Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Executive Stock Option Repricing, Internal Governance Mechanisms, and Management Turnover

We analyze characteristics of firms that reprice their executive stock options (ESOs). We document that repricings are economically significant compensation events but there is little else unusual about compensation levels or changes in repricers. Cross-sectionally, repricers are rapidly growing firms that experience a deep, sudden shock to growth and profitability. Repricers are likely to be smaller, younger, more concentrated in technology, trade or service industry sectors, and have smaller boards of directors relative to firms that did not reprice ESOs despite similar return shocks. Repricers have abnormally high CEO turnover rates, and do not show low institutional ownership or more diffuse ownership of their equity. Over 40% of repricers do not include the CEO in the list of executives repriced. Collectively, our evidence provides little support for the view that repricing primarily reflects managerial entrenchment or ineffective governance in firms.
APIRE Practice Research Network: Accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned

Abstract The Practice Research Network (PRN) was established in 1993 to bridge the gap between the science base and the clinical practice of psychiatry by expanding the generalizability of findings and involving clinicians in the development and conduct of research. It began as a nationwide network of psychiatrists and has evolved to conduct large-scale, clinical and policy research studies using randomly selected samples of psychiatrists from the AMA Physician Masterfile. This paper provides an overview of major PRN initiatives and the impact of these studies. It describes the benefits to clinicians of participating in PRN research, as well as strategies developed to address key challenges.
Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) infection in dairy cattle and associated risk factors in Latvia

SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to describe prevalence and spatial distribution of Coxiella burnetii infections in dairy cow sheds in Latvia and to investigate risk factors contributing to C. burnetii infections. Blood serum samples from abortion cases from 1010 sheds have been tested by ELISA for the presence of C. burnetii antibodies and bulk tank milk (BTM) samples from 252 sheds have been tested by real time polymerase chain reaction and ELISA for the presence of C. burnetii DNA and antibodies. Prevalence of C. burnetii antibody-positive sheds in cases of abortion was 13·4%. A total of 10·7% and 13·2% of dairy cow sheds tested positive for the presence of C. burnetii DNA and antibodies in BTM, respectively. Two distinct areas of clustering of test-positive dairy cattle sheds were identified by spatial scan statistics of abortion cases and randomly sampled BTM samples. Three factors were identified as significantly contributing to the risk of C. burnetii DNA presence in BTM – number of cattle in shed (>200 animals/shed) (OR 3·93), location of the shed within risk area in Northern Latvia (OR 8·29) and for the first time, purchasing cattle from abroad has been shown to significantly increase risk (OR 2·68) of C. burnetii infection in dairy cows in Latvia.
Psoriasis vulgaris in Chinese individuals is associated with PSORS1C3 and CDSN genes

Background Besides the HLA‐Cw*0602 allele, the psoriasis susceptibility 1 candidate 3 (PSORS1C3) and corneodesmosin (CDSN) genes are two probable psoriasis susceptibility genes in the PSORS1 locus. The −79C, −26C and +246A alleles of the PSORS1C3 gene, the CDSN*971T allele, CDSN*TTC (619T–1236T–1243C) and CDSN*5 (619T–1240G–1243C) are strongly associated with psoriasis in the caucasian population. Until now, no haplotype study of the PSORS1C3 and CDSN genes has been documented in Chinese patients with psoriasis vulgaris.
Physical exercise and health education for neck and shoulder complaints among sedentary workers.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of 3 different health promotion exercise programs for work-related shoulder and neck pain. DESIGN Comparative study design. SUBJECTS A total of 178 employees were recruited and grouped. METHODS Those in the "Self-exercise group" (n = 56) were given a lecture about the exercise program and then performed the program by themselves during their office break. "Team-exercise group I" (n = 69) performed the program once under the supervision of a physiotherapist after the lecture. "Team-exercise group II" (n = 14) performed the program twice; once under a physiotherapist's supervision. A modified Nordic questionnaire, pain threshold and cervical range of motion were used to evaluate the effect of intervention. There were 39 subjects in the reference group. RESULTS When daily change of pain threshold (post-work-pre-work) was treated as an improvement index, the odds ratios for the self-exercise group, team-exercise group I and team-exercise group II were 1.39, 4.63 (p < 0.05) and 7.06 (p < 0.05), respectively, compared with the reference group. A dose-response effect of intervention intensity was demonstrated. CONCLUSION An intensive team-exercise program is beneficial in reducing neck and shoulder symptoms in sedentary workers.
Amyloid deposition of the breast.

76 -year-old woman with a 15-year history of indolent multiple myeloma presented for annual screening mammography. Her myeloma had been diagnosed 15 years earlier by bone marrow biopsy and serum protein immunoelectrophoresis but was not treated because she remained asymptomatic. Annual screening mammography showed grouped, generally smooth branching rodlike calcifications in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. These calcifications were new since the prior examination a year earlier (Figs. 1A and 1B). No correlative palpable abnormality was present on physical examination. Because of the short-interval appearance of calcium and the branched morphology, biopsy was recommended to exclude breast malignancy. The patient underwent needle localization and surgical excision. Histology showed diffuse dense hyalinized material associated with fibrosis, chronic inflammation (including foreign body‐like reaction), and microcalcifications. This was present in and around ducts, vessels, and stroma. The material exhibited exhibited apple-green birefringence with Congo red stain under polarized light, characteristic of amyloid deposition. No malignancy was identified at pathology (Fig. 1C). Amyloid deposition in the visceral organs may be seen in patients with primary amyloidosis (no preexisting or coexisting disease), multiple myeloma, chronic infectious disease, and chronic inflammatory disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis.) Amyloid tumor of the breast is rare and may present as a similar clinical appearance to mammary carcinoma, with a palpable breast mass and mammogram showing a mass or focal or diffuse density with or without calcifications [1‐6]. Although there are sporadic case reports in the literature, amyloid deposition in the breast has been previously reported only once in the radiology literature to our knowledge [1]. Although it has been incidentally observed as breast nodules or infiltration at autopsy with negative mammograms [2], we are unaware of amyloid presenting as a nonpalpable mammographic abnormality consisting of only indeterminate calcifications on annual screening mammography. The mammographic appearance of nonpalpable amyloid has not been described and is not commonly thought of in the differential diagnosis of nonpalpable breast disease or, more specifically, indeterminate calcifications. In this case, the absence of ill-defined density or a nodule on mammogram may be related to the overall relative increased breast density; however, a discrete lesion was not present on gross pathologic examination either. Amyloid fibrils have an affinity for calcium and deposition around mammary ducts and in blood vessels [3, 6, 7]. In this case, perhaps the branched morphology of the calcium is related to deposition in or around vasculature or mammary ducts. When limited to the breast, primary amyloid tumor is benign. However, secondary amyloidosis may have an ominous significance and poor prognosis [8].
Inflammation and Atherosclerosis—Revisited

Atherogenesis has been traditionally viewed as a metabolic disease representing arterial obstruction by fatty deposits in its wall. Today, it is believed that atherogenesis involves highly specific biochemical and molecular responses with constant interactions between various cellular players. Despite the presence of inflammatory reaction in each and every step of atherosclerosis from its inception to terminal manifestation, the cause–effect relationship of these 2 processes remains unclear. In this article, we have attempted to review the role of inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis and in its major complication—coronary heart disease.
Does Caregiver Knowledge Matter for Hospice Enrollment and Beyond? Pilot Study of Minority Hospice Patients

We examined the level of hospice knowledge of caregivers of minority elderly hospice patients and determined how it influences the hospice enrollment decision and the decision on the use of hospice services after enrollment. Based on qualitative analysis of medical records and interviews with caregivers of minority elderly hospice patients who received personal care from paid caregivers (eg, other than family caregivers), we found that hospice knowledge increased access to hospice among minority patients who otherwise would not opt for hospice or enroll too late for comprehensive hospice care services. Furthermore, the highest level of knowledge—acquired through caregivers' health care occupations—appears to influence hospice care after hospice enrollment. Caregivers with that level of knowledge made requests for changes in site of care and/or additional services that may enhance the quality of hospice care that their loved ones receive.
Early season herbivore differentially affects plant defence responses to subsequently colonizing herbivores and their abundance in the field

Induction of plant defences by early season herbivores can mediate interspecific herbivore competition. We have investigated plant‐mediated competition between three herbivorous insects through studies at different levels of biological integration. We have addressed (i) gene expression; (ii) insect behaviour and performance under laboratory conditions; and (iii) population dynamics under field conditions. We studied the expression of genes encoding a trypsin inhibitor and genes that are involved in glucosinolate biosynthesis in response to early season herbivory by Pieris rapae caterpillars in Brassica oleracea plants. Furthermore, we studied the interaction of these transcriptional responses with responses to secondary herbivory by the two specialist herbivores, P. rapae and Plutella xylostella, and the generalist Mamestra brassicae. P. rapae‐induced responses strongly interacted with plant responses to secondary herbivory. Sequential feeding by specialist herbivores resulted in enhanced or similar expression levels of defence‐related genes compared to primary herbivory by specialists. Secondary herbivory by the generalist M. brassicae resulted in lower gene expression levels than in response to primary herbivory by this generalist. Larval performance of both specialist and generalist herbivores was negatively affected by P. rapae‐induced plant responses. However, in the field the specialist P. xylostella was more abundant on P. rapae‐induced plants and preferred these plants over undamaged plants in oviposition experiments. In contrast, the generalist M. brassicae was more abundant on control plants and preferred undamaged plants for oviposition. P. rapae did not discriminate between plants damaged by conspecifics or undamaged plants. Our study shows that early season herbivory differentially affects transcriptional responses involved in plant defence to secondary herbivores and their population development dependent upon their degree of host plant specialization.
Estimated prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides in northern Brandenburg, Germany

Human alveolar echinococcosis, caused by the larval stage of the small fox tapeworm, is a lethal zoonotic infection if left untreated. E. multilocularis is distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and lives in the small intestines of carnivores, mainly canids. The main definitive host of E. multilocularis in European countries is the red fox Vulpes vulpes and in the last ten years new endemic areas for the parasite in Central Europe have been identified. In some areas, for instance in Germany, the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides - a spreading neozoon - must be regarded as an additional definitive host for E. multilocularis. In 2001 this parasite was found for the first time in raccoon dogs in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany. Between 2000 and 2008, 1,252 raccoon dogs from Brandenburg were examined by the Intestinal Scraping Technique. The majority of samples were obtained in five northern counties and all 60 animals that tested positive for E. multilocularis were located there. The estimated true prevalence calculated by a beta-binomial- model ranged from 6%-12% (Current Zoology 57 (5): 655-661, 2011).
Qualitative spatial understanding and reactive control for autonomous robots

The work involves integrating two paradigms for robust robotic systems: reactive control and qualitative spatial reasoning. The objective is to produce autonomous robots which can freely wander about, without harming themselves, while creating and improving maps of their environment which can then be used for navigation and planning. Reactive control provides a basic framework for developing and organizing behaviors for autonomous exploration and navigation. Qualitative spatial understanding provides an underlying representation and learning mechanism which will let the robot form spatial memories without requiring complicated object recognition or precise determination of environmental locations. The overall goal is to advance both areas of study for robotics as pertains to planning, learning, and real-time control. <<ETX>>
Circulating noradrenaline and β‐adrenergic receptors in children with congestive heart failure

This study was designed to investigate changes in plasma catecholamine concentrations and the number of β‐adrenoceptors (β‐AR) of circulating lymphocyte in 94 noncyanotic congenital heart patients, in 43 patients with congestive heart failure, β‐AR density was significantly lower (p < 0.001) and plasma noradrenergic levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared with corresponding values in 51 patients without heart failure. A significant negative correlation between lymphocyte β‐AR density and plasma noradrenergic levels was observed (r=−0.61, p < 0.001). The degree of left‐to‐right shunt and pulmonary pressure was correlated directly with noradrenaline level and inversely with lymphocyte β‐AR density. Both plasma noradrenaline level and lymphocyte β‐AR density return to normal in children with heart failure after surgical repair. Our results support the idea that changes in noradrenaline level and lymphocyte β‐adrenoceptor density occur concurrently with the presence and severity of heart failure in children.
Elective cervical ripening in women beyond the 290th day of pregnancy: a randomized trial comparing 2 dinoprostone preparations.

OBJECTIVE To determine the better performer among cervical ripening agents for the elective induction of labor. STUDY DESIGN An open-label, randomized study was done in consecutive patients undergoing elective induction of labor at the 41st week and beyond. Inclusion criteria were: singleton pregnancy, gestational age ascertained through first-trimester ultrasound, Bishop score <4 and nulliparity. Exclusion criteria were: oligohydramnios, maternal/fetal disorder or pregnancy complication, previous uterine surgery, rupture of membranes and presence of uterine activity. Patients received either slow-release dinoprostone vaginal insert (VI) or 0.5-mg dinoprostone intracervical (IC) gel, twice, 6 hours apart. RESULTS Women receiving VI showed increased risk of entering labor without further stimulation (OR = 6.48, 95% CI 2.06-21.67, p < 0.001) and delivering vaginally within 24 hours (OR = 2.71, 95% CI 1.19-6.21, p = 0.01) in comparison to those receiving IC gel. A stay in the hospital (> 4 days) was more prevalent in women treated with IC gel in comparison to those treated with VI (OR = 2.35, 95% CI 1.04-5.37). CONCLUSION Preinduction cervical ripening with the dinoprostone slow-release vaginal insert is associated with a hight rate of women undergoing vaginal delivery within 24 hours, with a shorter stay. Considering its good performance, the dinoprostone slow-release vaginal insert is the first choice for elective induction of labor in postdate pregnancy.
GABAA receptors in the primate basal ganglia: An autoradiographic and a light and electron microscopic immunohistochemical study of the α1 and β2,3 subunits in the baboon brain

The distribution of gamma‐aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors was investigated in the basal ganglia in the baboon brain by using receptor autoradiography and the immunohistochemical localisation of the α1 and β2,3 subunits of the GABAA receptor by light and electron microscopy. In the caudate‐putamen, the α1 subunit was distributed in high densities in the matrix compartment, and the β2,3 subunits were more homogeneously distributed; the globus pallidus showed lower levels of the α1 and β2,3 subunits. Four types of α1 subunit immunoreactive neurons were identified in the baboon striatum: the most numerous (75%) were type 1 medium‐sized aspiny neurons; type 2 (2%) were large aspiny neurons with an indented nuclear membrane located in the ventral striatum; type 3 neurons were the least numerous (1%) and were comprised of large neurons in the ventromedial regions of the striatum; and type 4 (22%) neurons were medium to large aspiny neurons located in striosomes. At the ultrastructural level, α1 and β2,3 subunit immunoreactivity was localised in the neuropil of the striatum in both symmetrical and asymmetrical synaptic contacts. In the globus pallidus, α1 and β2,3 subunits were localised on large neurons and were found in three types of synaptic terminals: type 1 terminals were small and established symmetrical synapses; type 2 terminals were large; and type 3 terminals formed small synaptic terminals with subjunctional dense bodies. These results show that the subunit composition of GABAA receptors varies between the striosome and the matrix compartments in the striatum and that there is receptor subunit homogeneity in the globus pallidus. J. Comp. Neurol. 397:297–325, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Options for Formulating a Digital Transformation Strategy

CIOs and other senior executives face the challenge of how to handle the opportunities and risks of digital transformation. To help managers address this challenge more systematically, we describe how three German media companies successfully approached digital transformation. Based on their experiences, we provide a list of 11 strategic questions and possible answers managers can use as guidelines when formulating a digital transformation strategy.
Cytokine Dysregulation Induced by Apoptotic Cells Is a Shared Characteristic of Murine Lupus1

Of the multiple murine models of autoimmunity, the three most closely resembling human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are the MRL/lpr, New Zealand Black/White F1, and male BXSB. Although these strains share many disease characteristics, no common cellular defect has previously been found in prediseased mice from all these strains. We show in this study that macrophages from prediseased mice of all three SLE-prone strains, as well as macrophages from mice whose genomes contribute to the development of SLE (MRL/+, New Zealand White, New Zealand Black, female BXSB, and LG/J), have an identical and profound defect in cytokine expression that is triggered by apoptotic cells. Strikingly, none of 13 nonautoimmune strains tested exhibited this defect. Given that apoptotic Ags have been increasingly recognized as the target of autoantibodies, a defect in cytokine expression that is triggered by apoptotic cells has broad potential to upset the balance between tolerance and immunity.
Compromised careers: the occupational transition of immigration and resettlement.

BACKGROUND Work is a significant occupational transition that occurs with immigration and resettlement. Problems finding work and regaining economic capital are multi-factorial, differentiated by gender and mediated by specific contexts. Surprisingly, past education and work experience are unreliable predictors of successful employment outcomes. APPROACH Critical theory and ethnographic concepts informed the methodological approach. Data were generated primarily through in-depth interviews, conducted in English, with 14 well-educated women who immigrated to Canada as adults and sought employment in their professions. The thematic findings were analyzed using Bourdieu's [7] concepts of capital, field and habitus. FINDINGS The theme Compromised Careers describes the downward occupational (work) mobility that occurs despite expectations that education, credentials and work experience are transferable to desirable employment. A devaluation of foreign qualifications and no relevant Canadian work experience function with gendered responsibilities, less social support, and time spent in resettlement activities to create negative work trajectories. The role that federal policies and professional organizations play is examined to reveal the tension between individuals' efforts to find employment and institutional barriers that impede these actions. CONCLUSION A critical inquiry approach examined the ruling relations to show how power and privilege function in relation to migrants' occupational transitions.
Upper urothelial carcinomas associated with Balkan endemic nephropathy and their similarities with upper urothelial carcinomas in analgesic nephropathy

Summary. The incidence of upper urothelial carcinomas (UUC) is even more than hundred times higher in the foci of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), by investigations of our team, and others. Every tenth patient suffers from both diseases. Etiology is unknown. It would seem that BEN is a tubulointerstitial nephritis associated with urothelial malignancy. We found that apoptosis plays an important role in the early phase of BEN, similarly as in other toxic nephropathies. Petronic shows great similarity between Balkan nephropathy and analgesic nephropathy, as well as between upper urothelial carcinomas associated with both diseases. Based on investigation of grade to stage ratio in 100 tumors from our series of UUC, the upper urothelial carcinomas from BEN areas are characterized by slow growth of tumor mass in comparison to the same carcinomas outside BEN regions in former Yugoslavia and the evaluated cut-off point % cErb-B2+ cells for aggressive tumors of grade 3 or stage 2 is slightly greater for the UUC in the general population. Smaller cell population in proliferation in the UUC from BEN regions than what is detected in the UUC outside these regions may explain BEN tumor resistance to putative toxic agent effect during tumor progression in grade 2, although the same toxin has probably realized tumor induction. It would seem that the cErb-B2 (a receptor for EGF) is differently involved in the control of a cell cycle proliferation in urothelial tumor associated with BEN.