International trade and labor issues: Linkages and tensions in a globalizing economy.

This thesis has been inspired by the current attempts to formally link international labor and trade systems. It explores the relationship that exists between these systems and how it has been affected by the globalization of economy and legalization of global affairs. The major focus of this study is to show the tensions that accompany the attempts to bring international labor and trade systems into closer cooperation. Especially the divisions between the developed and developing countries are examined. This study looks at these issues from the liberal perspective. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the trade and labor systems exploring their structures, major objectives and principles. It looks at the documents, reports and conference materials to find the provisions and stances that regard the linkages between labor and trade. Also, an overview of relevant literature is offered to show major concepts there presented. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of History, Philosophy, and Political Science. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .M55. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, page: 0729. Adviser: Anna Lanoszka. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004

To have your cake and eat it too: accountability under a preferential voting system

Informed by the findings in the economic voting literature and using an original dataset on Polish elections this research breaks away from this established practice and goes a step further by showing how economic conditions allow voters to distinguish between high/low performers and effectively attribute responsibility under open-list PR systems where voters can choose not only among parties but also among individual candidates. By integrating open-list design into the model of accountability this study transforms the way we think about the very act of voting

Maria Weber, Komendantka. O gen. Marii Wittek, Wydawnictwo Muzeum Historii Polskiego Ruchu Ludowego, Warszawa 2021, ss. 264

Recenzja książki "Komendantka. O gen. Marii Wittek" Marii Weber

Osteoinductive activity of insulin-functionalized cell culture surfaces obtained using diazonium chemistry

Polymeric surfaces suitable for cell culture (DR/Pec) were constructed from diazoresin (DR) and pectin (Pec) in a form of ultrathin films using the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The surfaces were functionalized with insulin using diazonium chemistry. Such functionalized surfaces were used to culture human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to assess their suitability for bone tissue engineering and regeneration. The activity of insulin immobilized on the surfaces (DR/Pec/Ins) was compared to that of insulin dissolved in the culture medium. Human MSC grown on insulin-immobilized DR/Pec surfaces displayed increased proliferation and higher osteogenic activity. The latter was determined by means of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, which increases at early stages of osteoblasts differentiation. Insulin dissolved in the culture medium did not stimulate cell proliferation and its osteogenic activity was significantly lower. Addition of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) to the culture medium further increased ALP activity in hMSCs indicating additive osteogenic action of immobilized insulin and rhBMP-2

Transcriptional profiling of ParA and ParB mutants in actively dividing cells of an opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Accurate chromosome segregation to progeny cells is a fundamental process ensuring proper inheritance of genetic material. In bacteria with simple cell cycle, chromosome segregation follows replication initiation since duplicated oriC domains start segregating to opposite halves of the cell soon after they are made. ParA and ParB proteins together with specific DNA sequences are parts of the segregation machinery. ParA and ParB proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa are important for optimal growth, nucleoid segregation, cell division and motility. Comparative transcriptome analysis of parA null and parB null mutants versus parental P. aeruginosa PAO1161 strain demonstrated global changes in gene expression pattern in logarithmically growing planktonic cultures. The set of genes similarly affected in both mutant strains is designated Par regulon and comprises 536 genes. The Par regulon includes genes controlled by two sigma factors (RpoN and PvdS) as well as known and putative transcriptional regulators. In the absence of Par proteins, a large number of genes from RpoS regulon is induced, reflecting the need for slowing down the cell growth rate and decelerating the metabolic processes. Changes in the expression profiles of genes involved in c-di-GMP turnover point out the role of this effector in such signal transmission. Microarray data for chosen genes were confirmed by RT-qPCR analysis. The promoter regions of selected genes were cloned upstream of the promoter-less lacZ gene and analyzed in the heterologous host E. coliΔlac. Regulation by ParA and ParB of P. aeruginosa was confirmed for some of the tested promoters. Our data demonstrate that ParA and ParB besides their role in accurate chromosome segregation may act as modulators of genes expression. Directly or indirectly, Par proteins are part of the wider regulatory network in P. aeruginosa linking the process of chromosome segregation with the cell growth, division and motility

Blood Stream Infections in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: Reemergence of Gram-Negative Rods and Increasing Antibiotic Resistance

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De-Escalation and Discontinuation of Empirical Antibiotic Treatment in a Cohort of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients during the Pre-Engraftment Period

To investigate rates and outcomes of antibiotic de-escalation during pre-engraftment neutropenia in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. 110 consecutive HSCTs performed between January 2013 and March 2014 were analyzed. De-escalation was defined as narrowing the spectrum of antibiotic treatment either within (early) or after 96 hours (late) from starting antibiotics. Discontinuation, considered a form of de-escalation, was defined as stopping antibiotics before engraftment. De-escalation failure was defined as restarting/escalating antibiotics within 96 hours after de-escalation. Predictors of de-escalation were analyzed. Among 102 patients who started antibiotics and were included, 68 (67%) received monotherapy (mainly piperacillin-tazobactam, n = 58), whereas 34 (33%) received combination therapy (mainly meropenem plus glycopeptide, n = 24). Median duration of neutropenia was 17 days. Bloodstream infections (BSIs) were diagnosed in 28 patients (20%). Early de-escalation rate was 25.5% (n = 26) and mostly consisted of reducing the spectrum of \u3b2-lactams (n = 11, 42%). In comparison with theoretical scenario of continuing therapy until engraftment, the median savings in terms of antibiotic days were 10 for meropenem, 8 for piperacillin-tazobactam, and 7 for vancomycin. Failure rate of early de-escalation was 15% (4/26). Late de-escalation rate was 30.4% (n = 31) and failure rate 19% (6/31). The rate of de-escalation any time before engraftment was 55.9% (n = 57), including discontinuation in 33 patients (32%). Death at day 60 after HSCT occurred in 3 patients who never underwent de-escalation. Acute myeloid disease and BSIs were independent predictors of early de-escalation. De-escalation, including discontinuation, is feasible and safe in pre-engraftment neutropenia after allogeneic HSCT

Molecular Epidemiological Investigation of a Nosocomial Cluster of C. auris: Evidence of Recent Emergence in Italy and Ease of Transmission during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Candida auris is an emerging MDR pathogen raising major concerns worldwide. In Italy, it was first and only identified in July 2019 in our hospital (San Martino Hospital, Genoa), where infection or colonization cases have been increasingly recognized during the following months. To gain insights into the introduction, transmission dynamics, and resistance traits of this fungal pathogen, consecutive C. auris isolates collected from July 2019 to May 2020 (n = 10) were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and antifungal susceptibility testing (AST); patients' clinical and trace data were also collected. WGS resolved all isolates within the genetic clade I (South Asian) and showed that all but one were part of a cluster likely stemming from the index case. Phylogenetic molecular clock analyses predicted a recent introduction (May 2019) in the hospital setting and suggested that most transmissions were associated with a ward converted to a COVID-19-dedicated ICU during the pandemic. All isolates were resistant to amphotericin B, voriconazole, and fluconazole at high-level, owing to mutations in ERG11(K143R) and TACB1(A640V). Present data demonstrated that the introduction of MDR C. auris in Italy was a recent event and suggested that its spread could have been facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued efforts to implement stringent infection prevention and control strategies are warranted to limit the spread of this emerging pathogen within the healthcare system

Primary Prophylaxis of Invasive Fungal Diseases in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: Revised Recommendations from a Consensus Process by Gruppo Italiano Trapianto Midollo Osseo (GITMO)

Abstract This document updates and expands the recommendations on primary prophylaxis of invasive fungal diseases (IFD) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients, published in 2009 by the Gruppo Italiano Trapianto Midollo Osseo (GITMO). A consensus process was undertaken to describe and evaluate current information and practice regarding risk stratification and primary antifungal prophylaxis during the pre-engraftment and postengraftment phases after allo-HSCT. The revised recommendations were based on the evaluation of recent literature including a large, prospective, multicenter epidemiological study of allo-HSCT recipients conducted among the GITMO transplantation centers during the period of 2008 to 2010. It is intended as a guide for the identification of types and phases of transplantation at low, standard, and high risk for IFD, according to the underlying disease, transplantation, and post-transplantation factors. The risk stratification was the critical determinant of the primary antifungal approach for allo-HSCT recipients

Validation of an Automated System for the Extraction of a Wide Dataset for Clinical Studies Aimed at Improving the Early Diagnosis of Candidemia

: There is increasing interest in assessing whether machine learning (ML) techniques could further improve the early diagnosis of candidemia among patients with a consistent clinical picture. The objective of the present study is to validate the accuracy of a system for the automated extraction from a hospital laboratory software of a large number of features from candidemia and/or bacteremia episodes as the first phase of the AUTO-CAND project. The manual validation was performed on a representative and randomly extracted subset of episodes of candidemia and/or bacteremia. The manual validation of the random extraction of 381 episodes of candidemia and/or bacteremia, with automated organization in structured features of laboratory and microbiological data resulted in ≥99% correct extractions (with confidence interval < ±1%) for all variables. The final automatically extracted dataset consisted of 1338 episodes of candidemia (8%), 14,112 episodes of bacteremia (90%), and 302 episodes of mixed candidemia/bacteremia (2%). The final dataset will serve to assess the performance of different ML models for the early diagnosis of candidemia in the second phase of the AUTO-CAND project