Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patient Preferences for Doctor Attire: The White Coat's Place in the Medical Profession.

BACKGROUND The white coat's place in the medical profession is a heavily debated topic. Five years after the bare-below-the-elbow policy took effect in England, we reexamined the evidence about coats' potential to transmit infection, reviewed previous studies, and explored our patients' opinions on doctor attire. METHODS We administered a survey at 3 locations in the Ochsner Health System (hospital clinic, satellite clinic, and inpatient ward) in 2013. The survey assessed patient preference for doctors to wear white coats and included 4 images of the same doctor in different attire: traditional white coat, bare-below-the-elbow attire, a white coat with scrubs, and scrubs alone. Respondents rated images head-to-head for their preferences and individually for their confidence in the physician's skills and for their comfort level with the physician based upon the displayed attire. Participants' attitudes were then reassessed after they were given information about potential disease transmission. RESULTS Overall, 69.9% of the 153 patients surveyed preferred doctors to wear white coats. When locations were compared, a statistically higher proportion of outpatients preferred coats (P=0.001), a trend most pronounced between hospital clinic (84%) and ward inpatients (51.9%). Patients disliked bare-below-the-elbow attire, scoring it lowest on the comfort and confidence scales (0.05 and 0.09, respectively). Information regarding risks of coat-carried infections did not influence respondents' opinions; 86.9% would still feel comfortable with a doctor who wore one. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest patients prefer white coats, and they contribute to greater comfort and confidence in their physicians, despite knowledge of theoretic concerns of disease transmission.
Health professionals' attitudes toward acute diarrhea management.

BACKGROUND Travelers' diarrhea is the most frequent health problem in those participating in international journeys, and is responsible for many consultations abroad and on return home. METHODS A questionnaire assessing attitudes toward treatment and management of travel-related and nontravel-related diarrhea was administered to 542 GPs, nurses and pharmacists. RESULTS Health professionals' attitudes to management of acute diarrhea are variable, with marked divergence regarding adherence to published "good practice" guidelines and recommendations. Inconsistencies exist in stated attitudes toward prescribing antispasmodics and antimotility agents and actual prescribing behavior. CONCLUSIONS Current treatment guidelines may be outdated. Inappropriate or delayed treatment disadvantages the patient. Limiting the use of antidiarrheal agents can deny access, for those inflicted with diarrhea, to a medication which may shorten symptomatology and morbidity, and speed the return to normality. Review of guidelines for diarrhea management in adults is overdue, as is standardization of treatment response. Educational initiatives are required to encourage active intervention and improved provision of care.
A cost-benefit analysis of document management strategies used at a financial institution in Zimbabwe: A case study

Background: Choosing a cost-effective document management approach has become a priority to many organisations, especially in view of the rapidly changing technological environment in which information is being created and managed. A literature survey indicated that document management strategies have the potential to provide some substantial cost-saving benefits if they are used judiciously. Objectives: This study investigated a commercial bank’s document management approaches in a bid to ascertain the costs and benefits of each strategy and related issues. Method: A quantitative research approach was employed through a case study which was used to gather data from a sampled population in the bank. Results: The document management approaches used were not coordinated to improve operational efficiency. There were regulations governing documents management. The skills and competences of staff on both document management and cost analysis are limited. That is partly due to limited training opportunities availed to them. That means that economies are not achieved in the management of records. That has a negative impact on the overall efficiency, effectiveness and legal compliance of the banking institution. Conclusion: The financial institutions should create regulations enabling periodical cost-benefit analysis of document management regimes used by the bank at least at quarterly intervals as recommended by the National Archives of Australia. A hybrid approach in managing records is recommended for adoption by the financial institution. There should be on-the-job staff training complimented by attendance at relevant workshops and seminars to improve the staff’s understanding of both the cost-benefit analysis concept and document management.
Why Do Older Men Report Low Stress Ratings? Findings from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study

We examined the interplay between three explanatory hypotheses for why older adults appear to rate their problems as less stressful than do younger adults: age-related differences in personality, in types of problems, and in the appraisal process—specifically, the number of primary stress appraisals. A sample of 1,054 men from the Normative Aging Study (mean age = 65.02; range = 45 to 92) were interviewed about a problem in the past week. Personality did not mediate the effect of age on stress ratings. While general hassles and health problems both increased with age, they had opposite influences on stress ratings. Accounting for covariates, older men reported fewer appraisals, and the number of appraisals mediated the association between age and stress ratings. We found no moderating effects of problem type on these processes. Thus, lower stress ratings for everyday problems in later life may result from developmental changes in primary appraisal processes.
Disclosure Regulation in the Commercial Banking Industry : Lessons from the National Banking Era

I exploit temporal and spatial variation in the adoption of disclosure regulation across the state banking systems of the National Banking era to examine how these regulations a ect the development and stability of commercial banks. I nd strong evidence that requirements to report nancial statements in local newspapers promoted the stability and development of the state banking system, but little evidence that periodic on-site examinations incrementally contributed to these outcomes. These results suggest disclosure regulation mitigates agency con icts between bankers and depositors by facilitating private monitoring. I also analyze the political economy of disclosure regulation using evidence from the popular votes on the 1888 Illinois and Michigan referenda. Counties in which large agricultural landowners and private banks were particularly strong were less likely to vote favorably for the enactment of these laws. These ndings suggest incumbent groups oppose laws that promote disclosure and monitoring, because their passage would foster nancial development and threaten their private interests. ∗I thank the members of my dissertation committee for their support and help: Christian Leuz (chair), Randall S. Kroszner, Raghuram Rajan, Haresh Sapra and Douglas J. Skinner. I also thank Phil Berger, Alexander Bleck, Hans Christensen, Joseph Gerakos, Merle Erickson, Edward Kane, Zack Kaplan, Michael Minnis, Sara Moreira, Valeri Nikolaev, Regina WittenbergMoerman, Anastasia Zakolyukina, Sarah Zechman, and the participants in the University of Chicago accounting workshop for the insightful comments and discussions. I am indebted to Jessica Miller, archivist of the Michigan State Archives, who gave me access to electronic copies of the o cial directory and legislative manual of the state of Michigan for the years 1889-1890, and Connie Fleischer, librarian at the University of Chicago D'Angelo Library. I also thank Marianne Haramoto for excellent research assistance. I acknowledge the generous nancial support provided by the Sanford J. Grossman fellowship in honor of Arnold Zellner and the Deloitte Foundation Fellowship program. †Booth School of Business, University of Chicago. Contact information: 5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637; Email: jgranja@chicagobooth.edu; Phone: +1 (773) 807-6986; Website: home.uchicago. edu/~joaogranja.
Clinical outcomes of MitraClip for the treatment of functional mitral regurgitation.

AIMS The aim of this study was to report medium-term outcomes of MitraClip implantation in inoperable or high-risk surgical candidates with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) in our single-centre experience. From October 2008, 109 consecutive patients with FMR underwent MitraClip implantation (mean age 69±9 years; 82% NYHA Class III-IV). Logistic EuroSCORE was 22±16%. Comorbidities included: chronic renal failure (47%), diabetes (22%), COPD (28%). Mean EF was 28±11%; LVEDD was 68±8 mm. Procedural success was 99% and 30-day mortality was 1.8%. At discharge, 87% patients had MR ≤2+. At 12 months, EF was 34.7±10.4% (p=0.002 compared to preoperative value). Actuarial survival at three years was 74.5±7%. Actuarial freedom from MR ≥3+ at 2.5 years was 70±6%. At one-year follow-up, 86% of patients were in NYHA Class I-II. Preoperative pro-BNP level ≥1,600 pg/ml was identified as an independent risk factor of mortality at follow-up. MitraClip therapy for FMR is a valuable alternative to surgery in high-risk patients. Higher preoperative pro-BNP level is a risk factor for mortality at follow-up. Although patients treated in current practice are high-risk, the procedure remains safe and effective in selected patients.
Ectoplasmic specializations in the Sertoli cell: new vistas based on genetic defects and testicular toxicology

The ectoplasmic specialization is a unique junctional complex formed in two cortical areas of the Sertoli cell in the mammalian testis: one near the base of the seminiferous epithelium forming the blood—testis barrier, and the other near the lumen of the seminiferous tubule embracing the acrosome region of the developing spermatids. The specialization consists of the Sertoli cell plasma membrane, a subsurface cistern of the endoplasmic reticulum and a layer of closely packed actin filaments that is sandwiched between the plasma membrane and the subsurface cistern. No functions of the specializations other than the blood—testis barrier have been established. However, over the past decade, knowledge about the ectoplasmic specialization has been steadily accumulating and, in particular, there has been a tremendous increase in knowledge based on molecular biological approaches to specialization-associated proteins, including tight junction-associated proteins, based on phenotype analyses of gene-knockout mice and mutant animals, and based on analyses of the effects of exogenous estrogens, so-called endocrine disruptors. Progress in studies on the ectoplasmic specialization will facilitate the elucidation of numerous important questions regarding spermatogenesis, including the pathogenesis of azoospermia and the mechanisms of action of endocrine disruptors.
Do Satisfied Customers Buy More? Examining Moderating Influences in a Retailing Context

In this research, the authors propose that the relationship between satisfaction and repurchase behavior is moderated by customer, relational, and marketplace characteristics. They further hypothesize that the moderating effects emerge if repurchase is measured as objective behavior but not if it is measured as repurchase intentions. To test for systematic differences in effects, the authors estimate identical models using both longitudinal repurchase measures and survey measures as the dependent variable. The results suggest that the relationship between customer satisfaction and repurchase behavior is contingent on the moderating effects of convenience, competitive intensity, customer involvement, and household income. As the authors predicted, the results are significantly different for self-reported repurchase intentions and objective repurchase behavior. The conceptual framework and empirical findings reinforce the importance of moderating influences and offer new insights that enhance the understanding of what drives repurchase behavior.
Impact of the Depth-to-Width Ratio of Periodically Stratified Tidal Channels on the Estuarine Circulation

The dependency of the estuarine circulation on the depth-to-width ratio of a periodically, weakly stratified tidal estuary is systematically investigated here for the first time. Currents, salinity, and other properties are simulated by means of the General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM) in cross-sectional slice mode, applying a symmetric Gaussian-shaped depth profile. The width is varied over four orders of magnitude. The individual along-channel circulation contributions from tidal straining, gravitation, advection, etc., are calculated and the impact of the depth-to-width ratio on their intensity is presented and elucidated. It is found that the estuarine circulation exhibits a distinct maximum in medium-wide channels (intermediate depth-towidth ratio depending on various parameters), which is caused by a maximum of the tidal straining contribution. This maximum is related to a strong tidal asymmetry of eddy viscosity and shear created by secondary strain-induced periodic stratification (2SIPS): in medium channels, transverse circulation generated by lateral density gradients due to laterally differential longitudinal advection induces stable stratification at the end of the flood phase, which is further increased during ebb by longitudinal straining (SIPS). Thus, eddy viscosity is low and shear is strong in the entire ebb phase. During flood, SIPS decreases the stratification so that eddy viscosity is high and shear is weak. The circulation resulting from this viscosity–shear correlation, the tidal straining circulation, is oriented like the classical, gravitational circulation, with riverine outflow at the surface and oceanic inflow close to the bottom. In medium channels, it is about 5 times as strong as in wide (quasi onedimensional) channels, in which 2SIPS is negligible.
Functional spin-offs in logistics service markets

The aim of this paper is to increase the understanding of logistics outsourcing decisions in a network context. The concepts influencing the decision to outsource logistics activities are first identified, using theories in organisational economics, marketing and strategic management. A tentative model showing the key concepts and their assumed relationships is developed and tested with empirical survey data from industrial companies in northern Finland. The estimations are made using structural equation modelling. Based on empirical analysis, a modified model is suggested which identifies two separate dimensions, or modes, of the outsourcing concept. These outsourcing modes offer a useful tool for defining the classic concept of functional spin-offs in logistics service markets. Moreover, the development paths of outsourcing relationships between the shipper and service provider can be examined on the basis of the horizontal and vertical outsourcing modes proposed in the paper.
Neuroactive neurosteroids: dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulphate

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate ester (DHEAS) are neuroactive and are both imported into the brain from the circulation and produced in the nervous system. These neurosteroids have neurotrophic and excitatiory effets, and further study is needed to delineate their physiological and pathological functions.
Band Structure, Metallization and Superconducting Transition of Group III-V Semiconductors AlP and AlAs under High Pressure

The results of a full potential linear muffin-tin orbital (FP-LMTO) study on the electronic properties of cubic zinc blende type group III-V semiconductors AlP and AlAs under pressure are presented. The equilibrium lattice constant, bulk modulus, pressure derivative of bulk modulus and the phase transition pressure at which the compounds undergo structural phase transition from ZnS to NaCl and NaCl to CsCl are predicted from the total energy calculations. The ground state properties and band gap values are compared with the experimental results. At normal pressure AlP and AlAs are indirect bandgap semiconductors. When the pressure is increased there is enhanced overlapping between the wave functions of the neighbouring atoms. As a result the widths of the valence and empty conduction bands increase. These changes lead to the narrowing and indirect closing of band gaps in AlP and AlAs (metallization). On further increase of pressure, AlP and AlAs become superconductors, and these materials come under the class of electron-phonon-mediated high pressure superconductors. The superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) of AlP and AlAs are obtained as a function of pressure for CsCl structure. It is also confirmed that the metallization, structural phase transition and onset of superconductivity do not occur simultaneously in these compounds.
Does the Adoption of IFRS Influence Earnings Management towards Small Positive Profits? Evidence from Emerging Markets

This paper investigates the effect of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption on the frequency of earnings managements towards small positive profits. We focus on two emerging markets IFRS adopters: South Africa and Turkey. We tested our logistic regression using appropriate panelestimation techniques over a sample of 330 South African and 210 Turkish firm-year observations over the period 2002-2008. Our results document that mandatory adoption of IFRS is not associated with a reduction in earnings management towards small positive profits in emerging markets. These results contradict most of the previous findings of the studies conducted in developed countries. Based on the legal system factor, we compare the intensity of earnings management between a code law country (Turkey) and a common law country (South Africa) over the pre and post-adoption periods. Our findings show that the frequency of such earnings management practice increases significantly for the code law country.
Market Valuations in the New Economy: An Investigation of What Has Changed

The acceleration of globalization combined with rapid advances in technology and the growing importance of the Internet have led many researchers and practitioners to suggest that a "New Economy" has evolved in which equity valuation is different than in previous periods. We examine the explanatory power and stability of a regression model of equity value on traditional financial variables for a broad sample of firms over the past 25 years and investigate how equity valuation has changed in the recent New Economy sub-period. We also examine subsamples of high-technology firms, young firms, and young firms with losses that are thought to be emblematic of the New Economy. We find that the explanatory power of the regression model declined in recent years for all subsamples of firms. However, for all subsamples of firms, we find that the structure of the regression model is quite stable during the New Economy sub-period, as compared to other sub-periods. Together, these results suggest that traditional explanatory variables of equity value remain applicable to firms in the New Economy sub-period, but that there is greater variation remaining to be explained by uncorrelated omitted factors.
Embedded Active Sensors for In-Situ Structural Health Monitoring of Thin-Wall

The use of embedded piezoelectric-wafer active-sensors for in-situ structural health monitoring of thin-wall structures is presented. Experiments performed on aircraft-grade metallic specimens of various complexities exemplified the detection procedures for near-field and far-field damage. For near-field damage detection, the electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance method was used. Systematic experiments conducted on statistical samples of incrementally damaged specimens were followed by illustrative experiments on realistic aging aircraft panels. For far-field damage detection, guided ultrasonic Lamb waves were utilized in conjunction with the pulse-echo technique. Systematic experiments conducted on aircraft-grade metallic plates were used to develop the method, while experiments performed on realistic aging-aircraft panels exemplified the crack detection procedure.
scVEGF Microbubble Ultrasound Contrast Agents: A Novel Probe for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging of Tumor Angiogenesis

Objective:To develop a novel microbubble (MB) ultrasound contrast agent covalently coupled to a recombinant single-chain vascular endothelial growth factor construct (scVEGF) through uniform site-specific conjugation for ultrasound imaging of tumor angiogenesis. Methods:Ligand conjugation to maleimide-bearing MB by thioether bonding was first validated with a fluorophore (BODIPY-cystine), and covalently bound dye was detected by fluorometry and flow cytometry. MBs were subsequently site-specifically conjugated to cysteine-containing Cys-tag in scVEGF, and bound scVEGF was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Targeted adhesion of scVEGF-MB was investigated with in vitro parallel plate flow chamber assays with recombinant murine VEGFR-2 substrates and human VEGFR-2-expressing porcine endothelial cells (PAE/KDR). A wall-less ultrasound flow phantom, with flow channels coated with immobilized VEGFR-2, was used to detect adhesion of scVEGF-MB with contrast ultrasound imaging. A murine model of colon adenocarcinoma was used to assess retention of scVEGF-MB with contrast ultrasound imaging during tumor angiogenesis in vivo. Results:Proof-of-principle of ligand conjugation to maleimide-bearing MB was demonstrated with a BODIPY-cysteine fluorophore. Conjugation of BODIPY to MB saturated at 10-fold molar excess BODIPY relative to maleimide groups on MB surfaces. MB reacted with scVEGF and led to the conjugation of 1.2 × 105 molecules scVEGF per MB. Functional adhesion of sc-VEGF-MB was shown in parallel plate flow chamber assays. At a shear stress of 1.0 dynes/cm2, scVEGF-MB exhibited 5-fold higher adhesion to both recombinant VEGFR-2 substrates and VEGFR-2-expressing endothelial cells compared with nontargeted control MB. Additionally, scVEGF-MB targeted to immobilized VEGFR-2 in an ultrasound flow phantom showed an 8-fold increase in mean acoustic signal relative to casein-coated control channels. In an in vivo model of tumor angiogenesis, scVEGF MB showed significantly higher ultrasound contrast signal enhancement in tumors (8.46 ± 1.61 dB) compared with nontargeted control MB (1.58 ± 0.83 dB). Conclusions:These results demonstrate the functionality of a novel scVEGF-bearing MB contrast agent, which could be useful for molecular imaging of VEGFR-2 in basic science and drug discovery research.
Covered bonds, core markets, and financial stability

We examine the financial stability implications of covered bonds. Banks issue covered bonds by encumbering assets on their balance sheet and placing them within a dynamic ring fence. As more assets are encumbered, jittery unsecured creditors may run, leading to a banking crisis. We provide conditions for such a crisis to occur. We examine how different over-the-counter market network structures influence the liquidity of secured funding markets and crisis dynamics. We draw on the framework to consider several policy measures aimed at mitigating systemic risk, including caps on asset encumbrance, global legal entity identifiers, and swaps of good for bad collateral by central banks.