Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complete Genome Sequence of Campylobacter jejuni YH001 from Beef Liver, Which Contains a Novel Plasmid

ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni, commonly found in poultry and meat products, causes gastroenteritis in humans. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a C. jejuni strain, YH001, isolated from retail beef liver. The genome is 1,712,361 bp and has a 30.5% G+C content and two plasmids of 46.5 kb and 4.4 kb.
Relationship Between Cancer of Stomach and the ABO Blood Groups

It was shown by Stocks (1950) that the standardized mortality of cancer of the stomach tended to be greater in northern than in southern towns in England. Stocks considered this to be consistent with the hypothesis that gastric cancer depends on an irritant. The only environmental factor which appeared to correlate in any way with the varying incidence of cancer of the stomach was hardness of water, towns with a water supply of moderate hardness tending to have lower rates than towns with soft or very hard water. This correlation was not a very close one. He showed also that the standardized mortality of cancer of the stomach was greater in towns with a low proportion of people of advanced age and in towns with a high proportion of men in unskilled and partly skilled occupations. Stocks did not explore, and apparently did not take into account, any possible genetic difference in the populations which he examined, nor was this possibility mentioned by Legon (1951, 1952) in attempts to correlate the geographical variations in the mortality from gastric cancer with variations in the organic content of the soil. It occurred to one of us that there might be a correlation between the high northern incidence of cancer of the stomach and the genetic differences which are reflected in the ABO blood groups, the frequency of blood group 0 being greater, that of A less, in northern than in southern populations, B and AB being similar in all geographical areas in England and Scotland. Previous published work on the association of the ABO blood groups with cancer has been on very small series of cases without adequate controls. The results have been diverse and without statistical significance (Alexander, 1921 ; Johannsen, 1925; Goldfeder and Fershing, 1937).
Food choices and local food access among Perth's community gardeners

The recent proliferation of community gardens in Perth, Western Australia, and elsewhere around the world, is just one aspect of increasing concern about food security, food production methods and alternative food networks (AFNs). The literature on community gardens has thus far concentrated largely on their community-building and social dimensions, with less of a focus on the contribution of community gardens to local AFNs and food security. This research investigated members of community gardens in Perth, examining how they engage with local AFNs, their attitudes towards food production, and the food choices they make. The constraints which people experience in making these choices are highlighted and some ways in which these constraints may be overcome are suggested.
Divergent Traditions, Converging Responses: Immigration and Integration Policy in the UK and Germany

This contribution argues that although the UK and Germany have different historical traditions of immigration and integration, which continue to define policy responses in specific areas, recent developments show a distinct convergence in each country's policy goals and adopted policy instruments in this sector. It contends that both endogenous (demographic and skills shortages, integration deficits) and exogenous (influx of asylum seekers, terrorism) variables can be identified for this convergence. It also pinpoints the European Union as a growing source both of convergence and policy coordination in this field.
Impact of International Financial Shocks on Small Open Economies: The Case of Four ASEAN Countries

A more integrated global financial system has implications on the economic volatility of small open economies. This paper simulates the impact of a short term shock originating from the global financial system on small open economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The simulation is conducted by means of empirically estimated small open economy dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models for Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The analysis highlights similarities and differences of the impact of a pure international financial shock on aggregate domestic price inflation and on output gap for each of the four ASEAN countries. It suggests that the impact of such shock on the sampled economies tends to be relatively small but long lasting, hence placing challenges on the task of managing economic volatility in these economies.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Unraveling childhood constipation : Pathophysiology , diagnostics and treatment

Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva. nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible.
WHAT DO WORKING CAPITAL AND HABIT TELL US ABOUT THE CO-MOVEMENT PROBLEM?

Empirical studies find that expenditures on both durable and nondurable goods fall following a contractionary monetary policy shock. However, in standard two-sector models with staggered nondurable goods prices and flexible durable goods prices, consumption of durables rises whereas that of nondurables falls in response to a contractionary policy shock. To resolve this co-movement problem, I extend the model to include a realistic financial friction that firms must pay for their productive inputs prior to production, i.e., working capital, along with habit formation in nondurable goods consumption. Following a positive interest rate shock, the working capital channel raises production costs, thereby discouraging production of both durable and nondurable goods. Furthermore, habit formation induces households to smooth the growth rate of nondurable goods consumption, and hence mitigates the fall in the nondurable goods sector. The model solves the co-movement problem and successfully generates a more sensitive response in the durable goods sector, as observed in the data.
Electromagnetic redesign of the HYPERcollar applicator: toward improved deep local head-and-neck hyperthermia

Accumulating evidence shows that hyperthermia improves head-and-neck cancer treatment. Over the last decade, we introduced a radiofrequency applicator, named HYPERcollar, which enables local heating also of deep locations in this region. Based on clinical experience, we redesigned the HYPERcollar for improved comfort, reproducibility and operator handling. In the current study, we analyze the redesign from an electromagnetic point of view. We show that a higher number of antennas and their repositioning allow for a substantially improved treatment quality. Combined with the much better reproducibility of the water bolus, this will substantially minimize the risk of underexposure. All improvements combined enable a reduction of hot-spot prominence (hot-spot to target SAR quotient) by 32% at an average of 981 W, which drastically reduces the probability for system power to become a treatment limiting source. Moreover, the power deposited in the target selectively can be increased by more than twofold. Hence, we expect that the HYPERcollar redesign currently under construction allows us to double the clinically applied power to the target while reducing the hot-spots, resulting in higher temperatures and, consequently, better clinical outcome.
The Effects of Environmental Regulations on Foreign Direct Investment

This paper employs a conditional logit model to estimate the effects of state environmental regulations on foreign multinational corporations' new plant location decisions from 1986 to 1993. The relationship between site choice and state environmental regulations is explored, using four measures of regulatory stringency. We find evidence that heterogeneous environmental policies across states do matter.
Disabled people's living standards: filling a policy vacuum

Purpose - Government policy can alleviate inequities in living standards. Disabled people often qualify for government assistance which is one way that their living standard can improve, although arbitrary systems for distributing assistance are not likely to serve equity objectives. The purpose of this paper is to indicate the key variables to which government should direct attention, in order to alleviate both horizontal and vertical inequity in grants to disabled people. Design/methodology/approach - There is no literature, either theoretical or empirical, that specifically addresses this problem. This paper invokes important economic concepts associated with the nineteenth century English philosopher/economist, John Stuart Mill, as well as the 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics, Amartya Sen. Mill's general conception of how government should behave in treating citizens was elaborated subsequently in the public finance literature on principles of taxation. These notions are about “the equal treatment of equals” and “the unequal treatment of unequals”. Sen's recent discussion of the “conversion handicap” from his general framework of capabilities is highly relevant to the question addressed here. Findings - These concepts, applied with some analytical tools of algebra and geometry, show that Mill's principles can combine with Sen's into a relevant conceptual framework. The central principles and concepts for policy formation on the standard of living for disabled people are not random; they can be specified with clarity. Originality/value - This paper contributes the relevant conceptual “yardsticks” by which policy for distributing assistance to disabled people can be evaluated. Steps, towards devising better approaches to the distribution of assistance to disabled people can now be taken.
Plasmodium berghei: the antimalarial activity of albendazole in rats is mediated via effects on the hematopoietic system.

Abstract Dow, G. S. , O'Hara, A. J., Newton, S. C. , Reynoldson, J. A. , and Thompson, R. C. A. 2000. Plasmodium berghei: The antimalarial activity of albendazole in rats is mediated via effects on the hematopoietic system. Experimental Parasitology94, 259–263.
Coping with Europe : the impact of British and German administrations on the implementation of EU environmental policy

ABSTRACT A central problem for improving the implementation effectiveness of European legislation lies in the impact of national administrative traditions. The dependence on national administrations for implementing European policies implies that the formal transposition and practical application of supranational policies are crucially influenced by administrative traditions prevalent in a certain policy field, which may differ substantially from country to country. Focusing on the implementation of EU environmental policy in Britain and Germany, it is the objective of this article to investigate the interplay of national administrative traditions and European policy implementation in closer detail. The main argument is that the extent to which administrative traditions affect implementation effectiveness is less dependent on the ‘real’ costs of adaptation than on the level of embeddedness of existing structures.
Window Dressing by Pension Fund Managers

This paper takes a first look at investment strategies of managers of 769 pension funds, with total assets of $129 billion at the end of 1989. The data show that managers of these funds tend to oversell stocks that have performed poorly. Relative sales of losers accelerate in the fourth quarter, when funds' portfolios are closely examined by the sponsors. This result supports the view that fund managers "window dress" their portfolios to impress sponsors and suggests that managers are evaluated on their individual stock selections and not just aggregate portfolio performance.
Impact of Working Capital Management Policies on Corporate Performance—An Empirical Study

It is felt that there is the need to study the role of working capital management policies on profitability of a company. Conventionally, it has been seen that if a company desires to take a greater risk for bigger profits and losses, it reduces the size of its working capital in relation to its sales. If it is interested in improving its liquidity, it increases the level of its working capital. However, this policy is likely to result in a reduction of the sales volume, therefore of profitability. Hence, a company should strike a balance between liquidity and profitability. In this paper an effort has been made to make an empirical study of Indian Consumer Electronics Industry for assessing the impact of working capital policies & practices on profitability during the period 1994–95 to 2004–05. The impact of working capital policies on profitability has been examined by computing coefficient of correlation and regression analysis between profitability ratio and some key working capital policy indicator ratios.
In Vitro Photodynamic Eradication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Planktonic and Biofilm Culture

Photodynamic disinfection (PDD) is a nonantibiotic approach to treating drug‐resistant bacterial infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen, is problematic because of its propensity to develop antibiotic resistance and its ability to secrete a protective biofilm matrix. This study examined the ability of PDD to eradicate planktonic and biofilm cultures of P. aeruginosa in vitro. Planktonic P. aeruginosa cultures were briefly exposed to a methylene blue‐based photosensitizer formulation and subjected to energy doses ranging from 1.7 to 20.6 J cm−2 using a 670 nm nonthermal diode laser. Biofilms were grown for 24 and 48 h and exposed to photosensitizer for 30 s before illumination with 13.2 or 26.4 J of energy. A single exposure of planktonic P. aeruginosa to photosensitizer at >15.5 J cm−2 resulted in 100% eradication (>7 log10 reduction from control), an effect that could be decreased significantly in the presence of the singlet oxygen quenchers l‐tryptophan and sodium azide. Decreasing the energy dose below this threshold by varying both power density and illumination duration resulted in a dose‐dependent decrease in bacterial kill. In addition, 24 h biofilm viability was reduced by 99% with single exposure and 99.9% with double exposure, while 48 h biofilm viability was reduced by >99.999% with both single and double exposures. This study shows that PDD is effective in eradicating planktonic and biofilm cultures of P. aeruginosa, supporting the concept that translation into clinical practice for indications such as otitis externa and wound disinfection is a viable option.
Evidence from Archival Data on the Relation Between Security Analysts' Forecast Errors and Prior Forecast Revisions*

This paper examines the association between analysts' forecast errors at the earnings announcement date and the revisions to those forecasts during the preceding year. The study is an initial effort to use archival data from expert decision makers to test behavioral theories that have support in laboratory environments. Consistent with findings of conservatism in laboratory experiments, we find that analysts systematically underweight new information. This finding is most pronounced when the analysts are consistently revising their estimates downward throughout the year. Resume. Les auteurs examinent le lien entre les erreurs previsionnelles des analystes a la date de declaration des benefices et les revisions dont ces previsions ont fait l'objet au cours de l'exercice precedent. Il s'agit la d'une premiere tentative d'utilisation des donnees d'archives des experts en matiere decisionnelle dans le but de tester les theories comportementales qui ont ete demontrees en laboratoire. Conformement aux observations faites en laboratoire en ce qui a trait a la prudence, les auteurs constatent que les analystes accordent systematiquement trop peu de poids a l'information nouvelle/Cette constatation est tres marquee lorsque les analystes revisent continuellement leurs estimations a la baisse au cours de l'annee.
Press Independence and Blogs in the Alito Nomination Debate

Using the Alito Supreme Court nomination as a case study, this paper examines the triangular relationship among politicians, traditional news media, and blogs. The various participants in the debate did not uniformly rely on arguments related to policy or Alito's personal qualifications. Newspapers and blogs mentioned these types of arguments as frequently as others. Members of Congress focused more on policy-related arguments, perhaps because of the common policy focus of nomination hearings. President Bush focused significantly more frequently on arguments related to personal qualifications, reflecting his greater ease of focusing on preferred arguments. In addition, many arguments in the debate first appeared in blogs, despite the fact that the elected officials made public statements about the debate from the day that Bush announced the nomination, and that the newspapers also provided extensive coverage of the entire debate. Also, newspapers and blogs appear to focus their attention on a subset of the arguments, whereas elected officials appear to discuss a different set of arguments. The debate outside government appears to focus on a different set of arguments than discussions inside government.
The Performance Measurement of Cause-Related Marketing by Balance Scorecard

Abstract This study focuses on cause-related marketing to evaluate the practiced performance by balance scorecard, because this measure method not only evaluates performance toward the financial perspective but also integrates three other perspectives: customer, internal, and learning and growth. Balance scorecard matches the concept of total quality management of continuous improvement. It is a useful tool to evaluate an enterprise's total operation performance. This paper outlines the measure criteria toward each performance perspective of a balance scorecard in cause-related marketing. A causal model for linking performance measures that achieve the strategic objectives of cause-related marketing is presented. A methodology is proposed to identify critical factors, and for the set-up and implementation of a performance measurement system. An integrated approach to the measurement of an enterprise's performance is outlined, which, if adopted, should result in optimal management actions, and improved total quality effect for the business.
An exploratory study of desired hotel attributes for American tourists vacationing in China and Ireland

The attributes of domestic and international hotels important to American tourists are identified and compared. American tourists typically expect clean rooms at a good price; however, they would offset these expectations for increased security when traveling overseas. In addition, they hold hotels in developing countries to a lower standard than hotels in developed countries. Thus, American tourists may be more satisfied with an international hotel than with a domestic hotel offering equivalent service.
Nosocomial infections after cardiac surgery in infants and children: incidence and risk factors.

This prospective study was undertaken to determine the spectrum, sites and main risk factors for hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in our paediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit (PCICU), and to determine the main organisms causing bloodstream infection in this setting. All patients admitted between January and December 1999 were prospectively followed for the development of HAI. To define risk factors, patients were grouped by age, complexity score, length of stay in PCICU, and whether the patient's chest was open or closed postoperatively. Three hundred and thirty-five patients underwent cardiac surgery. Fifty-five patients acquired 69 HAIs (HAI patient rate 16.4%). The most common HAI were bloodstream and surgical wound infection in 10 and 8%, respectively. The main causative organisms were Klebsiella spp. ,Enterobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. in 22, 17 and 16% of episodes, respectively. Staphylococcus spp. accounted for 16% of episodes. The main risk factors for developing HAI were: neonatal age [P < 0.05, odds ratio (OR): 5.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.96-11.58] prolonged PCICU stay (P < 0.05, OR: 6.82, 95% CI: 3.37-14.48), open chest postoperatively (P < 0.05, OR: 3.44, 95% CI: 1.31-8.52) and high complexity score (P < 0.05, OR: 4.03 95% CI: 1.87-8.43). The main causative organisms of bloodstream infections in children hospitalized in the PCICU differ from those in adult and pediatric general intensive care units (ICUs) and include mainly Gram-negative bacilli. High complexity score, neonatal age, prolonged ICU stay, and open chest postoperatively are risk factors of HAI in this patient population.
Development of symbionts in triatomine bugs and the effects of infections with trypanosomatids.

In the intestinal tract of fifth instars of the hematophagous reduviid bugs Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma infestans blood ingestion induced an initial decrease of the concentration of the respective symbiotic bacteria Rhodococcus rhodnii and Nocardia sp. and then within 10 days a 15- or 18-fold increase of the total population/bug to about 0.8 x 10(9) colony-forming units in R. prolixus and 1.8 x 10(9) colony-forming units in T. infestans. About 95-99% of the total populations of both symbionts developed in the anterior midgut regions, i.e., cardia and stomach. The passage from the blood-storing stomach to the digesting small intestine caused a considerable breakdown of symbiont populations, and only about 0.01% of the total population was present in the rectum. These were excreted mainly within 4 h after a blood meal. After infection with three species of trypanosomatids, R. rhodnii, the symbiont of R. prolixus, was affected by Trypanosoma rangeli, but not by Blastocrithidia triatomae or Trypanosoma cruzi. On the other hand, in T. infestans the concentration of Nocardia sp. was reduced after infection with B. triatomae, but not by T. rangeli nor T. cruzi. In long-term B. triatomae-infected T. infestans, this reduction and a reduced diuretic activity after feeding synergistically lowered the symbiont concentration in the singly deposited feces/urine drops drastically compared to uninfected controls. These data strongly support the theory of the mechanisms of pathogenicity of T. rangeli and B. triatomae for R. prolixus and T. infestans, respectively, that the primal point of attack is the host-specific symbiont, R. rhodnii and Nocardia sp. , respectively.
Growth and employment effects of fiscal regimes

This paper presents an endogenous growth model with firms exhibiting external or internal increasing returns. Firms are either perfectly or monopolistically competitive. The paper extends fiscal policy results to cases where innovations are intentionally generated by firms. To provide quantitative information, the model is calibrated to replicate EU7 aggregate data. The theoretical results indicate that distortionary taxes have strong negative effects on growth and employment and they tend to increase with the degree of private returns. However, the quantitative results turn out to be fairly robust with respect to alternative assumptions on the degree of internal increasing returns made in the process of calibrating the model. Copyright 1999 by Royal Economic Society.