Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altering the Proclivity towards Daptomycin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Using Combinations with Other Antibiotics

ABSTRACT Daptomycin (DAP) is increasingly used as a part of combination therapy, particularly in complex methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. While multiple studies have reported the potential for synergy between DAP and adjunctive anti-infectives, few have examined the influence of adjunctive therapy on the emergence of DAP resistance. This study examined eight adjunctive antimicrobial combinations with DAP in vitro and the emergence of DAP resistance over time (up to 4 weeks) using clinical isolates of DAP-susceptible MRSA (MIC, 0.5 μg/ml) in which DAP resistance subsequently developed during patient therapy (MIC, 3 μg/ml). In addition to DAP susceptibility testing, selected strains were examined for phenotypic changes associated with DAP resistance, including changes to cell wall thickness (CWT) and cell membrane alterations. The addition of either oxacillin or clarithromycin in medium containing DAP significantly inhibited the development of DAP resistance through the entirety of the 4-week exposure (10- to 32-fold MIC reduction from that of DAP alone). Combinations with rifampin or fosfomycin were effective in delaying the emergence of DAP resistance through the end of week one only (week one MIC, 0.5 μg/ml; week four MIC, 24 μg/ml). Cell wall thickening was observed for all antibiotic combinations regardless of their effect on the DAP MIC (14 to 70% increase in CWT), while changes in cell membrane fluidity were variable and treatment dependent. DAP showed reduced activity against strains with DAP MICs of 1 to 12 μg/ml, but cell membrane integrity was still disrupted at concentrations achieved with doses greater than 10 mg/kg of body weight. The emergence of DAP resistance in MRSA is strongly influenced by the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of adjunctive antimicrobials. These data suggest that combining DAP with oxacillin or clarithromycin may delay the development of DAP resistance in cases requiring prolonged antibiotic therapy.
Does the Kyoto Protocol Agreement matters? An environmental efficiency analysis

This paper uses both conditional and unconditional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models in order to determine different environmental efficiency levels for a sample of 110 countries in 2007. In order to capture the effect of countries compliance with the Kyoto Protocol Agreement (KPA), we condition the years since a country has signed the agreement until 2007. Particularly, various DEA models have been applied alongside with bootstrap techniques in order to determine the effect of Kyoto protocol agreement on countries’ environmental efficiencies. The study illustrates how the recent developments in efficiency analysis and statistical inference can be applied when evaluating environmental performance issues. The results indicate that the first six years after countries signed the Kyoto protocol agreement have a positive effect on their environmental efficiencies. However after that period it appears that countries avoid complying with the actions imposed by the agreement which in turn has an immediate negative effect on their environmental efficiencies.
The Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Exports, Imports and the Balance of Payments of Developing Countries

This paper uses panel data and times series/cross section analysis to estimate the effect of trade liberalisation on export growth, import growth, the balance of trade and the balance of payments for a sample of 22 developing countries that have adopted trade liberalisation policies since the mid-1970s. We find that liberalisation stimulated export growth but raised import growth by more, leading to a worsening of the balance of trade and payments. To the extent that this has constrained the growth of output and living standards, the findings have important implications for the sequencing and degree of liberalisation.
Financial Sector Development and Economic Growth: An Empirical Analysis of Two Southern African Countries

Abstract This study examines the direction of causality between financial development and economic growth in two Southern African countries, namely Zimbabwe and Malawi. Unlike the majority of previous studies, the study uses five proxies for financial development against real GDP per capita - a proxy for economic growth. The study seeks to answer one critical question: Does financial sector development lead in the process of economic development (as postulated by the proponents of a supply-leading phenomenon) or it is the real sector growth which drives the development of the financial sector (as postulated by the proponents of a demand-following phenomenon)Œ Using the Johansen and Juselius (1990, 1992) and the Hsiao's (1981) test procedures, the results of this study reveal that the direction of causality between financial development and economic growth is sensitive to the choice of measurement for financial development. Overall, the study finds a distinct bi-directional causality to prevail in Malawi and a supply-leading response to predominate in the case of Zimbabwe.
Uncovering Web search tactics in South African higher education

Background: The potential of the World Wide Web (‘the Web’) as a tool for information retrieval in higher education is beyond question. Harnessing this potential, however, remains a challenge, particularly in the context of developing countries, where students are drawn from diverse socio-economic, educational and technological backgrounds. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify the Web search tactics used by postgraduate students in order to address the weaknesses of undergraduate students with regard to their Web searching tactics. This article forms part of a wider study into postgraduate students’ information retrieval strategies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, South Africa. Method: The study utilised the mixed methods approach, employing both questionnaires (Phase 1) and structured interviews (Phase 2), and was largely underpinned by Bates’s model of information search tactics. This article reports and reflects on the findings of Phase 1, which focused on identifying the Web search tactics employed by postgraduate students. Results: Findings indicated a preference for lower-level Web search tactics, despite respondents largely self-reporting as intermediate or expert users. Moreover, the majority of respondents gained their knowledge on Web searching through experience and only a quarter of respondents have been given formal training on Web searching. Conclusion: In addition to contributing to theory, it is envisaged that this article will contribute to practice by informing the design of undergraduate training interventions to proactively address the information retrieval challenges faced by novice users. Subsequent papers will report on Phase 2 of the study.
Isolation and Characterization of a Gene Affecting Fatty Acid Elongation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

Fatty acid elongation defective mutants were isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by mutagenizing strains that were defective in fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity. Cells of the fatty acid synthase-defective strains can grow when supplemented with tetradecanoic acid (14:0) due to the presence of membrane bound elongation systems that can extend the 14 carbon fatty acid to longer chain species. After mutagenesis and rescue on medium containing a mixture of 14:0, 16:0 and 18:0, cells were screened for their inability to grow on medium containing only 14:0. From 150,000 colonies, four stable isolates were identified, all of which appear to represent the same complementation group. Gas chromatography of lipid extracts from mutant elo1-1 (designated as elongation defective) cells grown with long or medium chain fatty acids indicates that it fails to efficiently elongate (12, 13, or 14) carbon fatty acids. A gene disrupted fas2Δ::LEU2;elo1Δ::HIS3 mutant incorporates 14-18-carbon fatty acids into membrane lipids, indicating that fatty acid transport is not affected by the mutation. Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the ELO1 gene suggests that the encoded protein is a membrane bound polypeptide that contains at least five potential membrane spanning regions and a presumptive NADPH binding site. Analysis of the ELO1 mRNA levels indicates that the gene is expressed in cells grown on fatty acid deficient medium. It is rapidly induced in wild type cells that are supplemented with 14:0 and is repressed when cells are supplied with 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids.
Globalisation, Governance and Migration: an introduction

Abstract Migration exposes a central inconsistency in neoliberal globalisation because, if capital, money, information and knowledge should all flow freely across the globe, then why not people? This broad introductory survey begins with a critical review of perspectives that pose migration as a global governance problem and the migrant as a potential terrorist. It then moves on to interrogate the sometimes facile declarations that we are living in the age of migration without setting this in either historical or geographical context. It explores the gender, race and class dimensions of migration, which is in reality a far from homogenous flow. Then, after opening up the migration/development problematic to move it beyond a zero-sum game, it ends with a review of the limitations of the dominant migration management paradigm. It advocates throughout a Southern perspective on migration in contrast to the Northern bias of the dominant discourses. This is a necessary step, I would argue, for moving towards a holistic critical analysis of migration on a global scale.
National Adaptation to European Integration: The Importance of Institutional Veto Points

The repercussions of European integration on national policymaking have increasingly drawn scholarly attention, yet, the determinants of national adaptation to the European Union are still poorly understood. This article takes issue with evolving arguments which grant crucial importance to the “goodness of fit” between European provisions and national rules and practices for explaining the degree of national adjustment to European requirements. In the case of the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the country with the greatest misfit, the United Kingdom, adapted more successfully than the country which only needed incremental adjustments, Germany. The German record was also worse than the Dutch, despite the higher adaptation pressure of the latter. The case study suggests that the number of institutional veto points that central governments has to face when imposing European provisions on their constituencies, ultimately tend to shape the pace and quality of implementation, regardless of differential degrees in the goodness of fit.
¿Son los pobres las únicas víctimas con la compra de votos? Un caso de competencia política con expropiación generalizada

Este articulo introduce un modelo de competencia politica entre dos partidos politicos que, ademas de no representar los deseos y las necesidades de los votantes en una economia no-prioritarista, movilizan su masa electoral a traves de la compra de votos. Se establece una relacion entre la conducta de preferencia del partido de gobierno y la topologia de la red de intercambio en la cual esta vinculado con los votantes a traves de operadores politicos que no pertenecen a la organizacion politica. El resultado principal establece que el partido que se ha convertido en el partido de gobierno, a traves de la compra de votos, preferira promover como establecedor de la agenda en la negociacion politica con otros jugadores con veto del sistema politico municipal, aquellas agendas politicas con las cuales se redistribuyen los recursos, de tal manera que se empobrece tanto a los individuos wo (worse off persons) como a los individuos BO (better off persons), con los cuales esta vinculado en la red de intercambio. Esto ultimo le permitira promover reducciones en los precios de compra que son de equilibrio en los mercados de votos que tengan lugar en la siguiente contienda electoral, dado su objetivo por cooptar el cargo publico a traves de la compra de votos. Palabras clave: Juegos en redes, compra de votos, pobreza, competencia politica.
The Arabidopsis PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE2 Protein Is a Phototropin Signaling Element That Regulates Leaf Flattening and Leaf Positioning1[W][OA]

In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the blue light photoreceptor phototropins (phot1 and phot2) fine-tune the photosynthetic status of the plant by controlling several important adaptive processes in response to environmental light variations. These processes include stem and petiole phototropism (leaf positioning), leaf flattening, stomatal opening, and chloroplast movements. The PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE (PKS) protein family comprises four members in Arabidopsis (PKS1–PKS4). PKS1 is a novel phot1 signaling element during phototropism, as it interacts with phot1 and the important signaling element NONPHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3 (NPH3) and is required for normal phot1-mediated phototropism. In this study, we have analyzed more globally the role of three PKS members (PKS1, PKS2, and PKS4). Systematic analysis of mutants reveals that PKS2 (and to a lesser extent PKS1) act in the same subset of phototropin-controlled responses as NPH3, namely leaf flattening and positioning. PKS1, PKS2, and NPH3 coimmunoprecipitate with both phot1-green fluorescent protein and phot2-green fluorescent protein in leaf extracts. Genetic experiments position PKS2 within phot1 and phot2 pathways controlling leaf positioning and leaf flattening, respectively. NPH3 can act in both phot1 and phot2 pathways, and synergistic interactions observed between pks2 and nph3 mutants suggest complementary roles of PKS2 and NPH3 during phototropin signaling. Finally, several observations further suggest that PKS2 may regulate leaf flattening and positioning by controlling auxin homeostasis. Together with previous findings, our results indicate that the PKS proteins represent an important family of phototropin signaling proteins.
Fair Value Accounting is the Wrong Scapegoat for this Crisis

The ongoing financial crisis has revived the longstanding debate about fair value accounting. This policy contribution by Nicolas Veron argues that in times of market disruption, no accounting standards could lead to consensual outcomes, and that fair value remains better than proposed alternatives. Rather than reducing its scope, policymakers should focus on capital requirements standards (Basel II), where the negative effects of pro-cyclicality‘ are concentrated.
Fate of Salmonella Senftenberg in broiler chickens evaluated by challenge experiments

Experimental and epidemiological evidence has indicated the respiratory route to be a potential portal of entry for salmonellas in poultry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the infectivity of Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg following oral gavage, intratracheal or intravenous challenge in chickens. Seven-day-old chicks were challenged with either 104 or 106 colony-forming units of S. Senftenberg per chick by oral gavage, intratracheal or intravenous challenge, respectively, in two independent trials. Chickens were humanely killed 24 h post challenge and S. Senftenberg was cultured and enumerated from caecal contents, caecal tissue–caecal tonsils and liver and spleen. In both trials, intratracheal delivery of S. Senftenberg was the only route that allowed colonization of the caeca of chickens when compared with oral gavage or intravenous challenge in a dose response fashion (P < 0.05). Liver and spleen samples yielded no S. Seftenberg after the lower dose challenge by the oral or intratracheal route and only low levels following the high-dose administration by these routes, whereas intravenous challenge resulted in recovery of the organisms after both doses. The results of the present study suggest that S. Senftenberg entering the blood is likely to be cleared and will not be able to colonize caeca to the same extent as compared with intratracheal challenge. Clarification of the potential importance of the respiratory tract for transmission of salmonellas under field conditions may be of critical importance to develop intervention strategies to reduce the transmission in poultry.
SEASONED EQUITY OFFERINGS: THE CASE OF ALL‐EQUITY FIRMS

Three theories have been widely proposed to explain the significant negative market response to the announcement of a new equity issue. By observing a similar negative effect in a sample of zero and near zero long-term debt firms, we are able to conclude that the capital structure hypothesis is not the sole explanation. Regressions of announcement period abnormal returns against subsequent cashflow change while controlling for price pressure effects provide evidence in support of the information hypothesis. Decomposition of the sample by issue purpose reveals a differential impact at the time of announcement consistent with an information-based explanation.
Aligning the Conflicting Needs of Privacy, Malware Detection and Network Protection

Surveillance is seen as a key tool to detect terrorist activities or to counteract attacks on critical communication infrastructure. Everybody is in those systems to some degree under suspicion. The principle of innocent till proven guilty does not seem to apply to modern surveillance technology usage. On the other hand, criminals would gain easily upper hand in communication networks that are not protected and on the outlook for attacks. This poses quite a problem for the technical implementation and handling of network communication traffic. How can a communication network provider protect user data against malicious activities without screening and loss of the human right of privacy? This article provides a classification system for data usage, privacy sensitivity and risk. With those theoretical tools, we will illustrate on a concrete example how to provide user privacy, while still enable protection against criminals or unauthorized intruders.
Married Women's Retirement Expectations: Do Pensions and Social Security Matter?

Twenty-five years ago, married women's retirement decisions were strongly influenced by their husbands' health and retirement status, factors determining the value of women's nonmarket time. In contrast, their own economic opportunity set (wages, Social Security entitlements, and employer pension benefits) appeared to have little effect on their decisions to leave the labor force. ' Married women currently forming expectations regarding retirement differ in important ways from this earlier generation. They have spent more time in the labor force, earned higher wages, and accumulated substantial pension rights, both private and public. They also have lower probabilities of remaining married. In 1970, 82 percent of U.S. women aged 45-54 were manried, while 5 percent were divorced. By 1992, only 73 percent were married, while 16 percent were divorced. Thus, husbands' pension and Social Security benefits are less likely to provide economic security in retirement for the current generation of preretirement married women. Their expectations regarding retirement should reflect these changing conditions. Relative to earlier cohorts, married women's retirernent plans should be more strongly influenced by considerations of their own economic returns from continued employment. While of interest for its labor-supply implications, this issue is a matter of public concern because of growing evidence that divorce has wide-ranging consequences for the economic well-being of postretirement women (William H. Crown et al., 1993). Findings from the new Health and Retirement Survey indicate that older married women's expectations of working after age 62 are strongly influenced by their expected wage, nonwage compensation such as employer-provided health and disability insurance, and pension income. Expected Social Security entitlements also appear important, although the evidence for their effect is weaker. Like the earlier generation, wives are also influenced by their husbands' plans, suggesting a tendency toward joint retirement.
Prevalence, intensity and risk factors of tungiasis in Kilifi County, Kenya: I. Results from a community-based study

Background Tungiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans) embedded in the skin. The disease is associated with important morbidity. Tungiasis is endemic along the Coast of Kenya with a prevalence ranging from 11% to 50% in school-age children. Hitherto, studies on epidemiological characteristics of tungiasis in Africa are scanty. Methods In a cross-sectional study 1,086 individuals from 233 households in eight villages located in Kakuyuni and Malanga Sub-locations, Kilifi County, on the Kenyan Coast, were investigated. Study participants were examined systematically and the presence and severity of tungiasis were determined using standard methods. Demographic, socio-economic, environmental and behavioral risk factors of tungiasis were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results The overall prevalence of tungiasis was 25.0% (95% CI 22.4–27.5%). Age-specific prevalence followed an S-shaped curve, peaking in the under-15 year old group. In 42.5% of the households at least one individual had tungiasis. 15.1% of patients were severely infected (≥ 30 lesions). In the bivariate analysis no specific animal species was identified as a risk factor for tungiasis. Multivariate analysis showed that the occurrence of tungiasis was related to living in a house with poor construction characteristics, such as mud walls (OR 3.35; 95% CI 1.71–6.58), sleeping directly on the floor (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.03–2.74), the number of people per sleeping room (OR = 1.77; 95% CI 1.07–2.93) and washing the body without soap (OR = 7.36; 95% CI 3.08–17.62). The odds of having severe tungiasis were high in males (OR 2.29; 95% CI 1.18–44.6) and were very high when only mud puddles were available as a water source and lack of water permitted washing only once a day (OR 25.48 (95% CI 3.50–185.67) and OR 2.23 (95% CI 1.11–4.51), respectively). Conclusions The results of this study show that in rural Kenya characteristics of poverty determine the occurrence and the severity of tungiasis. Intra-domiciliary transmission seems to occur regularly.
What Drives the Diffusion of Privatization Policy? Evidence from the Telecommunications Sector

Abstract This paper examines the extent to which diffusion mechanisms have been important for the privatization of telecommunications in the OECD world. It analyzes a panel dataset for 18 OECD countries between 1980 and 2007 using spatial econometric techniques. The sample includes 18 OECD countries between 1980 and 2007. The empirical findings strongly suggest that spatial interdependencies are significant for privatization policies. First, closely related countries from a geographical or economic perspective influence each other to a greater extent than non-related countries. Second, there is no evidence that governments adopt policies of countries with a similar cultural background or the policies of those countries where privatization has been shown to lead to the intended economic results at the company level. Third, the importance of diffusion is highly influenced by national characteristics such the openness of the economy.