Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research Note - Business Value of Information Technology: Testing the Interaction Effect of IT and R&D on Tobin's Q

The business case for investing in information technology IT has received increasing scrutiny in recent years. We propose that IT investments create additional business value through interactions with other business processes. In this paper, we formalize the interaction effect of IT by focusing on one core function, namely, research and development R&D. We hypothesize that investments in IT can interact with and complement a firm's R&D investments, enhancing the firm's shareholder value creation potential. We test this by hypothesis by estimating the interaction impact of IT and R&D investments on Tobin's q, a forward-looking measure of firm performance using a recent multiyear, firm-level, archival data set. Our results suggest that the interaction effect of R&D and IT on Tobin's q is positive and significant after controlling for other firm-and industry-specific effects. Our findings provide rigorous empirical support for recent anecdotal evidence in the managerial literature with respect to the manner in which IT is enabling R&D-intensive innovation processes. Our analysis underscores the need for coordinated investments in IT and R&D, and permeating IT capabilities throughout other business processes such as R&D.
[Mortality among medical doctors based on the registered cause of death in Korea 1992-2002].

OBJECTIVE To compare the mortality rate of Korean medical doctors to that of the general Korean population for the period 1992-2002. METHODS The membership records of the Korean Medical Association were linked to the 1992-2002 death certificate data of Korea's National Statistical Office using 13-digit unique personal identification numbers. The study population consisted of 61,164 medical doctors with a follow-up period of 473,932 person-years. Standardized mortality ratios(SMRs) were calculated to compare cause-specific mortality rates of medical doctors to those of the general population. RESULTS We confirmed 1150 deaths at ages from 30 to 75 years from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 2002. The SMR for all-cause of death was 0.47(95% CI: 0.44-0.50). The SMRs for smoking-related diseases such as cerebrovascular accidents and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were smaller than the SMR of all-cause of death. However, the SMRs for colorectal and pancreatic cancers were not significantly lower than those of the general population. Transport accidents and suicides accounted for 72% (94 of 131) of external causes of death. The SMR for suicide was 0.51 (95% CI: 0.38-0.68). CONCLUSIONS The mortality rate of South Korean medical doctors was less than 50% that of the general population of South Korea. Cause-specific analysis showed that mortality rates in leading causes of death were lower among medical doctors although differences in mortality rates between medical doctors and the general population varied with the causes of death. These health benefits found among medical doctors may be attributable to the lower level of health damaging behaviors (e.g., lower smoking rates) and better working conditions.
Perfusion abnormalities in pulmonary embolism studied with perfusion MRI and ventilation‐perfusion scintigraphy: An intra‐modality and inter‐modality agreement study

To compare perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ventilation‐perfusion scintigraphy (V‐P scan) in the study of perfusion abnormalities in pulmonary embolism (PE) and to compare the PE results to the findings previously reported for pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in terms of perfusion abnormalities.
Anterior Pituitary Leptin Expression Changes in Different Reproductive States: In Vitro Stimulation by Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone

This study was designed to learn more about the changes in expression of rat anterior pituitary (AP) leptin during the estrous cycle. QRT-PCR assays of cycling rat AP leptin mRNA showed 2-fold increases from metestrus to diestrus followed by an 86% decrease on the morning of proestrus. Percentages of leptin cells increased in proestrus and pregnancy to 55-60% of AP cells. Dual labeling for leptin proteins and growth hormone (GH) or gonadotropins showed that the rise in leptin protein-bearing cells from diestrus to proestrus was mainly in GH cells. Only 10-20% of leptin cells in male or cycling female rats coexpress gonadotropins. In contrast, 50-73% of leptin cells from pregnant or lactating females coexpress gonadotropins and only 19% coexpress GH, indicating plasticity in the distribution of leptin. Leptin cells expressed GnRH receptors, and estrogen and GnRH together increased the coexpression of leptin mRNA and gonadotropins. GnRH increased cellular leptin proteins three to four times and mRNA 9.8 times in proestrous rats and stimulated leptin secretion in cultures from diestrous, proestrous, and pregnant rats. These regulatory influences, and the high expression of AP leptin during proestrus and pregnancy, suggest a supportive role for leptin during key events involved with reproduction.
Symptoms of Stress and Depression as Correlates of Sleep in Primary Insomnia

Objective: Previous studies have not evaluated the clinical correlates of the electroencephalographic spectral profile in patients with insomnia. In the preliminary study described here, we evaluated the extent to which symptoms of stress and depression are associated with subjective sleep complaints and quantitative measures of sleep in individuals with chronic insomnia. Methods: Subjects were 14 healthy adults who met criteria for primary insomnia as specified in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Measures of stress, depression, and subjective sleep quality were collected before subjects participated in a two-night laboratory sleep series. We hypothesized that elevated symptoms of stress and depression would be associated with subjective sleep complaints and electroencephalographic evidence of hyperarousal during sleep. Hyperarousal during sleep was defined as decreases in delta power and elevations in alpha and beta power throughout non–rapid eye movement sleep, and symptoms of stress were defined as the tendency to experience stress-related intrusive thoughts and the interaction between intrusion tendency and the number of recent stressful events (subjective stress burden). Results: A stronger tendency to experience stress-related intrusive thoughts was associated with greater sleep complaints and a trend toward higher beta power, whereas increases in subjective stress burden were associated with decreases in delta power. In addition, elevations in subclinical symptoms of depression were associated with greater sleep complaints and elevations in alpha power. Conclusions: Observed relationships among symptoms of stress, depression, subjective sleep complaints, and electroencephalographic power may be relevant to the discrepancy between subjective and objective measures of sleep in patients with insomnia and may be more broadly applicable to sleep complaints in association with stressful life events and major depression.
The effect of hypoxia and carbon monoxide exposure on plasma volume and capillary permeability to albumin.

The effects on plasma volume and transcapillary escape rate for albumin of 3 to 5 hours' exposure to hypoxia or to carbon monoxide were studied in man. The transcapillary escape rate for albumin increased significantly during carbon monoxide exposure, but not during exposure to hypoxia. Since the investigation yields no evidence of a hemodynamic explanation of the findings, it is assumed that carbon monoxide exposure causes increased capillary permeability to protein. While the plasma volume decreased significantly during hypoxia, no change was found during carbon monoxide exposure. It is suggested that this discrepancy could be explained by hypoxia-induced hyperventilation.
Degree of social contact affects the emission of food calls in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the emission of food calls in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) is influenced by different social contexts. Food calls are emitted by this species only in the presence of preferred food. If these calls have any communicative function, it may be that individuals produce food calls in order to call family mates toward the food source. If this is the case, the number of calls produced should vary in accordance with the number of family mates present at the moment of the discovery of the food, i.e., the fewer family mates nearby, the more food calls are emitted. This hypothesis was tested with five pairs of common marmosets, by recording the number of food calls emitted in four experimental conditions: 1) isolation: completely isolated from the family mates; 2) visual isolation: separated by a wooden panel from the family mates; 3) visual contact: separated by a wire‐mesh from the family mates; and 4) physical interaction: together with the family mates. The results show that the proportion of intervals during which food calls were produced by the pairs was significantly different in the four experimental conditions. It decreased from the isolation and visual isolation condition, through the visual contact condition, reaching the lowest value in the physical interaction condition. The variation observed in the proportion of intervals during which food calls were emitted, in relation to different social contexts, is an indication in favor of the communicative function of this vocalization. Am. J. Primatol. 59:21–28, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of screening strategy for detecting hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma

The Amsterdam criteria are used worldwide for the clinical diagnosis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC). In Japan, clinical criteria (JCC) have been proposed to identify as many HNPCC cases as possible, but the suitability of the JCC remains uncertain. In this article, the authors evaluate retrospectively whether the JCC are adequate to diagnose HNPCC compared with the Bethesda guidelines (BG) and also investigated useful screening methods for HNPCC.
Control of phase center and polarization in circular microstrip antennas

In this paper, the problem is investigated in a more general form, involving phase center location and polarization of multimode, multilayer, circular microstrip antennas. It is shown that, these parameters can be controlled by amplitude and phase excitations of the modes, in particular, when the first three modes are being excited, which are the TM11, TM21 and TM02. It is also shown that, the phase center of such antennas can be changed, while maintaining the main beam direction constant, thus, introducing the concept of virtual antennas
Dietary Patterns in Relation to Stroke among Iranians: A Case-Control Study

Background: Although several studies have linked dietary patterns to the risk of stroke in Western countries, we are aware of no report in Middle Eastern populations with regard to this association. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between major dietary patterns and risk of stroke among a group of Iranian population. Methods: In a hospital-based case-control study, 195 stroke patients, hospitalized in Alzahra University Hospital in 2008, were selected as cases and 195 control subjects from patients hospitalized in orthopedic or surgical wards with no history of cerebrovascular diseases or neurologic disorders were recruited. Usual dietary intakes of participants were assessed by means of a validated 168-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. To identify major dietary patterns, principal component analysis was used and each participant received a factor score for each identified pattern. Results: We identified 3 major dietary patterns: high carbohydrate–low fat dietary pattern, sweet–fatty dietary pattern, and traditional dietary pattern. Those in the highest quartile of traditional dietary pattern were 4.48 times more likely to have stroke compared to those in the lowest quartile. After adjustment for confounders, the association was attenuated. A significant association between high carbohydrate–low fat dietary pattern and stroke was also observed after controlling for potential confounding factors (odds ratio = 2.19, 95% confidence interval, 1.08–4.44). Consumption in the sweet–fatty food pattern was not associated with the risk of stroke either in crude or in adjusted models. Conclusion: Major dietary patterns identified by principal components analysis are significantly associated with stroke in a Middle Eastern population.
Maternal Personality: Longitudinal Associations to Parenting Behavior and Maternal Emotional Expressions toward Toddlers

SYNOPSIS Objective . Longitudinal associations among maternal personality, emotional expressions, and parenting were examined. Design . Maternal parenting (sensitivity and intrusiveness) and positive emotional expressions were observed during a free-play session with toddlers at 18 (T1, n = 246) and 30 (T3, n = 216) months. Mothers completed a personality measure at T1 and a questionnaire measuring their emotional expressiveness (positive and negative) when toddlers were 24 months old (T2, n = 213). Results . Dimensions of maternal personality and maternal emotional expressiveness were related to individual differences in maternal parenting behaviors, in particular to maternal sensitivity. Conscientiousness and Agreeableness at T1 were positively associated with observed positive emotional expressions at T1. Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion at T1 also were positively related to positive emotional expressions reported by mothers at T2. Maternal positive emotional expressions (T1 and T2), in turn, were associated with more sensitive behavior observed with toddlers at T3. Conclusion . In addition to direct effects of maternal personality on maternal parenting, mothers' emotional expressiveness was found to be a possible pathway for explaining relations of maternal personality and parenting.
ROUTINE USE OF LOW‐DOSE INTRAVENOUS INSULIN INFUSION IN SEVERE HYPERGLYCAEMIA ∗

A review is presented of the use of low‐dose insulin infusion in the management of 58 episodes of severe diabetic hyperglycaemia. Neutral insulin in a dosage of 2 4 units per hour is infused via a paediatric giving set to achieve a sustained physiological elevation of insulin levels. This method is safe, simple and rapidly effective in lowering the blood glucose level, the mean rate of fall (62 mg/100 ml/hr, or 11% per hour) being unaffected by prior insulin therapy, acidosis or ketonuria. Classification of the hyperglycaemia as ketoacidotic or hyperosmolar is unnecessary before insulin therapy is instituted, as the relative decline in glucose level is the same in the hyperosmolar non‐ketotic group as in the others. Proven infection significantly lowers the rate of fall of glucose level. Hypoglycaemia and hypokalemia are rare during low‐dose infusion. Early and adequate replacement with potassium phosphate is recommended, oral potassium supplements being continued for several days. Bicarbonate therapy is rarely indicated in the management of acidosis.
Does long-term GH replacement therapy in hypopituitary adults with GH deficiency normalise quality of life?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether impaired quality of life (QoL) in adults with GH deficiency (GHD) is reversible with long-term GH therapy and whether the responses in QoL dimensions differ from each other. METHODS QoL was measured by the Quality of Life-Assessment for Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults (QoL-AGHDA) in general population samples in England & Wales, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden (n = 892, 1038, 868 and 1682 respectively) and compared with corresponding patients' data from KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database) (n = 758, 247, 197 and 484 respectively) for 4-6 years a follow-up. The subsets of patients from England and Wales, and Sweden with longitudinal data for 5 years' follow-up were also analysed. The change of the total QoL-AGHDA scores and responses within dimensions were evaluated. Subanalyses were performed to identify any specificity in response pattern for gender, age, disease-onset and aetiology. RESULTS Irrespective of the degree of impairment, overall QoL improved dramatically in the first 12 months, with steady progress thereafter towards the country-specific population mean. Problems with memory and tiredness were the most serious burden for untreated patients, followed by tenseness, self-confidence and problems with socialising. With treatment, these improved in the reverse order, normalising for the latter three. CONCLUSIONS Long-term GH replacement results in sustained improvements towards the normative country-specific values in overall QoL and in most impaired dimensions. The lasting improvement and almost identical pattern of response in each patient subgroup and independent of the level of QoL impairment support the hypothesis that GHD may cause these patients' psychological problems.
Hemochromatosis: An endocrine liver disease

This review acknowledges the recent and dramatic advancement in the field of hemochromatosis and highlights the surprising analogies with a prototypic endocrine disease, diabetes. The term hemochromatosis should refer to a unique clinicopathologic subset of iron‐overload syndromes that currently includes the disorder related to the C282Y homozygote mutation of the hemochromatosis protein HFE (by far the most common form of hemochromatosis) and the rare disorders more recently attributed to the loss of transferrin receptor 2, HAMP (hepcidin antimicrobial peptide), or hemojuvelin or to certain ferroportin mutations. The defining characteristic of this subset is failure to prevent unneeded iron from entering the circulatory pool as a result of genetic changes compromising the synthesis or activity of hepcidin, the iron hormone. Like diabetes, hemochromatosis results from the complex, nonlinear interaction between genetic and acquired factors. Depending on the underlying mutation, the coinheritance of modifier genes, the presence of nongenetic hepcidin inhibitors, and other host‐related factors, the clinical manifestation may vary from simple biochemical abnormalities to severe multiorgan disease. The recognition of the endocrine nature of hemochromatosis suggests intriguing possibilities for new and more effective approaches to diagnosis and treatment. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.)
Prenatal Maternal Paroxetine Treatment and Neonatal Mortality in the Rat: A Preliminary Study

Recent evidence has shown that prenatal maternal stress has negative consequences for the mental health of the adult organism. Our aim was to examine the efficacy of using the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine, to alleviate the symptoms of prenatal maternal stress in Fisher 344 rats. Pregnant rats were subjected to daily restraint stress and concurrent paroxetine treatment (10 mg/kg p.o.) during the last week of gestation. Maternal paroxetine treatment led to a shortened gestational length, reduced birth weight and a 10-fold rise in neonatal mortality in both stressed and non-stressed litters. These results reiterate the need for further research on the effects of paroxetine treatment during gestation.
Advantages and limitations of the NFO control algorithm

Natural field orientation (NFO) control technique was introduced and patented in 1980s as an alternative low cost control technique for induction motors. It offered some attractive features, including simplicity of control and low sensitivity to the stator resistance error. Some stability issues in regeneration have also been reported. This paper summarises the authors' experience with the NFO control technique gained from a recent research project. It explains how NFO is different from other control techniques, presents stabilisation strategy proposed by the authors and results of stability analysis. It then explores fundamental limitations of the NFO control and summarises the authors' views on the NFO control properties and application prospects. The main findings of the paper are illustrated by simulation and experimental results.
Interest Rate Determination in India: Empirical Evidence on Fiscal Deficit – Interest Rate Linkages and Financial Crowding Out

Controlling for capital flows using the high-frequency macro data of a financially deregulated regime, this paper examines whether there is any evidence of the fiscal deficit determining the interest rate in the context of India. The period of analysis is FY 2006-07 (April) to FY 2011 (April). Contrary to the debates in policy circles, the paper finds that an increase in the fiscal deficit does not cause a rise in interest rates. Using the asymmetric vector autoregressive model, the paper establishes that the interest rate is affected by changes in the reserve currency, expected inflation, and volatility in capital flows, but not by the fiscal deficit. This result has significant policy implications for interest rate determination in India, especially since the central bank has cited the high fiscal deficit as the prime reason for leaving the rates unchanged in all of its recent policy announcements. The paper analyzes both long- and short-term interest rates to determine the occurrence of financial crowding out, and finds that the fiscal deficit does not appear to be causing either shorts and longs. However, a reverse causality is detected, from interest rates to deficits.
Effect of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide on the Reproductive Axis of Prepubertal and Peripubertal Female Rats

The immune, endocrine and nervous systems are closely interrelated, which allows the organism to respond to different types of stress such as infection. Chronic infectious and inflammatory conditions are often accompanied by an impaired reproductive function. Leptin, a hormone produced by adipose tissue, exerts a regulatory function on the reproductive axis. It has homology with other proinflammatory cytokines and could be modified by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Therefore, these studies were designed to investigate the effect of LPS administration on the neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in the regulation of the reproductive axis during sexual maturation. Fifteen- and 30-day-old female rats were injected with a single dose of LPS 250 µg/kg (i.p.) and then nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, hypothalamic excitatory/inhibitory amino acids and Gn-RH content, serum LH and leptin concentration were studied. In 15-day-old female rats LPS treatment did not modify hypothalamic inducible (iNOS) and constitutive (cNOS) NOS activity, Gn-RH, glutamate (GLU) and GABA content. Also serum LH and leptin levels were not modified. In 30-day-old rats LPS increased iNOS and cNOS activity (p < 0.001) and hypothalamic Gn-RH content (p < 0.001). At this age hypothalamic GABA content was significantly decreased (p < 0.001) without changes in GLU content, and serum LH (p < 0.001) and leptin (p < 0.0001) decreased significantly. In summary, current studies have demonstrated that LPS administration to 15- and 30-day-old female rats results in a different response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis and of the adipose tissue, demonstrating an ontogenic response of the immune-neuroendocrine system to LPS administration.