Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethical conflicts with hospitals: The perspective of nurses and physicians

Nurses and physicians may experience ethical conflict when there is a difference between their own values, their professional values or the values of their organization. The distribution of limited health care resources can be a major source of ethical conflict. Relatively few studies have examined nurses' and physicians' ethical conflict with organizations. This study examined the research question ‘What are the organizational ethical conflicts that hospital nurses and physicians experience in their practice? ’ We interviewed 34 registered nurses, 10 nurse managers, and 31 physicians as part of a larger study, and asked them to describe their ethical conflicts with organizations. Through content analysis, we identified themes of nurses' and physicians' ethical conflict with organizations and compared the themes for nurses with those for physicians.
Impact of Body Mass Index on Surgical and Oncological Outcomes in Laparoscopic Total Mesorectal Excision for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer after Neoadjuvant 5-Fluorouracil-Based Chemoradiotherapy

Aims To evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the surgical outcome of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (laTME) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC, clinically staged as UICC stage II/III) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Methods 312 LARC patients undergoing laTME after nCRT were divided into nonobese (BMI < 25.0 kg/m2, n = 249) and obese (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, n = 63) groups. Preoperative radiotherapy was delivered in 45–50.4 Gy/25f, 5 days/week, and concurrent chemotherapy using FOLFOX or CapeOX. Technical feasibility, postoperative and oncological outcome were compared between groups. Results Obese patients had significantly longer operative time (P = 0.004). There was no significant difference regarding estimated blood loss, conversion, postoperative recovery, and morbidities. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that higher ASA score and abdominoperineal resection were risk factors for postoperative complications and diverting stoma was a protective factor. The length of resection margin, circumferential resection margin involvement, and number of lymph node retrieved were comparable. With a median follow-up time of 55 months (ranging 20–102 months), oncological outcome was comparable in terms of overall survival, local recurrence, and distant metastasis. Conclusions Obesity does not affect surgical or oncological outcome of laTME after nCRT. LaTME may be feasible and safe to obese LARC patients after nCRT in a specialized center.
DNA interactions of antitumor trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)].

Recent observations that several trans-platinum complexes exhibit antitumor activity including activity in cisplatin-resistant tumor cells, violates the classical structure/activity relationships of platinum(II) complexes. According to these relationships, only bifunctional platinum(II) complexes with cis-oriented leaving ligands should be therapeutically active. In order to contribute to the understanding of mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of these new trans-platinum analogs, various biochemical and biophysical methods as well as molecular modeling techniques were employed to study the modifications of DNA by antitumor trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)]. The results indicated that trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)] coordinated monofunctionally to DNA with a similar rate as transplatin. The overall rate of the rearrangement to bifunctional adducts was also similar to that observed in the case of DNA modification by transplatin, i.e. it was relatively slow (after 48 h approximately 34% adducts remained monofunctional). In contrast to transplatin, however, trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)] formed considerably more interstrand cross-links after 48 h (approximately 30%) with a much shorter half-time (approximately 5 h) (approximately 12% for transplatin, t1/2 > 11 h). The results also suggested that the quinoline ligand in all or in a significant fraction of DNA adducts of trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)], in which platinum is coordinated to base residues, was well positioned to interact with the duplex. The adducts of trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)] terminated in vitro RNA synthesis preferentially at guanine residues. Surprisingly, the type and extent of conformational alterations induced in DNA indicates that trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)] behaves in some respects like cisplatin, as indicated by the fact that trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)]-modified DNA is recognized by cisplatin-specific antibodies. Models for both monofunctional adducts and bifunctional interstrand cross-links are proposed. Computer-generated AMBER models show that the combination of monofunctional covalent binding and a stacking interaction between quinoline and the DNA bases can produce a kink in the duplex which is strongly suggestive of the directed bend produced by the major cisplatin-DNA adduct (1,2 intrastrand cross-link). Unique DNA adducts of this type formed by trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(quinoline)] may contribute to the antitumor efficacy of this agent.
Race and Preventive Services Delivery Among Black Patients and White Patients Seen in Primary Care

Background.Numerous studies have documented racial disparities in delivery of health care treatment services, but there is little information to determine whether similar disparities exist in the delivery of preventive services. Objective.To determine if disparities exist in preventive service delivery to non-Hispanic white patients and black patients in primary care. Research Design. Multimethod study using direct observation of patient encounters, medical record review, and patient exit questionnaire. Subjects.Four thousand three hundred thirteen outpatients presenting to 138 family physicians. Measures.Delivery of 15 screening, 24 health-habit counseling and 11 immunization services recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force. Results.Using multilevel linear regression analysis, no significant racial differences were found in rates of delivery of screening services or immunizations. However, black patients were more likely to receive preventive health-habit counseling (mean percent of patients up-to-date on all recommended counseling services, adjusted for covariates: 11.6% for black patients, 9.5% for whites, P = 0.003). Conclusions.Black patients able to access primary care receive preventive services at rates equal to or greater than white patients. This suggests that efforts to increase delivery of preventive care in black patients need to focus on access to primary care.
Diabetes enhances the intrahepatic vascular response to endothelin‐1 in cirrhotic rats: association with the ETA receptor and pERK up‐regulation

Cirrhosis is characterized by increased intrahepatic vascular resistance and enhanced vasocontractile responsiveness that impedes portal inflow and elevates portal pressure, in which endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) plays a role. Diabetes and glucose influence vasoresponsiveness but their impact on the intrahepatic vascular bed in cirrhosis is unknown. To investigate intrahepatic ET‐1 vasoresponsiveness in cirrhotic rats with and without diabetes and to explore the underlying mechanisms.
Psychiatric and general medical conditions comorbid with bipolar disorder in the National Hospital Discharge Survey.

OBJECTIVE From 40% to 65% of patients with bipolar disorder are estimated to have diagnoses of one or more comorbid conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify comorbid disorders and compare their prevalence in hospitalizations of persons with or without bipolar disorder. METHODS Data from the 1979-2006 National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) were analyzed to examine temporal trends in the proportional morbidity of bipolar disorder, demographic characteristics, and the most frequent comorbid conditions in hospitalizations of patients with or without bipolar disorder. Among discharges of patients ages 13-64, the conditions of those with a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder (N=27,054) were compared with those with other primary diagnoses (N=2,325,247). Proportional morbidity ratios (PMRs) were calculated. RESULTS There was an average 10% (p<.001) increase per year in the proportion of discharges with bipolar disorder. Proportions of discharge records that noted bipolar disorder were higher among females and whites and were highest among persons ages 13-19 and those from the Northeast. Discharge records noting a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder showed higher proportions of most psychiatric and some general medical conditions, including acquired hypothyroidism (proportional morbidity ratio=2.6), viral hepatitis (1.6), obesity (1.4), and various diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (range 2.6-4.2) and of the nervous (1.4-3.8), respiratory (1.4-2.3), and musculoskeletal (1.2-1.9) systems. CONCLUSIONS Patients with bipolar disorder have an increased illness burden from many psychiatric and general medical conditions. Knowledge of the most prevalent comorbid conditions and methods for their prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment are critical in improving the prognosis of patients with bipolar disorder.
High factor VIII antigen levels increase the risk of venous thrombosis but are not associated with polymorphisms in the von Willebrand factor and factor VIII gene

High factor VIII levels increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, but the mechanisms that cause high factor VIII levels are unclear. In 301 thrombosis patients and 301 matched healthy controls, factor VIII antigen (VIII:Ag) levels ≥ 150 IU/dl increased the thrombosis risk more than fivefold. We investigated whether high factor VIII:Ag levels result from a genetic variation in the factor VIII or von Willebrand factor (VWF) genes. Six polymorphisms in the VWF gene and two CA‐repeats in the factor VIII gene were not associated with plasma VWF levels, factor VIII:Ag levels, or thrombosis risk. Our data do not support the hypothesis that a single functional sequence variation in the factor VIII or VWF gene explains the majority of high factor VIII levels and thrombotic risk.
The impact of investor protection and bank regulation on the shareholder wealth: evidence from merger and acquisition announcements in the banking industry

This thesis studies the impact of investor protection and bank regulation on the shareholder wealth around merger and acquisition announcements in the banking industry during the period 1995-2005. The analysis is based on 508 targets, 1,424 bidders and 388 combined firms covering over 30 countries. Using the event study methodology, the results show that targets, bidders and combined firms obtain 13.25%, -0.63% and 0.39% cumulative abnormal returns over a 3 day (-1,+1) event window, respectively. In addition, cross-sectional analysis reveals that target cumulative abnormal returns are positively related to investor protection measured as the antidirector rights and rule of law in a target country. The findings also indicate that targets gain more when bank regulation in a target country has more restriction on bank activity, official supervisors have more power to intervene the deals and supervisors have more power to correct the problem in mergers and acquisitions separately. Furthermore, the results show that bidders have lower gains when investor protection in a bidder country measured as rule of law is strong. The results also find that bidders gain less when bank regulation in a bidder country has more restriction on bank activity. However, the findings show that bidders gain more when supervisory authority in a bidder country is more independent. With respect to combined firms, the results find that combined firms obtain higher announcement returns when investor protection measured as the combination of the antidirector rights index in a target and bidder country is strong.
How Do Stock Markets Process Analysts' Recommendations?

This paper explores the impact of analyst investment recommendations on intra-daily stock returns and volatility when those recommendations are conditioned on the release of public news. Using a sample of 3,679 recommendations of computer and computer-related firms, we investigate differences in the timing and price reaction of two types of information: analysts' recommendations and public news announcements. We determine that overnight news announcements are significantly linked to the contemporaneous analysts' recommendations. When we condition recommendations on the presence of public news, we find that there is a significant intra-daily price reaction, both in terms of returns and volatility, to analysts' recommendations. Lastly, we show that recommendations have weakly Granger causal relations with news announcements. Overall, we establish that analysts' recommendations have an immediate impact on the market when they are released both with and without public news. Hence, anyone who examines the impact of public news announcements on market prices should also account for comments made by analysts as well.
CEO Characteristics and the Choice of Using Non-Financial Performance Measures in Compensation Contracts

CEO CHARACTERISTICS AND THE CHOICE OF USING NON-FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE IN COMPENSATION CONTRACTS By Melloney Cheylae Simerly, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctoral of Philosophy in Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Major Director: Director: Benson Wier, Ph.D., Dean’s Scholar Professor of Accounting, School of Business Department of Accounting This study examines how CEO characteristics influence the decision to use non-financial performance measures (NFPM) in compensation contracts. Specifically, I examine the CEO characteristics: gender, age, tenure, risk-aversion, overconfidence, and sensitivity of wealth. Using trait theory and the extant literature examining NFPM, females, age, tenure, and riskaversion are expected to be positively associated with the use of NFPM while competing hypotheses are presented for overconfidence and sensitivity of wealth. Employing a two-way fixed effects method, controlling for fixed effects at the firm and year level, I find that female CEOs are positively associated with the use of NFPM because of increased risk-aversion. The short-term horizon perspective of younger and older CEOs lead to less preference for NFPM. Increasing tenure is associated with the power to self-select into contracts that include NFPM. Moreover, tenure is incrementally more important than age and gender. The results for overconfidence are inconclusive. Finally, risk-aversion and sensitivity of wealth are both positively associated with weight of NFPM. The results of this study further the understanding for the use of NFPM and provide information regarding the specific managerial fixed effects that influence compensation decisions.
Institutional Reform and Depositors' Portfolio Choice -- Evidence from Censored Quantile Regressions

In this paper we study the effect of institutional reform on the decision to hold risky assets at the extensive and the intensive margin. We therefore make use of the natural experiment of German Division and Reunification and, based on savings bank customer data from German savings banks, study whether the customers of East German banks differ from their West German counterparts. While we find only slight differences in the decision to hold risky assets at the extensive margin, the differences turn out to be much larger at the intensive margin. Moreover, the latter effects turn out to be quite persistent even in the age group of individuals which were too young at the time of German Reunification to have collected financial experiences in one of the previously existing systems. Our results support the view that reforms allowing individuals to get easy access to financial markets quite quickly result in increasing market participation. However, the degree and sort of risk, individuals are willing to bear, seems to change only slowly as the portfolios of East and West German savings bank customers still differ considerably 15 years after German Reunification. We attribute this finding to the only slowly changing informal institutions.
Technology Acceptance in Malaysian Banking Industry

The purpose of this study is to examine the determinant factors and acceptance of Information Technology in the Malaysian banking industry. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was employed to study the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social pressure, perceived enjoyment and fun, as well as the perceived complexity of IT usage and acceptance of Malaysian bankers. A survey was conducted by distributing questionnaires to a randomly selected sample of 200 bankers located within the Klang Valley, in Malaysia. The location of the survey was selected in view of its advancement, development and implementation of IT applications as compared to other locations in Malaysia. The results of the study established that perceived usefulness was most influential in determining microcomputer usage among bankers in Malaysia. Overall, the results of this study are valuable to both researchers and bank management in providing new insights about the IT from bankers’ point of view.
Quantifying Cultural Changes Through A Half-Century Of Song Lyrics And Books

Music is an ever-changing cultural reflection. It is deeply integrated into our society, ubiquitous in movies, television shows, restaurants, sport venues, churches and a plethora of other places. This thesis proposes that we consider the lyrics in popular music, as determined by Billboards Hot 100 chart, as a natural medium to analyze the changes in culture over the past half-century. Using this collection of lyrics, we analyze the change in relative frequency of individual words over time, and compare to works of literature. Furthermore, we use the ranking in the Top 100 as a metric with which to explore the relationship between usage of particular words and the popularity of the respective songs. We find that our data coincides with a previous hypothesis that the relative happiness of lyrics has decreased over time, and find that this also applies to the relative happiness of popular music.
Women in the Boardroom: A Global Perspective?

2 The Deloitte Global Center for Corporate Governance is proud to present this fourth edition of " Women in the Boardroom: A Global Perspective. " As with our previous versions, this research represents one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching surveys of recent efforts to increase the participation of women in boardrooms across the globe. Interest from regulators, investors, governments, companies, and the media has increased with each revision to the research, along with the number of countries we cover. This is not surprising: the movement for more diversity on our boards of directors continues to accelerate, even since our last edition in 2013. In our first version, back in 2011, we struggled to find 13 countries with diversity legislation or significant programs; today, to say we have an embarrassment of riches is an understatement: we are proud to provide details on 49 countries around the world. There is another change to discuss since the last edition. In my introduction to the third edition, I noted the relative absence of investors from the debate about boardroom diversity. Today, I don't think I can make the same claim. True, we still see relatively few shareholder proposals on the issue compared to proposals about environmental or social sustainability, or about executive pay or board leadership. Yet the last two years have seen more shareholders step up and begin to advocate for change, often behind the scenes, but increasingly in public. Investors are convening and leading panels about boardroom diversity, and they are increasingly lobbying governments and policy makers, too. Later this year, the OECD will publish the final version of its Principles of Corporate Governance, and it will include a first reference to director diversity, a change brought about in no small part by the persistent advocacy of several large institutional investors. Deloitte, too, has increased its activity in this area. Not only does Deloitte actively advocate in favor of boardroom diversity to governments and policy makers, we have introduced new programs for our clients and others to prepare senior women for board service and to increase the chances for women to be placed on boards in the first place. Among these is Deloitte's Board-ready Women Program, which identifies women who stand ready to serve on private and listed company boards but have not yet been asked to join. The program provides a thorough background in corporate governance, audit committee oversight, risk, …
Concurrent studies on the flow of digesta in the duodenum and of exocrine pancreatic secretion of calves

1. Two surgical techniques were developed in the calf to study the role of pancreatic secretion in digestion. The secretion was collected through a cannula placed in a small sac of duodenum into which the pancreatic duct drained. The continuity of the duodenum was re-established in the first technique by duodenal re-entrant cannulas, and in the second technique by end-to-end anastomosis of the duodenum with a cannula placed cranial to the anastomosis to return the pancreatic secretion. The accessory pancreatic duct was ligated. 2. The flows of digesta through the duodenum of milk-fed calves were 5505, 6369 and 7709 ml/12 h at 7, 24 and 63 d of age respectively, similar to values reported previously in the literature. In a 12 h collection period 297, 441 and 602 ml pancreatic fluid were secreted by calves of 7, 24 and 63 d of age respectively. The secretion from the mucosa of the duodenal sac was 40 ml/12 h in two other calves. 3. The rate of secretion from the pancreas varied markedly in milk-fed calves, being lowest 2–3 h and highest 6–10 h after feeding. Changes in the concentration of chloride and bicarbonate with pancreatic secretion rate were indicative of a secretin stimulus to secretion. 4. The rates of inactivation of pancreatic enzymes collected from the duodenal sac were measured at 4°, 20° and 39°.