Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A case-control study of paternal occupational exposures and the risk of childhood sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma

Background The risk factors for sporadic (ie, non-familial) retinoblastoma remain largely unknown. Objectives We examined the relationship between paternal occupational exposures from jobs held 10 years and 1 year prior to conception and the risk of sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma in children. Methods Paternal occupational data were obtained for 198 incident cases diagnosed with sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma from January 1998 to May 2006 and 245 referral-based controls from the case child's relatives and friends who were matched to 135 of the cases on birth year. Industrial hygienists independently assigned exposure scores for nine agents. Adjusted ORs and 95% CIs were computed using logistic regression models, using the full sample of cases and controls as well as subset of cases with matched controls only. Results There was some indication of an elevated risk associated with paternal pesticide exposure in the 10 years prior to conception (OR=1.64; 95% CI 1.08 to 2.50) as well as in the year before conception (OR=2.12; 95% CI 1.25 to 3.61). However, results for pesticide exposure were inconsistent and varied by analysis approach. An increased risk was also observed for non-welding metal exposure during the 10 years prior to conception in the full (OR=1.35; 95% CI 0.86 to 2.12) and matched (OR=1.40; 95% CI 0.82 to 2.37) samples, but not in the year before conception. Exposure–response trends were observed for pesticides and non-welding metal exposures. Conclusions Our findings suggest a potential role of paternal occupational exposures to non-welding metals and perhaps pesticides in the aetiology of childhood retinoblastoma.
The impact of QM maturity upon the extent and effectiveness of customer relationship management systems

Investigates the relationships between organizational adoption and extent of use of two kinds of programs. Specifically, contends that organizations may vary considerably in QM maturity. Argues that QM maturity organizations will be characterized by perceptions that the culture is different in ways which are supportive of QM, and that the organization is performing at higher levels. Moreover, such organizations will be more likely to have moved toward adopting customer relationship management systems to improve their customer services, and have done so in qualitatively better ways. In turn, such adoptions will lead to perceptions by those in the organizations that their customer relationship systems are, in fact, providing better services. Exploratory research provides support for these ideas.
Risk factors, outcome and impact of empirical antimicrobial treatment in extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli bacteraemia

Abstract Background: To investigate patient characteristics and empirical antimicrobial treatment of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) bacteraemia, to determine risk factors, outcome and impact of empirical antimicrobial treatment. Methods: We performed a retrospective case-control study of all patients diagnosed with ESBL-EC from January 2011 to September 2012. The control group consisted of patients with non-ESBL E. coli bacteraemia. The groups were compared with respect to empirical treatment, risk factors and outcome, using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The study consisted of 70 consecutive cases of ESBL-producing and 140 controls of non-ESBL-producing E. coli bacteraemia. ESBL-EC prevalence of bloodstream invasive E. coli isolates was 6.1%. The independent risk factor found for ESBL-EC bacteraemia was a prior culture with ESBL production (p < 0.001). A higher frequency of inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment (p < 0.001) and a trend towards worse outcome was observed in patients infected with ESBL-EC and empirical guidelines were more often not followed (p = 0.013). If the guidelines were followed this was associated with adequate initial antibiotic treatment (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with ESBL-EC frequently received inappropriate empirical treatment and guidelines were more often not followed. A prior culture of ESBL-producing bacteria was an independent predictor and risk factor for ESBL-EC bacteraemia. Since the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli is increasing the importance of adequate guidelines must be emphasized.
Environmental Hostility Contingencies on the Relationship between Knowledge Management Strategy and Firm Performance

This study aims to investigate the environmental hostility contingencies on the relationship between knowledge management strategy and firm performance. Knowledge management strategies are classified into two dimensions: Codification and Personalization. These studies cover the 192 completed and usable questionnaires were received from respondents which comprises of large size Indonesian manufacturing firms. The result via smartPLS revealed that knowledge management strategies positively and significantly influence the Indonesian manufacturing firm’s performance. Other findings display that environmental turbulences has only the contingency effect (the moderating effect) on the relationship between knowledge management strategy and manufacturing firm performance. Based on findings, the implications and future research also be discussed in this paper.
Firms Reap what they Sow: The Effects of Shared Values and Perceived Organizational Justice on Customers’ Evaluations of Complaint Handling

Employing elements of organizational theory and service recovery research, the authors examine how employees’ perceptions of shared values and organizational justice can stimulate customer-directed extra-role behaviors when handling complaints. They also investigate how these extra-role behaviors affect customers’ perceptions of justice, satisfaction, word of mouth, and purchase intent. The authors capture and match employee and customer perceptions regarding the relevant constructs following a complaint and recovery experience. The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of shared values and organizational justice affect customer-directed extra-role behaviors. Furthermore, the authors find that extra-role behaviors have significant effects on customers’ perceptions of justice and that these behaviors mediate the effects of shared values and organizational justice on customer justice perceptions. Their study reveals that customer ratings of justice affect the customer outcomes of satisfaction with recovery, overall firm satisfaction, purchase intent, and word of mouth. Finally, the authors show that customers’ perceptions of justice mediate the effects that extra-role behaviors have on customer outcomes.
The Costs and Benefits of Clawback Provisions in CEO Compensation

We analyze the costs and benefits of clawback provisions that enable firms to recover incentive compensation from top management if financials are restated. In a simple contracting model, we find that a clawback provision effectively lengthens the horizon of incentives and curbs misreporting. However, such a provision can add noise to the underlying performance measure, reducing managerial effort and firm value. Our empirical tests support the model’s predictions regarding which types of firms are likely to voluntarily use clawback provisions. We also document that clawback provisions are associated with higher reporting quality, greater CEO pay-for-performance sensitivity, and higher CEO compensation.
Clinical Efficacy of Two Hypocaloric Diets That Vary in Overweight Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Approximately 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight/obese (1), and weight loss is the mainstay of treatment for these individuals. However, there is growing controversy as to whether reduced-fat or reduced-carbohydrate diets are best suited for this purpose, and results (2–8) in nondiabetic subjects suggest that lower carbohydrate diets are similarly or more efficacious in improving weight, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. There are no published randomized studies evaluating the role of dietary macronutrients with respect to weight loss and cardiovascular risk improvement in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thus, we randomized diet-treated patients with type 2 diabetes to hypocaloric diets, moderately restricted in either carbohydrate or fat, to determine whether weight loss or metabolic improvement differed as a function of macronutrient composition. A total of 29 patients with diet-treated type 2 diabetes were recruited from the San Francisco Bay area. All subjects gave written informed consent. Inclusion criteria included BMI 27–36 kg/m2, fasting plasma glucose concentration 7.2–8.3 mmol/l, no use of antihyperglycemic medications, and stable weight for 3 months. Subjects on anti-hypertensive or cholesterol-lowering drugs or aspirin were allowed to continue their medications. Insulin-mediated glucose uptake was quantified by a modification (9) of the insulin suppression test as originally described (10) and validated (11). In this test, a 180-min infusion of somatostatin (0.27 μg/m2 per min), insulin (25 mU/m2 per min), …
GABA content and GAD activity in colon tumors taken from patients with colon cancer or from xenografted human colon cancer cells growing as s.c. tumors in athymic nu/nu mice.

A significantly high GABA level and GAD activity was found in human colon cancer tissue as compared with normal macroscopically unchanged human colon wall taken from the same patients. Similarly in athymic nu/nu mice transplanted with human colon adenocarcinoma cells established in in vitro culture (line CX-2) the high level of GABA accompanied by high GAD activity was found in subcutaneously growing tumors as compared with the unchanged colon wall and unchanged skin tissue from the same tumor bearing mice. Interestingly, the level of GAD activity in the macroscopically unchanged colon tissue of mice transplanted with tumor cells were increased in comparison with normal colon of healthy control mice. For the skin, only GAD activity was higher in the material coming from tumor bearing mice than in the material from normal control mice, whereas GABA level was even lower in the skin of tumor inoculated mice compared with control group. An increase in GABA level and in GAD activity can perhaps reflect a local immune response to the neoplastic process. The observed direction of GABA metabolism in tumor of the colon indicates a possibility to interfere in this process using the agonists of the GABA-ergic system.
The Protective Effect of Circumcision on HIV Incidence in Rural Low-Risk Men Circumcised Predominantly by Traditional Circumcisers in Kenya: Two-Year Follow-Up of the Kericho HIV Cohort Study

Background:Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that male circumcision prevents female-to-male HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. Data from prospective cohort studies are helpful in considering generalizability of RCT results to populations with unique epidemiologic/cultural characteristics. Methods:Prospective observational cohort sub-analysis. A total of 1378 men were evaluated after 2 years of follow-up. Baseline sociodemographic and behavioral/HIV risk characteristics were compared between 270 uncircumcised and 1108 circumcised men. HIV incidence rates (per 100 person-years) were calculated, and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses estimated hazard rate ratios (HRs). Results:Of the men included in this study, 80.4% were circumcised; 73.9% were circumcised by traditional circumcisers. Circumcision was associated with tribal affiliation, high school education, fewer marriages, and smaller age difference between spouses (P < 0.05). After 2 years of follow-up, there were 30 HIV incident cases (17 in circumcised and 13 in uncircumcised men). Two-year HIV incidence rates were 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46 to 1.25) for circumcised men and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.33 to 4.21) for uncircumcised men corresponding to a HR = 0.31 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.64). In one model controlling for sociodemographic factors, the HR increased and became non-significant (HR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.20 to 1.49). Conclusions:Circumcision by traditional circumcisers offers protection from HIV infection in adult men in rural Kenya. Data from well-designed prospective cohort studies in populations with unique cultural characteristics can supplement RCT data in recommending public health policy.
LOGISTICS OUTSOURCING RELATIONSHIPS: CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVES

This study attempts to infuse relationship marketing theory into the study of logistics outsourcing relationships. In particular, the study demonstrates that not all of the partnerships between customers and providers of third-party logistics services are the same in terms of their level of development. The existence of distinct levels of partnership established previously in the logistics literature is partially supported and a relationship between level of partnership development and the customer perceptions of key relationship marketing elements and outcomes is established. While exploratory in nature, these findings suggest there are benefits for the increased costs of developing closer partnerships.
Does hepatitis C virus infection contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma in hong kong?

Background. Hong Kong has a high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and, because it is an endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the etiologic association between HCC and HBV infection is reported to be as high as 80%. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recently was shown to be a possible pathogenetic agent for HCC in a number of countries.
THE REST-FRAME ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA OF UV-SELECTED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI AT z ∼ 2–3

We present new results for a sample of 33 narrow-lined UV-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs), identified in the course of a spectroscopic survey for star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2–3. The rest-frame UV composite spectrum for our AGN sample shows several emission lines characteristic of AGNs, as well as interstellar absorption features detected in star-forming Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). We report a detection of N iv] λ1486, which has been observed in high-redshift radio galaxies, as well as in rare optically selected quasars. The UV continuum slope of the composite spectrum is significantly redder than that of a sample of non-AGN UV-selected star-forming galaxies. Blueshifted Si iv absorption provides evidence for outflowing highly ionized gas in these objects at speeds of ∼103 km s−1, quantitatively different from what is seen in the outflows of non-AGN LBGs. Grouping the individual AGNs by parameters such as the Lyα equivalent width, redshift, and UV continuum magnitude allows for an analysis of the major spectroscopic trends within the sample. Stronger Lyα emission is coupled with weaker low-ionization absorption, which is similar to what is seen in the non-AGN LBGs, and highlights the role that cool interstellar gas plays in the escape of Lyα photons. However, the AGN composite does not show the same trends between Lyα strength and extinction seen in the non-AGN LBGs. These results represent the first such comparison at high redshift between star-forming galaxies and similar galaxies that host AGN activity.
From Collaborative Creation to Implementation: The Evolution of a Contract for a Model Program to Finance Child Welfare

Because of on-going reform efforts, rapidly changing business environments, and increasing demands for government services while reducing expenditures, organizations realize government is challenged with social welfare problems that cannot be effectively tackled utilizing our traditional bureaucratic structures. Organizations must work across traditional organizational boundaries to implement reform efforts that reduce the size of government, operate more efficiently, reduce fiscal stress, and employ market-like mechanisms. Government reform efforts are not new; universities, to include Virginia Tech, play a large role in reform activities. Also playing a prominent role in government reform efforts are contractual relationships; these relationships continue to increase. Virginia Tech, through the implementation of the Federal Reimbursement Unit (FRU), has had a long-term contractual relationship with a local government in implementing government reform, specifically in the implementation of a unique model program to maximize local revenues to finance a child welfare program. The goal of the program is to use less county tax dollars to support children in foster care, and provide a seamless process in maximizing resources from federal entitlement and state programs. While contracts have played a major role in reform efforts for many decades, long-term contract relationships are not fully explored in the literature. There is much
Stock Price Reactions to Short-Lived Public Information : The Case of Betting Odds

Stock markets and betting markets co-exist for professional soccer clubs listed on the London Stock Exchange.For each firm, two pieces of information are released to the stock market on a weekly basis from August to June: experts expectations about game outcomes through the betting odds, and the game outcomes.Stock markets process the news about games results fast.By contrast, there is no evidence of abnormal returns on the trading days following release of betting information.Moreover, due to the absence of a market reaction to betting odds and the fact that these odds are very good predictors of game outcomes, these odds contain unpriced information and can be used to predict short-run stock returns.Our findings are consistent with theories of under-reaction to public information and the impact of the level of salience of information on the speed at which financial markets process information.
Affirming Communication's Primary Role in a Manufacturer-Retailer Context

Contrary to most extant relationship research which has relegated communication to a minor relational role, we found communication to be a central relationship variable. Communication's importance arose in a qualitative stage of our research which involved four manufacturer-retailer case studies. To affirm communication's central relational role, we tested the link between relationship governance and communication in a quantitative study of 280 retailers of the manufacturer's product, and found a positive link. Additionally, to aid future research in this area, this study brought together measures of communication from several U.S. studies and tested them in their totality.
Taking Selection to Task: Bounds on Trends in Occupational Task Prices

In the large literature on polarization in the wage and employment structure, arguments about shifts in relative demands for di↵erent task based groups have been built on comparisons of movements in employment and wages. In particular, increases in both wages and employment in cognitive task occupations relative to routine task occupations are the basis for arguments that Information Technology innovations are driving labor market polarization. But movements in average wages by occupation are misleading measures for determining underlying demand forces for two reasons. First, the workforce has undergone substantial compositional changes in terms of education levels, the age distribution, and the gender composition. Second, it seems reasonable to assume that the large shifts in the proportion of workers in di↵erent occupations has been accompanied by shifts in composition in terms of unobservable task related abilities. In this paper, we provide estimates of movements in task prices for the US for the period from 1984 to 2013. To do this, we adjust for changes in observable variable composition and address selection on unobservables through a bounding exercise. We
Sleep to Remember

Scientific investigation into the possible role of sleep in memory consolidation began with the early studies of Jenkins and Dallenbach (1924). Despite nearly a century of investigation with a waxing and waning of interest, the role of sleep in memory processing remains controversial and elusive. This review provides the historical background for current views and considers the relative contribution of two sleep states, rapid eye movement sleep and slow-wave sleep, to offline memory processing. The sequential hypothesis, until now largely ignored, is discussed, and recent literature supporting this view is reviewed.
Developmental differences in infant attention to the spectral properties of infant-directed speech.

Across several independent studies, infants from a few days to 9 months of age have shown preferences for infant-directed (ID) over adult-directed (AD) speech. Moreover, 4-month-olds have been shown to prefer sine-wave analogs of the fundamental frequency of ID speech, suggesting that exaggerated pitch contours are prepotent stimuli for infants. The possibility of similar preferences by 1-month-olds was examined in a series of experiments, using a fixation-based preference procedure. Results from the first 2 experiments showed that 1-month-olds did not prefer the lower-frequency pitch characteristics of ID speech, even though 1-month-olds were able to discriminate low-pass filtered ID and AD speech. Since low-pass filtering may have distorted the fundamental frequency characteristics of ID speech, 1-month-olds were also tested with sine-wave analogs of the fundamental frequencies of the ID utterances. Infants in this third experiment also showed no preference for ID pitch contours. In the fourth experiment, 1-month-olds preferred a natural recording of ID speech over a version which preserved only its lower frequency prosodic features. From these results, it is argued that, although young infants are similar to older infants in their attraction to ID speech, their preferences depend on a wider range of acoustic features (e.g., spectral structure). It is suggested that exaggerated pitch contours which characterize ID speech may become salient communicative signals for infants through language-rich, interactive experiences with caretakers and increased perceptual acuity over the first months after birth.
Delegated Information Acquisition and Asset Pricing

This paper studies the joint determination of optimal contracts and equilibrium asset prices in an economy with multiple principal-agent pairs. Principals design optimal contracts that provide incentives for agents to acquire costly information. With agency problems, the agents’ compensation depends on the accuracy of their forecasts for asset prices and payos. Complementarities in information acquisition delegation arise as follows. As more principals hire agents to acquire information, asset prices become less noisy. Consequently, agents are more willing to acquire information because they can forecast asset prices more accurately, thus mitigating agency problems and encouraging other principals to hire agents. This mechanism can explain many interesting phenomena in markets, including multiple equilibria, herding, home bias and idiosyncratic volatility comovement.