Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compensation and Productive Efficiency in Partnerships: Evidence from Medical Groups Practice

Relatively little is known about the behavior and performance of firms organized as partnerships. In this paper we attempt to fill that gap by developing and testing a model of the effect of alternative compensation arrangements on productive efficiency in medical group practices. The technique employed is maximum likelihood production frontier estimation. We provide a simple behavioral model of the determination of productive efficiency and a new interpretation of the economic measure of technical efficiency. We derive a "behavioral production function" that relates production to individual responses to incentives, and we indicate the impossibility of recovering the parameters of the production technology from observed behavior. Overall, the empirical results indicate that incentives do affect productivity. A larger number of members in a group decreases productivity while greater average experience leads to greater productivity.
A3 adenosine receptor agonist, CF102, protects against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury following partial hepatectomy.

Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury during clinical hepatic procedures is characterized by inflammatory conditions and the apoptosis of hepatocytes. Nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB), nitric oxide and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor‑α and interleukin‑1 were observed to increase following IR and mediate the inflammatory response in the liver. CF102 is a highly selective A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) agonist, and has been identified to induce an anti‑inflammatory and protective effect on the liver via the downregulation of the NF‑κB signaling pathway. The present study aimed to determine the effect of CF102 on protecting the liver against IR injury. The potential protective effect of CF102 (100 µg/kg) was assessed using an IR injury model on 70% of the liver of Wistar rats, which was induced by clamping the hepatic vasculature for 30 min. The regenerative effect of CF102 was assessed by the partial hepatectomy of 70% of the liver during 10 min of IR. CF102 reduced the levels of liver enzymes following IR injury. A higher regeneration rate in the CF102 treatment group was observed compared with the control group, suggesting that CF102 had a positive effect on the proliferation of hepatocytes following hepatectomy. CF102 had a protective effect on the liver of Wistar rats subsequent to IR injury during hepatectomy. This may be due to an anti‑inflammatory and anti‑apoptotic effect mediated by the A3AR.
Monomeric G‐actin is uniformly distributed in pollen tubes and is rapidly redistributed via cytoplasmic streaming during pollen tube growth

Dynamic assembly and disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton has been implicated in the regulation of pollen germination and subsequent tube growth. It is widely accepted that actin filaments are arrayed into distinct structures within different regions of the pollen tube. Maintenance of the equilibrium between monomeric globular actin (G-actin) and filamentous actin (F-actin) is crucial for actin assembly and array construction, and the local concentration of G-actin thus directly impacts actin assembly. The localization and dynamics of G-actin in the pollen tube, however, remain to be determined conclusively. To address this question, we created a series of fusion proteins between green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the Arabidopsis reproductive actin ACT11. Expression of a fusion protein with GFP inserted after methionine at position 49 within the DNase I-binding loop of ACT11 (GFPMet49 -ACT11) rescued the phenotypes in act11 mutants. Consistent with the notion that the majority of actin is in its monomeric form, GFPMet49 -ACT11 and GFP fusion proteins of four other reproductive actins generated with the same strategy do not obviously label filamentous structures. In further support of the functionality of these fusion proteins, we found that they can be incorporated into filamentous structures in jasplakinolide (Jasp)-treated pollen tubes. Careful observations showed that G-actin is distributed uniformly in the pollen tube and is rapidly redistributed via cytoplasmic streaming during pollen tube growth. Our study suggests that G-actin is readily available in the cytoplasm to support continuous actin polymerization during rapid pollen tube growth.
Applying Advanced Ground-Based Remote Sensing in the Southeast Asian Maritime Continent to Characterize Regional Proficiencies in Smoke Transport Modeling

ABSTRACTThis work describes some of the most extensive ground-based observations of the aerosol profile collected in Southeast Asia to date, highlighting the challenges in simulating these observations with a mesoscale perspective. An 84-h WRF Model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) mesoscale simulation of smoke particle transport at Kuching, Malaysia, in the southern Maritime Continent of Southeast Asia is evaluated relative to a unique collection of continuous ground-based lidar, sun photometer, and 4-h radiosonde profiling. The period was marked by relatively dry conditions, allowing smoke layers transported to the site unperturbed by wet deposition to be common regionally. The model depiction is reasonable overall. Core thermodynamics, including land/sea-breeze structure, are well resolved. Total model smoke extinction and, by proxy, mass concentration are low relative to observation. Smoke emissions source products are likely low because of undersampling of fires in infrared sun-synchronous satellite.
Party actors and party change: Does factional dominance matter?

Other works have asked whether parties matter; this article asks whether parties’ dominant factions matter. Special focus is placed on whether change in dominant faction or coalition within the party tends to produce other significant party change, and under what circumstances. Three specific hypotheses are developed and tested, one involving motivation for change and the other two involving ‘resources’ which are necessary to make dramatic change possible. Empirical analysis rests upon original data covering seven changes in dominant faction and several dimensions of party change within five parties in the United Kingdom and Germany for the period 1950 to 1990. The authors conclude that not all of the hypothesized factors have equal impact on degree of party change, with ability of the newly dominant faction to control its coalition being primary.
Are U.S. Multinational Corporations Becoming More Aggressive Income Shifters?

This paper examines income shifting of U.S. multinational companies over the past two decades. Domestic and foreign policymakers are increasingly concerned with the effect of income shifting on dwindling tax revenues, however, extant research on income shifting by U.S. multinational enterprises is mixed. We address the disconnect between the academic literature and the policymaker’s perceptions by examining the extent of multijurisdictional income shifting by U.S. multinational companies. We directly address conflicting results in extant literature and show that using either multi-period proxies or instrumental variables overcome weaknesses of annual proxies in this setting. Our tests show that U.S. companies have become more active at shifting income out of the U.S. as the regulatory costs of shifting have changed. Holding tax rate differences between U.S. and foreign jurisdictions constant, our empirical estimates suggest that our sample of 380 corporations with low average foreign tax rates collectively shift approximately $10 billion of additional income out of the U.S. annually during 2005-2009 relative to 1998-2002 due to varying regulatory costs of shifting.
The ribosome destabilizes native and non‐native structures in a nascent multidomain protein

Correct folding is a prerequisite for the biological activity of most proteins. Folding has largely been studied using in vitro refolding assays with isolated small, robustly folding proteins. A substantial fraction of all cellular proteomes is composed of multidomain proteins that are often not amenable to this approach, and their folding remains poorly understood. These large proteins likely begin to fold during their synthesis by the ribosome, a large molecular machine that translates the genetic code. The ribosome affects how folding proceeds, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely obscure. We have utilized optical tweezers to study the folding of elongation factor G, a multidomain protein composed of five domains. We find that interactions among unfolded domains interfere with productive folding in the full‐length protein. The N‐terminal G‐domain constitutes an independently folding unit that, upon in vitro refolding, adopts two similar states that correspond to the natively folded and a non‐native, possibly misfolded structure. The ribosome destabilizes both of these states, suggesting a mechanism by which terminal misfolding into highly stable, non‐native structures is avoided. The ribosome may thus directly contribute to efficient folding by modulating the folding of nascent multidomain proteins.
The political theory and practice of parliamentary participation in the Common Security and Defence Policy

This contribution develops normative arguments for the democratic and parliamentary control of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). However, on the Kantian assumption that ‘ought implies can’, it also tries to make a case for parliamentary control in the face of scepticism about parliamentary politics in general, the capacities of the European Parliament (EP) and national parliaments to exercise satisfactory levels of public control over Union decisions, and the participation of parliaments in security decisions.
INTERACTIVE DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES AND REGENERATING THE EAST GERMAN INNOVATION SYSTEM

The paper sets out a specification of capabilities and competencies derived from Sen's work on consumer capabilities and welfare economics. This approach is one that proves remarkably easy to generalise, first to producer and supplier capabilities, and thence to interactive and dynamic capabilities. The approach is then applied via the consequential perspectives of regional systems of innovation and network alignment to the case of the efforts to regenerate the innovation system in East Germany since reunification. It is seen that this process can be divided into three periods, of which the most recent appears to meet some of the theoretical requirements for effective interactive capabilities. It is less clear that the criteria for dynamic capabilities-which involve considerations of speed-up and flexibility, to meet the market requirements in real time-have yet been taken sufficiently seriously.
Serving the old: ageing and economic growth

This paper focuses on the effect that population ageing has on the production structure of the economy and consequently on economic growth. We consider an economy that consists of a service sector and a commodity sector. Productivity growth only occurs in the latter sector and is assumed to depend positively on its size. We show that if old agents mainly demand labour-intensive services, the effect of increasing longevity on growth depends on the substitutability of labour and capital in a closed economy. However, ageing unambiguously decreases long-run growth in a small open economy. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Measuring Pension-Benefit Expectations Probabilistically

Research aiming to understand the impact of public and private pension plans on individual decision making has been hampered by a dearth of empirical evidence on benefit expectations. We review the occasional national surveys that have sought to measure pension-benefit expectations and describe our recent efforts to improve the measurement of US Social Security benefit expectations by elicitation of probabilistic expectations about well-defined outcomes. We document striking uncertainty and heterogeneity of beliefs about the long-term existence of the Social Security system and about the level of benefits should the system survive. In so doing, we highlight the additional information that is extracted using our probabilistic elicitation method as opposed to more traditional methods that only seek point forecasts. Copyright 2006 The Authors; Journal compilation 2006 CEIS, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Pharmacologic treatment considerations in co-occurring bipolar and anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are among the most commonly co-occurring psychiatric syndromes with bipolar disorder. The presence of co-occurring anxiety disorders has important prognostic and treatment implications. METHOD Using the PaperChase database augmented by a manual search of the literature, we identified 122 publications that consisted of reports regarding pharmacologic agents used in the treatment of bipolar disorder also assessing the efficacy of these agents in anxiety disorders, treatment studies of patients with comorbid bipolar disorder and specific anxiety disorders, and studies of novel antiepileptic agents in the treatment of anxiety symptoms or disorders. RESULTS No randomized controlled trials have been conducted in patients with bipolar disorder and any co-occurring anxiety disorder. Among agents with antimanic or mood-stabilizing effects, evidence of efficacy from placebo-controlled trials exists for valproate in the treatment of panic disorder; lamotrigine, risperidone, and olanzapine in posttraumatic stress disorder; and risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine as adjunctive treatment in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antidepressants from virtually every class have efficacy in the treatment of most anxiety disorders but present the challenge of minimizing switch risk when used in conjunction with a moodstabilizer. Among novel antiepileptic agents without proven thymoleptic properties studied in randomized controlled trials in anxiety disorders, gabapentin and pregabalin had efficacy in the treatment of social anxiety disorder, and pregabalin in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. CONCLUSION In the absence of controlled trials in patients with comorbid bipolar and anxiety disorders, the initial goals of treatment include mood stabilization and selection of thymoleptic agents with efficacy in the co-occurring anxiety disorder.
Pre-operative analgesia in the accident and emergency department.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the adequacy of pre-operative analgesia and patient's satisfaction at the accident and emergency department, in terms of pain relief. STUDY DESIGN Observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of Civil Hospital, Karachi, during April and May, 2007. METHODOLOGY Patients presenting with acute abdomen or tauma were included. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to grade severity of pain. Pain at presentation, analgesic prescribed, post-analgesic residual pain and patient satisfaction were assessed. RESULTS A total of 166 patients (109 males and 57 females) were enrolled in the study. It included 98 (59%) cases of trauma and 68 (41%) patients with acute abdomen. Mean pain score was 6.95+/-2.03 on VAS. Female patients (p=0.008) and patients with acute abdomen (p<0.001) experienced significantly more pain as compared to male and trauma patients respectively. Analgesics were prescribed to 104 (62.7%) patients. Post-analgesic mean residual pain score was 5.0+/-1.8. Out of them, 47.1% patients waited to be given more analgesia. There was significant less prescription of analgesic to patients with acute abdomen (52.9%) as compared to trauma patients (26.5%) (p=0.001). Overall, more than half of the patients (59.6%) were not satisfied with the pre-operative analgesic treatment in the A&E department. CONCLUSION Pre-operative analgesia was underprescribed and pain was undertreated in accident and emergency department resulting in more than half patients being not satisfied.
Mechanisms of Neuroprotection from Hypoxia-Ischemia (HI) Brain Injury by Up-regulation of Cytoglobin (CYGB) in a Neonatal Rat Model*

Background: Potential functions of cytoglobin (CYGB) in neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain injury have not been reported. Results: Up-regulation of CYGB reduces HI injury and improves long term cognitive impairment after neonatal HI. Conclusion: CYGB exhibits neuroprotective effects, possibly through antioxidant and antiapoptotic functions as well as by stimulating angiogenesis. Significance: These results provide a novel target for developing a clinically relevant strategy for future studies. This study was designed to investigate the expression profile of CYGB, its potential neuroprotective function, and underlying molecular mechanisms using a model of neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain injury. Cygb mRNA and protein expression were evaluated within the first 36 h after the HI model was induced using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cygb mRNA expression was increased at 18 h in a time-dependent manner, and its level of protein expression increased progressively in 24 h. To verify the neuroprotective effect of CYGB, a gene transfection technique was employed. Cygb cDNA and shRNA delivery adenovirus systems were established (Cygb-cDNA-ADV and Cygb-shRNA-ADV, respectively) and injected into the brains of 3-day-old rats 4 days before they were induced with HI treatment. Rats from different groups were euthanized 24 h post-HI, and brain samples were harvested. 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride, TUNEL, and Nissl staining indicated that an up-regulation of CYGB resulted in reduced acute brain injury. The superoxide dismutase level was found to be dependent on expression of CYGB. The Morris water maze test in 28-day-old rats demonstrated that CYGB expression was associated with improvement of long term cognitive impairment. Studies also demonstrated that CYGB can up-regulate mRNA and protein levels of VEGF and increase both the density and diameter of the microvessels but inhibits activation of caspase-2 and -3. Thus, this is the first in vivo study focusing on the neuroprotective role of CYGB. The reduction of neonatal HI injury by CYGB may be due in part to antioxidant and antiapoptotic mechanisms and by promoting angiogenesis.
Examination of the Factorial Structure of Service Quality: A Multi-Firm Analysis

To date, there is no consensus regarding the dimensionality of the service quality construct. Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml [1991] suggest that when consumers evaluate a 'specific company', they may rate items coming from two distinct dimensions the same or similarly. The authors further note that factor analysis translates such responses into fewer than five dimensions (as originally proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry [1988]). The authors suggest that verifying the conceptual meaningfulness of the SERVQUAL framework is an important area for future research. Accordingly, the current study examines the factor structure of service quality in two 'multi-firm' samples using service performance measures. The empirical findings suggest that service quality, in general, is comprised of two factors: interaction quality and tangibles.
Perceived learning needs according to patients who have undergone major coronary interventions and their nurses

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify the differences in perceived learning needs between cardiac patients who have undergone major coronary interventions and their nurses. BACKGROUND The decrease in length of stay after cardiac interventions has signalled an urgent need to provide effective in-hospital health education. Therefore, the content of health education should bridge the gap between nurses' and patients' views of what information is important for ensuring patients' optimum recovery. DESIGN A descriptive comparative design was employed. METHODS Patients were invited to participate if they had undergone angioplasty or bypass surgery and were ready for discharge within 24-48 hours. A convenience sample of 365 cardiac patients and 166 cardiac nurses participated in this study. Baseline data on patients' and nurses' sociodemographics, clinical history and experience were collected through personal interviews. Then, participants completed the Patient Learning Needs Scale to identify their perceptions of the learning needs after cardiac interventions. RESULTS The top-priority learning needs according to both patients and cardiac nurses was information on wound care and medication. In contrast, the lowest-priority learning need was physical activity. Nurses perceived information about physical activity as most needed to patients, whereas patients perceived information about medications, postintervention complications and postintervention concerns as mostly needed. CONCLUSION The disparity between perceptions of patient and nurses on the essential content to be learned highlights the importance of considering both of these parties when establishing health education programmes. In addition, nurses should focus more on information related to the recovery period and immediate needs after discharge. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Information about wound care, medication and potential complications should be the core of predischarge education programmes. In addition, nurses should focus on improve patients' awareness of secondary prevention and lifestyle modification, as patients pay less attention to these vital topics.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS riluzole-tocopherol Study Group.

INTRODUCTION Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress may be involved in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The antioxidant vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has been shown to slow down the onset and progression of paralysis in transgenic mice expressing a mutation in superoxide dismutase found in certain forms of familial ALS. The current study was designed to determine whether alpha-tocopherol (500 mg b.i.d.) may be efficacious in the treatment of ALS. METHODS Two hundred and eighty-nine patients with ALS of less than 5 years duration, treated with riluzole, were enrolled in this study, and were randomly assigned to receive either alpha-tocopherol or placebo daily for one year. The primary outcome measure was the rate of deterioration of function assessed by the modified Norris limb scale. Patients were assessed at entry, and every 3 months thereafter during the study period. Survival was also recorded. Biochemical markers of oxidative stress were measured in a subset of patients on entry and after 3 months of treatment. RESULTS After 12 months of treatment, alpha-tocopherol had no effect on the primary outcome measure. Survival was not influenced by treatment. Among secondary outcome measures, patients given alpha-tocopherol were less likely to progress from the milder state A to the more severe state B (P=0.046) of the ALS Health State scale. After 3 months treatment, analysis of oxidative stress markers showed an increase in glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma (P = 0.0389) and a decrease in plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (P = 0.0055) in the group of patients given alpha-tocopherol in combination with riluzole. CONCLUSION Although alpha-tocopherol did not appear to affect the survival and motor function in ALS, patients receiving riluzole plus alpha-tocopherol remained longer in the milder states of the ALS Health State scale and showed, after 3 months, changes in biochemical markers of oxidative stress. Further studies are required to confirm the greater sensitivity of the ALS Health State scale over other clinical endpoints.