Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The board of directors and firm performance: empirical evidence from listed companies

PurposeThis study aims to reconcile some of the conflicting results in prior studies of the board structure–firm performance relationship and to evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of agency theory in the specific context of Italian corporate governance practice.Design/methodology/approachThis research applies a dynamic generalised method of moments on a sample of Italian listed companies over the period 2003-2015. Proxies for corporate governance mechanisms are the board size, the level of board independence, ownership structure, shareholder agreements and CEO–chairman leadership.FindingsWhile directors elected by minority shareholders are not able to impact performance, independent directors do have a non-linear effect on performance. Board size has a positive effect on firm performance for lower levels of board size. Ownership structure per se and shareholder agreements do not affect firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the literature on agency theory by reconciling some of the conflicting results inherent in the board structure–performance relationship. Firm performance is not necessarily improved by having a high number of independent directors on the board. Ownership structure and composition do not affect firm performance; therefore, greater monitoring provided by concentrated ownership does not necessarily lead to stronger firm performance.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests that Italian corporate governance law should improve the rules and effectiveness of minority directors by analysing whether they are able to impede the main shareholders to expropriate private benefits on the expenses of the minority. The legislator should not impose any restrictive regulations with regard to CEO duality, as the influence of CEO duality on performance may vary with respect to the unique characteristics of each company.Originality/valueThe results enrich the understanding of the applicability of agency theory in listed companies, especially in Italy. Additionally, this paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of research evidence of agency theory studies.
Humoral immune-response to naturally occurring STn in metastatic breast cancer patients (MBC pts) treated with STn-KLH vaccine.

2547 Background: Theratope is an investigational therapeutic cancer vaccine consisting of a synthetic form of STn conjugated to KLH. Phase III study results showed a trend for increased survival in MBC pts concurrently treated with Theratope (T) and hormone therapy (HT) (38.2mo (T) vs. 30.7mo (control, C), Cox P= 0.07). METHODS MBC pts with no evidence of disease or non-progressive disease following any first-line chemotherapy were eligible for a randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter study. Study arms were adjuvant plus T or adjuvant plus KLH (C). All pts received a single IV dose of cyclophosphamide (300mg/m2) 72 hr before vaccine. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and time to progression. Secondary endpoints were humoral (IgG) responses to the KLH (carrier), STn (synthetic monomeric form), and OSM (naturally occurring clustered STn) antigens in MBC pts +/- HT treated with T. IgG was measured using ELISA assays for STn, OSM, and KLH at week-12 of vaccine therapy. Median OS was prospectively assessed as a function of IgG titers. RESULTS Of a planned accrual of 950 pts, 1030 were enrolled and 1028 randomized to recive adjuvant + T(n=523) or C (n=505). As of September 2003, median duration of follow-up was 22.2 mo. Median titer of anti-OSM IgG was 320 in the T group and 0 in the C group. Median OS was significantly greater in T treated pts who received concurrent HT and who had IgG titers of anti-OSM equal to or higher than the median titer (41.1 vs. 25.4 mo, log-rank p=0.01) (see Table). OS was not influenced by anti-STn or anti-KLH titers, indicating that only titers of the naturally occurring clustered STn antigen are predictive of increased OS. [Figure: see text] Conclusions: Experimental vaccine trials suggest that the ability to mount an immune response is associated with favorable clinical outcomes. Our data from this large, prospective trial indicate that the magnitude of the immune response to the relevant and specific antigen is most predictive of a favorable clinical outcome. [Table: see text].
Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in children with seizures

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examinations of 212 children aged two to 24 months with idiopathic nonfebrile seizures, complex febrile seizures, or status epilepticus, who had a lumbar puncture within 24 hours of the convulsion, were reviewed to determine whether an idiopathic convulsion can result in CSF abnormalities. Children with complex febrile seizures had a median CSF white blood cell count of 1 cell/mm3 (range 0–19 cells/mm3) and a median CSF polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell count of 0 cells/mm3 (range 0–8 cells/mm3). The CSF white blood cell (WBC) count was elevated above the upper limit of normal of 5 cells/mm3 in 9.8% and the absolute number of polymorphonuclear cells was more than 0 cells/mm3 in 26.2% of the complex febrile seizure subjects. Values at the 95th percentile were calculated; a total of 8 WBC/mm3, 4 PMN/mm3, protein of 73 mg/dl and glucose of 119 mg/dl determined the 95th percentile CSF values for the patients with complex febrile seizures. Patients with nonfebrile seizures or with status epilepticus had similar findings. We conclude that complex febrile, idiopathic nonfebrile convulsions or status epilepticus may affect CSF findings in children: CSF with >20 WBC/mm3 or >10 PMN/mm3 should not be attributed to seizures.
Phase II, randomized, controlled trial of high-dose N-acetylcysteine in high-risk cardiac surgery patients*

Objective:To assess the effect of high-dose N-acetylcysteine on renal function in cardiac surgery patients at higher risk of postoperative renal failure. Design:Multiblind, placebo-controlled, randomized, phase II clinical trial. Setting:Operating rooms and intensive care units of two tertiary referral hospitals. Patients:A total of 60 cardiac surgery patients at higher risk of postoperative renal failure. Interventions:Patients were allocated to either 24 hrs of high-dose N-acetylcysteine infusion (300 mg/kg body weight in 5% glucose, 1.7 L) or placebo (5% glucose, 1.7 L). Measurements and Main Results:The primary outcome measure was the absolute change in serum creatinine from baseline to peak value within the first five postoperative days. Secondary outcomes included the relative change in serum creatinine, peak serum creatinine level, serum cystatin C, and in urinary output. Further outcomes were needed for renal replacement therapy, length of ventilation, and length of stay in the intensive care unit and hospital. Randomization was successful and patients were well balanced for preoperative and intraoperative characteristics. There was no significant attenuation in the increase in serum creatinine from baseline to peak when comparing N-acetylcysteine with placebo (64.5 ± 91.2 and 38.0 ± 42.4 &mgr;mol/L, respectively; p = .15). Also, there was no attenuation in the increase in serum cystatin C from baseline to peak for N-acetylcysteine compared with placebo (0.45 ± 0.43 and 0.30 ± 0.33 mg/L, respectively; p = .40). Likewise, there was no evidence for differences in any other clinical outcome. Conclusions:In this phase II, randomized, controlled trial, high-dose N-acetylcysteine was no more effective than placebo in attenuating cardiopulmonary bypass–related acute renal failure in high-risk cardiac surgery patients.
Selecting Primal Innovations in DSGE Models

DSGE models are typically estimated assuming the existence of certain primal shocks that drive macroeconomic fluctuations. We analyze the consequences of estimating shocks that are "non-existent" and propose a method to select the primal shocks driving macroeconomic uncertainty. Forcing these non-existing shocks in estimation produces a downward bias in the estimated internal persistence of the model. We show how these distortions can be reduced by using priors for standard deviations whose support includes zero. The method allows us to accurately select primal shocks and estimate model parameters with high precision. We revisit the empirical evidence on an industry standard medium-scale DSGE model and find that government and price markup shocks are innovations that do not generate statistically significant dynamics.
Child abuse and neglect and the development of mental disorders in the general population

Child abuse and neglect have repeatedly been shown to be risks for psychiatric and personality disorders. However, much of this evidence is based on retrospective reports of adults. In addition, little is known about the developmental course of psychopathology among those exposed to child maltreatment. In this study, we report mental disorders assessed from early childhood to adulthood in those later identified as victims of abuse or neglect by official or self-report. Findings show elevated rates of mental disorders and symptoms in each of four groups relative to the normative sample. Groups included those who had been victims of physical abuse or neglect according to official report and those who had been victims of physical or sexual abuse by self-report. As expected, the maltreated groups were quite different demographically from the community comparison sample, especially those with official reports. The group with retrospective self-reports of physical abuse differed only modestly from the comparison group on the symptom and disorder measures, while the sexually abused group showed the most consistently elevated patterns, even after controls for demographic differences were taken into account. The disorder and symptom patterns differed both by group and by age: neglect cases showed a partial remission in adulthood, while official physical abuse cases showed an increasingly consolidated pattern of antisocial and impulsive behavior.
Responses of orchids to habitat change in Corsica over 27 years.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Orchids are known to be particularly sensitive to environmental changes due to their narrow ranges of secondary successional habitats. Lack of data at the community level limits our ability to evaluate how traits of different species influence their responses to habitat change. Here, we used a diachronic survey of Mediterranean orchid communities in Corsica to examine this question. METHODS Using data from two field surveys conducted 27 years apart (1982-84 and 2009-11) at the same 45 sites in Corsica, we evaluated the impact of increase in woody plant cover (WPC) on (i) the richness and composition and (ii) the local extinction/colonization dynamics of orchids. We applied a Bayesian multispecies site-occupancy model to each of the 36 orchid species recorded at these sites to estimate the detection probability of each species, enabling us to account for under-detection in estimating their dynamics. KEY RESULTS Between 1982 and 2011, WPC changed at 82·3 % of sites (increasing at 75·6 %, decreasing at 6·7 %). Despite marked changes in composition of orchid communities at the local scale, no significant change was detected in species richness at the regional scale. Canopy closure affected the probability of new colonization of sites, but had no significant influence on the probability of local extinction. However, the abundance of shade-intolerant species declined more sharply than that of shade-requiring species. Among orchid species, the detection probability was significantly and positively correlated with population density and plant height. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals contrasted dynamics of orchid communities between local and regional scales in Corsica. Although high turnover in communities was found at the local scale, regional species richness was maintained despite major land-use changes. Conserving landscape mosaics could provide locally suitable habitats for orchids of different ecologies to maintain diversity at larger spatial scales.
The sign, magnitude and potential drivers of change in surface water extent in Canadian tundra

The accelerated rate of warming in the Arctic has considerable implications for all components of ecosystem functioning in the High Northern Latitudes. Changes to hydrological cycle in the Arctic are particularly complex as the observed and projected warming directly impacts permafrost and leads to variable responses in surface water extent which is currently poorly characterized at the regional scale. In this study we take advantage of the 30 plus years of medium resolution (30 m) Landsat data to quantify the spatial patterns of change in the extent of water bodies in the Arctic tundra in Nunavut, Canada. Our results show a divergent pattern of change—growing surface water extent in the north-west and shrinking in the south-east—which is not a function of the overall distribution of surface water in the region. The observed changes cannot be explained by latitudinal stratification, nor is it explained by available temperature and precipitation records. However, the sign of change appears to be consistent within the boundaries of individual watersheds defined by the Canada National Hydro Network based on the random forest analysis. Using land cover maps as a proxy for ecological function we were able to link shrinking tundra water bodies to substrates with shallow soil layers (i.e. bedrock and barren landscapes) with a moderate correlation (R2 = 0.46, p < 0.001). It has previously been reported that rising temperatures are driving a deepening of the active layer and shrinking water bodies can be associated with coarse textured soils beneath the lakes. Unlike water bodies with soil, or gravel, beneath them the water bodies that are situated on bedrock are likely cut off from ground water. Drying water bodies clustered in areas of bedrock and thin soils points to evaporation as an important driver of surface water decrease in these cases.
"I Feel More Connected to the Physically Ideal Mini Me than the Mirror-Image Mini Me": Theoretical Implications of the "Malleable Self" for Speculations on the Effects of Avatar Creation on Avatar-Self Connection in Wii

What are the impacts of creating an avatar replicating the actual self versus an avatar projecting the ideal self on game players' avatar-self connection? This study leveraged an avatar-creating game (Mii Channel) within a video-game console (Wii) in a controlled, randomized study. The results of a two-group comparison (actual self-priming vs. ideal self-priming) between-subjects study (N = 76) demonstrated the significant main effect of self-priming via avatar (Mii) creation on avatar-self connection. Game players who were primed to create a Mii reflecting the ideal self felt greater avatar-self connection than those primed to create a replica Mii mirroring the actual self. Theoretical values and implications for a burgeoning body of research on the "malleable self" and the multidimensionality of the self-concept in avatar-based interactive media are discussed.
Money or Grit? Determinants of Mismatch

This paper studies the determinants of mismatch in educational attainment. Mismatch arises when high ability individuals do not obtain a college degree and/or low ability individuals do. Using data from the NLSY97 survey, the paper estimates a structural model of education choice that matches the moments of mismatch, college attainment and labor market outcomes. The analysis conditions on gender, race and socio-economic status. Ignoring the role of parents, mismatch is explained by differences in tastes for education and the presence of occasionally binding borrowing constraints. But parents matter. This channel operates through both the attitudes and ability of offspring. Once these links between parents and children are taken into account, the influence of borrowing constraints disappears. Mismatch reflects variations in tastes as well as noise in test scores, the underlying measure of ability. The paper also presents a decomposition of the college wage premium into the returns to schooling and the selection into higher education. The analysis highlights the power of selection into higher education as an explanation of the college wage premium by gender, race and socio-economic status.
Age‐dependent vulnerability to experimental acute pancreatitis is associated with increased systemic inflammation and thrombosis

The severity and mortality rates of acute pancreatitis (AP) are significantly elevated in the elderly population. However, due to a lack of appropriate animal models, the underlying mechanisms for this age‐dependent vulnerability remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to characterize a murine model of AP, which displays age‐associated severity, and to use this model to identify pathophysiologies that are distinctive of the aged with AP. AP was induced in young (4–5 months), middle‐aged (12–13 months), and aged (23–25 months) C57BL/6 mice by repeated injection of caerulein, a homologue of the gastrointestinal hormone cholecystokinin. Approximately 10% of aged mice died during AP, while young and middle‐aged mice showed no mortality. Although both young and aged mice exhibited early signs of edema and inflammation in the pancreas, kidney, and lung, young mice showed signs of recovery within 24 h, while aged mice exhibited increasingly severe tissue damage and cell death. There was a significant age‐dependent increase in pancreatic neutrophil activation and systemic inflammation as assessed by pancreatic myeloperoxidase and plasma interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) concentration, respectively. Importantly, aged but not young mice with AP showed significantly elevated thrombosis in the lung and kidney as well as a marked increase in plasma concentration of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1), a primary inhibitor of the fibrinolytic system. These results demonstrate that aging is associated with increased severity of AP characterized by augmented and prolonged pancreatic inflammation and the presence of multiple extra‐pancreatic sequelae including thrombosis.
Long-Term Effect of Serial Infections with H13 and H16 Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Black-Headed Gulls

ABSTRACT Infections of domestic and wild birds with low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) have been associated with protective immunity to subsequent infection. However, the degree and duration of immunity in wild birds from previous LPAIV infection, by the same or a different subtype, are poorly understood. Therefore, we inoculated H13N2 (A/black-headed gull/Netherlands/7/2009) and H16N3 (A/black-headed gull/Netherlands/26/2009) LPAIVs into black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), their natural host species, and measured the long-term immune response and protection against one or two reinfections over a period of >1 year. This is the typical interval between LPAIV epizootics in wild birds. Reinfection with the same virus resulted in progressively less virus excretion, with complete abrogation of virus excretion after two infections for H13 but not H16. However, reinfection with the other virus affected neither the level nor duration of virus excretion. Virus excretion by immunologically naive birds did not differ in total levels of excreted H13 or H16 virus between first- and second-year birds, but the duration of H13 excretion was shorter for second-year birds. Furthermore, serum antibody levels did not correlate with protection against LPAIV infection. LPAIV-infected gulls showed no clinical signs of disease. These results imply that the epidemiological cycles of H13 and H16 in black-headed gulls are relatively independent from each other and depend mainly on infection of first-year birds. IMPORTANCE Low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) circulate mainly in wild water birds but are occasionally transmitted to other species, including humans, where they cause subclinical to fatal disease. To date, the effect of LPAIV-specific immunity on the epidemiology of LPAIV in wild birds is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of H13 and H16 LPAIV infection in black-headed gulls on susceptibility and virus excretion of subsequent infection with the same or the other virus within the same breeding season and between breeding seasons. These are the only two LPAIV hemagglutinin subtypes predominating in this species. The findings suggest that H13 and H16 LPAIV cycles in black-headed gull populations are independent of each other, indicate the importance of first-year birds in LPAIV epidemiology, and emphasize the need for alternatives to avian influenza virus (AIV)-specific serum antibodies as evidence of past LPAIV infection and correlates of protection against LPAIV infection in wild birds.
Incidence of Early Complications in Cervical Spine Surgery and Relation to Preoperative Diagnosis: A Single-center Prospective Study

Study Design Prospective observational cohort study. Objective To determine the incidence of early postoperative complications in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery and its correlation with preoperative diagnosis. Summary of Background Data The reported incidence of complications and adverse events in cervical spine surgery is highly variable. Inconsistent definitions and varying methodologies have made the interpretation of earlier reports difficult. No large study has analyzed the overall early morbidity of cervical spine surgery in a prospective fashion or attempted to correlate preoperative diagnosis and comorbidities with perioperative complications. Methods Data on 121 consecutive patients, who underwent cervical spine surgery at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital from May to December 2008, was prospectively collected. Complication definition and gradations of complication severity were validated by a survey of spine surgeons and spine surgery patients. An independent assessor prospectively audited complication incidence in the patient cohort. Data on diagnosis, comorbidities, BMI, complications, and length of stay were prospectively collected and assessed using stepwise multivariate analysis. Results The overall incidence of early complications was 47.1% with a 40.5% incidence of minor complications and an 18.2% incidence of major complications. Major complication incidence was greater in cases of infection (20.0%) and spinal oncologic procedures (30.0%), although this difference was not of statistical significance (P=0.07). Total number of complications recorded was greater in cases of infection and neoplasm (P=0.05). Conclusions Complications in cervical spine procedures occurred most frequently in cases involving trauma and spinal oncologic procedures. This study illustrates that the incidence of early complications in cervical spine procedures is greater than appreciated earlier. This difference likely arises owing to the use of a broad definition of perioperative complications, elimination of recall bias through use of a prospective assessment, and overall case complexity. Accurate assessment of the incidence of early complications in cervical spine surgery is important for patient counseling and in design of prospective quality improvement programs.