Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The patient-provider relationship

The doctor-patient relationship may be threatened by new financial and organizational arrangements that raise concerns about conflicts of interest and weaken patient trust. Consider a 34-year-old salesman who presents with a 6-day history of low-back pain without neurologic symptoms. The pain started when he twisted to pick up his 14-month-old daughter. Although the pain has improved somewhat with bed rest, ibuprofen, and a heating pad at night, he is concerned because he has not previously experienced such persistent back pain. He is otherwise healthy and has no neurologic findings or bone tenderness. He wants to see an orthopedic surgeon or get a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. “I've done what the nurse advised when I called in, but I still haven't recovered. This is more serious than the back problems I've had in the past,” he says. In this situation, practice guidelines do not recommend referral to a specialist or imaging studies because of the low likelihood of serious disease and the high likelihood that symptoms will resolve on continued conservative therapy. However, patients in managed care may question whether the referral and tests truly are not indicated, or whether physicians are simply trying to save money for themselves, the physician group, or the health care plan. Furthermore, patients may question whether physicians are exercising independent clinical judgment or merely doing what the managed care organization directs them to do. Even a perception that physicians have conflicts of interest may lead patients to question physicians' recommendations to forgo referrals or tests, no matter how sound the recommendations. As a result, trust in physicians may be undermined. In this article, I will analyze conflicts of interest in the doctor-patient relationship and the opportunities within managed care to strengthen the patient-provider relationship and to teach about it. I will focus on the doctor-patient relationship because patients presenting for care are more concerned about what the doctor (or nurse practitioner) says and recommends than about doctor-doctor relationships or doctor-organization relationships.
Combined albendazole and praziquantel versus albendazole alone in the treatment of hydatid disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different regimens of medical treatment in hydatid disease at the Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh. METHODOLOGY Between April 1985 and August 1990 albendazole was used alone in the treatment of 22 patients with hydatid disease, mainly of the liver. Since September 1990, we have used a combination treatment of albendazole and praziquantel in 19 patients. RESULTS For those patients treated only with albendazole, 8 patients (36.4%) showed a complete disappearance of the cyst, in 4 of which the treatment period ranged between 6 months to 2 years. The other 4 patients had ruptured liver cyst into biliary tree and had endoscopic treatment with complete recovery over a short period. For those patients treated with albendazole and praziquantel the following results were found. During a follow-up period of 2 months to 3 years and a treatment period of only 2-6 months there was complete disappearance of the hydatid cyst in 9 patients (47.4%) and over 50% reduction of the hydatid cyst in 5 patients (36.84%). CONCLUSION Combination treatment with albendazole and praziquantel for hydatid disease is more effective than albendazole alone.
The Internationalisation of UK R&D

Policies to promote research and development (R&D) are high on the government’s agenda. R&D and innovation are seen as key drivers of economic growth and important for raising UK productivity. This paper considers recent trends in UK R&D performance. We show that UK R&D is more internationalised than that of other G5 countries and is becoming increasingly so at a faster rate. A rising share of UK R&D is funded from abroad and UK firms are undertaking more of their R&D overseas. Using an international panel of countries, we show that R&D in one country responds to a change in the price in another ‘competitor’ country. This suggests that UK innovation policies could play an important role in determining whether increasingly footloose R&D locates in the UK or moves overseas.
Repigmentation of Poliosis After Epithelial Grafting for Vitiligo

Background Vitiligo is a disease of color loss from skin and possibly also from hair. The presence of white hair follicles is known to be a bad prognostic sign. Objectives To evaluate the possibility of repigmentation of white hair follicles after epithelial grafting. Methods Patients with recalcitrant vitiligo with loss of hair pigment were treated using Chinese cupping blisters or ultrathin Thiersch grafting after de‐epithelialization of vitiliginous patches by dermabrasion. Phototherapy was used afterward to enhance success. Results Repigmentation of the skin surface was obtained with as little as 1 to 2 months of phototherapy, as expected, and further follow‐up of cases revealed the re‐coloring of hair follicles after 4 to 11 months. Conclusion Re‐coloring of poliosis with vitiligo is possible but was unexpected because of the difference in mechanism and signaling required between hair bulb melanization and the surface skin. One likely mechanism to explain this change is that melanocyte stem cells are stimulated and migrate to supply hair bulbs with new mature melanocytes. Epithelial grafting of vitiligo with poliosis in hairy areas should be a treatment of choice when white hair tufts cause cosmetic disfigurement.
Measles Virus-Specific Immunoglobulin G Isotype Immune Response in Early and Late Infections

ABSTRACT A total of 154 human serum samples (32 acute-phase and 22 convalescent-phase serum samples obtained within a week and between days 8 and 26 after the onset of rash, respectively, and 100 samples drawn from healthy immune adults) were processed by an immunofluorescence assay for the detection of immunoglobulin M (IgM), total immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 measles virus-specific antibodies. In the acute phase, IgG1 was seen first, followed by IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 responses, the mean seropositivity of which gradually increased during convalescence, reaching 100% (standard deviation [SD], 84 to 100%), 57% (SD, 34 to 80%), 86% (SD, 66 to 100%), and 86% (SD, 66 to 100%), respectively. IgG2 rose and fell in connection with IgG3 subclass antibodies, showing a rate of detection of IgG2 and/or IgG3 subclass antibodies of 95.5% (range, 100 to 86.5%) in the convalescent phase of infection. The mean percentage of measles IgG2 and IgG3 seropositivity dropped significantly during the memory phase, to 2% (range, 2 to 6%) and 3% (range, 3 to 7%), respectively (P < 0.05); meanwhile IgG1 and IgG4 subclass responses remained relatively unmodified in samples obtained years after infection (mean 100% [SD, 96 to 100%] and 86% [SD, 79 to 93%], respectively). Results obtained defined two highly different immune isotypic response patterns. One pattern is restrictive to IgG2 and/or IgG3 in the convalescent phase and is kinetically similar to the IgM antibody response, so its detection could be referred to as a recent viral activity. On the other hand, IgG1 and IgG4 were detected in both the convalescent and memory phases of the immune response, but their isolated occurrence without IgG2 and IgG3 could be related to the long-lasting immunity.
The Doha Round's Public Health Legacy: Strategies for the Production and Diffusion of Patented Medicines Under the Amended TRIPS Provisions

The entry into force of the World Trade Organization (WTO) TRIPS Agreement in 1995 transformed the international intellectual property system. The harmonization of basic intellectual property standards has operated to protect investment in innovation, limiting risks from unjustified 'free riding'. Yet these same harmonized IP standards sharply curtailed the traditional capacity of suppliers of public goods, such as health care and nutrition, to address priority needs of less affluent members of society, particularly in (but not limited to) developing countries. In the Doha Declaration, the Waiver Decision of 30 August 2003 and the Article 31bis Protocol of Amendment, stakeholders concerned with re-opening policy space for the supply of newer pharmaceutical products pushed back against restrictive elements of the TRIPS Agreement.Governments around the world are in the process of deciding whether to ratify and accept the Article 31bis Amendment. Based on their Study for the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament, the authors argue that acceptance of the Amendment will provide a 'net benefit' for countries seeking to improve access to medicines. At the insistence of WTO delegations acting on behalf of the originator pharmaceutical industry lobby, Article 31bis regrettably is saddled with unnecessary administrative hurdles. Nonetheless, through skillful lawyering, political determination and coordinated planning, the system can be made to work. Among other options, expeditious back-to-back compulsory licensing linked with pooled procurement strategies may effectively achieve economies of scale in production and distribution of medicines.The authors doubt that the international political environment would support renegotiation of an 'improved' solution. They express concern that failure to bring the Amendment into force will open the door to a campaign to undermine the Waiver Decision. Recent events in Brazil and Thailand illustrate both the opportunities and risks associated with implementing TRIPS exception mechanisms, and help to inform views on the negotiating environment. Specific proposals for regional cooperation in implementing the Amendment are laid out, and the authors emphasize the importance of pursuing concrete transfer of technology measures in support of developing country pharmaceutical manufacturing. Over-reliance on private market mechanisms for the supply of public health goods leaves the international community with an unresolved collective action problem on a large scale. Oxford University Press 2007, all rights reserved, Oxford University Press.
Customer perception on service quality in retail banking in Middle East: the case of Qatar

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the service quality in retail banking in the Middle East in general, and Qatar in particular, based on different levels of customers' perception regarding service quality. Design/methodology/approach - This is an analytical study based mainly on the primary data collected through a scientifically developed questionnaire. The questionnaire have been personally administered on a sample size of 120, chosen on a convenient basis from four Qatari banks, i.e. Qatar National Bank, Doha Bank, Qatar International Islamic Bank, and Arab Bank. The questionnaire has been designed on the basis of the study of previous scholars such as Berry Findings - The result indicates that customers' perception is highest in the tangibles area and lowest in the competence area. Practical implications - In order to achieving higher levels of quality service in retail banking, banks should deliver higher levels of service quality and in the present context customers' perceptions are highest in the level of infrastructure facilities of the bank, followed by timing of the bank, and return on deposit. Owing to the increasing competition in retail banking, customer service is an important part and bank managers should be rethinking how to improve customer satisfaction with respect to service quality. Originality/value - This paper makes a useful contribution given that there are only a few studies dealing with the assessment of service quality in banking environments.
Insider Trading and Voluntary Disclosures

We hypothesize that insiders strategically choose disclosure policies and the timing of their equity trades to maximize trading profits, subject to the litigation costs associated with disclosure and insider trading. Accounting for endogeneity between disclosures and trading, we find that when managers plan to purchase shares, they increase the number of bad news forecasts to reduce the purchase price. In addition, this relation is stronger for trades initiated by chief executive officers than for those initiated by other executives. Confirming this strategic behavior, we find that managers successfully time their trades around bad news forecasts, buying fewer shares beforehand and more afterwards. We do not find that managers adjust their forecasting activity when they are selling shares, consistent with higher litigation concerns associated with insider sales. Overall, our evidence suggests that insiders do exploit voluntary disclosure opportunities for personal gain, but only selectively, when litigation risk is sufficiently low.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIGH-MOBILITY GROUP BOX 1 PROTEIN RELEASE AND T-CELL SUPPRESSION IN RATS AFTER THERMAL INJURY

To study whether high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) has an effect on T-cell-mediated immunity secondary to burn injury, 96 male Wistar rats weighing 250 to 300 g were randomly divided into three groups as follows: sham burn group, burn group, and burn with ethyl pyruvate treatment group, and they were killed on postburn days (PBDs) 1, 3, 5, and 7, respectively, with 8 animals at each time point. Columns of nylon wool were used to isolate splenic T cells. T-Cell proliferation was analyzed with thiazolyl blue and expression of IL-2 receptor &agr; (IL-2R&agr;) on the surface of T cell with flow cytometry. Levels of HMGB1 were determined using Western blot analysis. IL-2, soluble IL-2R, IL-4, and interferon-&ggr; were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Gene expressions of HMGB1, IL-2, and IL-2R were assessed using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and activation of nuclear factor of activated T cell was determined with gel mobility shift assay. The levels of HMGB1 in plasma were significantly elevated on PBDs 1 to 5. Significant proliferation of splenic T cells and IL-2, as well as IL-2R&agr; expression on T cells, were simultaneously suppressed to a certain extent on PBDs 1 to 7. Nuclear factor of activated T-cell activity of splenic T cells was markedly down-regulated on PBDs 1 to 3. Administration of ethyl pyruvate to inhibit HMGB1 can significantly restore proliferative activity, nuclear factor of activated T-cell activity, and expression levels of IL-2 and IL-2R&agr; on T cells. High-mobility group box 1 protein released after major burns might be associated with the pathogenesis of immunosuppression in splenic T lymphocytes in rats.
Inter-Organizational Cooperation and Environmental Change: Moderating Effects between Flexibility and Innovation Performance

The paper investigates the moderator effect of inter-organizational cooperation in the relationship between workplace flexibility and innovation performance. This research question is important because innovation is dependent on the strategic integration of technological knowledge, requiring organizations to acquire new capabilities rapidly or to ensure the presence of knowledge that may be beyond existing internal capabilities. Inter-organizational cooperation constitutes a relevant mechanism for a firm to increase its knowledge base concerning new products and processes. High-cooperation firms may have more opportunities to take advantage of flexibility for innovation performance because it facilitates the access and dispersion of knowledge within the firm. We test the research hypotheses in a sample of manufacturing and service firms. The results contribute to the literature on flexibility and innovation because they demonstrate that inter-organizational cooperation moderates the relationship between flexibility and innovation performance. We discuss the implications of these results for future research and managerial practice.
EFFECTS OF FIRM PERFORMANCE, ORGANIZATIONAL SLACK, AND DEBT ON ENTRY TIMING: A STUDY OF TEN EMERGING PRODUCT MARKETS IN USA

As technologies change and market environments evolve, firms introduce new products to create or satisfy new market demands or to substitute for existing products. A key strategic decision for firms contemplating entry into emerging product markets is the timing of their entry. Firms may choose to enter earlier and hope to preempt critical strategic resources, but they take the risk of premature entry. On the other hand, firms may prefer to enter later and wait for technical and market uncertainties to subside, but they face the potential problem of being frozen out of a profitable market by participants who risked earlier entry (Lieberman and Montgomery 1988; Mitchell 1989, 1991; Lilien and Yoon 1990; Robinson et al . 1992). This study examines three organizational factors that are hypothesized to affect a firm's strategic decision regarding timing of entry into an emerging product market: performance, organizational slack, and debt position. We begin with an overview of entry-timing research followed by some background on research in performance, organizational slack, and debt. We then develop hypotheses concerned with these three organizational factors and entry timing. We test these hypotheses in a multiindustry sample of firms in USA, and control for the influence of industry and firm variables that could be expected to affect entry-timing decisions.
Whose resources are they anyway? ‘Development assistance’ and community development agreements in the Mongolian mining sector

This is a case study of ‘development assistance’ that demonstrates how the interests of the supposed beneficiary of such assistance – Mongolia – were discarded as soon as there appeared to be the slightest risk that, if served, those interests might have jeopardized the economic or political interests of the donor country (Switzerland) and/or those of its (Western) trading partners and their mining corporations. Donor interests were deemed to be put at risk by a government and donor sponsored research report that made a case for strengthening mining legislation pertaining to community development agreements in Mongolia. The offending research report also challenged the establishment view of the aetiology of the ‘resource curse’, emphasizing the predisposing conditions established by neoliberal design and international financial institutions and the roles of foreign mining corporations, which are rarely mentioned in conventional accounts. The case provides further evidence for the view that Western ‘development assistance’ rendered by state capitalist ‘democracies’ (and others) is first and foremost designed, directly or indirectly, to serve the interests of the countries providing such ‘assistance’ and that development rhetoric and practice is intended to create an impression of altruism where, in reality, little or none exists.
Clinical and ultrasound parameters in prediction of excessive hemorrhage during management of cesarean scar pregnancy

Precis During the management of cesarean scar pregnancy, gestational mass size >6 cm, uterine scar thickness <0.2 cm, peak systolic velocity >70 cm/s, and resistance index <0.35 are independent risk factors for excessive hemorrhage. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors associated with excessive hemorrhage during the management of cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Patients and methods A retrospective case–control study was conducted, including 40 patients who experienced excessive bleeding and 80 controls without severe hemorrhage. Results Six parameters (two clinical and four ultrasound parameters) potentially related to excessive hemorrhage were analyzed. Single-variable statistical analyses showed that the case group had higher gestational age (74.1±23.6 days), higher pretreatment serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) level (46,201±32,294 mIU/mL), larger gestational mass size (6.5±2.2 cm), thinner uterine scar thickness (0.17±0.12 cm), and richer peritrophoblastic perfusion (peak systolic velocity [PSV] 72.8±33.7 cm/s, resistance index [RI] 0.35±0.12), showing statistical significance compared with the control group. Further multivariable logistic regression analysis of the association between each of the risk factors and hemorrhage confirmed that increased gestational mass size and PSV were risk factors for hemorrhage (odds ratio [OR] 3.624, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.179–11.138] and OR 1.062, 95% CI [1.007–1.121]) and increased uterine scar thickness and RI were protective factors against hemorrhage (OR 0.181, 95% CI [0.034–0.957] and OR 0.851, 95% CI [0.729–0.994]); however, there was no statistical significance between the two clinical parameters. Conclusion Gestational mass size >6 cm, uterine scar thickness <0.2 cm, PSV >70 cm/s, and RI <0.35 are independent risk factors for excessive hemorrhage during the management of CSP.
Could the Stability and Growth Pact be substituted by the financial markets

In the discussions on the need for fiscal rules and their usefulness in a monetary union, researchers have not agreed if financial markets have a sufficiently disciplining effect on governments, which would mean that the fiscal rules are not necessary. This paper investigates whether the European Union’s main fiscal rule, the Stability and Growth Pact, could be substituted by financial markets, taking into account the effects of the latest financial and economic crisis. The findings presented in this paper suggest that there is certain interaction between financial markets and governments' decisions on fiscal policies and that this reaction has become stronger after the beginning of the crisis. However, the institutional setup and market conditions in the European Union are such that this interaction is biased and thus the paper concludes that the Union needs to have fiscal rules.
Designing Institutions to Aggregate Preferences and Information

I consider the design of policy-making institutions to aggregate preferences and information. A pervasive incentive problem hinders the creation of desirable deliberative institutions; participants that expect to have minority interests have an incentive to misrepresent their information. Moreover, contrary to conventional wisdom, diversity of preferences or information sources amplifies this incentive problem. It is only when all types of participants expect to have the majority interests or no individual's private information can be decisive that full aggregation is possible. The addition of external incentives enables efficient aggregation of preferences and information. The external incentives need only depend on agent actions and, interestingly, the magnitude of these external incentives can be vanishingly small for large groups. These external incentives can be created by augmenting deliberation with concerns about ex-poste monitoring or ex-interum perceptions of competence, the opportunity to trade in information markets, or the opportunity to join clubs with network externalities.
Engineering Stability: Authoritarian Political Control over University Students in Post-Deng China

Abstract Given their critical influence on society and politics, university students are one of the key target groups for authoritarian political control around the world. To further our understanding of the endurance and resilience of authoritarianism in post-Deng China, it is necessary to examine one of the Party-state's most crucial control frameworks: the institutional mechanism through which it preserves social stability in the nation's 2,358 university campuses, and maintains control over its more than 22 million college students. Drawing upon intensive field research conducted in 2011, this article attempts to map out the structures and measures deployed by the post-Deng regime to nurture political compliance and consolidate its domination of university campuses. By deciphering an essential component of the state's political control apparatus, this article aims to shed new light on the internal operations of the authoritarian system that is running China today.