Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Has Persistence Persisted in Private Equity? Evidence from Buyout and Venture Capital Funds

The conventional wisdom for investors in private equity funds is to invest in partnerships that have performed well in the past. This is based on the belief that performance in private equity persists across funds of the same partnership. We present new evidence on the persistence of U.S. private equity (buyout and venture capital) funds using a research-quality dataset from Burgiss, sourced from over 200 institutional investors. Relying on detailed cash-flow data for funds, we study the persistence of buyout and venture capital fund performance of the same general partners across different funds. We pay particular attention to persistence pre- and post-2000. Previous research, studying largely pre-2000 data, has found strong persistence for both buyout and venture capital firms. We confirm the previous findings on persistence in pre-2000 funds. There is persistence for buyout funds and, particularly, for venture funds. Post-2000, we find little evidence of persistence for buyout funds, except at the lower end of the performance distribution. When funds are sorted by the quartile of performance of their previous funds, performance of the current fund is statistically indistinguishable regardless of quartile. Performance for partnerships in all previous fund quartiles exceeds those of public markets as measured by the S&P 500. Regression results confirm the absence of persistence post-2000 except for funds in the lower end of the performance distribution. Post-2000, we find that performance in venture capital funds remains as persistent as pre-2000. Partnerships whose previous venture capital funds are below the median for their vintage year subsequently tend to be below median and have returns below those of the public markets (S&P 500). Partnerships in the top two quartiles tend to stay above the median and their returns exceed those of the public markets.
Fatigue, level of everyday physical activity and quality of life after liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether liver transplant recipients have a hypoactive (sedentary) lifestyle and whether the level of everyday physical activity is related to complaints of fatigue. In addition, we explored the relationship between activity level and health-related quality of life. DESIGN Case comparison. SUBJECTS Eight persons 6-36 months after liver transplantation with varying severity of fatigue and 8 persons without known impairments (matched for gender, age, social situation and employment). METHODS Activity levels were assessed during 2 randomly selected consecutive weekdays with an accelerometry-based Activity Monitor. In the transplantation group, severity of fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale) and health-related quality of life (RAND-36) were also assessed. RESULTS Five liver transplant recipients had a hypoactive lifestyle, but there was no significant difference in activity level between the transplantation group and comparison group. Severity of fatigue was correlated (p=0.01) with both duration of dynamic activities and intensity of everyday activity (r(s)=-0.81 and -0.84, respectively). Activity level was correlated (p< or =0.05) with several domains of health-related quality of life (r(s)=0.72-0.78). CONCLUSION As a group, liver transplant recipients were not significantly less active than comparison subjects. Activity level was related with severity of fatigue and health-related quality of life. These findings have implications for the development of interventions needed to rehabilitate persons after liver transplantation.
U.S. Residential Photovoltaic (PV) System Prices, Q4 2013 Benchmarks: Cash Purchase, Fair Market Value, and Prepaid Lease Transaction Prices

The price of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States (i.e., the cost to the system owner) has dropped precipitously in recent years, led by substantial reductions in global PV module prices. This report provides a Q4 2013 update for residential PV systems, based on an objective methodology that closely approximates the book value of a PV system. Several cases are benchmarked to represent common variation in business models, labor rates, and module choice. We estimate a weighted-average cash purchase price of $3.29/W for modeled standard-efficiency, polycrystalline-silicon residential PV systems installed in the United States. This is a 46% decline from the 2013-dollar-adjusted price reported in the Q4 2010 benchmark report. In addition, this report frames the cash purchase price in the context of key price metrics relevant to the continually evolving landscape of third-party-owned PV systems by benchmarking the minimum sustainable lease price and the fair market value of residential PV systems.
Direct access to potential research participants for a cohort study using a confidentiality waiver included in UK National Health Service legal statutes

Objectives To describe our experience of using a confidentiality waiver (Section 251) in the National Health Service (NHS) Act to identify and recruit potential research participants to a cohort study and consider its use in a wider research context. Design Methodological discussion. Setting NHS Trusts in England. Methods We established a research recruitment process with quality health (QH), administrators of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, after an amendment to a Section 251 approval (reference number ECC-8-05d-2011). NHS Trusts agreeing to implement the process were requested to send the details of 16–24-year-olds, identified by a relevant ICD-10 code indicating a cancer diagnosis within a specified time period to QH. QH sent study information and a consent-to-be-contacted form which allowed QH to send details to BRIGHTLIGHT, for BRIGHTLIGHT to contact the treating team confirming eligibility and for an interviewer from Ipsos MORI to contact them. Written consent was to be obtained at interview. Results The method was implemented in 98 trusts; 75 supplied patient details. QH sent information to 441 young people, of whom 64 (15%) responded. Of these, 23 had already consented to participate. Adverse events were reported by 6 (1%) invitees: 4 were distressed because they did not have cancer, their details being submitted to QH due to incorrect hospital coding, and 1 young person was distressed about their diagnosis and requested no further contact and 1 young person found out they had cancer from the invitation. Conclusions Application of Section 251 of the NHS Act (2006) to directly approach participants can facilitate recruitment to research projects where routinely collected NHS data are available to select eligible patients. The benefits of this method are that it requires fewer resources to recruit across multiple sites, and is quicker. Further information on the impact on bias and adverse event profile are required.
Optical flow computation via multiscale regularization

Abstract : The apparent motion of brightness patterns in an image is referred to as the optical flow. In computational vision, optical flow is an important input into higher level vision algorithms performing tasks such as segmentation, tracking, object detection, robot guidance and recovery of shape information. In addition, methods for computing optical flow are an essential part of motion compensated coding schemes. In this paper, we present a new approach to the problem of computing optical flow. Standard formulations of this problem require the computationally intensive solution of an elliptic partial differential equation which arises from the often used "smoothness constraint" regularization term. We utilize the interpretation of the smoothness constraint as a "fractal prior" to motivate regularization based on a recently introduced class of multiscale stochastic models. These models are associated with efficient multiscale smoothing algorithms, and experiments on several image sequences demonstrate the substantial computational savings that can be achieved through their use.
A Lender of Last Resort or a Securities Market as a Basis for Financial Development: The Case of the Anglo-Palestine Bank

Under a stylized model, this paper investigates the relationships between commercial banks' asset management and the financial institutional structure. More specifically, we compare the effects of the existence of a market for short-term securities with those of a lender of last resort on the structure of banks' assets. We use historical data of the Anglo-Palestine Bank to simulate the results of our model. The conclusion is that the development of a financial market matters more for emerging economies than a lender of last resort since it eases the issuance of long-term loans that are necessary for economic growth.
Biotypes of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum

Colony morphology, beta hemolysis on horse blood agar, beta-glucuronidase activity, and ability to ferment sucrose and/or trehalose defined two biotypes of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. One, the smooth type, grew as smooth, beta-hemolytic colonies and was beta-glucuronidase negative but often fermented sucrose and/or trehalose, while the other, the rough type, grew as rough colonies and was nonhemolytic, beta-glucuronidase positive, and negative for sucrose and trehalose fermentation. About 75% of the A. haemolyticum strains studied (n = 138) were of the smooth type. The smooth type predominated in wound infections, while the rough type was isolated almost exclusively from respiratory tract specimens; thus, 84% of the smooth-type strains were derived from wounds and 91% of the rough-type strains were isolated from respiratory tracts.
Management of resistant hypertension: Aldosterone antagonists or intensification of diuretic therapy?

No consensus has been established as to which is the best fourth‐line agent in patients with resistant hypertension (RHT). The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of intensifying diuretic treatment with loop diuretic (furosemide) or aldosterone antagonist (spironolactone) on blood pressure (BP) control in RHT.
Organisational changes during the transition in Estonia: Major influencing behavioural factors

In order to examine the relationship between organizational change and organizational learning the authors conducted interviews with managers in 137 Estonian companies concerning changes implemented and learning outcomes. According to this survey the relationship between organizational change and learning is seen differently in a country in transition. Introduction Learning, both institutional and individual, and the ensuing corporate changes are seen as the prerequisite for success and survival of organizations irrespective of their size and sector. The challenge for most organizations is to recognise and react to perceived environmental changes or enact such changes and responses. Such capacities for dealing with change are embedded in the knowledge base of an organization which represents its founding conditions and experiences, in other words its repertoire of recipes (Spender 1990). Corporate changes reflect, therefore, an organzation’s knowledge of itself – what it is, what it can do and what its desired ends are and its contexts (de Geus 1996). The relationship between organizational ‘change’ and ‘learning’ is central to this paper. Change is the outcome of learning in one sense and learning is a medium for change and its outcome in another sense. Various conceptualizations of learning and models of change developed in the West over the past decades have adopted these notions. Estonia has passed through its transition from being a part of the former Soviet Union with a centrally planned economy, to being a politically independent country with a free market economy. There is a major difference between these systems. In the socialist system the most important aim was to provide jobs for all, it did not matter what this person actually did or whether his/her output was needed at all. The governing systems had not regarded efficiency as the main purpose. However, efficiency in its Weberian sense has always been the primary objective of organizations in both private and public sectors in most Western capitalist democracies. To change people’s minds in relation to this particular objective was the most important thing to learn during the transition from a socialist regime to a capitalist one. In recent years the desire and thus the end for most Estonian companies has been to be able to operate successfully in such ‘free market’ conditions. To achieve such an end the companies have also realised that there is the need for ‘transformational change’, i.e. changes to their established approaches and thinking. Writings on the management of change have frequently indicated that the first step to achieving lasting organizational change is to deal with the resistance to
Dependence and Caregiver Burden in Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment

The dependence scale has been designed to be sensitive to the overall care needs of the patient and is considered distinct from standard measures of functional ability in this regard. Little is known regarding the relationship between patient dependence and caregiver burden. We recruited 100 patients with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers through a memory clinic. Patient function, dependence, hours of care, cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and caregiver burden were assessed. Dependence was significantly correlated with caregiver burden. Functional decline and dependence were most predictive of caregiver burden in patients with mild impairment while behavioral symptoms were most predictive in patients with moderate to severe disease. The dependence scale demonstrated good utility as a predictor of caregiver burden. Interventions to reduce caregiver burden should address patient dependence, functional decline, and behavioral symptoms while successful management of the latter becomes more critical with disease progression.
Does neuromuscular electrical stimulation increase pelvic floor muscle strength in women with urinary incontinence with an ineffective pelvic floor contraction

Women’s health physiotherapists employ various techniques to treat urinary incontinence (UI) in patients who are attempting to restore function by improving the strength, stamina and coordination of their pelvic floor muscles (PFMs). Urinary incontinence can be subdivided into stress UI (SUI), urge UI (UUI) or mixed UI (MUI). Both the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advocate neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients whose PFM contractions register as grade 0 or l on the Modified Oxford Scale (MOS). A literature search was conducted to review the evidence supporting the use of NMES in this population. Twenty-two controlled trials were found, 10 of which used PFM strength as an outcome measure. Follow-up times ranged from 5 to 24 weeks. Five of the six studies of NMES in SUI found a statistically significant improvement in PFM strength following stimulation (mean increase = 6.17–21.60 cmH2O, or +0.9 on the MOS), and the remaining paper reported a statistically insignificant improvement. Four of these studies described improvements in symptoms. Two of the three studies examining NMES in MUI elicited improved PFM strength, and two achieved statistical significance (mean increase = 14.2–17.7 cmH2O, P < 0.05). All three studies showed improvements in symptoms. There were inadequate data to allow conclusions to be drawn about the role of NMES in UUI. The clinical evidence supports the use of NMES, and the methodological irregularities in the literature are unlikely to obviate the study conclusions. However, the lack of subgroup analysis for baseline demographics or PFM strength preclude identifying the groups most likely to benefit from NMES, and call the guidelines’ limitation to a low MOS grade into question. Future research requires a multicentre randomized controlled trial of NMES in patients with UI, and subgroup analysis of PFM strength.
Neurologic Complications After Chlorhexidine Antisepsis for Spinal Anesthesia

Background and Objectives Recent reports of infectious complications after neuraxial procedures highlight the importance of scrupulous aseptic technique. Although chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) has several advantages over other antiseptic agents; including a more rapid onset of action, an extended duration of effect, and rare bacterial resistance, it is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use before lumbar puncture because of absence of clinical safety evidence. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to test the hypothesis that the incidence of neurologic complications associated with spinal anesthesia after CHG skin antisepsis is not different than the known incidence of neurologic complications associated with spinal anesthesia. Methods All patients 18 years or older who underwent spinal anesthesia at Mayo Clinic Rochester from 2006 to 2010 were identified. The primary outcome variable was the presence of any new or progressive neurologic deficit documented within 7 days of spinal anesthesia. The etiology of a patient’s neurologic complication was independently categorized as possibly or unlikely related to the spinal anesthetic by 3 investigators. Consensus among all reviewers was required for final category assignment. Results A total of 11,095 patients received 12,465 spinal anesthetics during the study period. Overall, 57 cases (0.46%; 95% confidence interval, 0.34%–0.58%) met criteria for neurologic complication. Spinal anesthesia was felt to be the possible etiology of 5 neurologic complications (0.04%; 95% confidence interval, 0.00%–0.08%); all completely resolved within 30 days. Discussion The incidence of neurologic complications possibly associated with spinal anesthesia (0.04%) after CHG skin antisepsis is consistent with previous reports of neurologic complications after spinal anesthesia. These results support the hypothesis that CHG can be used for skin antisepsis before spinal placement without increasing the risk of neurologic complications attributed to the spinal anesthetic.
Effect of contingency perspective of human resource strategic orientation on performance of large private manufacturing firms in Kenya

th December, 2014 The research focus was on the effect of contingency perspective of human resource strategic orientation on performance of large private manufacturing firms in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: (i) to determine the effect of contingency human resource strategic orientation on quantitative firm performance measures; (ii) to determine the effect of contingency human resource strategic orientation on qualitative firm performance measures. The target population was all large private manufacturing firms in Kenya that were registered members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers in 2009. Using probability sampling, a sample of 108 firms was chosen and 68 firms managed to respond giving a response rate of approximately 63%. The respondents were human resource managers, finance managers, corporate planning managers or any other senior manager. Data was collected using questionnaires developed by Huselid (1995), Becker and Huselid (2006) and Becker and Gerhart (1996) and modified by the researcher to suit the study. The research adopted descriptive research design and used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version seventeen (17), to generate the statistical output. The results showed that there was high positive correlation between contingency human resource strategic orientation and firm performance. The results to a greater extent portray the fact that all forms of contingency human resource strategic orientation if properly managed, enhances performance of manufacturing firms. Future research should consider the use of longitudinal research design as opposed to the survey which was central to this study. Further, researchers should consider the use of additional variables that intervene or moderate the direct relationship indicated in this study. The main contribution of the study lies in highlighting the fact that, human resource strategic orientation must be contingent with other organizational variables to enhance performance.
Evaluating Users Intention to Use E-overnment Services

This paper aims to measure the users’ intention to use egovernment services, by selecting suitable ways to protect the e-government services from any attack. Potential factors that measure intention to use were formed as a result of the literature survey carried out in four related areas; confidence, quality assurance, security, and trust. The demographic information and four hypotheses for users’ intention to use factors were tested by a structured questionnaire designed from two sections; the first section measured the demographic information and the second section consists of 18 statements distributed into four dimensions. The number of respondents was 371. The findings indicate there is significant effect of confidence, quality assurance, security, and trust on users’ intention to use e-government services, age and experience have no significant effect on intention to use e-government services. Improve and enhance the security level in the egovernment computer network in a regular schedule to increase users’ intention to use is recommended.
Measurement of the membrane potential in small cells using patch clamp methods

The resting membrane potential, Em, of mammalian cells is a fundamental physiological parameter. Even small changes in Em can modulate excitability, contractility and rates of cell migration. At present accurate, reproducible measurements of Em and determination of its ionic basis remain significant challenges when patch clamp methods are applied to small cells. In this study, a mathematical model has been developed which incorporates many of the main biophysical principles which govern recordings of the resting potential of 'small cells'. Such a prototypical cell (approx. capacitance, 6pF; input resistance 5 GΩ) is representative of neonatal cardiac myocytes, and other cells in the cardiovascular system (endothelium, fibroblasts) and small cells in other tissues, e.g. bone (osteoclasts) articular joints (chondrocytes) and the pancreas (β cells). Two common experimental conditions have been examined: (1) when the background K+ conductance is linear; and (2) when this K+ conductance is highly nonlinear and shows pronounced inward rectification. In the case of a linear K+ conductance, the presence of a "leakage" current through the seal resistance between the cell membrane and the patch pipette always depolarizes Em. Our calculations confirm that accurate characterization of Em is possible when the seal resistance is at least 5 times larger than the input resistance of the targeted cell. Measurement of Em under conditions in which the main background current includes a markedly nonlinear K+ conductance (due to inward rectification) yields complex and somewhat counter-intuitive findings. In fact, there are at least two possible stable values of resting membrane potential for a cell when the nonlinear, inwardly rectifying K+ conductance interacts with the seal current. This type of bistable behavior has been reported in a variety of small mammalian cells, including those from the heart, endothelium, smooth muscle and bone. Our theoretical treatment of these two common experimental situations provides useful mechanistic insights, and suggests practical methods by which these significant limitations, and their impact, can be minimized.