Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Executive Short-Term Incentive, Risk-Taking And Leverage-Neutral Incentive Scheme

In 23 out of 26 US industries, the annual CEO bonus is larger than the annual salary, suggesting that the bonus strongly affects the CEO's decisions. As the high leverage of financial institutions is often blamed for the 2008 financial crises, in this study we focus on leverage as a factor determining risk, particularly in financial institutions. The typical bonus scheme is not a leverage-neutral bonus scheme (LNBS), as the agent's optimal policy is to employ a corner solution: either zero or exteremely high leverage. Thus, consistent with Ross (2004), the bonus scheme does not neccesarily induce the agent to take greater risks. However, although more leverage is not prefered by all preferences, in most cases it is prefered. Thus, we suggest a combination of incentive parameters, which makes the agent indifferent to leverage, thereby preventing conflict beween the agent and the principal (stockholders).
The Big Mac Index Two Decades on: An Evaluation of Burgernomics

The Big Mac Index, introduced by The Economist magazine more than two decades ago, claims to provide the “true value” of a large number of currencies. This paper assesses the economic value of this index. We show that (i) the index suffers from a substantial bias; (ii) once the bias is allowed for, the index tracks exchange rates reasonably well over the medium to longer term in accordance with relative purchasing power parity theory; (iii) the index is at least as good as the industry standard, the random walk model, in predicting future currency values for all but shortterm horizons; and (iv) future nominal exchange rates are more responsive than prices to currency mispricing. While not perfect, at a cost of less than $US10 per year, the index seems to provide good value for money.
The Student-Run Clinic: A New Opportunity for Psychiatric Education

ObjectiveStudent-run clinics are increasingly common in medical schools across the United States and may provide new opportunities for psychiatric education. This study investigates the educational impact of a novel behavioral health program focused on depressive disorders at a student-run clinic.MethodsThe program was assessed through chart review and student self-report questionnaire.ResultsThe rates at which students were able to diagnose and offer treatment for major depressive disorder doubled after implementation of the behavioral health program. Of the students who completed the questionnaire (N=63), nearly all (98%) agreed that their clinic experience was a valuable supplement to their psychiatric education, and 83% agreed that it taught them a skill or attitude their formal curriculum could not have.ConclusionThis study adds to the growing literature on student-run clinics as unique contributors to medical training by demonstrating benefits specific to psychiatric education.
Impact of wide-angle, high-definition endoscopy in the diagnosis of colorectal neoplasia: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS It is essential to optimize standard colonoscopy technique to be able to increase polyp detection. We sought to compare the performance of colonoscopy using a high-definition, wide-angle endoscope (HDE) versus a standard colonoscope (SC) for the detection of colorectal neoplasia. PATIENTS AND METHODS All consecutive consenting adult patients referred from primary care centers were included and randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to undergo HDE or SC. Times to reach and withdraw from the cecum were measured. Morphology, size, location, and pathologic diagnosis of each polyp were recorded. Sample size calculation resulted in a total of 682 patients needed. RESULTS A total of 693 consecutive patients fulfilled all inclusion criteria (73 excluded owing to insufficient bowel preparation). Each arm included 310 patients with no baseline characteristic differences. Time to reach the cecum was slightly superior for SC (8.9 +/- 4.8 minutes vs 8.2 +/- 4.5 minutes; P = .055). Pathology examination was feasible in 418 lesions (272 adenomas, 109 hyperplastic polyps, and 37 inflammatory lesions). Both techniques detected a similar number and type of lesions, and there were no differences in the distribution along the colon, in the degree of dysplasia, or morphology of adenomas. The per-patient basis analyses demonstrated that there were no differences between the 2 arms of the study in the detection rates of polyps (SC, 0.84 +/- 1.59; HDE, 0.83 +/- 1.30), adenomas (0.45 +/- 1.07 vs 0.43 +/- 0.87), small adenomas (0.22 +/- 0.71 vs 0.28 +/- 0.78), flat adenomas (0.30 +/- 0.91 vs 0.21 +/- 0.63), or hyperplastic polyps (0.16 +/- 0.50 vs 0.18 +/- 0.54). CONCLUSION HDE did not detect significantly more colorectal neoplasia than SC.
Sharing of Control as a Corporate Governance Mechanism

This paper identifies a new corporate governance mechanism: sharing control. We show that bargaining problems among multiple controlling shareholders may prevent inefficient investment decisions that harm minority shareholders. The same bargaining problems may block efficient investment decisions, though. By solving this trade-off, we show that the likelihood that shared control is efficient increases with three firm characteristics: overinvestment problems, the cost of verifying cash flows, and financing requirements. The model provides testable implications for the role that large shareholders play in corporate governance, contrasting shared control and monitoring as alternative governance mechanisms.
Rural poverty dynamics: development policy implications

This article explores the useful distinction between chronic and transitory poverty in understanding rural welfare dynamics, highlighting the possibility of poverty traps and their implications for “cargo net” policies to build up productive assets and “safety net” policies to protect such assets. We discuss the methodological difficulties in identifying and explaining either poverty traps or the critical thresholds that are their defining feature. A few empirical examples from sub‐Saharan Africa illustrate the likely existence of poverty traps that help to explain chronic rural poverty.
Understanding Family Responses to Life-Limiting Illness: In-depth Interviews with Hospice Patients and Their Family Members

Understanding family dynamics is a key component in providing comprehensive care for persons with progressive illnesses and their caregivers. The purpose of this study was to investigate what families experience during an advancing illness and to describe their patterns of response. In-depth interviews (n=108) were conducted with families two weeks after hospice admission. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative methods. Six modes were distilled: reactive (illness generates intense responses), advocacy (vulnerability ignites assertive actions), fused (illness and decline are shared experiences), dissonant (diametrically opposed viewpoints cause struggle), resigned (decline and death are anticipated), and closed (outward responses are impassive). Three events triggered movement from one mode to another: (1) functional changes, (2) crisis events, and (3) provider communication. Providers who understand varied family reactions can ease the patient's suffering, assist relatives in providing effective care, and prepare them for the approaching death.
Objective evaluation of upper limb claudication: use of isokinetic dynamometry.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this work is to present an objective, practical, and reproducible method for evaluating the functional limitation caused by occlusive arterial disease in upper limbs: a stress test using an isokinetic dynamometer. METHODS Twenty-three patients with unilateral subclavian artery occlusive disease were included in the study, forming group 1. Seven patients of similar age, with atherosclerotic or Takayasu's disease in the aorto-iliac segment, without subclavian artery occlusive disease, were included as a control group (group 2). For all tests, we utilized the CYBEX 6000 isokinetic dynamometer. The elbow was tested using a series of 30 repetitions of extension and flexion of the arm, performed up to a maximum of 270 repetitions (9 series) or until the limit of the tested limb was reached. RESULTS We initially compared all the limbs without arterial disease of both groups to analyze whether they presented similar functional performance. No significant difference was found for any of the parameters studied. Considering that upper limbs without arterial disease have a similar response to exercise in these analyzed parameters, we compared the upper limbs in group 1 (with and without subclavian artery occlusive disease). For all parameters, the limbs with subclavian artery occlusive disease presented significantly lower values than the control limbs (P < 0.05), which can be objectively attributed to the ischemia (there were different responses in different individuals, which allows the quantification of the limitation caused by subclavian artery occlusive disease). CONCLUSION In this study, we present a new stress test for impairment in patients with subclavian artery occlusive disease that might facilitate the classification of patients according to their functional impairment, and thus result in a better choice of therapeutic approach for each case as well as reporting of objective parameters that allow comparisons of the results of different treatments, including for long-term follow-up.
Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is a process of transforming the organizational behavior, the culture and the individuals; simultaneously transforming the leader himself. Transformational leaders constantly articulate new visions to motivate the organization, they exhibit high passion and confidence in their beliefs, they give importance to ethics and values while setting accountable standards in the organization. Transformational leaders are often charismatic who are able to have an exceptional influence on their followers, compelling them to share the leader’s vision and to take actions beyond their specified responsibilities. Transformational leader’s exhibit good organizational abilities, they are able to align the individual aspirations and motivations to that of organization’s vision.
A phase II study of oxaliplatin with low dose leucovorin and bolus and continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil (modified FOLFOX-4) as first line therapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer

To determine the activity and toxicities of a low dose leucovorin (ldLV) plus fluorouracil (5-FU) regimen, combined with oxaliplatin administered fortnightly (modified FOLFOX-4), as a first-line therapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer. Patients were treated with cycles of oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 on day 1 plus LV 20 mg/m2, followed by 5-FU a 400 mg/m2 bolus and a 22 hour continuous infusion of 600 mg/m2 5-FU on days 1 – 2 every two week intervals. Forty-five patients were enrolled in this study. Forty-two patients were assessable for response. One of the 42 patients demonstrated complete response, and 20 partial responses, and overall response rate of 50%. The median time to progression and overall survival time were 7.7 months (95% CI: 3.6 – 11.9 months) and 11.2 months (95% CI: 9.1 – 13.3 months), respectively. Major hematologic toxicities included grade 1 – 2 anemia (39.7%), neutropenia (30.4%) and grade 3 – 4 neutropenia (10.9%). Twelve cycles were associated with neutropenic fever. The most common non-hematological toxicities were grade 2 nausea/vomiting (20%). There was no treatment related death. The modified FOLFOX-4 regimen was found to be a safe and effective first line therapy in advanced gastric cancer.
Early tracheostomy for primary airway management in the surgical critical care setting

During a 12‐month period, 264 patients with multiple injuries who required mechanical ventilation were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit. One hundred twenty patients (46%) were disengaged from the ventilator, and 38 patients (14%) died. Of the remaining 106 patients (40%) 51 patients (group I) were to receive tracheostomy within 1 to 7 days, and 55 patients (group II) underwent late (8 or more days after admission) tracheostomy. Multiple variables in four categories (admission, operative, ventilatory, and outcome) were analyzed prospectively to define the impact that early tracheostomy had on duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care stay, and hospital stay. Morbidity and mortality rates of the procedures were assessed. Early tracheostomy, in a homogeneous group of critically ill patients, is associated with a significant decrease in duration of mechanical ventilation, as well as shorter intensive care unit and hospital stays, compared with translaryngeal endotracheal intubation. There were no deaths attributable to tracheostomy, and overall morbidity of the procedures was 4%. We conclude that early tracheostomy has an overall risk equivalent to that of endotracheal intubation. Furthermore, early tracheostomy shortens days on the ventilator and intensive care unit and hospital days and should be considered for patients in the intensive care unit at risk for more than 7 days of intubation.
The Active Board with Outside Directors and the Family Firm

O n e of the most c o m m o n and convincing prescriptions for the cont inui ty of family firms is a board with outside directors. Some of the field's longest-tenured consultants promote active, outside boards for family companies . " T h o u Shal t Submi t Thyse l f to the Review of a Board of Competent Outside Directors ," says L e o n A. D a n c o (Danco and J o n o v i c , 1981, p. 249) . Several others agree. "Another posit ive force in improving the management of a close corporat ion is the involvement of outside, unrelated directors," states Mi l ton Stern (1986, p. 31). B e n j a m i n Becker and Fred T i l l m a n (1978, p. 41) are equally persuasive: " T h e family business owner who fails to use his business's board of directors loses a real opportunity to obta in advice and counsel . " Fami ly business owners who use outside directors endorse the idea. In a survey of chief executive officers (CEOs) of 147 closely held businesses reported in this issue, those who had active boards cited as their most impor tant advice to others: Have more outsiders on your board (50 percent), and get them more involved in your business (18 percent). Clearly, these business owners believe that having more outside directors and having them involved are valuable assets. Recent researchers (Dyer, 1986; Barnes and Hershon, 1976) have underscored the value of outside boards in the family business succession process. T h e Harvard Business Review regularly includes a section on boards, often focusing on private companies . T h o s e in favor of active, outside boards say their advantages range from br ing ing expertise and empathic counsel to providing accountability and credibility. My own experience as a member of several boards suggests three valuable benefits: First, properly chosen outsiders on the board lift the business owner 's aspirations and confidence. T h e y help to shape and inspire vision, and they increase commitment . Many business owners are l imited by excessively modest assessments of themselves and their business. Second, effective boards open communica t ions and st imu-
Binding of Hepatitis C Virus E2 Glycoprotein to CD81 Does Not Correlate with Species Permissiveness to Infection

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) glycoprotein E2 binds to human cells by interacting with the CD81 molecule, which has been proposed to be the viral receptor. A correlation between binding to CD81 and species permissiveness to HCV infection has also been reported. We have determined the sequence of CD81 from the tamarin, a primate species known to be refractory to HCV infection. Tamarin CD81 (t-CD81) differs from the human molecule at 5 amino acid positions (155, 163, 169, 180, and 196) within the large extracellular loop (LEL), where the binding site for E2 has been located. Soluble recombinant forms of human CD81 (h-CD81), t-CD81, and African green monkey CD81 (agm-CD81) LEL molecules were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for binding to E2 glycoprotein. Both h-CD81 and t-CD81 molecules were able to bind E2. Competition experiments showed that the two receptors cross-compete and that the t-CD81 binds with stronger affinity than the human molecule. Recently, h-CD81 residue 186 has been characterized as the critical residue involved in the interaction with E2. Recombinant CD81 mutant proteins were expressed to test whether human and tamarin receptors interacted with E2 in a comparable manner. Mutation of residue 186 (F186L) dramatically reduced the binding capability of t-CD81, a result that has already been demonstrated for the human receptor, whereas the opposite mutation (L186F) in agm-CD81 resulted in a neat gain of binding activity. Finally, the in vitro data were confirmed by detection of E2 binding to cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) cell line B95-8 expressing endogenous CD81. These results indicate that the binding of E2 to CD81 is not predictive of an infection-producing interaction between HCV and host cells.
Does standardized service fit all?: Novel service encounter in frontline employee-customer interface

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the novel service encounter with reference to three research questions: first, what kind of creative acts do frontline employees undertake during a novel service encounter? Second, how does the novel service encounter correlate with service innovation? Third, how does it vary in different market environments? The novel service encounter refers to creative acts undertaken by frontline staff working at the employee-customer interface. These acts are important sources of new ideas for service innovation and demand systematic study. Design/methodology/approach – Methods in this study are triangulated by combining interviews, field observations and a survey to develop an observation template for examining the creative acts undertaken by frontline employees during service encounters in an international tourist apparel retailer. Findings – This paper provides initial empirical evidence of the process of the novel service encounter and highlights the.
Effective Maternal and Neonatal Factors Associated with the Prognosis of Preterm Infants

Introduction: Neonatal mortality is a global health issue. Preterm delivery is considered as a leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Preterm neonates may develop complications such as Respiratory Distress Symptom (RDS), Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) and neonatal sepsis. This study aimed to evaluate the effective factors in the prognosis of preterm infants. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 283 premature neonates born in Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran during September 2013-March 2014. Demographic data and perinatal mortality and morbidity rates were recorded for all the neonates. Data analysis was performed in SPSS Version19. Results:In this study, rates of morbidity and mortality were 33.2% and 18.7%, respectively. In total, 50.9% of the neonates were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Among the study samples, 26.5% had RDS, 18.4% had neonatal sepsis, and 2.8% had IVH. Moreover, 18.4% of the neonates required mechanical ventilation. Increased gestational age and birth weight significantly reduced the rates of morbidity and mortality. Although mode of delivery and premature rupture of membranes affected the mortality rate, they had no significant associations with the morbidity rate of the neonates. Also, maternal factors such as age, gravidity, history of diseases or pregnancy complications, and drug use during pregnancy had no significant effects on the rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, gestational age and birth weight were the most significant predictive factors for neonatal morbidity and mortality in preterm infants.
Making Schools Work: Improving Performance and Controlling Costs

Educational reform is a big business in the United States. Parents, educators, and policymakers generally agree that something must be done to improve schools, but the consensus ends there. The myriad of reform documents and policy discussions that have appeared over the past decade have not helped to pinpoint exactly what should be done. This book is the culmination of extensive discussions among a panel of economists led by Eric Hanushek. They conclude that economic considerations have been entirely absent from the development of educational policies and that economic reality is sorely needed in discussions of new policies. The book outlines an improvement plan that emphasises changing incentives in schools and gathering information about effective approaches. Available research and analysis demonstrates that current central decisionmaking has worked poorly. Concentrating on inputs such as pupil-teacher ratios or teacher graduate degrees appears quite inferior to systems that directly reward performance. Nonetheless, since experience with such alternatives is very limited, a program of extensive evaluation appears to be in order. Instead of choosing the "right" approach, this book advocates a more systematic approach of experimentation, evaluation, and change. In addition to Hanushek, the contributors are Charles S. Benson, University of California, Berkeley; Richard B. Freeman, Harvard University; Dean T. Jamison, UCLA: Henry M. Levin, Stanford University; Rebecca A. Maynard, University of Pennsylvania; Richard J. Murnane, Harvard University; Steven G. Rivkin, Amherst College; Richard H. Sabot, Williams College; Lewis C. Solmon, Milken Institute for Job and Capital Formation; Anita A. Summers, University of Pennsylvania; Finis Welch, Texas AM and Barbara L. Wolfe, University of Wisconsin.
Responses of Amniotic Fluid Volume and Its Four Major Flows to Lung Liquid Diversion and Amniotic Infusion in the Ovine Fetus

We designed experiments to allow direct measurement of amniotic fluid volume and continuous measurement of lung liquid production, swallowing, and urine production in fetal sheep. From these values, the rate of intramembranous absorption was calculated. Using this experimental design, the contribution of lung liquid to the control of amniotic fluid volume was examined. Fetuses were assigned to 1 of 4 protocols, each protocol lasting 3 days: control, isovolemic replacement of lung liquid, supplementation of amniotic fluid inflow by 4 L/day, and supplementation of amniotic inflow during isovolemic replacement of lung liquid. We found no effect of lung liquid replacement on any of the known flows into and out of the amniotic fluid. Although intramembranous absorption increased greatly during supplementation, the amniochorionic function curves were not altered by isovolemic lung liquid replacement. We conclude that lung liquid does not appear to contain a significant regulatory substance for amniotic fluid volume control.
Factor Structure of an Arabic Translation of the Scale, Preference for Numerical Information

An Arabic translation of Viswanathan's 1993 scale, Preference for Numerical Information, was administered to 157 tenth-grade students (M age=16.1 yr.) in the United Arab Emirates. Analysis showed that the scale was homogeneous as the factor solution was comparable to that reported in the original study and item scores were moderately correlated with total scores when used in a different cultural setting.