Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severe Hypernatremia Correction Rate and Mortality in Hospitalized Patients

Introduction:Hypernatremia is a common problem in hospitalized patients and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to evaluate whether physicians follow the recommended guidelines for the rate of correction of hypernatremia of ≤0.5 mEq/L/hr and to evaluate the effect of the rate of correction of severe hypernatremia on the mortality of hospitalized patients. Methods:A retrospective chart review of 131 consecutively hospitalized patients with severe hypernatremia (serum sodium ≥155 mEq/L) was performed. Primary outcomes were 30-day patient mortality and 72-hour hypernatremia correction. The first 24-hour serum sodium (Na+) correction rate was tested as a categorical variable; slow rate (<0.25 mEq/L/hr) and fast rate (≥0.25 mEq/L/hr). Results:The mean admission serum Na+ level was 159 ± 3 mEq/L. Ninety percent of patients received the recommended <0.5 mEq/L/hr serum Na+ correction rate; however, hypernatremia was corrected only in 27% of patients after 72 hours of treatment. Thirty-day patient mortality rate was 37%. In multivariable analysis, do not resuscitate status [hazards ratio (HR), 3.85; P < 0.0001], slower correction rate of hypernatremia (HR, 2.63; P = 0.02) and high heart rate (>100 beats/min; HR, 1.99; P = 0.03) were the independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Conclusion:In patients with severe hypernatremia, the rate of correction of hypernatremia was slow and resulted in inadequate correction in majority of the patients. Both slow rate of hypernatremia correction during the first 24 hours and do not resuscitate status were found to be significant predictors of 30-day patient mortality.
International Stock Return Predictability: What is the Role of the United States?

We present significant evidence of out-of-sample equity premium predictability for a host of industrialized countries over the postwar period. There are important differences, however, in the nature of equity premium predictability between the United States and other developed countries. Taken collectively, U.S. economic variables are significant out-of-sample predictors of the U.S. equity premium, while lagged international stock returns have no predictive power. In contrast, lagged international stock returns -- especially lagged U.S. returns -- substantially outperform economic variables as out-of-sample equity premium predictors for non-U.S. countries. The evidence thus points to a leading role for the United States with respect to international return predictability and is consistent with information frictions in international equity markets. The predictability patterns are enhanced during economic downturns, linking return predictability to business-cycle fluctuations and the diffusion of news on macroeconomic fundamentals across countries. The leading role of the United States stands out during the recent global financial crisis: lagged U.S. returns deliver especially sizable gains for forecasting the monthly equity premium in other countries, evidenced by out-of-sample R-squared statistics of 10% or greater, more than triple the postwar average.
Autograft Versus Allograft for Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Multiple studies have demonstrated a higher risk of graft failure after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with allograft, but limited data are available comparing outcomes of posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (PCLR) with autograft versus allograft. Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of autograft versus allograft for primary PCLR. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE to locate studies (level of evidence I-III) comparing clinical outcomes of autograft versus allograft in patients undergoing primary PCLR with the conventional transtibial technique. Search terms used were “posterior cruciate ligament,” “autograft,” and “allograft. ” Patients were evaluated based on graft failure rate, examination of knee laxity, and patient-reported outcome scores (Lysholm, Tegner, subjective International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC], and objective IKDC scores). Results: Five studies (2 level II, 3 level III) were identified that met inclusion criteria, including a total of 132 patients undergoing PCLR with autograft (semitendinosus-gracilis or bone–patellar tendon–bone) and 110 patients with allograft (tibialis anterior, Achilles tendon, or bone–patellar tendon–bone). No patients experienced graft failure. Average anteroposterior (AP) knee laxity was significantly higher in allograft patients (3.8 mm) compared with autograft patients (3.1 mm) (P < .01). Subjective IKDC, Lysholm, and Tegner scores improved for both groups across studies, without a significant difference in improvement between groups except in one study, in which Lysholm scores improved to a significantly greater extent in the autograft group (P < .01). Conclusion: Patients undergoing primary PCLR with either autograft or allograft can be expected to experience improvement in clinical outcomes. Autograft patients experienced less AP knee laxity postoperatively, although the clinical significance of this is unclear and subjective outcomes improved substantially and to a similar degree in both groups.
11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 2 in Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a serious medical problem affecting the mother and her child and influences their health not only during the pregnancy, but also many years after. Although preeclampsia is a subject of many research projects, the etiology of the condition remains unclear. One of the hypotheses related to the etiology of preeclampsia is the deficiency in placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11β-HSD2), the enzyme which in normal pregnancy protects the fetus from the excess of maternal cortisol. The reduced activity of the enzyme was observed in placentas from pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia. That suggests the overexposure of the developing child to maternal cortisol, which in high levels exerts proapoptotic effects and reduces fetal growth. The fetal growth restriction due to the diminished placental 11β-HSD2 function may be supported by the fact that preeclampsia is often accompanied with fetal hypotrophy. The causes of the reduced function of 11β-HSD2 in placental tissue are still discussed. This paper summarizes the phenomena that may affect the activity of the enzyme at various steps on the way from the gene to the protein.
Effect of prebiotic supplementation on a probiotic bacteria mixture: comparison between a rat model and clinical trials

The effects of a probiotic mixture (PRO), supplemented with either galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) or polydextrose (PDX), on cell numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria (BIF) were studied in conventional rats and healthy human subjects. In rats the baseline BIF cell numbers were below the detection limit and were increased by the 2-week GOSPRO intervention. In contrast baseline LAB numbers in rats were high and not affected by the treatments. The human study consisted of two independent but concurrent trials; both started with PRO followed by GOSPRO or PDXPRO periods. In the human subjects variation in numbers of BIF and LAB were high. The GOSPRO group exhibited high counts of faecal LAB and BIF at the start and showed little or no effects of the interventions. In contrast, the PDX group had low faecal LAB and BIF numbers at the start and clearly increased cell numbers of BIF after the PDXPRO period, and LAB after the PRO and PDXPRO period, compared with the run-in period. We propose here that responses to pro- and prebiotics are dependent on baseline numbers of LAB and/or BIF, and that the conventional rat model does not predict well the treatment responses in humans. The survival of PRO was presumably enhanced by the use of prebiotic supplementation and advocates the use of particular combinations of pro- and prebiotics.
Foreign aid, poverty reduction, and democracy

Eradication of poverty is the most pervasive goal of donors' foreign aid programmes. As a result, there has been much research on the degree of correlation between aid and poverty reduction. However, this work to date has shed little light on the direction of causation between the two variables. Using the method of Granger causality, and conditioning aid and poverty on the state of democracy in developing countries, this study asks whether aid flows impact poverty, whether poverty influences aid flows, or whether causality proceeds in both directions simultaneously. While the results identify no causal relationships in some of the sub-samples, they point to the existence of a multitude of relationships across others.
Product Market Competition and Audit Fees

SUMMARY: Existing theories posit two contradictory predictions on the relation between product market competition and audit fees. On the one hand, product market competition can mitigate agency problems between shareholders and managers and increase the accuracy of financial reporting, thus decreasing auditors' assessments of audit risk. Hence, auditors tend to charge lower fees to firms in a more competitive industry. On the other hand, product market competition can increase auditors' assessments of business risk. Therefore, audit fees are expected to increase with industry competitiveness. This study empirically tests the relation between product market competition and audit fees and finds that auditors charge more to firms in a more competitive industry. JEL Classifications: D4, G30, M41, M42.
The impact of project announcements on property values: an empirical analysis

The study examines the property value impacts of an announcement of a project which has potential environmental impacts as distinct from other studies that address costs associated with under-construction and the operating impacts of developments. The hypothesis is that the announcement of a proposed project with potential environmental impact creates uncertainty in the property market of the affected area, and this impact is greater on properties closer to the project than those farther from it. The results of the study confirm the hypothesis and indicate that the marginal willingness to pay for properties within a 5 km distance declined by AU$17,020 per km proximity to the proposed heavy vehicle route, after the proposed route was announced. The results support the need for more holistic measurement of cost–benefit analysis of projects and provide a basis for improved consideration by policy makers of the rights of affected parties.
Mesothelioma in Connecticut, 1955-1977. Occupational and geographic associations.

All cases of malignant mesothelioma (201) and other primary malignant pleural tumors (19) reported to the Connecticut Tumor Registry from 1955 through 1977 were studied in an attempt to identify high-risk jobs, industries and geographic locations and to estimate the risk attributable to asbestos exposure in the workplace. Data were obtained from hospital records, death certificates and city directories for cases, case spouses and a random sample (604) of Connecticut decedents (1955-1975). Three cases involved histories of work in asbestos products manufacture, but there was no evidence of residential risk in that geographic area. Relative risk (RR) for carpenters and cabinetmakers was 2.25 (p less than .05); for plumbers and pipefitters, 3.87 (p less than .05); and for persons "ever employed" in the rubber industry, 5.08 (p less than .01). Occupational exposure was indicated in 85% of the cases; attributable risk (AR) was 36%. Risk increased with greater exposure and older age. AR was 81% in men aged 70 to 89 years at diagnosis. Reduction of unnecessary occupational asbestos exposure remains the highest public health priority.
Analyzing Rice Demand and Supply Behavior for Food Availability: a System Dynamics Framework (Case Study: Sub-Regional Surabaya, Gresik, and Sidoarjo)

Food availability is a cross-cutting issue that has become a national issue as the impact of food insecurity in several regions in Indonesia. Current popular of staple food in Indonesia is still dominated by rice, so that the Indonesian population demand on rice is still very high. This led to the dominance of rice food availability in Indonesia become unbalanced. Therefore, it is important for the government to maintain the food availability in each region in order to sustain national food availability. To support these efforts, in this research, we developed system dynamics model to analyze the behavior of the supply and demand of rice in the sub-regional Surabaya, Gresik, and Sidoarjo with the consideration that rice demand of these three regions merged into one division and has greatest value when compared with the demand from other divisions in East Java. System dynamics framework is utilized based on consideration that the relationship factors that affect supply and demand of rice are non-linear and dynamic. The expected outcome of this research is a system dynamic model of rice demand and supply based on the existing condition and several policy scenarios to ensure food availability in these three sub-regionals.
Structure-activity relationships of 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxides as hypoxia-selective analogues of tirapazamine.

Tirapazamine (TPZ, 1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-amine 1,4-dioxide) is a bioreductive hypoxic cytotoxin currently in Phase II/III clinical trials in combination with radiotherapy and with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. As part of a program to develop TPZ analogues with improved solubility/potency and therapeutic indices, we synthesized 34 1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-amine 1,4-dioxides (BTO) to examine structure-activity relationships (SAR) for ring substitution. The electronic, hydrophobic, and steric parameters of substituents at the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-positions were systematically varied, and the aqueous solubility and one-electron reduction potentials [E(1)] of the analogues were determined. For each compound, we determined cell killing of mouse SCCVII tumor cells in vitro under aerobic and hypoxic conditions by clonogenic survival and determined their relative hypoxic toxicity (RHT; relative to TPZ) and hypoxic cytotoxicity ratio (HCR). A subset of compounds was independently evaluated using a 96-well SRB proliferation assay, the data from which correlated well with that derived by the clonogenic endpoint. Most substituents, except 5- and 8-dimethylamino and 8-diethylamino, gave analogues less soluble than TPZ. E(1) values ranged from -240 mV through -670 mV (with TPZ having a value of -456 mV) and correlated well with the electronic parameter sigma for substituents at the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-positions. Aerobic cytotoxic potency showed a strong positive correlation with E(1) (i.e., electron-withdrawing substituents increased aerobic toxicity). Hypoxic cytotoxicity also generally increased with increasing E(1), with a maximum (RHT up to 3.9-fold) seen in halo- and trifluoromethyl-substituted BTO derivatives having E(1) between ca. -370 to -400 mV. Analogues with high HCRs (>50) all had E(1)s in the range -450 to -510 mV (weakly electron-donating substituents) with the exception of the 8-CF(3) analogue, which had an HCR of 112 against SCCVII despite a high E(1) of -372 mV). The results suggest that ring-A substituents in BTO analogues can be used to predictably vary one-electron reduction potentials and also provide a much better definition than previously of the optimum range of these reduction potentials for a desirable biological activity profile (high HCR, RHT, and solubility).
Need for Cognitive Closure, Risk Aversion, Uncertainty Changes, and Their Effects on Investment Decisions

Investment decisions play a crucial role in the way consumers manage their wealth, and therefore, it is important to understand how consumers make these decisions. This research contributes to this attempt by examining consumers’ investment decisions in response to new information about changes in uncertainty in financial markets. The authors identify possible conditions under which consumers, despite having new information about changes in market uncertainty, are less likely to assimilate the new information and consequently do not make investment decisions that are in line with their risk-aversion levels. Specifically, in a series of studies, the authors show that high rather than low need for cognitive closure can lead to a lack of openness to new information and therefore may dilute consumers’ tendency to update their investment portfolios in a way that reflects their risk preferences. In addition, the authors address possible ways to influence consumers’ assimilation of new information, to help even those with high need for cognitive closure make investment decisions that are in line with their levels of risk aversion.
The Use of Social Network Sites as an E-Recruitment Tool

The purpose of this article is to present an initial exploratory investigation on e-recruiting and the role of social network sites (hereafter SNSs) during the process. Particularly, the aim is to identify if companies use social media during their recruitment processes to attract and screen applicants. Three critical elements guided the research: the use of social media to attract and screen applicants; the legal implication of e-recruitment and social network screening; and the possibility of using e-recruitment as the main hiring strategy. Beyond the information generated through the literature review, primary data were collected from Cypriot organizations. The findings of this research endeavor indicate that the online recruitment method has a lot of benefits but also pitfalls of which recruiters should be aware. Furthermore, it seems that the contemporary practice of employee screening through social media can highly affect the hiring decision and legal implications are likely to arise with the wrong use of information. On the contrary, a well-designed system and strategic utilization of available information about potential candidates may significantly assist the recruitment of employees with the most suitable skills and competencies.
Volatility Mean Reversion and the Market Price of Volatility Risk

This paper analyzes sources of derivative pricing errors in a stochastic volatility model estimated on stock return data. It is shown that such pricing errors may reflect the existence of a market price of volatility risk, but also may be caused by estimation errors due to a slow mean reversion in the volatility process. These issues are investigated empirically using asset return and option price data on the Dutch AEX index.
Trade-off between agency problem and growth opportunity on dividend payout policy under product market competition

This paper investigates whether or not product market competition affects payout policy. According to literature, issues related to dividend payout policy comprise two competing hypotheses, namely, the maturity hypothesis and the free cash flow hypothesis. The former argues that growth opportunity and dividend payout have a negative relationship, whereas the latter argues that firms tend to increase dividend payouts in order to weaken agency problems. Existing studies seldom discuss the issue, in which dividend payout policy faces the trade-off between growth opportunity and agency problem in different levels of product market competition. Therefore, employing regression analysis, we explored the current issue with US manufacturing firms as samples. The firms show the tendency to retain more cash to expand their growth opportunities and decide to pay fewer dividends in less-concentrated industries. Therefore, the dividend policy of firms is consistent with the maturity hypothesis in less-concentrated industries.
Strategic alignment and middle‐level managers' motivation in a balanced scorecard setting

– This paper sets out to develop and illustrate a model of the relationship between strategic alignment, motivation and organizational performance in a balanced scorecard (BSC) context – a comprehensive system of strategically aligned performance measures. , – The study develops theoretical arguments to show how the strategic alignment process of a BSC can help companies improve their organizational performance. The study develops a theory of the motivational mechanisms that intervene in the relationship between strategic alignment and organizational performance. The literature on operations management and management control are used to underpin the theoretical propositions. A theory illustration case study is described to provide evidence for the theoretical model. , – Effective strategic alignment calls for the active involvement of manufacturing executives in the BSC design and implementation process. Effective strategic alignment empowers and motivates manufacturing executives. A combination of effective strategic alignment and a BSC‐based compensation plan has a positive effect on the extrinsic motivation of manufacturing executives. , – The case study offers an interesting setting to illustrate the theoretical predictions. However, it is not possible to generalize the results to the population of manufacturing companies. Future research could formally test the relationship between strategic alignment, motivation and organizational performance by using a survey questionnaire in companies that use BSCs. , – This paper studies the cascading process, a systematic approach to the creation of strategic alignment using the BSC.
Machinery & equipment investment and growth: evidence from the Canadian manufacturing sector

New Growth Theory points to three potential influences on output and productivity growth–investment in human capital, R&D and investment in machinery and equipment (M&E). However, much of the literature focuses on human capital and R&D as sources of growth. Few efforts have been made to estimate the impact of M&E investment. This article presents empirical models that endeavour to fill this gap. Using panel data on 20 Canadian manufacturing industries (1961–1997) and time-series data (1961–2000) for the entire Canadian manufacturing sector, this article finds that the elasticities of output with respect to M&E capital stock and M&E investment are well above capital's share of national income suggested by a constant-returns-to-scale Cobb–Douglas production function. However, the coefficient on labour is near its income share. The results also suggest that M&E investment is not the only source of growth because the elasticity of output with respect to structures investment is also well above its income share, indicating the possible existence of complementarities between the two types of capital.