Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nasal colonization by methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcus in community skilled nursing facility patients.

BACKGROUND Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS) are increasing nosocomial pathogens in acute care hospital patients. However, there is little information on the epidemiology of MRCNS in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). We report a pilot survey of the prevalence of MRCNS colonization in SNF patients. METHODS Anterior nasal swabs were plated on oxacillin salt screening agar for selection of MRCNS. Suspected MRCNS were confirmed by coagulase and catalase tests and standard disc-diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility tests. RESULTS The overall prevalence of MRCNS was 40% for in-house continuing SNF patients, 49% for newly admitted patients, and 60% for SNF nursing personnel. The prevalence was 13% in a "control" group of nonmedical personnel. Forty-six percent of MRCNS were resistant to ciprofloxacin. The frequency of colonization with MRCNS increased over time. After an average 17 months of facility stay, 32% of noncarriers acquired MRCNS. High frequency of colonization was associated with greater disability. CONCLUSION Colonization with MRCNS is common among SNF patients, who can serve as a reservoir for transfer of such strains to acute care hospitals. Careful infection control practice, including judicious use of antibiotics with frequent handwashing, will remain critical policies for limiting spread of such strains.
Mechanisms underlying reduced maximum shortening velocity during fatigue of intact, single fibres of mouse muscle

1 The mechanism behind the reduction in shortening velocity in skeletal muscle fatigue is unclear. In the present study we have measured the maximum shortening velocity (V0) with slack tests during fatigue produced by repeated, 350 ms tetani in intact, single muscle fibres from the mouse. We have focused on two possible mechanisms behind the reduction in V0: reduced tetanic Ca2+ and accumulation of ADP. 2 During fatigue V0 initially declined slowly, reaching 90 % of the control after about forty tetani. The rate of decline then increased and V0 fell to 70 % of the control in an additional twenty tetani. The reduction in isometric force followed a similar pattern. 3 Exposing unfatigued fibres to 10 μM dantrolene, which reduces tetanic Ca2+, lowered force by about 35 % but had no effect on V0. 4 In order to see if ADP might increase rapidly during ongoing contractions, we used a protocol with a tetanus of longer duration bracketed by standard‐duration tetani. V0 in these three tetani were not significantly different in control, whereas V0 was markedly lower in the longer tetanus during fatigue and in unfatigued fibres where the creatine kinase reaction was inhibited by 10 μM dinitrofluorobenzene. 5 We conclude that the reduction in V0 during fatigue is mainly due to a transient accumulation of ADP, which develops during contractions in fibres with impaired phosphocreatine energy buffering.
DOWNS AND TWO-PARTY CONVERGENCE

▪ Abstract We take as our starting point the insights of Downs (1957) into two-party competition. A careful reading of Downs offers a much more sophisticated and nuanced portrait of the factors affecting party differentiation than the simplistic notion that, in plurality elections, we ought to expect party convergence to the views of the median voter. Later scholars have built on Downsian ideas to see what happens vis-a-vis party differentiation when we modify key assumptions found in the basic Downsian spatial model. Recent work allows us to turn what is taken to be the Downsian view on its head: Although there are pressures in two-party competition for the two parties to converge, in general we should expect nonconvergence. Moreover, contra the negative portrait offered by Green & Shapiro (1994) of the limited or nonexistent value of research on party competition models in the Downsian tradition, we argue that, when viewed as a whole, neo-Downsian models—especially those of the past decade—do allow us t.
Renal protection in diabetes: is it affected by glucose control or inhibition of the renin-angiotensin pathway?

BACKGROUND Recent reports indicate increased risk of renal failure with long-term use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) in diabetes. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) in diabetes has increased despite ACEI and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use. This study questions renal protection by ACEI or ARB. Our hypothesis is that uncontrolled hyperglycemia is central to diabetic ESRD while tight glucose control is renoprotective. Cultured endothelial cells show morphological damage that increases with duration of exposure to high glucose and is prevented by insulin and more so by a combination of insulin and heparin. METHODS Findings from individual patients are compared to clinical trial results wherein ACEI or ARB was emphasized as the prime therapy to prevent progression of diabetic nephropathy to ESRD. Serum creatinine (Scr) changes were the main indicator of renoprotective effects in clinical trials. Creatinine clearance (Ccl), an important marker of glomerular filtration rate, was seldom reported. RESULTS Our observations show that ACEI-treated patients develop progressive renal failure, whereas renal function remains stable with optimum glucose control. Clinical trials showed that reduction of proteinuria, with ACEI, reduces the risk of ESRD. Our studies show that reduction of proteinuria with use of ACEI or ARB parallels a reduction in Ccl, suggesting that a change in proteinuria is related to Ccl changes. Scr changes are small, giving a deceptive view of renal protection. CONCLUSIONS Our observations find no evidence of renal protection with ACEI or ARB use in diabetes. Laboratory studies and clinical observations suggest that adequate glucose control is the key to renal protection in diabetes.
Discovery of a Master Regulator of Injury and Healing: Tipping the Outcome from Damage toward Repair

Disease processes provoke a balancing act between tissue damage and repair. In the 1980s, the discovery that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a general mediator of disease-related injury led to the development of novel therapeutics to neutralize its activity. In contrast, identification of potential mediator(s) of tissue repair remained elusive. Studies performed over the last 15 years have documented that the type 1 cytokine erythropoietin (EPO), produced by cells within surrounding regions subjected to injury, acts as a master regulator, controlling both damage and repair. The transducer of these activities is the previously unrecognized innate repair receptor (IRR), which is comprised of the EPO receptor and β common receptor subunits. Notably, although proinflammatory cytokines upregulate the IRR, EPO and proinflammatory cytokines inhibit each other’s production, resulting in a relative underproduction of EPO. Although exogenous EPO attenuates disease activity in many preclinical models, its clinical utility is limited by serious hematopoietic and thrombotic adverse effects. To circumvent this problem, novel compounds engineered from the structure of EPO have been developed as selective ligands of the IRR. These compounds possess no hematopoietic activity, yet are fully tissue-protective and reparative. The lead molecule of this development effort (the 11-amino acid peptide ARA290) tips the balance toward healing in diverse preclinical models of disease and is currently under evaluation in advanced clinical trials as a disease-modifying agent in painful neuropathy and diabetes.
The dual‐career couple: Female expatriates and male trailing spouses

Dual-income and dual-career couples are becoming an increasingly important segment of professional managers in the United States. The difficulties associated with addressing the unique needs of these dual couples is accentuated when attempting to relocate one of the members of the couple overseas. Referral rates for expatriation have increased and the failure rate of those expatriates who are relocated continues to be high. This article examines the issues international human resource executives face when expatriating female managers and how multinational corporations (MNCs) can proactively address the concerns of both the expatriate managers and their trailing spouses. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Use of Social Media in Teaching Race

This article explores ways in which race pedagogy interrogates social media as a significant influence on racism and source for race understandings. Social media serves as a context in which to learn about, challenge, and address issues of race. We discuss how social media may be used to promote racial literacy and question and resist racism, using a YouTube post example, comment stream, and video responses. Our focus includes a discussion of intersectionality and highlights ways in which resisting racism may still involve sexism or other oppression.
The Role of Causal Beliefs in Technology-Supported Policy

Abstract Policy making is a multi-step process involving several actors. It affects international stability due to the interdependency of the contemporary world. Policy making processes that are evidence-based, model-based or participatory can benefit from the use of support systems. We individuate causal beliefs as a critical notion for policy making and policy making support systems. Representation, modeling and discovery of causal beliefs can rely on a wide range of techniques developed in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Statistical Causal Inference. We argue that the inclusion of such techniques in policy making support system can contribute to solve some relevant issues related to policy making process.
Use of the Proceeds and Long-Term Performance of French SEO Firms

This paper examines the long-term stock performance of French SEO with rights by looking at the intended use of the proceeds. Firms that raise equity for pure capital structure motives are separated from the ones that use the SEO proceeds to finance specific investment projects. Issuers in the first category are concerned about preserving their financial flexibility and they are expected to evolve in a capital structure irrelevancy framework. On the other hand, issuers in the second category are more inclined to be sensitive to adverse selection problems or agency conflicts and thus, they should be more exposed to under-reaction on the long-run. According to a matching firm methodology, 'Financing New Investment' issuers underperform their benchmark at a rate of 4% to 8% per year over a 36-month horizon while 'Capital Structure' issuers do not show any abnormal performance. These results are robust according to alternative Beta pricing models. In addition, managers of both issuer's types time the SEO after a period of positive abnormal performance in order to sell overpriced securities. However, only the 'Financing New Investment' sample experiences a performance reversal; the abnormal returns decreasing gradually from the issue on, to become significantly negative 24 months after the event.
Modeling Money Market Spreads: What Do We Learn About Refinancing Risk?

We quantify the effect of refinancing risk on euro area money market spreads, a major factor driving spreads during the financing crisis. With the advent of the crisis, market participants' perception of their ability to refinance over a given period of time changed radically. As a result, borrowers preferred to obtain funding for longer tenors and lenders were willing to provide funding for shorter tenors. This discrepancy resulted in a need to refinance more frequently in order to borrow over a given horizon, thus increasing refinancing risk. We measure refinancing risk by quantifying the sensitivity of the spread to the refinancing frequency. In order to do so we introduce a model to price EURIBOR-based money market spreads vis-a-vis the overnight index swap. We adopt a methodology akin to a factor model in which the parameters determining the spreads are the intensity of the crisis, its expected half-life, and the sensitivity of spreads to the refinancing frequency. Results suggest that refinancing risk affects the spread significantly across time, albeit in a largely varying manner. Central bank interventions have reduced the spreads as well as the effect of refinancing risk on them.
Teaching Foreign Policy Decision‐Making Processes Using Role‐Playing Simulations: The Case of US–Iranian Relations

Butcher, Charity. (2012) Teaching Foreign Policy Decision-Making Processes Using Role-Playing Simulations: The Case of US–Iranian Relations. International Studies Perspectives, doi: 10.1111/j.1528-3585.2012. 00457.x © 2012 International Studies Association Most undergraduate courses on foreign policy discuss important models and explanations of foreign policy decision making, such as the rational actor, organizational process and governmental politics models, and groupthink. It is often difficult for students to fully understand how to apply and use these concepts to analyze foreign policy decision-making processes. One way to encourage such analytical thinking is to have students utilize various models to explain a specific event. While this is a useful task, students often gain a greater level of comprehension when they are evaluating a decision-making process in which they have personally taken part in. As such, role-playing simulation can be a very effective tool in helping students learn to understand and, more importantly, apply these various decision-making models and explanations. This paper presents an example of how simulations can help teach these concepts by presenting specific information regarding a simulation of US–Iranian relations.
Corruption and control: A corruption reduction approach

Purpose – Corruption is a significant financial crime which is estimated by the World Economic Forum to cost about 5 per cent of global GDP or $2.6 trillion dollars. Explanations of corruption, like explanations of crime, tend to focus on the individuals who commit corruption and the wider conditions which give rise to corrupt behaviour. Approaches designed to reduce corruption usually propose stiffer sanctions, institutional reforms and the passing of new laws. The purpose of this paper is to outline a complementary perspective with which to consider corruption.Design/methodology/approach – Grounded in situational crime prevention and related criminological theory, the paper argues that opportunities in the immediate environment play a causal role in generating corruption. It proposes that corruption can be minimised by removing or reducing opportunities which are conducive to corrupt behaviour. In total, five cases are chosen as illustrative examples of how situational crime prevention might usefully be.
Momentum in Irish stocks: evidence from the credit crisis

This article examines return momentum in Irish shares over a 24-year period, including the recent credit crisis. The optimal momentum strategy generates significant risk-adjusted abnormal returns that are robust to the return generating model and seasonal effects. The extent of underreaction is more symmetrical than previous research has indicated, with both past winners and losers contributing to momentum returns. Momentum is found to be significantly higher in the pre-credit crisis period. The source of the positive returns in the momentum strategy changes from the winner portfolio to the loser portfolio as we move into the credit crisis, with this latter period showing positive but insignificant moment returns.
An Assessment of the Attention Demands during Random- and Blocked-Practice Schedules

The reported study used the dual-task methodology to assess the attention demands associated with high and low contextual interference (CI) practice environments. Two specific issues were addressed. First, is there a difference in the attention demands during random and blocked schedules of practice? Second, what is the time course of any differential attention demands that emerge during random and blocked training? In order to address these questions two specific temporal loci were probed during practice: a pre-response interval and the inter-trial interval. It was assumed that the pre-response interval contained the reconstructive activity that is central to the reconstruction position. In contrast, the inter-trial interval has been interpreted in previous work to be the interval in which critical intra- and inter-item processing is performed during random practice. The data revealed a typical CI effect for the primary key-pressing task. Specifically, blocked-practice participants displayed superior performance during training but performed less well than the random-practice individuals at the time of retention. The poorer acquisition performance of the random practice participants was associated with higher cognitive demand during both the pre-response and the inter-trial intervals than that of individuals assigned to blocked practice. The greater attention demands for random-practice individuals are discussed with respect to processes that might occur in both the pre-response and the inter-trial intervals.
Compression Plating of Pediatric Femoral Shaft Fractures

The authors conducted a retrospective review of 60 children under the age of 16 years with femoral shaft fractures treated with compression plate fixation. All patients were followed to hardware removal. The 100% union rate and low complication rate after compression plate fixation of pediatric femur fractures compared favorably to the literature of other treatment options. Compression plate fixation is a safe and effective treatment in children with both isolated femoral shaft fractures and those associated with multiple injuries.
Change of platelet activation markers using flow cytometry in patients with hematology/oncology disorders after transfusion

In spite of the frequent need of platelet transfusions, there is limited information on the association of platelet activation markers, in transfused patients with hematology/oncology disorders, with platelet function using flow cytometry. The goal of this study was to evaluate the changes of PAC-1 binding and CD62P expression, with or without agonists in patients after transfusions. Twenty-eight whole blood samples were obtained from 24 patients admitted to the department of Hematology & Oncology and transfused with platelets; these samples were compared to 30 healthy controls. Whole blood samples, either with or without agonists, such as 20 µM adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or 100 µM thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP), were stained with the fluorescein conjugated monoclonal antibodies PAC-1 or CD62P. Then, the percent expression for each marker was analysed using flow cytometry. ADP and TRAP induced an increased percentage of CD62P expression and PAC-1 binding after platelet transfusions compared to the samples studied before transfusion, and these findings were lower than those of the healthy controls. However, the expression of platelets without the agonists was not significantly changed, despite the transfusions. Therefore, agonist-induced platelet activation markers, studied by flow cytometry, appear to be more useful for the evaluation of platelet function after transfusions than platelet activation markers without agonists.
Tourism development, quality of life and exogenous shocks: a systemic framework

This paper proposes an analytical framework describing a triangle relationship between tourism development (TD), quality of life (QoL) of residents, and shocks or disturbances (SoD). The impacts of TD on QoL have been studied extensively in the literature, but the possible effects of QoL on TD have only been implicitly considered in some studies. Moreover, the influence of SoD on both TD and QoL has only rarely been covered in the literature, and, consequently, the overall relation between these three constructs has remained unstructured and incompletely formulated. The proposed framework contributes to a better understanding of both TD and QoL, thereby providing opportunities for improving both. Additionally, understanding the possible implications of SoD for both TD and QoL provides prospects for improving the preparedness and responsiveness of actors, while potentially speeding up the recovery after unexpected events.
Large-scale ex vivo generation of human neutrophils from cord blood CD34+ cells

Conventional high-dose chemotherapy frequently leads to severe neutropenia, during which patients experience a high risk of infection. Although support care with donor’s neutrophils is possible this choice is largely hampered by the limited availability of matched donors. To overcome this problem, we explored a large-scale ex vivo production of neutrophils from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using a four-stage culture approach in a roller-bottle production platform. We expanded CD34+ HSCs isolated from umbilical cord blood (UCB) using our in-house special medium supplemented with cytokine cocktails and achieved about 49000-fold expansion of cells, among which about 61% were differentiated mature neutrophils. Ex vivo differentiated neutrophils exhibited a chemotactic activity similar to those from healthy donors and were capable of killing E. coli in vitro. The expansion yield as reported herein was at least 5 times higher than any other methods reported in the literature. Moreover, the cost of our modified medium was only a small fraction (<1/60) of the StemSpan™ SFEM. Therefore, our ex vivo expansion platform, coupled with a low cost of stem cell culture due to the use of a modified medium, makes large-scale manufacturing neutrophils possible, which should be able to greatly ameliorate neutrophil shortage for transfusion in the clinic.
Ordinality and the Nature of Symbolic Numbers

The view that representations of symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers are closely tied to one another is widespread. However, the link between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers is almost always inferred from cardinal processing tasks. In the current work, we show that considering ordinality instead points to striking differences between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers. Human behavioral and neural data show that ordinal processing of symbolic numbers (Are three Indo-Arabic numerals in numerical order? ) is distinct from symbolic cardinal processing (Which of two numerals represents the greater quantity? ) and nonsymbolic number processing (ordinal and cardinal judgments of dot-arrays). Behaviorally, distance-effects were reversed when assessing ordinality in symbolic numbers, but canonical distance-effects were observed for cardinal judgments of symbolic numbers and all nonsymbolic judgments. At the neural level, symbolic number-ordering was the only numerical task that did not show number-specific activity (greater than control) in the intraparietal sulcus. Only activity in left premotor cortex was specifically associated with symbolic number-ordering. For nonsymbolic numbers, activation in cognitive-control areas during ordinal processing and a high degree of overlap between ordinal and cardinal processing networks indicate that nonsymbolic ordinality is assessed via iterative cardinality judgments. This contrasts with a striking lack of neural overlap between ordinal and cardinal judgments anywhere in the brain for symbolic numbers, suggesting that symbolic number processing varies substantially with computational context. Ordinal processing sheds light on key differences between symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing both behaviorally and in the brain. Ordinality may prove important for understanding the power of representing numbers symbolically.