Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catheterization: Possible complications and their prevention and treatment

Abstract: Intermittent catheterization (IC) is a more preferable method for bladder drainage than indwelling urethral or suprapubic catheterization. Several complications with IC have been described, however, including urinary tract infection, genital infection, urethral bleeding, urethritis, urethral stricture, and bladder stones. To prevent these complications, patients should be well instructed on the technique and the risks of IC. Indwelling catheterization should be used only exceptionally, under close control and the catheter should be changed with adequate frequency.
Multilocus Sequence Typing and Evolutionary Relationships among the Causative Agents of Melioidosis and Glanders, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei

ABSTRACT A collection of 147 isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei, B. mallei, and B. thailandensis was characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The 128 isolates of B. pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, were obtained from diverse geographic locations, from humans and animals with disease, and from the environment and were resolved into 71 sequence types. The utility of the MLST scheme for epidemiological investigations was established by analyzing isolates from captive marine mammals and birds and from humans in Hong Kong with melioidosis. MLST gave a level of resolution similar to that given by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and identified the same three clones causing disease in animals, each of which was also associated with disease in humans. The average divergence between the alleles of B. thailandensis and B. pseudomallei was 3.2%, and there was no sharing of alleles between these species. Trees constructed from differences in the allelic profiles of the isolates and from the concatenated sequences of the seven loci showed that the B. pseudomallei isolates formed a cluster of closely related lineages that were fully resolved from the cluster of B. thailandensis isolates, confirming their separate species status. However, isolates of B. mallei, the causative agent of glanders, recovered from three continents over a 30-year period had identical allelic profiles, and the B. mallei isolates clustered within the B. pseudomallei group of isolates. Alleles at six of the seven loci in B. mallei were also present within B. pseudomallei isolates, and B. mallei is a clone of B. pseudomallei that, on population genetics grounds, should not be given separate species status.
The Mechanism of Mitochondrial Superoxide Production by the Cytochrome bc1 Complex*

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the mitochondrial respiratory chain is considered to be one of the major causes of degenerative processes associated with oxidative stress. Mitochondrial ROS has also been shown to be involved in cellular signaling. It is generally assumed that ubisemiquinone formed at the ubiquinol oxidation center of the cytochrome bc1 complex is one of two sources of electrons for superoxide formation in mitochondria. Here we show that superoxide formation at the ubiquinol oxidation center of the membrane-bound or purified cytochrome bc1 complex is stimulated by the presence of oxidized ubiquinone indicating that in a reverse reaction the electron is transferred onto oxygen from reduced cytochrome bL via ubiquinone rather than during the forward ubiquinone cycle reaction. In fact, from mechanistic studies it seems unlikely that during normal catalysis the ubisemiquinone intermediate reaches significant occupancies at the ubiquinol oxidation site. We conclude that cytochrome bc1 complex-linked ROS production is primarily promoted by a partially oxidized rather than by a fully reduced ubiquinone pool. The resulting mechanism of ROS production offers a straightforward explanation of how the redox state of the ubiquinone pool could play a central role in mitochondrial redox signaling.
Ownership Structure, Business Group Affiliation, Listing Status, and Earnings Management: Evidence from Korea

Using a large sample of both publicly traded and privately held firms in Korea, this paper investigates whether, and how, the deviation of controlling shareholders' control from ownership, business group affiliation, and listing status differentially affect the extent of earnings management. Our results show the following: First, as the control-ownership disparity becomes larger, controlling shareholders tend to engage more in opportunistic earnings management to hide adverse consequences of their self-serving behavior. The result of our full-model regression reveals that an increase in the control-ownership wedge by 1% leads to an increase in the magnitude of (unsigned) discretionary accruals by 1.3% of lagged total assets, ceteris paribus. Second, we find that for our full model regression, the magnitude of (unsigned) discretionary accruals is greater for group-affiliated firms than non-affiliated firms by 0.8% of lagged total assets. This result suggests that business group affiliation provides controlling shareholders with more incentives and opportunities for earnings management. Finally, we find that for our full-model regression, the magnitude of (unsigned) discretionary accruals is greater for publicly traded firms than for privately held firms by 1.2% of lagged total assets. This result supports the notion that stock markets create incentives for public firms to manage reported earnings to satisfy the expectations of various market participants that are often expressed in earnings numbers.
Benefits and Limitations of Diversification Among Commodity Trading Advisors

DON M. CHANCE is First Union professor of financial risk management at Virginia Tech. he benefits of diversification have been wellestablished since the early work of Markowitz [1952] and the formal proofs of Samuelson T [1967]. Modern capital market theory demonstrates that the value of &versification is bounded by the systematic risk of the market as a whole. In recent years, however, pension and endowment funds are turning to futures markets, looking for reductions in systematic risk. Some strategies involve hedging with market index or other futures contracts. Others involve the establishment of managed futures programs, often employing numerous managers who are called commodity trading advisors or CTAs. In thls article, we examine the benefits and limitations of diversieing across commod~ty tradmg advisors. Do such programs benefit investors the way that adding more securities to a portfolio has a diversifjmg effect? The answer to this question has important implications for assessing the general effect of diversification on portfolio risk. Beyond that, however, it is important for a significant segment of the investment community. Exhibit 1 shows the growth of the managed futures industry in the U.S. since 1980 in billions of dollars under management. These figures represent funds placed with CTAs for speculative trading in futures, and do not reflect hedging or trading of overthe-counter derivatives. The estimated amount for 1994 is $25.6 billion. Although 1994 and 1995 produced two highly publicized cases of institutions terminating their managed
Early development of hyponatremia implicates short- and long-term outcomes in ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND Clinical importance of hyponatremia in ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the era of primary intervention has not been fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of hyponatremia on outcomes in patients with STEMI and secondarily to investigate the contribution of arginine vasopressin (AVP) to hyponatremia in STEMI. METHODS AND RESULTS Hyponatremia was defined as a sodium concentration <136 mmol/L at 72h after hospitalization. First, the short-term (in-hospital mortality or congestive heart failure (CHF)) and long-term prognosis (cardiac death, re-admission for CHF) in STEMI patients was conducted. Second, the relationship between serum sodium level and plasma AVP was investigated. In hyponatremic patients the incidence of in-hospital heart failure was significantly greater (P=0.0018), long-term cardiac death was a higher trend (17.2% vs. 6.3%, P=0.19) and re-admission due to CHF was significantly more frequent (20.7% vs. 4.5%, P=0.0024). Plasma AVP level was higher in the hyponatremia group (4.5 vs. 2.7 pg/ml, P=0.003), and it had a negative correlation with serum sodium level (r=-0.28, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS Hyponatremia was frequently found in the early phase of STEMI, and associated with heart failure in both short- and long-term outcomes. Non-osmotic secretion of AVP could be involved in hyponatremia in STEMI patients.
Ownership Concentration and Sensitivity of Executive Pay to Accounting Performance Measures: Evidence from Publicly and Privately-Held Insurance Companies

We investigate the relation between CEO compensation and accounting performance measures in a sample of publicly- and privately-held property-liability insurance companies. We find a significant positive association between return on assets and the level of compensation for publicly-held insurers. Consistent with optimal contracting theory, we find no such relationship for privately-held insurers. We also find that the change in compensation is significantly more sensitive to the change in return on assets for publicly-held insurers than privately-held insurers. Results suggest that within privately-held firms, CEO compensation is less based on objective measures like accounting information and more on subjective measures.
Godfatherism and the future of Nigerian democracy

The study explores the relationship between godfathers and godsons with a particular attention to its influence on the development of Nigeria’s politics, and seeming demise of resourceful governance in the country. The study adopts unstructured interview to elicit the perception of actors’ involved and political elites, relying on qualitative and content analyses of data. The study found that there was a shift in the modus operandi of post independence godfatherism, and what obtains in contemporary Nigeria was violence-inspired godfatherism, which successfully replaced politics of welfare by politics of warfare in the affected areas. This acted as impediments to sustainable democratization process in Nigeria. The study concludes by recognizing the inevitability of godfathers in politics but there was the need for proper management of godfather/godson relationship.
Predictive role of the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio for invasion with gestational trophoblastic disease.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to assess the predictive role of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for invasion of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 127 women who were managed at our clinic for GTD. Of all patients, 8 showed invasion according to histological examination. The clinical parameters of patients with invasive GTD (Group 1; n=8) were compared with patients who showed no invasion (Group 2; n=119). All underwent a prior uterine evacuation and followed up by regular assessment of β-hCG titers. RESULTS Demographic and obstetric history and pre-evacuation hCG levels of the patients showed no statistically significantly difference between the groups (p>0.05). The mean gestational weeks (GW), size of the GTD and NLR levels were statistically significantly higher in the invasive GTD group (p<0.05). Correlations between invasion and gestational weeks, size of GTD, post-evacuation chemotherapy and NLR were evident. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that GW, size of GTD and NLR may be discriminative parameters in predicting invasion of GTD. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the predictive role of NLR in invasion of GTD. In conclusion, we think that pretreatment NLR can be used as a biomarker of invasion in GTD.
Training as a source of competitive advantage: performance impact and the role of firm strategy, the Spanish case

In recent years, training has become one of the sources of competitive advantage for any business, since it constitutes a manner in which to augment the inimitability of human factor. We propose the study of this variable from two perspectives: (1) to verify its effects on business results, and (2) to analyse the existing relationship between training and business strategies. Our research has focused on Spanish businesses of more than 50 employees, which were sent a postal questionnaire.
Climate Change and Uneven Development

In this paper, using a theoretical model with endogenous capital depreciation, we study the effects of climate change and adaptation on long-run development. We show that climate change affects economic growth depending on climate exposure and adaptation efficiency, which are asymmetric between different countries. Poor countries are likely to be hurt more, because of the negative effects of climate change on the rate of depreciation of the assets that represent the engine of growth. These asymmetries generally induce growth deficits and unsustainability traps in less-developed economies.
Modification of self-imposed delay of reward through exposure to live and symbolic models.

In a comparative test of the relative efficacy of live and symbolic models for modifying delay-of-reward behavior, groups of children with marked preferences for either immediate but less valued rewards, or more valuable delay reinforcers, were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 experimental conditions. 1 group observed live models who exhibited delay behavior that was counter to the children's pattern; a 2nd group was presented essentially the same modeling cues except in symbolic verbal form; while a 3rd group had no exposure to any models. Changes in Ss' delay-of-reward behavior were measured immediately following exposure to the modeling procedures, and reassessed approximately 1 mo. later within a different stimulus situation. Both live and symbolic models produced substantial modifications in delay-of-reward behavior within the immediate social-influence setting, but the changes induced in high-delay children through exposure to symbolic models were less stable over time.
Spinal termination of functionally identified primary afferent neurons with slowly conducting myelinated fibers

Single primary afferent myelinated fibers from cutaneous receptors of cat and monkey were functionally identified by recording from the spinal cord with micropipettes filled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Relatively slowly conducting fibers (< 40 m/sec) from high threshold mechanoreceptors (mechanical nociceptors) and two types of low threshold mechanoreceptor (D‐hair and field) were selected for staining. Iontophoresis of the HRP and subsequent histochemical reaction stained the axons recorded from and their collaterals, including terminations, for several millimeters. The termination patterns in the two species proved essentially identical. Ipsilaterally, the mechanical nociceptor fibers terminated principally in the dorsal horn's marginal zone and in the ventral parts of the nucleus proprius (lamina V in the cat). Some of these nociceptors also had terminals in the midline just dorsal to the central canal, contralaterally in the marginal zone, and at the base of the opposite nucleus proprius. In contrast, the D‐hair primary afferent axons terminated in the dorsal part of the nucleus proprius overlapping into the innermost portion of the substantia gelatinosa. The field receptor fibers terminated predominantly in the middle part of the nucleus proprius. These results suggest that there is a highly specialized central projection of primary afferent endings which is related to sensory function and not to fiber diameter. The marginal zone and most dorsal parts of the substantia gelatinosa receive direct projections from cutaneous nociceptors but do not have direct input from cutaneous receptors transmitting activity initiated by innocuous stimulation.
A Community of Practice

Over two decades ago, Barbie Zelizer argued that journalists should be approached as an “interpretive community” in order to understand the processes through which journalists generate shared meanings around major political events. This article refocuses Zelizer’s concept in order to analyse the consequences of rapid technological transformation, fraught industry conditions, and disparate audience formations in the context of contemporary news media and journalism. Focusing on the challenges faced by professional sport journalists, we invoke the concept of “community of practice” to make sense of this fluid and commercially volatile context, using it to analyse empirically the experiences of journalists in Australia and Scotland. Informed by the interrelationship that exists between formats of news and the practices that produce it, this paper presents evidence drawn from in-depth semi-structured interviews with journalists, editors, news presenters and commentators who specialise in and/or work across newspapers, radio, television, online and mobile media. Understood as a community of practice, sport journalists are shown to be under pressure because of mutually reinforcing changes in mobile and digital media technologies, journalistic routines and institutional relations.
Traditional versus operating cash flow in failure prediction

Prior empirical evidence shows that accrual and cash based flow ratios (traditional and operating cash flows) refer to different financial dimensions. This leads to different predictive abilities in failure prediction. The purpose of this study is to analyse the behaviour of failing and nonfailing firms in terms of accruals and deferrals (adjustment entries) to show the distinctive nature of the ratios. This analysis is made conceptually and empirically. The degree and order of the use of adjustment entries is presupposed to depend on four kinds of factors (revenue of expenditure adjustment, direction of adjustment, cost of adjustment, and maximum size of adjustment). The empirical results show that traditional cash flow is a more stable and reliable predictor of failure than operating cash flow. The most important adjustment entries used by failing firms were to decrease inventories and accounts receivable and, in the last phase, to increase accounts payable.
Prothrombin Time, Clothing Time, Platelet Concentration and Haematocrit During Labour and Postpartum of Women in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

This study was aimed at studying the influence of labour and parturition on the clotting profiles, platelet concentration and haematocrit and causes of variations of women in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Pregnancy is a physiologic state t frequently complicated by thrombo-embolism and haemorrhage. Prothrombin Time (PT), Whole blood Clothing Time (CT) Platelet Concentration and haematocrit (PCV) were measured in 50 women in labour and within one (1) hour postpartum and compared with values in aged matched non pregnant controls. The clothing time of 3.32±0.16 min. during labour was significantly lower than values of 5.30±0.19 and 4.56±0.15 min obtained in control and at post partum respectively (p<0.05). Postpartum haematocrit of 26.10±0.77 and 30.14±0.60% obtained during labour were significantly lower than the PCV of 36.66±0.36% obtained in the control non pregnant subject (p<0.001, p<0.05). Prothrombin Time (PT) of 8.30±0.15 sec obtained during labour was significantly lower than values of 9.20±0.29 and 9.40±0.34 sec obtained in controls and postpartum respectively (p<0.05). Platelet concentration of 214.38±21.0×10 9 and 217.50±12.0×10 9 /L within 1hr postpartum and durimg labour, respectively were significantly lower than the concentration of 376.47±26.21×10 9 /L in the control subjects. We conclude that the subjects had features of hyper-coagulation state during labour which reversed within 1hr postpartum and the subjects were anemic postpartum. The CT and PCV were significantly altered postpartum by parity and mode of delivery.
Cooperation , Norms , and Conflict : A Unified Approach

SFI WORKING PAPER: 2009-09-040 SFI Working Papers contain accounts of scientific work of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Santa Fe Institute. We accept papers intended for publication in peer-reviewed journals or proceedings volumes, but not papers that have already appeared in print. Except for papers by our external faculty, papers must be based on work done at SFI, inspired by an invited visit to or collaboration at SFI, or funded by an SFI grant. ©NOTICE: This working paper is included by permission of the contributing author(s) as a means to ensure timely distribution of the scholarly and technical work on a non-commercial basis. Copyright and all rights therein are maintained by the author(s). It is understood that all persons copying this information will adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. These works may be reposted only with the explicit permission of the copyright holder. www.santafe. edu
Fiscal Policy Over the Election Cycle in Low-Income Countries

Focusing on Low-Income Countries, we investigate the behavior of fiscal variables during and after elections. The results indicate that during election years, government consumption significantly increases and leads to higher fiscal deficits. During the two years following elections, the fiscal adjustment takes the form of increased revenue mobilization in trade taxes and cuts to government investment, with no significant cuts in government consumption. Using a new dataset on national fiscal rules and IMF programs, we find that both the presence of fiscal rules and IMF programs help dampen the magnitude of the political budget cycle in LICs. We conclude that elections not only imply a macroeconomic cost when they take place but also trigger a painful fiscal adjustment in which public investment is largely sacrificed.
The Role of Human Capital in Urban System Structure and Development: The Case of Italy

The presence of and accessibility to information, mainly created inside competence and power circuits, and the presence of infrastructure to circulate it within and between areas, as exemplified by the endowment of human capital activating them, shape the structure and evolution of the urban system. Four specific hypotheses articulate this statement and are by and large supported by empirical analysis. The data base contains census data (1961, 1971, 1981) on Italian provinces referring to professional skills, employment in innovative industries and employment by control status. A cluster analysis is performed on skills data. The general result of the analysis on human capital satisfies the expectations. Moreover, the distribution and dynamics of human capital explain both the generally backward position of the South and the differences in production structure and functional control within the rest of Italy.
Exports, Ownership and Firm Productivity: Evidence from China

This paper examines the linkage between exports, ownership and firm productivity. Based on a panel data set that covers over 70,000 Chinese firms from 2001 to 2005, the estimation results provide strong evidence that exports play an important role in enhancing firm productivity. Foreign ownership improves firm performance, but foreign‐owned exporters benefit less from exporting activities compared with domestic exporters. These results are robust to a variety of methods used and consideration of endogeneity issue. We also find that the productivity gain from exporting is greater for new entrants into the international market, and the benefit declines when firms become more experienced. Firms that involve more in exports are more likely to develop new product, suggesting that export‐market participation promotes innovation.