Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Politically Connected Outside Directors on Firm Performance: Evidence from Korean Chaebol Firms

Manuscript Type Empirical Research Question/Issue While most prior studies on the value of political connections focus on the political connections of controlling shareholders and top management, we examine the performance impact of appointing politically connected outside directors (PCODs) in Korean chaebol firms. Research Findings/Insights Using a manually collected sample of PCODs in Korean chaebol firms, we find that larger, high-performing, less volatile firms with a larger board and higher divergence between voting rights and cash flow rights are more likely to appoint PCODs in the next year. We also report that firms with a high number of PCODs exhibit better operating performance and enjoy lower risk. On the other hand, we find evidence of weak monitoring ability by PCODs. Overall, we suggest that the number of PCODs correlates positively with firm performance, and that the value effect of PCODs increases with the importance of internal trade among group affiliates, the existence of inside directorship by controlling shareholders, and potential settlements from pending litigation. We further differentiate between PCODs and find that former government officials as PCODs drive our findings. Theoretical/Academic Implications This study contributes to corporate governance knowledge by revealing the relationship between PCODs and firm performance via an empirical inquiry into the role of PCODs on the board. As the controlling shareholders of Korean chaebol firms obtain greater private benefits of control, and such firms may face active government involvement in curbing controlling shareholders’ rent extraction, we examine the role and effects of PCODs in these situations and find evidence of the PCOD's value-enhancing effect. We also complement and extend prior studies by providing more direct mechanisms through which PCODs can add value above and beyond firms’ ownership structure. Additionally, we expand the concept of political connection by analyzing outside directors’ human and social capital from the resource dependence theory perspective. Our attempt complements prior research's exclusive focus on connections of large shareholders or top executives to political parties and is more comprehensive in illustrating the firm's dynamic business environment. Practitioner/Policy Implications The results of our study are potentially useful to regulators, who will benefit from an understanding of how the presence of PCODs on boards affects firm performance. In particular, our results suggest that in countries where recent reforms aim to improve minority investor protection and market confidence, regulators should consider the composition of outside directors as well as explicit board independence. The results of our study may also be useful to investors, financial analysts, and auditors, as they highlight the importance of considering specific features of board composition when assessing firms’ future operating performance and risk mechanisms.
India’s emerging social policy paradigm: productive, protective or what?

ABSTRACT This article presents a cross-disciplinary review of state-of-the-art explorations of India’s emerging social policy paradigm during the two recent Centre/Left Congress/United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments (2004–2009, 2009–2014). In doing so, it revises existing classifications of social policy activity in India by tracing quantitative inputs and outcomes over time and assessing the extension of social rights via newly introduced social policy programmes. We find little evidence that India has moved beyond its failing informal welfare regime features characterized by a weakly developed mix of productive–protective welfare policy interventions, comparatively low social expenditure and mixed social outcomes. Furthermore, testing the transformative character of social policy innovations, we conclude that India’s approach to social protection has so far remained essentially residual, even minimalist, in character. Addressing the key developmental challenges India faces will therefore necessitate further reaching changes towards a more encompassing and inclusive social model that will in turn help to better generate productive assets among the Indian poor.
The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale. Assessment of activities of daily living in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The ALS CNTF treatment study (ACTS) phase I-II Study Group.

OBJECTIVES To test the utility of a new, easy to administer instrument for assessing activities of daily living in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to validate its accuracy, and to assess its ability to record disease progression in patients with ALS against other functional scales, quantitative isometric muscle testing, and global assessment scales. DESIGN Serial assessments of patients who presented to four ALS treatment centers in two multicenter studies. PATIENTS Study 1 (cross-sectional) evaluated 75 consecutive patients who presented to four ALS treatment centers during a 2-month period. Study 2 (longitudinal) evaluated the progression of 53 patients who were enrolled in a multicenter, phase I-II clinical trial of recombinant human ciliary neurotrophic factor for treatment of ALS. OUTCOME MEASURES The ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS) was compared with quantitative myometry and with other measures of daily function in patients with ALS both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. RESULTS The first study of 75 patients evaluated the internal consistency, the test-retest reliability, and the construct validity of the ALSFRS. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were high. Patient self-rating of upper- and lower-extremity-dependent tasks were highly correlated with measures of upper- and lower-extremity strength, respectively. Thus, the ALSFRS has good construct validity. In the second study, ALSFRS scores declined in tandem with deterioration in motor and pulmonary function, indicating its sensitivity to change. CONCLUSIONS The ALSFRS is a useful instrument for evaluation of functional status and functional change in patients with ALS. Its results are in close agreement with objective measures of muscle strength and pulmonary function. The ALSFRS may be used as a screening measure for entry into clinical trials, as a surrogate measure of function in situations in which muscle strength cannot be measured directly, or as an adjunct to myometry.
Effect of the Portacaval Shunt on Reperfusion Injury after 65% Hepatectomy in Pigs

Background: Portal flow diversion by portacaval shunts (PCS) has been shown to prevent primary graft nonfunction in liver transplantation using small-for-size grafts. In this study, we examine whether PCS can improve reperfusion injury after major hepatectomy in pigs. Materials and Methods: In 14 pigs, a partial PCS was constructed following 65% hepatectomy and 1 h of inflow ischemia. During 24 h of reperfusion, the shunt was either closed (group A, n = 7) or left open (group B, n = 7). Results: 24 h after reperfusion, group A had higher levels of alanine aminotransferase (70 ± 12 IU/l vs. 51 ± 5.9 IU/l; p < 0.05), alanine aminotransferase per gram of liver remnant (0.41 ± 0.07 IU/l/g vs. 0.21 ± 0.05 IU/l/g; p < 0.05), prothrombin time (24.1 ± 2.4 s vs. 14.3 ± 2.9 s; p < 0.05), international normalized ratio (2.11 ± 0.15 vs. 1.29 ± 0.28; p < 0.05), hepatocyte necrosis scores and percentages of nuclei stained for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (52.57 ± 8.9% vs. 36.71 ± 6%; p < 0.05) compared to group B. Conclusions: Partial portal flow diversion appears to attenuate reperfusion injury in a porcine model of major hepatectomy.
The mechanism of end-organ resistance to 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in the common marmoset.

The common marmoset, a New World monkey, requires a large amount of cholecalciferol (110 i.u./day per 100g body wt.) to maintain its normal growth. In a previous report, we demonstrated that the circulating levels of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1 alpha,25(OH)2D3] in the marmosets are much higher than those in rhesus monkeys and humans, but the marmosets are not hypercalcaemic [Shinki, Shiina, Takahashi, Tanioka, Koizumi & Suda (1983) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 14, 452-457]. To compare the effect of the daily intake of cholecalciferol, two rhesus monkeys were given a large amount of cholecalciferol (900 i.u./day per 100g body wt). Their serum levels of calcium, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and 24R,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol were markedly elevated, but the serum 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 levels remained within a range similar to those in the rhesus monkeys fed the normal diet (intake of cholecalciferol 5 i.u./day per 100g body wt). Intestinal cytosols prepared from both monkeys contained similar 3.5 S macromolecules to which 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 was bound specifically. However, the cytosols from the marmosets contained only one-sixth as many 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 receptors as those from the rhesus monkeys. Furthermore, the activity of the 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3-receptor complex in binding to DNA-cellulose was very low in the marmosets. These results suggest that the marmoset possesses an end-organ resistance to 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 and is a useful animal model for studying the mechanism of vitamin D-dependent rickets, type II.
Allelic diversity associated with aridity gradient in wild emmer wheat populations.

The association between allelic diversity and ecogeographical variables was studied in natural populations of wild emmer wheat [Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides (Körn.) Thell. ], the tetraploid progenitor of cultivated wheat. Patterns of allelic diversity in 54 microsatellite loci were analyzed in a collection of 145 wild emmer wheat accessions representing 25 populations that were sampled across naturally occurring aridity gradient in Israel and surrounding regions. The obtained results revealed that 56% of the genetic variation resided among accessions within populations, while only 44% of the variation resided between populations. An unweighted pair-group method analysis (UPGMA) tree constructed based on the microsatellite allelic diversity divided the 25 populations into six major groups. Several groups were comprised of populations that were collected in ecologically similar but geographically remote habitats. Furthermore, genetic differentiation between populations was independent of the geographical distances. An interesting evolutionary phenomenon is highlighted by the unimodal relationship between allelic diversity and annual rainfall (r = 0.74, P < 0.0002), indicating higher allelic diversity in populations originated from habitats with intermediate environmental stress (i.e. rainfall 350-550 mm year(-1)). These results show for the first time that the 'intermediate-disturbance hypothesis', explaining biological diversity at the ecosystem level, also dominates the genetic diversity within a single species, the lowest hierarchical element of the biological diversity.
The Great Economic Depression and the Fiscal Policy

The Great Depression is known as one of the biggest crises in economic history which caused serious economic consequences expressed through increased unemployment, high rates of deflation, bank panic, banking crisis and bankruptcies of many companies and households. The fascination of many economists from this crisis was the main cause of the preparation of this work that aims to capture the overall crisis and to see different views of numerous economists about the reasons that led to the appearance of the same, but also the solutions to overcome it. The paper reviews the different posts of economists, beginning with those who felt that the crisis was caused by monetary factors (tight monetary policy, the gold standard, vulnerable banking system), other authors who considered that the reasons lie in the real sector, and third in the insufficient aggregate demand. Furthermore, the paper examines the Keynesian theory and her attempt to explain and overcome the crises and their views on the increased activity of the state in periods of low economic growth and high unemployment. Keynes succeeded by his revolutionary work to refute all previous views that the market alone manages to declare balance in the economy and that the role of the state should be minimized. Keynes's focus was on capital investments, i.e. the execution of public works which will generate new jobs that can influence to boost consumption. That kind of capital investment in terms of depression should be the main substitute for private investment. The last section elaborates the fiscal measures incorporated in the so-called New Deal of President Roosevelt which were represented through substantial increase in public spending, but such an inevitable march was preceded by the abolition of numerous tax exemptions.
Macroparticle Dynamics during Multi-Cathode-Spot Vacuum Arcs

Macroparticle dynamics in multi-cathode-spot (MCS) vacuum arcs were studied by utilizing laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) methods for in situ measurement of the cathodic macroparticle velocities and relative emission rates. Arc current pulses having peak values of 1-2 kA at either 6 or 1 ms after arc initiation were investigated. Systematic dependence of the macroparticle dynamics (i.e., speed and direction of flight) on cathodic thermophysical properties, location of the measurement probe in the interelectrode region, instantaneous value of the arc current, arc current waveform, and macroparticle size was determined. It was found that the macroparticle velocity increased with the melting temperature of the cathode metal, distance from the cathode surface, and the instantaneous value of the arc current, and decreased with macroparticle size and the rise time of the current waveform. All the above dependencies may be understood as direct indications of the plasma-macroparticle interaction during the discharge. The measured instantaneous relative emission rates were found to peak later than the arc current but before the peak average cathode surface temperature, which was estimated using a semi-empirical model. This result may be an indication of the dependence of cathodic erosion in the form of molten metal droplets on the average cathode surface temperature.
Inappropriate treatment of catheter-associated asymptomatic bacteriuria in a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND Evidence-based guidelines state that asymptomatic bacteriuria is not a clinically significant condition in men and nonpregnant women and that treatment is unlikely to confer clinical benefit. We hypothesized that, among patients with indwelling catheters or condom collection systems, many who receive a diagnosis of and are treated for catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) actually have asymptomatic bacteriuria and, therefore, that antibiotic therapy is inappropriate. METHODS We reviewed all urine culture results at a veterans affairs medical center during a 3-month period. Cultures yielding 10(4) colony-forming units/mL were included if the urine had been collected from a hospitalized patient with an indwelling (Foley) catheter or a condom collection system. We applied standardized definitions to determine whether the episode represented catheter-associated asymptomatic bacteriuria (CAABU) or CAUTI. Antibiotic therapy was considered appropriate for patients who met criteria for symptomatic UTI. RESULTS Overall, 280 episodes met criteria for inclusion: 164 CAABU and 116 CAUTI. Of the 164 episodes of CAABU, 111 (68%) were managed appropriately (no treatment), whereas 53 (32%) were treated with antibiotics (inappropriate treatment). In multivariate analysis, older patient age, having predominantly gram-negative bacteriuria, and higher urine white blood cell count were significantly associated with inappropriate treatment of CAABU (P < .05, by logistic regression). CONCLUSIONS Better recognition of CAABU and the distinction between this condition and CAUTI, consistent with evidence-based guidelines, may play a key role in reducing unneeded antibiotic usage in hospitalized patients.
Treatment of intrabony defects after impacted mandibular third molar removal with bioabsorbable and non-resorbable membranes.

BACKGROUND Mandibular second molar (M2) periodontal defects after third molar (M3) removal in high-risk patients are a clinical dilemma for clinicians. This study compares the healing of periodontal intrabony defects at distal surfaces of mandibular M2s using bioabsorbable and non-resorbable membranes. METHODS Eleven patients with bilateral probing depths (PDs) ≥6 mm distal to mandibular M2s and intrabony defects ≥3 mm, related to the total impaction of M3s, were treated with M3 extraction and covering of the surgical bone defect with a bioabsorbable collagen barrier on one side and a non-resorbable expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) barrier contralaterally. The PD, clinical attachment level (CAL), M2 mobility, and furcation class probing were evaluated preoperatively and 3, 6, and 9 months postoperatively. Intraoral periapical radiographs were taken immediately preoperatively and 3 and 9 months postoperatively. RESULTS Both treatment modalities were successful. At 9 months, the mean PD reduction was 5.2 ± 3.9 mm for bioabsorbable sites and 5.5 ± 3.0 mm for non-resorbable sites; the CAL gain was 5.9 ± 3.3 mm and 5.5 ± 3.4 mm, respectively. The outcome difference between the two sites for PD and CAL did not differ statistically (P >0.05) at any assessment time. CONCLUSION Bioabsorbable collagen membranes in guided tissue regeneration treatment of intrabony defects distal to the mandibular M2 obtained the same marked PD reductions and CAL gains as non-resorbable ePTFE membranes after M3 extraction.
Market Organization and Productive Efficiency: Evidence from the Texas Electricity Market

This paper examines the impact of market organization on efficiency and social welfare in the electricity market. Wholesale electricity markets exhibit two basic forms of organization: the decentralized bilateral trading market and the centralized auction market. While the centralized market may improve efficiency through information aggregation, it may also reduce efficiency by exacerbating the incentive faced by market participants to exercise market power. Taking advantage of Texas' transition from a bilateral trading market to a centralized auction market, I show that the effect of the former dominates the latter. Using detailed generation data, I find that high-cost generators were displaced by low-cost generators in production. In the nine months following the transition, the generation cost was reduced by $30.7 million, about 0.5% of the total generation cost. Although the centralized market led to private cost saving, it also had an unintended effect on emissions. For moderate estimates of marginal damage values, the increased external costs of emissions completely offset the productive efficiency gain.
Psychiatric manifestations of Wilson's disease and treatment with electroconvulsive therapy

Wilson's disease is a rare genetic disorder involving the liver and brain, with onset frequently in adolescence. Psychiatric symptoms are often the first manifestation of the disease and can obscure the diagnosis. Although such patients are more commonly seen in neurological and hepatological settings, mental health professionals must keep in mind a high level of suspicion, once first presentations may be of psychiatric nature. We present the case of a 20-year-old female patient who initially presented with psychiatric symptoms. The neuropsychiatric manifestations and treatment of this patient with electroconvulsive therapy is presented.
Dentin Sialophosphoprotein-Promoted Mineralization and Expression of Odontogenic Genes in Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells

Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is an extracellular matrix, typically dentin- and bone-specific gene, which plays an important role in dentin mineralization and tooth development. Adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) are considered to contain a group of pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells which are capable of mineralization either in vitro or in vivo. In the present study, we hypothesized that overexpression of DSPP would promote mineralization in ADSCs. Our results showed that infection of DSPP-expressing adenovirus (Ad-DSPP) enhanced expression of genes related to mineralization, such as Cbfa1,Osx,BSP, OCN and DMP1 in ADSCs. Alkaline phosphatase activity was also confirmed in Ad-DSPP-infected ADSCs by cytochemistry and alkaline phosphatase activity assay. Mineralization assay indicated that Ad-DSPP-infected ADSCs were able to form mineralized nodules. Another finding in this study is that early odontogenic marker genes such as Msx1, Msx2, Lhx7 and Pax9 were expressed in DSPP-overexpressed ADSCs. Thus, our results suggested that overexpression of DSPP promoted mineralization of ADSCs, and together with the expression of early odontogenic marker genes, implied that these cells may differentiate into functional odontoblast-like cells.
Assembly of Retrovirus Capsid-Nucleocapsid Proteins in the Presence of Membranes or RNA

ABSTRACT Retrovirus Gag precursor (PrGag) proteins direct the assembly of roughly spherical immature virus particles, while after proteolytic processing events, the Gag capsid (CA) and nucleocapsid (NC) domains condense on viral RNAs to form mature retrovirus core structures. To investigate the process of retroviral morphogenesis, we examined the properties of histidine-tagged (His-tagged) Moloney murine leukemia (M-MuLV) capsid plus nucleocapsid (CANC) (His-MoCANC) proteins in vitro. The His-MoCANC proteins bound RNA, possessed nucleic acid-annealing activities, and assembled into strand, circle (or sphere), and tube forms in the presence of RNA. Image analysis of electron micrographs revealed that tubes were formed by cage-like lattices of CANC proteins surrounding at least two different types of protein-free cage holes. By virtue of a His tag association with nickel-chelating lipids, His-MoCANC proteins also assembled into planar sheets on lipid monolayers, mimicking the membrane-associated immature PrGag protein forms. Membrane-bound His-MoCANC proteins organized into two-dimensional (2D) cage-like lattices that were closely related to the tube forms, and in the presence of both nickel-chelating lipids and RNAs, 2D lattice forms appeared similar to lattices assembled in the absence of RNA. Our observations are consistent with a M-MuLV morphogenesis model in which proteolytic processing of membrane-bound Gag proteins permits CA and NC domains to rearrange from an immature spherical structure to a condensed mature form while maintaining local protein-protein contacts.