Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essential thrombocythemia associated with recurrent abortions and fetal growth retardation

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is one of the myeloproliferative disorders characterized by an elevated platelet count, usually greater than 1,000 × 109/L. It may be associated with either hemorrhagic or thrombotic tendencies. Although it usually affects older people, we have recently encountered two young women with ET who had a total of six spontaneous abortions before the end of the first trimester. During her most recent pregnancy, one of the patients underwent plateletpheresis on four separate occasions before the 12th week. She reached 34 weeks but demonstrated evidence of fetal growth retardation and pre‐eclampsia. At delivery there were scattered villus infarcts in the placenta. Based on this patient and previous reports in the literature, we postulate that the spontaneous abortions, fetal growth retardation, and pre‐eclampsia may be related to the thrombocytosis and suggest that the use of antiplatelet agents throughout pregnancy should be seriously considered in such cases.
Localization of pulmonary nodules with lipiodol prior to thoracoscopic surgery

Background Preoperative localization with lipiodol for identifying small or deeply seated pulmonary nodules is simple and useful for thoracoscopic surgery. Although several studies about performance and complication rates of lipiodol localization have been reported, there has been no report about the performance and complication rates of lipiodol localization with regard to the CT appearance of pulmonary nodules. Purpose To evaluate the performance and complication rates of localization of pulmonary nodules with lipiodol prior to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with regard to the CT appearance of nodules. Material and Methods After institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained, lipiodol marking was performed in 67 patients (33 men and 34 women; mean age 58 years) with 68 nodules. All nodules were marked with 0.4–0.5 mL lipiodol under CT guidance on the day of surgery. The size of the targeted nodule and the shortest distance to the accessible pleural surface were measured. Lipiodol accumulation of a targeted nodule was scored by use of a four-point scale (0: none, 1: within 1 cm around a nodule, 2: partial accumulation within a nodule, 3: total accumulation within a nodule). Any complications after localization of nodules were noted. We analyzed the score of lipiodol accumulation and the presence of complications for the CT appearance of pulmonary nodules using the Mann Whitney U test, Fisher's exact test and the Kruskall Walis test. Results The average nodule size was 11.4 mm (range 3.0–28.3 mm) and the average distance to the pleural surface was 13.7 mm (range 0–51.4 mm). Lipiodol accumulation scores of nodules were as follows: score 3 (n = 19, 28%), score 2 (n = 37, 54%), score 1 (n = 11, 16%), and score 0 (n = 1, 2%). Lipiodol accumulation scores of nodules were different according to the size of nodules (Kruskal Wallis test, p = 0.023). Pneumothorax after localization occurred in 20 (29%) patients and the incidence was higher in nodules located in the subpleural area (Mann Whitney U test, p = 0.048). Pulmonary hemorrhage along the needle tract occurred in five (7%) patients and was more frequent in patients with deep nodules as compared to shallow nodules (Mann Whitney U test, p < 0.001). Conclusion Lipiodol marking under CT guidance is a useful and safe procedure for the intraoperative localization of pulmonary nodules. Of variable CT findings, lesion size is important to determine the degree of lipiodol accumulation and the lesion depth is the most important feature for the development of postprocedural complications.
Arbitrage Risk and Stock Mispricing

Abstract In this paper we examine the relation between equity mispricing and arbitrage risk and find that stocks with high arbitrage risk have higher estimated mispricing than stocks with low arbitrage risk. These results are not limited to high book-to-market or small capitalization stocks, and they are not sensitive to transaction and short-selling costs. In addition, they remain robust to alternative multifactor return generating specification models and mispricing measures. Overall, our empirical results are consistent with the conjecture that mispricing is a manifestation of the inability of arbitrageurs to hedge idiosyncratic risk, a major deterrent to arbitrage activity.
Partnership and multi‐unionism in the Health Service

This paper explores the development and implementation of ‘workplace social partnerships’ in two NHS Trusts. Empirically, we argue that inter- and intra-union relations can both facilitate and constrain management decision making and the implementation of policy; conceptually, we highlight the inconsistencies in the parties’ perspectives on ‘workplace partnership’.
Social risk factors and outcome analysis of poisoning in an Iranian referral medical center: A toxico-epidemiological approach

Objective: Suicide is the second major reason of death in the age range of 15-24 and is the eighth reason for overall death of adults. Because of high accessibility of people to different medications in our society, one of the easiest ways for suicide is intentional self-poisoning with medications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the rate of suicide with respect to influencing social factors on patients with intentional self-poisoning. Methods: This was an analytic-descriptive prospective study. All study data were collected through a checklist in patients with intentional self-poisoning who had been referred to referral hospital within 2011-2012. Findings: A total of 400 patients (60% female) were evaluated. Age average ± standard deviation of participants was 22.57 ± 9.20 years. About 78.2% had high school degree or less. Nearly 27.8% of all happened suicides take place as a result of family disputes, marital problems (21%) and poverty (11.5%). Love issues with a rate of 10.3% were set in the next step. About 23.2% had a history of a past psychological disorder. Around 97.5% of the patients survived. The shorter the time of hospitalization is for each patient, the better survival rate is obtained through post-suicidal medical care. A statistically meaningful relationship was observed between self-poisoning to commit suicide and absence of academic education (P = 0.02). Conclusion: Suicide attempt through self-poisoning is more common in female, married individuals, people without academic education and those with a poor socio-economic status. Furthermore, results announce family disputes as the most pre-disposing factor for suicide.
Informative Advertising in Directed Search

We consider a directed search environment where capacity constrained sellers reach uncoordinated buyers through costly advertising while buyers observed all prices probabilistically. We show that: (i) the equilibrium advertising intensity has an inverted U-shape in market tightness, (ii) the equilibrium advertising intensity is higher under an auction mechanism than under posted pricing, and (iii) the equilibrium price and measure of informed buyers may be positively correlated even in large markets.
Reasons for sustainability reporting by New Zealand local governments

Purpose – This study aims to draw on the New Zealand context to provide extensions and comparative insights to prior research that has canvassed the reasons for sustainability reporting by local governments. A base is provided from which more extensive and theoretically grounded research can proceed.Design/methodology/approach – Semi‐structured exploratory interviews were conducted in mid‐2009 in each of five local government councils in New Zealand with the person responsible for preparing the sustainability report.Findings – Local governments in New Zealand were prompted to engage in sustainability reporting for reasons of leadership, accountability, and financial incentive; and by a need to bolster important internal stakeholders. Sustainability reporting by local governments in New Zealand does not appear to be motivated strongly by an idealistic desire to ensure a sustainable world, but more by pragmatism and economic rationalism.Originality/value – New Zealand provides a unique setting in which to e.
Removal of Base-Line Wander and Power-Line Interference from the ECG by an Efficient FIR Filter with a Reduced Number of Taps

Linear phase filtering is proposed for the removal of baseline wander and power-line frequency components in electrocardiograms. In order to reduce the large number of computations involved in the digital filtering that are necessary, the desired filter spectrum was defined periodically. Making use of the property that the spectrum period is 50 Hz, the spectrum can be realized with a considerably reduced number of impulse response coefficients. This, in combination with the necessary impulse response symmetry, leads to a reduction in the number of multiplications per output sample by a factor of 10. A suitable impulse response is designed with a pass-band ripple of less than 0.5 dB and a high stop-band attenuation. The applicability is demonstrated by applying the filtering to exercise electrocardiograms.
Symbolic Politics, Criminal Justice Policy, and Third Political Party Platforms

The theory of symbolic politics, which posits that political acts are viewed as symbols conveying a political meaning that are an end unto themselves, is used to examine the elements of criminal justice policy in third political party platforms. It is hypothesized that third political parties use their political platforms to make symbolic, rather than substantive, statements. Data were collected from a variety of sources presenting third party platforms to assess the political language used from 1872 to 2004. A content analysis of these platforms offers some support for the use of symbolic language by third political parties.
Collectibles as Alternative Investments

Applying variance ratio tests, we measure the size of the random walk component in US art auction prices. The results show that the US art prices have large transitory component which accounts for 72% of the variance of the returns. Due to the large stationary component, the random walk hypothesis of the art prices can be rejected. The components are time-varying due to structural breaks; since 1935 the random walk hypothesis along with the weak-form efficiency cannot be rejected. There are more causes of time-varying components; on the one hand, pre-1935 the data are sparse and the estimation of the fine art index is not so precise as only a few auctions have been recorded and on the other hand, institutional changes occurred on the capital markets after World War II and ultimately, price estimates were introduced in 1973. Based on mean square errors, the Cochrane (1988) method is optimal outperforming the frequently used kernel based estimators.We investigate fine wines from an investment theory point of view using Liv-ex indexes. The ARMA spectral weak-form efficiency tests show mixed results. The weak-form efficiency of a portfolio of a typical wine investor cannot be rejected; however, that of other portfolios can be. The violation of the efficiency could result in arbitrage opportunities but this result is not supported by the equilibrium asset pricing models. The performance of “master wines” (defined as the most expensive fine wines) is not significantly different from that of the whole market; that is, the underperformance of masterpieces can be rejected. Investment grade wines can have a significant role in portfolio diversification since they exhibit low correlation with the stock market and the two markets are independent in the long run. The role in diversification is strengthened by the fact that fine wines reserve their values even during recessions and they can be thought of as safe havens. We investigate Baedeker guidebooks in their English, French and German versions issued between 1828 and 1945 using an estimated repeat sales regression (RSR) index. Baedeker guidebooks commove along a common factor. The underperformance of masterpieces (the most expensive guidebooks) cannot be shown. “Masters” do not underperform the Baedeker market as a whole and they do not exhibit abnormal performance under the CAPM or the Fama-French three-factor model. The law of one price is not breached; however, there is a slightly significant difference in price levels between the USA and Continental Europe. On the other hand, it can be explained partly by estimation errors and partly by the composition of the market. Based on equilibrium models, the efficiency of the guidebook market cannot be rejected.
Effect of Driving Behavior and Vehicle Characteristics on Energy Consumption of Road Vehicles Running on Alternative Energy Sources

Road vehicles using gasoline, a gasoline-electric hybrid, diesel, methane, hydrogen, and a hydrogen-electric hybrid were investigated for differences in energy consumption as a function of driving behavior and vehicle characteristics. The results show that driving behavior has a large impact on energy consumption of vehicles in real traffic. Forceful acceleration events were linked with increased energy consumption, while moderate acceleration and steady average speed were linked with energy consumption benefits. In vehicles with regenerative braking, the frequency of forceful braking events is linked with a statistically significant lesser energy consumption as energy is generated for the vehicle during those events. The tested hydrogen- and methane-powered vehicles were found to have the overall best results regarding energy consumption.
Orbital controls on the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and the tropical climate

The global synchroneity of glacial-interglacial events is one of the major problems in understanding the link between Milankovitch forcing and the climate of the late Quaternary. In this study we isolate a part of the climate system, the tropical Pacific, and test its sensitivity to changes in solar forcing associated with changes in the Earth's orbital parameters. We use a simplified coupled ocean-atmosphere model that is run for the past 150,000 years and forced with Milankovitch changes in the solar insolation. This system responds primarily to the precessional cycle in solar forcing and is capable of generating a mean response to the changes in the seasonal distribution of solar radiation even while the annual mean insolation is roughly constant. The mean response to the precessional forcing is due to an interaction between an altered seasonal cycle and the El Nifio/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Changes in the ENSO behavior result in a mean tropical climate change. The hypothesis is advanced that such a change in the tropical climate can generate a globally synchronous climate response to Milankovitch forcing.
The role of chronic blood loss in the pathogenesis of postgastrectomy iron-deficiency anaemia

The role of chronic blood loss in the pathogenesis of postgastrectomy iron-deficiency anaemia was assessed by measurements of blood loss over periods of up to three months, using a whole-body counter and 59Fe. Eleven patients were investigated and eight of these were selected because of a history of iron-deficiency anaemia. Six were shown to be losing blood abnormally, five at a rate of over 150 ml per month. None of the three patients without a history of anaemia lost more than 60 ml per month. At gastroscopy contact bleeding from the mucosa of the gastric remnant was observed in four of the six patients losing blood. The results indicate that in some patients chronic blood loss plays an important role in the pathogenesis of postgastrectomy iron-deficiency anaemia.
A Two‐Stage Approach to the Correction of Ascertainment Bias in Complex Genetic Studies Involving Variance Components

Correction for ascertainment bias is a vital part of the analysis of genetic epidemiology studies that needs to be undertaken whenever subjects are not recruited at random. Adjustment often requires extensive numerical integration, which can be very slow or even computationally infeasible, especially if the model includes many fixed and random effects. In this paper we propose a two‐stage method for ascertainment bias correction. In the first stage we estimate parameters that pertain to the ascertained population, that is the population that would be selected into the sample if the ascertainment criterion were applied to everyone. In the second stage we convert the estimates for the ascertained population into general population parameter estimates. We illustrate the method with simulations based on a simple model and then describe how the method can be used with complex models. The two‐stage approach avoids some of the integration required in direct adjustment, hence speeding up the process of model fitting.
On different tracks: Institutions and railway regulation in Britain and Germany.

This study analyses how institutional factors impact on processes of isomorphism in the design of regulatory regimes. It does so through a comparative examination of regulatory reform in the railway domain in Britain and Germany in three time periods, the post-First World War and the post-Second World War periods as well as the 1990s. It is argued that pressures for isomorphism, defined as the increasing homogenisation of a unit with other units in its policy environment, are exerted by several policy environments. These pressures can be distinguished in their degree of domain- and paradigm-orientation. Domain-orientation consists of regulatory change which is based on sector-specific sources, whereas paradigm-orientation involves the application of supposedly universal 'policy recipes' across policy domains. The study questions whether three institutional factors - the insulation of the regulatory space from coercive pressures, the insulation of the political-administrative nexus in the regulatory space and the insulation of the regulatory space from societal forces - can explain why in some cases reforms are domain-oriented, but, in other cases, reforms are paradigm-oriented. The comparative analysis of reform in British and German railway regulation provides three conclusions. First, in all cases, pressures for isomorphism emerging from different policy environments provided competing 'templates' for regulatory design ideas. Second, among the institutional factors, the insulation of the political-administrative nexus in the regulatory space was identified as the most important factor for explaining the orientation of the selected regulatory instruments. Third, in the light of the study's historical and institutional perspective, this thesis critically evaluates arguments proclaiming the emergence of a 'regulatory state' in contemporary Europe.
The Interactive Effects of Affective Demeanor, Cognitive Processes, and Perspective-Taking Focus on Helping Behavior

Abstract The author manipulated affective demeanor (positive or negative) and cognitive processes (positive or negative) displayed by a target person, along with the perspective-taking focus (affect or cognitions) of participants, to assess the unique and interactive effects of those variables on the participants' helping behavior, operationalized as time volunteered to help other students. An ethnically diverse sample (N = 109) of U.S. working adults (mean age = 31.56 years, SD = 8.21) viewed a videotape of a female target talking about returning to college. Participants adopting an affective perspective-taking focus volunteered more time than did those who adopted a cognitive perspective-taking focus. Also, a significant interaction between participants' perspective-taking focus and target's affective demeanor revealed that participants who focused on the target's feelings and who viewed a warm, cheerful target volunteered more time than did the other groups. Moreover, a significant interaction between participants' perspective-taking focus and target's cognitive processes revealed that the participants who focused on the target's feelings and who viewed a confused and unfocused target volunteered more time than did the other groups. The author also discusses the relationship between empathy, personal distress, and helping.
Auditor tenure and stock price idiosyncratic volatility : the moderating role of industry specialization

SUMMARY: In this study, we examine how investors perceive the quality of financial reports audited by auditors with long tenure. We argue that auditor tenure is an important characteristic that influences the effectiveness of audits and thus affects the amount of firm-specific information that is included in stock prices by investors. Based on a sample of U.S. firms from 2003 to 2012, we show that longer tenure is associated with higher stock price idiosyncratic volatility. Further analyses reveal that this effect is only present for industry-specialist auditors, suggesting that the effect of tenure on idiosyncratic volatility is contingent on industry expertise. Our results have a number of implications for the financial markets and the accounting and auditing professions.
DETERMINANTES DEL PLAZO DE ENDEUDAMIENTO DE LAS EMPRESAS ESPAÑOLAS

En el presente trabajo se realiza un analisis empirico para valorar la relevancia de los efectos predichos por distintas modelizaciones teoricas asociadas al estudio de plazo de endeudamiento de las empresas. Las principales conclusiones que se derivan del trabajo son en primer lugar que las empresas con mayores posibilidades de crecimiento acortan signi…cativamente el plazo de su endeudamiento, lo cual apoya fundamentalmente los modelos basados en problemas de agencia; en segundo lugar que las empresas mas grandes y con mayor participacion publica tienden a contar con un plazo de endeudamiento mas elevado. No parece existir evidencia clara en favor de justi…caciones de tipo impositivo o modelos de senalizacion. Palabras clave: Plazo, deuda. (JEL C78)
Strategy of Surgical Treatment of Sacral Neurogenic Tumors

Study Design. Assessment of different surgical approaches and procedures to remove different types of neurogenic tumors (Types I–IV). Objective. To aid surgeons faced with operating on a sacral neurogenic tumor by providing guidelines for determining the best surgical approach to use based on the way a neurogenic tumor presents. Summary of Background Data. It is often difficult to determine the best surgical approach to use when operating on sacral neurogenic tumors. This retrospective study reports on the outcomes of patients with sacral neurogenic tumors and the surgical approach used in each case in order to better assess the most appropriate surgical approach and procedure to use with each tumor type. Methods. Between July 1998 and July 2006, 48 cases (18 males) with sacral neurogenic tumors were admitted and treated. Average age was 47 years old (range, 17–75). The average period of follow-up was 47 months. There were 41 cases with benign tumors and 7 cases of malignant tumors. Depending on how the tumor presented, 1 of 3 surgical approaches was used, an anterior approach (7 patients), a posterior approach (22 patients), or a combined anterior-posterior approach (19 patients). Results. For the cases of Type I and the cases of Type II and III in which tumors grew forward but were lower than S1 level, surgical resection of tumors required a simple posterior approach. The cases of Type II and III in which tumors grew forward and expanded higher than S1 level required a combined anterior-posterior approach. For cases of Type IV, a simple anterior approach for resection of tumors was used. Conclusion. In surgical resection of sacral neurogenic tumors, surgical approach depends on the location and size of the tumors. Intraspinal tumors should be excised from a posterior approach. For giant neurogenic tumors that arise from the sacrum and involve the spinal canal, surgical resection should be done by a combined anterior-posterior approach. Giant presacral neurogenic tumors located below the S1 level can be removed by a posterior approach. The anterior surgical approach should be used for giant presacral neurogenic tumors that are located above S1 and do not involve the spinal canal.