Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Signaling Firm Value through Board Structure: An Investigation of Initial Public Offerings

The relationship between boards of directors and firm performance, whether in the entrepreneurial context or otherwise, has long intrigued scholars. To date, no systematic relationship has been established, leading researchers to explore specialized contexts where such relationships may emerge. We believe the initial public offering (IPO) process provides a promising context. Relying on signaling theory, we investigate the relationship between board structure and IPO underpricing, a performance indicator unique to the IPO context, among a sample of IPOs during the 1990s. Consistent with signaling theory, board size and board reputation are negatively associated with IPO underpricing, but board composition and board leadership structure are not negatively associated with IPO underpricing.
The Combination of Capecitabine and Thalidomide in Previously Treated, Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Background:With the increasing survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) there is a growing need for effective second- and third-line agents. We conducted a multicenter, phase II study to examine the combination of capecitabine and thalidomide (Cape/Thal) in patients with refractory metastatic CRC. Methods:Patients with previously treated stage IV CRC were eligible. Treatment consisted of capecitabine at 1,000 mg/m2 po BID for 14 days every 3 weeks and thalidomide, starting at 200 mg po QD continuously. Thalidomide was escalated individually to 600 mg po QD as tolerated. We analyzed overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, response, and toxicity rates. Results:Thirty-four eligible patients were enrolled. The median age was 57 years, and most patients had a normal performance status (65%). All patients had received prior chemotherapy and 19 (56%) had received 2 or 3 prior regimens. The median number of Cape/Thal cycles administered was 3 (range, 1–15). Grade 3/4 toxicities included fatigue (15%), venous thromboembolic events (12%), somnolence (12%), and constipation (9%). Grade 2 hand-foot syndrome occurred in 5 (15%) patients. There were no radiographic responses; 13 patients (38%) achieved stable disease. The median PFS was 2.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.2–3.9) and the median OS was 7.1 month (95% CI = 5.2–12.0). Conclusions:Though well-tolerated, the combination of capecitabine and thalidomide was not associated with objective tumor responses in a population of patients with previously treated metastatic CRC.
Status Threat, Material Interests, and the 2016 Presidential Vote

The April 2018 article of Diana Mutz “Status Threat, Not Economic Hardship, Explains the 2016 Presidential Vote,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and contradicts prior sociological research on the 2016 election. Mutz’s article received widespread media coverage because of the strength of its primary conclusion, declaimed in its title. The present article is a critical reanalysis of the models offered by Mutz, using the data files released along with her article. Contrary to her conclusions, this article demonstrates that (1) the relative importance of economic interests and status threat cannot be estimated effectively with her cross-sectional data, and (2) her panel data are consistent with the claim that economic interests are at least as important as status threat. The preexisting sociological literature has offered interpretations that incorporate economic interests and, as a result, provides a more credible explanation of the 2016 election.
Measurement of triclosan in wastewater treatment systems

The objective of this study was to investigate the fate and removal of triclosan (TCS; 5‐chloro‐2‐[2,4‐dichloro‐phenoxy]‐phenol), an antimicrobial agent used in a variety of household and personal‐care products, in wastewater treatment systems. This objective was accomplished by monitoring the environmental concentrations of TCS, higher chlorinated derivatives of TCS (4,5‐dichloro‐2‐[2,4‐dichloro‐phenoxy]‐phenol [tetra II]; 5,6‐dichloro‐2‐[2,4‐dichloro‐phenoxy]‐phenol [tetra III]; and 4,5,6‐trichloro‐2‐(2,4‐dichloro‐phenoxy)‐phenol [penta]), and a potential biotransformation by‐product of TCS (5‐chloro‐2‐[2,4‐dicholoro‐phenoxy]‐anisole [TCS‐OMe]) during wastew ater treatment. These analytes were isolated from wastewater by using a C18 solid‐phase extraction column and from sludge with super critical fluid CO2. Once the analytes were isolated, they were derivatized to form trimethylsi‐lylethers before quantitation by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Recovery of TCS from laboratory‐spiked wastewater samples ranged from 79 to 88% for influent, 36 to 87% for final effluent, and 70 to 109% for primary sludge. Field concentrations of TCS in influent wastewater ranged from 3.8 to 16.6 μg/L and concentrations for final effluent ranged from 0.2 to 2.7 μg/L. Removal of TCS by activated‐sludge treatment was approximately 96%, whereas removal by trickling‐filter treatment ranged from 58 to 86%. The higher chlorinated tetra‐II, tetra‐III, and penta closans were below quantitation in all of the final effluent samples, except for one sampling event. Digested sludge concentrations of TCS ranged from 0.5 to 15.6 μg/g (dry wt), where the lowest value was from an aerobic digestion process and the highest value was from an anaerobic digestion process. Analysis of these results suggests that TCS is readily biodegradable under aerobic conditions, but not under anaerobic conditions. The higher chlorinated closans were near or below the limit of quantitation in all of the digested sludge samples. Based on results from this study, the chlorinated analogues and biotransformation by‐product of TCS are expected to be very low in receiving waters and sludge‐amended soils.
Profile of patients with brain tumors and the role of nursing care.

OBJECTIVE to describe the profile of 200 patients with central nervous system tumors (CNST), and the role of the nursing care. METHOD prospective, quantitative and descriptive analysis of medical records of 200 patients with TSNC. RESULTS a total of 61% of our patients had benign CNST and 39% had malignant tumors. The extent of patient dependence, according to the Karnofsky Performance Status scale, was significantly greater for patients with malignant CNST (p < .05), indicating that these patients needed more support with their activities of daily living. CONCLUSION patients with CNST need specialized care, with specific guidance regarding their disease and aspects of daily living after treatment. Thus, the nurse can function as a key element for the effectiveness of care provided to patients and family members with the aim of enhancing the quality of life of all those affected, directly or indirectly, by the disease.
Fighting Greed with Money: How Wage Levels Impact Corruption in the Private Purchasing Sector

The purpose of this research is to see whether different wage levels in the private purchasing sector relate to the level of corruptibility. An experiment was conducted that put participants in the role of employees of a purchasing department of a multinational enterprise. The employees were allotted to different wage levels and had to choose between options with different levels of corruption. The research is of a deductive nature and complemented by a descriptive quantitative approach containing the Chi-Square analysis. The results show that there is no association between the wage level and the level of corruptibility of employees in the private purchasing sector. This outcome contributes to the underresearched field of corruption in the private sector and gives further insight into the influence of wages on corruptibility, as well as the usability of the principal-agent theory in the field of corruption.
Birth order, interpregnancy interval and birth outcomes among Filipino infants

Summary This study examines the effects of birth order and interpregnancy interval on birthweight, gestational age, weight-for-gestational age, infant length, and weight-for-length in a sample of 2063 births from a longitudinal study in the Philippines. First births are the most disadvantaged of any birth order/spacing group. The risks associated with short intervals (<6 months) and high birth order (fifth or higher) are confined to infants who have both attributes; there is no excess risk associated with short previous intervals among lower-order infants, nor for high birth order infants conceived after longer intervals. This pattern is observed for all five birth outcomes and neonatal mortality, and persists in models that control for mother's age, education, smoking, family health history and nutritional status. Since fewer than 2% of births are both short interval and high birth order, the potential reduction in the incidence of low birthweight or neonatal mortality from avoiding this category of high-risk births is quite small (1–2%).
The Associations of Regional Adipose Tissue With Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels in HIV-Infected Men

Background:HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy are associated with dyslipidemia, but the association between regional adipose tissue depots and lipid levels is not defined. Methods:The association of magnetic resonance imaging-measured visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and regional subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) volume with fasting lipid parameters was analyzed by multivariable linear regression in 737 HIV-infected and 145 control men from the study of Fat Redistribution and Metabolic Change in HIV Infection. Results:HIV-infected men had higher median triglycerides (170 mg/dL vs. 107 mg/dL; P < 0.0001), lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 38 mg/dL vs. 46 mg/dL; P < 0.0001), and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; 105 mg/dL vs. 125 mg/dL; P < 0.0001) than controls. After adjustment, greater VAT was associated with higher triglycerides and lower HDL-C in HIV-infected and control men, whereas greater leg SAT was associated with lower triglycerides in HIV-infected men with a similar trend in controls. More upper trunk SAT was associated with higher LDL-C and lower HDL-C in controls, whereas more lower trunk SAT was associated with higher triglycerides in controls. After adjustment, HIV infection remained strongly associated (P < 0.0001) with higher triglycerides (+76%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 53 to 103), lower LDL-C (−19%, 95% CI: −25 to −12), and lower HDL-C (−18%, 95% CI: −22 to −12). Conclusions:HIV-infected men are more likely than controls to have higher triglycerides and lower HDL-C, which promote atherosclerosis, but also lower LDL-C. Less leg SAT and more VAT are important factors associated with high triglycerides and low HDL-C in HIV-infected men. The reduced leg SAT in HIV-infected men with lipoatrophy places them at increased risk for proatherogenic dyslipidemia.
In vitro fermentation of potential prebiotic flours from natural sources: impact on the human colonic microbiota and metabolome.

SCOPE Fibers and prebiotics represent a useful dietary approach for modulating the human gut microbiome. Therefore, aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of four flours (wholegrain rye, wholegrain wheat, chickpeas and lentils 50:50, and barley milled grains), characterized by a naturally high content in dietary fibers, on the intestinal microbiota composition and metabolomic output. METHODS AND RESULTS A validated three-stage continuous fermentative system simulating the human colon was used to resemble the complexity and diversity of the intestinal microbiota. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to evaluate the impact of the flours on the composition of the microbiota, while small-molecule metabolome was assessed by NMR analysis followed by multivariate pattern recognition techniques. HT29 cell-growth curve assay was used to evaluate the modulatory properties of the bacterial metabolites on the growth of intestinal epithelial cells. All the four flours showed positive modulations of the microbiota composition and metabolic activity. Furthermore, none of the flours influenced the growth-modulatory potential of the metabolites toward HT29 cells. CONCLUSION Our findings support the utilization of the tested ingredients in the development of a variety of potentially prebiotic food products aimed at improving gastrointestinal health.
PD-1 Increases PTEN Phosphatase Activity While Decreasing PTEN Protein Stability by Inhibiting Casein Kinase 2

ABSTRACT Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a potent inhibitor of T cell responses. PD-1 abrogates activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, but the mechanism remains unclear. We determined that during T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3- and CD28-mediated stimulation, PTEN is phosphorylated by casein kinase 2 (CK2) in the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383 cluster within the C-terminal regulatory domain, which stabilizes PTEN, resulting in increased protein abundance but suppressed PTEN phosphatase activity. PD-1 inhibited the stabilizing phosphorylation of the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383 cluster within the C-terminal domain of PTEN, thereby resulting in ubiquitin-dependent degradation and diminished abundance of PTEN protein but increased PTEN phosphatase activity. These effects on PTEN were secondary to PD-1-mediated inhibition of CK2 and were recapitulated by pharmacologic inhibition of CK2 during TCR/CD3- and CD28-mediated stimulation without PD-1. Furthermore, PD-1-mediated diminished abundance of PTEN was reversed by inhibition of ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation. Our results identify CK2 as a new target of PD-1 and reveal an unexpected mechanism by which PD-1 decreases PTEN protein expression while increasing PTEN activity, thereby inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling axis.
Sustained molecular response with interferon alfa maintenance after induction therapy with imatinib plus interferon alfa in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

PURPOSE Imatinib induces sustained remissions in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), but fails to eradicate CML stem cells. This is of major concern regarding the issues of cure, long-term imatinib tolerability, and imatinib resistance. We therefore asked whether interferon alfa-2a (IFN) alone could maintain molecular remissions achieved by a prior combination therapy with imatinib and IFN. PATIENTS AND METHODS Imatinib therapy was stopped in 20 patients who had concomitantly been pretreated with imatinib and IFN for a median of 2.4 years (range, 0.2 to 4.8 years) and 2.5 years (range, 0.2 to 4.9 years), respectively. After imatinib discontinuation, remission status was monitored monthly by quantitative analysis of the peripheral-blood BCR-ABL mRNA levels using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Proteinase-3 expression and proteinase-3-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) were longitudinally measured to assess putative markers of IFN response. RESULTS With a median time of 2.4 years after imatinib withdrawal (range, 0.5 to 4.0 years), 15 (75%) of 20 patients remained in remission. The number of patients in complete molecular remission increased under IFN from two patients at baseline to five patients after 2 years. Relapses occurred in five patients within 0.4 years (range, 0.2 to 0.8 years), but patients underwent rescue treatment with imatinib, re-establishing molecular remission. IFN therapy was associated with an increase in the expression of leukemia-associated antigen proteinase 3 and induction of proteinase-3-specific CTLs. CONCLUSION Treatment with IFN enables discontinuation of imatinib in most patients after prior imatinib/IFN combination therapy and may result in improved molecular response. Induction of a proteinase-3-specific CTL response by IFN may contribute to this effect.
Late-onset neutropenia after rituximab in ANCA-associated vasculitis

Background: Rituximab (RTX) is being used increasingly in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmatic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Late-onset neutropenia (LON) and risks of infections have been observed following RTX therapy in rheumatological diseases including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) but data on microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) are lacking. Method: We studied the occurrence of LON in 59 AAV (47 GPA/12 MPA) patients treated with RTX. Patient charts were retrospectively reviewed for the occurrence of LON and clinical data were extracted and included in the analysis. Results: Seven of the total 59 patients (11.9%) developed LON after a median time of 86 days (range 56–168 days) since their latest RTX treatment. Of these seven LON patients, 5/47 (10.6%) had a diagnosis of GPA and 2/12 (16.7%) of MPA. Three of the patients developed LON after the first RTX treatment and four had received repeated courses. Five LON patients developed infectious symptoms. Six of the patients were hospitalized. Retreatment with RTX was given in three cases without further LON episodes. Conclusions: LON is a potentially severe side-effect of RTX occurring in both GPA and MPA and may develop after both single and repeated treatment courses. As infections are commonly seen, the condition requires an increased awareness. No predisposing factors for LON were identified.
An Empirical Study on The Properties of Random Bases for Kernel Methods

Kernel machines as well as neural networks possess universal function approximation properties. Nevertheless in practice their ways of choosing the appropriate function class differ. Specifically neural networks learn a representation by adapting their basis functions to the data and the task at hand, while kernel methods typically use a basis that is not adapted during training. In this work, we contrast random features of approximated kernel machines with learned features of neural networks. Our analysis reveals how these random and adaptive basis functions affect the quality of learning. Furthermore, we present basis adaptation schemes that allow for a more compact representation, while retaining the generalization properties of kernel machines.
Earnings Quality and Market Values of Indonesian Listed Firms

We find that earnings quality (EQ) is reliably negatively correlated with the market values of equity of firms listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (IDX). The financial reporting process produces earnings viewed as increasingly ‘incomplete’ for valuation purposes by the capital market despite moves towards high‐quality financial reporting standards (IFRS) during the sample period 1995–2015. Time‐series analyses reveal that EQ decreases rather than increases through time. The role of earnings in valuation is replaced by other attributes, most notably net dividends. Firms that pay out dividends are valued significantly higher, and firms that issue equity are valued lower. These results are robust regardless of other accounting, market and governance controls. Large and closely held firms are valued higher than smaller firms, consistent with some aspects of the political cost hypothesis. Shares with higher idiosyncratic risk are valued higher, consistent with option value, as are shares where the volume of shares traded is more volatile. Collectively, the results indicate that the mere adoption of high‐quality accounting standards (IFRS) and other nominal changes in capital market regulations do not automatically increase the quality of the financial reporting process.
A Generalized Framework for Simultaneous Long-Short Feedback Trading

We present a generalization of the simultaneous long-short (SLS) trading strategy described in recent control literature wherein we allow for different parameters across the short and long sides of the controller; we refer to this new strategy as generalized SLS (GSLS). Furthermore, we investigate the conditions under which positive gain can be assured within the GSLS setup for both deterministic stock price evolution and geometric Brownian motion. In contrast to existing literature in this area (which places less emphasis on the practical application of SLS strategies), we suggest optimization procedures for selecting the control parameters based on historical data, and we extensively test these procedures across a large number of real stock price trajectories (495 in total). We find that the implementation of such optimization procedures greatly improves the performance compared with fixing control parameters, and, indeed, the GSLS strategy outperforms the simpler SLS strategy in general.
Transient depletion of T cells with high LFA‐1 expression from peripheral circulation during acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Acute P. falciparum malaria is associated with loss of in vitro T cell responsiveness to antigenic stimulation, and with high plasma levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptor (IL 2R). In the present study peripheral T cells from acute P. falciparum malaria patients from a malaria‐endemic area of Sudan were analyzed for expression of cell surface antigens associated with T lymphocyte adhesion, activation and maturation. The results were compared to results from T cells obtained from the same donors either before the attack, or during convalescence. Most donors showed a remarkable loss of T cells with high expression of the surface marker LFA‐1 (CD11a/CD18) during the clinical episode, in addition to the functional changes described above. Two donors that did not show phenotypic changes were furthermore characterized by having an unabated proliferative response and normal plasma IL2R levels. All peripheral CD3+ T lymphocytes expressed LFA‐1, which had a clearly bimodal distribution on these cells. The T cell subpopulation having high LFA‐1 expression (LFA‐1++) was composed of both memory and unprimed T cells, according to their expression of CD45RA and CD45R0. Analysis of expression of membrane‐bound IL 2R (CD25) and ICAM‐1 (CD54) did not reveal in vivo activated T cells in the peripheral blood of the patients. Taken together, these data suggest that circulating T cells recognizing parasite antigens are temporarily withdrawn from peripheral circulation during P. falciparum malaria.
Trampoline injuries.

As the popularity of trampolines has increased during the past 10 years, so has the number of injuries sustained using them. Whether there is an actual increase in the risk associated with the use of a trampoline for the same number of exposure hours is not known. The marked increase in emergency room visits related to trampoline injuries might reflect only the increased number of trampolines now available for recreational use or the creative manner in which they are being used. The complex factors related to trampolines, their use, and the possible injuries will be discussed. A liberal use of Internet references will be used because this is where much of the advertising and information available to the public regarding trampolines currently is disseminated.
Occult hepatitis B in renal transplant patients

Abstract: Background. Occult hepatitis B (HB) is characterized by the presence of HBV‐DNA in patients who do not have HB surface antigen (HBsAg) detectable in sera, and is frequently described in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. These viral liver diseases are common and may have a negative impact on the survival of renal transplant patients, especially if they are both present. In this study we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of occult HB in renal transplant patients either with or without HCV infection.