age-related macular degeneration.

CONTEXT Age-related macular degeneration is a prevalent disease of aging that may cause irreversible vision loss, disability, and depression. The latter is rarely recognized or treated in ophthalmologic settings. OBJECTIVE To determine whether problem-solving treatment can prevent depressive disorders in patients with recent vision loss. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Outpatient ophthalmology offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PATIENTS Two hundred six patients aged 65 years or older with recent diagnoses of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in one eye and pre-existing age-related macular degeneration in the fellow eye. INTERVENTION Patients were randomly assigned to problem-solving treatment (n = 105) or usual care (n = 101). Problem-solving treatment therapists delivered 6 sessions during 8 weeks in subjects' homes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Outcomes were assessed at 2 months for short-term effects and 6 months for maintenance effects. These included DSM-IV-defined diagnoses of depressive disorders, National Eye Institute Vision Function Questionnaire-17 scores, and rates of relinquishing valued activities. RESULTS The 2-month incidence rate of depressive disorders in problem-solving-treated subjects was significantly lower than controls (11.6% vs 23.2%, respectively; odds ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.92; P = .03). Problem-solving treatment also reduced the odds of relinquishing a valued activity (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-0.96; P = .04). This effect mediated the relationship between treatment group and depression. By 6 months, most earlier observed benefits had diminished, though problem-solving treatment subjects were less likely to suffer persistent depression (chi2(1,3) = 8.46; P = . 04). CONCLUSIONS Problem-solving treatment prevented depressive disorders and loss of valued activities in patients with age-related macular degeneration as a short-term treatment, but these benefits were not maintained over time. Booster or rescue treatments may be necessary to sustain problem-solving treatment's preventative effect. This study adds important new information to the emerging field of enhanced-care models to prevent or treat depression in older persons. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00042211.
Subretinal surgery for choroidal neovascularization in patients with high myopia.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the visual outcome in patients undergoing surgical removal of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in eyes with high myopia. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 48 consecutive patients with high myopia (> or =6 diopters [D]) who underwent vitrectomy with surgical removal of subfoveal CNV. The patient population consisted of 2 groups. Group 1 included 23 patients with findings only of myopic degeneration, and group 2 included 25 patients with presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome and myopia of 6 D or more. RESULTS In group 1, the visual acuity improved by 2 or more Snellen lines in 9 eyes (39%), decreased in 8 eyes (35%), and remained unchanged in 6 (26%), with a mean follow-up of 24 months (range, 8-60 months). The preoperative visual acuity was 20/40 or better in only 1 eye (4%), but 8 (35%) achieved a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better. In group 2, the visual acuity improved in 16 eyes (64%), was stable in 4 (16%), and deteriorated in 5 (20%), with a mean follow-up of 18 months (range, 6-44 months). Only 3 eyes (12%) had a preoperative visual acuity of 20/40 or better, but 11 (44%) achieved a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better. Recurrence occurred in 13 (57%) of the 23 eyes in group 1 and in 9 (36%) of the 25 eyes in group 2. Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant relation between younger patient age (group 1) and absence of postoperative CNV recurrence (group 2) and an improvement of visual acuity (P<.01). CONCLUSIONS Surgical removal of CNV may provide visual benefit in selected cases of subfoveal CNV associated with high myopia. The determination of whether surgical intervention is appropriate in these cases requires a prospective, randomized, clinical trial.
Globalisation and its Impact on Managerial Skills

Globalization (or globalisation) is the term to describe the way countries are becoming more interconnected both economically and culturally. This process is a combination of economic, technological, socio-cultural and political forces. Globalization is often used to refer to economic globalization, i.e. integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology.
The pattern and prevalence of hypodontia in Koreans.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern and prevalence of hypodontia in the Korean population along with its association with the dental and skeletal polymorphisms. SUBJECTS AND MATERIALS The diagnostic materials including casts, panoramic radiographs, and lateral cephalograms of 1622 Korean subjects (611 males, 1011 females) were used to evaluate the pattern and prevalence of hypodontia as well as its association with the congenital absence of the third molar. The changes in the tooth size and skeletal characteristics of the hypodontia group were evaluated using cast/cephalometric analysis and compared with the standard values of normal occlusion in Koreans. RESULTS The prevalence of hypodontia in Koreans was 11.2%. The mandibular lateral incisor and second premolar were the most frequently absent. Congenital absence of the third molar was observed more frequently in the hypodontia group than in the non-hypodontia group. The prevalence of hypodontia in Class III malocclusion was significantly higher than in Class I or Class II malocclusion. CONCLUSION The pattern and prevalence of hypodontia can vary in different ethnic groups. In Koreans, the special features of hypodontia were its association with a higher level of congenital missing third molars and skeletal Class III malocclusion.
Leveraged Buyouts in the U.K. And Continental Europe: Retrospect and Prospect

The markets for management buyouts in the U.K. and continental Europe have experienced dramatic growth in the past ten years. In the U.K., buyouts accounted for half of the total M&A activity (measured by value) in 2005. And as in the U.S. during the'80s, the greatest number of U.K. buyouts in recent years have been management- and investor-led acquisitions of divisions of large corporations. In continental Europe, by contrast, the largest fraction of deals has involved the purchase of family-owned private businesses. But in recent years, increased pressure for shareholder value in countries like France, Netherlands, and even Germany has led to a growing number of buyouts of divisions of listed companies. Like the U.K., continental Europe has also seen a small but growing number of purchases of entire public companies (known as private-to-public transactions, or PTPs), including the largest ever buyout in Europe, the €13 billion purchase this year of the Danish corporation TDC. 2006 Morgan Stanley.
Effect of third harmonic peaking in gate drive of class E amplifier

In this paper, in order to reduce power dissipation at MOSFET gate port of class E amplifier, we propose gate signal peaking using third harmonic component. With PSPICE simulation, it is shown that higher power efficiency and higher output power of power stage can be obtained using third harmonic component than pure sinusoidal gate signal with same level of gate power dissipation.
A new approach towards an optimum design and manufacture of microfluidic devices based on ex situ fabricated hydrogel based thin films' integration

We present a compression based packaging technique which can be applied to reversibly seal hydrogel based materials' thin films and micro-fabricated thermoplastic components for hybrid materials stacking microfluidic cells-based chips design. A multilayer microdevice has been realized for liquid leakage tests at the thermoplastic/hydrogel interface nearby the fluidic circuits machined on the plastic layer; biocompatible Poly-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (PHEMA) hydrogel membranes with different thickness (Ranging from 100 to 200 μm) and micro-milled Polymethylmethacrylate components were chosen to realize the chip. By promoting continuous perfusion of the system pumping aqueous coloured dye solutions in the microchannels, the sealing between the two materials resulted guaranteed for tested flow rate values, ranging from 100nL/min to 10mL/min. Furthermore, to take the hydrogel into operation, a representative case study of a micro-bioreactor based on joint hybrid materials and employing PHEMA thin film as a cell culture substrate has been analyzed and modelled by mean of numerical simulation.
Revisiting the potential for benefit sharing in the management of trans-boundary rivers.

It has been suggested that trans-boundary water conflicts may be resolved through benefit sharing. The idea of benefit sharing is that a zero-sum game of water sharing is replaced through a positive-sum game of benefit sharing. In order to test the benefit sharing hypothesis, this paper presents a conceptual analysis of the incentives and institutional prerequisites required to realize mutual benefits in the use of trans-boundary rivers. The paper argues that it is useful to distinguish negative and positive unidirectional externality problems related to the use of trans-boundary rivers, as these two cases represent fundamentally different cooperation problems. In the case of negative externalities, the benefits of cooperation exist in principle, but their realization requires an agreement on often disputed property rights as well as on the set up of an enforcement mechanism. Thus cooperation remains institutionally demanding. In contrast, in the case of positive externality problems, no property rights issues are involved. However, whether cooperation can be expected depends on the underlying payoff structure. The downstream riparian can be expected to participate in the provision of a positive externality upstream, either if the project is only collectively rational (coordination problem) or if the downstream riparian's participation allows for a Pareto improvement vis-a-vis the non-cooperative solution (cooperation problem). Given the property rights implications of negative externality problems, it may be useful, where possible, to refocus from negative to positive externality problems.
Nearest neighbor nodes and connectivity of wireless sensor networks with Poisson point process

The connectivity is vital to wireless sensor networks (WSNs), but power is constrained by the limited battery power in sensor nodes. So the trade-off between connectivity and power control becomes a critical problem in WSNs. In this paper we investigate nearest neighbor nodes of the two-dimensional WSNs with Poisson point process, which enables each node to find the 1st(respectively, 2nd and kth) nearest neighbor node and adjust transmitting range according to local requirement, thereby it would contribute to the survival of overall network. And then we derive the probability expression of 1-connected (respectively, 2-connected and k-connected) network. Finally, we present the simulation results and discuss practical value for researchers in this domain.
Comorbidities and Charlson score in resected stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer

Patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been shown to have a higher prevalence of comorbidity associated with age and tobacco consumption. The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of comorbidity on survival after surgery of stage I NSCLC. In total, 588 consecutive patients operated on for a pathological stage I NSCLC between January 1, 1979 and December 31, 2003 were studied. Comorbidities were analysed individually. Overall comorbidity was assessed using the Charlson index of comorbidity (CCI). Survival data were collected for each patient from the date of operation, with a median duration of follow-up of 104 months. Survival analyses and Cox proportional hazards model analyses were used. The mean age of patients was 62.7 yrs, and 529 (89%) patients were male. The distribution of overall comorbidity severity was as follows. CCI grade 0: 47.1%; grade 1–2: 43.7%; grade 3–4: 8.3%; and grade ≥5: 0.8%. The 2, 3 and 5 yrs survival were 69, 62 and 50%, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that T stage, age, a concomitant history of moderate-to-severe liver disease, a past history of cured cancer, cerebrovascular disease and CCI were independent predictors of survival (Hazard Ratio for CCI grade >2: 1.81; 95% confidence interval 1.25–2.63). In conclusion, comorbidity has a significant impact on survival after surgical resection of patients with stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer. The use of a validated index of comorbidity in prognostic analyses of resected nonsmall cell lung cancer is recommended.
International Trade, Distortions, and Long-Run Economic Growth

The links between trade and growth are examined in a neoclassical model of an open economy in which domestic production requires both domestic and imported inputs. The model shows that trade distortions induced by policies such as tariffs and exchange controls generate cross-country divergences in growth rates and in per capita income over a long period. The empirical results confirm that tariff rates and black market premia, interacting with the estimated share of free trade imports, have significant negative effects on the growth rate of per capita income across countries.
Effective teachers as effective entrepreneurs: results of a tri-nation professional development project

This paper is based upon an international professional development project (2012–2013) involving teachers and teacher educators in three countries – Turkey, Croatia and Scotland, UK. The project involved three groups of educators (predominantly school teachers) considering the characteristics and actions of effective teachers and those of successful entrepreneurs. Generally, a significant majority of the participants (73%) expressed the view that the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs were also characteristics of good teachers. There was broad agreement amongst the participants and across the three nations about some of these characteristics. Regarding other characteristics however, there was a lack of consensus across the nations and between participants in single countries. The themes where there was disagreement include risk taking, change, and views on teacher status and power. This raises interesting questions about the stance of teachers in relation to these important themes and issues. The study also contributes towards our understanding of effective teacher professional learning.
Testing capital structure models on Philippine listed firms

This study examines the ability of the Trade-Off (TO) model and the Pecking Order (PO) model to explain the financing behaviour of Philippine listed firms from 1990 to 2001. Using panel data regression techniques, the firms’ leverage ratios move towards their optimal level, holding up the TO model. The results, however, show better support for the PO model, as leverage and profitability are negatively related, while financing deficit mostly explains the annual change in total liabilities. Furthermore, in joint tests, only the fitted values from the PO model equation continue to have additional explanatory power over fitted values from the TO model. Firms issued more equity than debt from 1990 to 1996 when stock market prices were increasing rapidly, but this still fits the more complex version of the PO model.
Lipopolysaccharide accelerates caspase‐independent but cathepsin B‐dependent death of human lung epithelial cells

Caspase‐independent cell death has drawn increasing attention. In the present study, we found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) accelerated spontaneous death of human lung epithelial A549 cells in a serum‐ and cell density‐dependent manner: while serum starvation has been demonstrated to induce apoptosis in the same cell line, LPS‐induced cell death was only observed in the presence of serum; in addition, the cell death was not observed when the cells were seeded at 10‐ or 100‐fold lower density. The apoptotic features were demonstrated by TUNEL assay, DNA laddering and Annexin V staining. However, treatment of cells with two commonly used pan‐caspase inhibitors, zVAD.fmk or BOC‐D.fmk, failed to block cell death. In contrast, two cathepsin B inhibitors, Ca074‐Me or N‐1845, reduced cell death significantly. A time‐dependent activation of cathepsin B, but not caspase 3, was observed in both control and LPS‐treated cells. Although LPS did not further activate cathepsin B or its release, it increased expression and translocation of apoptosis inducing factor from mitochondria to the nucleus, and increased release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. LPS‐induced cell death was significantly attenuated by either N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine or pyrrolidine‐dithiocarbamate, both free radical scavengers. Disruption of lipid raft formation with filipin or methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin also reduced apoptosis significantly, suggesting that lipid raft‐dependent signaling is essential. These data imply that confluent cells undergo spontaneous cell death mediated by cathepsin B; LPS may accelerate this caspase‐independent cell death through release of mitochondrial contents and reactive oxygen species. J. Cell. Physiol. 209: 457–467, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Improved Preoperative Evaluation of Cerebral Cavernomas by High-Field, High-Resolution Susceptibility-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 3 Tesla: Comparison With Standard (1.5 T) Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Correlation With Histopathological Findings—Preliminary Results

Objectives:To compare high-field, high-resolution, susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (3 Tesla [T] HR-SW-MRI) and standard (1.5 Tesla [T]) MRI for the detection of cerebral cavernomas. To evaluate the ability of 3 T HR-SW-MRI to visualize intralesional structures compared with standard (1.5 T) MRI, in correlation with histopathologic findings. Materials and Methods:Seventeen patients with cerebral cavernomas underwent both standard (1.5 T) MRI (T1-SE, T2-TSE, T2*-GRE) and 3 T HR-SW-MRI (TR/TE 43.3/9.1 millisecond; 512 × 384 × 48 matrix; FOV 250 mm; SI 72 mm) at our institution. All MR images were evaluated by 3 radiologists in consensus for detectability, size (1 cm), and conspicuity (good, acceptable, poor) of the lesions at both field strengths, and for the presence of hypointense intralesional tubular structures. In 7 patients, MR findings were correlated with histopathologic findings. Results:Both 3 T HR-SW-MRI and standard (1.5 T) MRI detected 22 lesions in 17 patients; 3 T HR-SW-MRI detected an additional 7 lesions in 6 patients. On average, 3 T HR-SW-MRI detected 1.706 ± 0.92 (median = 1) lesions per patient, whereas standard (1.5 T) MRI detected 1.235 ± 0.664 lesions per patient (P = 0.016). Lesion conspicuity was good in all 3 T HR-SW-MR images and good in 68.2% and acceptable in 31.8% of standard (1.5 T) MR images (P = 0.016). In 22 lesions detected at both field strengths, 3 T HR-SW-MRI demonstrated intralesional tubular structures in 72.7% and standard (1.5 T) MRI demonstrated these structures in 31.8% (P = 0.001). Intralesional tubular structure correlated to conglomerates of cavernous vessel, as verified by histopathology. Conclusion:Compared with standard (1.5 T) MRI, 3 T HR-SW-MRI allows superior detection and characterization of cerebral cavernomas. Despite increased susceptibility effects, ie, signal loss at higher magnetic field strengths, the visualization of intralesional tubular structures is feasible. This may be helpful in the diagnosis, presurgical planning, and noninvasive follow-up after gamma-knife radiosurgery.