Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interval hepatic resection of colorectal metastases improves patient selection.

HYPOTHESIS Interval reevaluation for resectability of hepatic colorectal metastases aids patient selection. DESIGN A retrospective review. SETTING A tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 1, 1985, to July 1, 1998, 318 patients with colorectal hepatic metastases were identified. Resectable lesions (N = 73) were divided into synchronous (n = 36) or metachronous (n = 37) and retrospectively reviewed for immediate resection or interval reevaluation. Kaplan-Meier survival curves of treatment groups were compared by the log-rank test. RESULTS Survival curves of patients with synchronous and metachronous lesions undergoing interval reevaluation vs. immediate resection were not significantly different (P = .74 and P = .65, respectively). No lesions from patients who underwent interval reevaluation became unresectable due to growth of the initial metastases. After interval reevaluation, 8 (29%) of 28 patients with synchronous metastases were spared the morbidity of laparotomy because of distant or an increased number of metastases and 10 (36%) of 28 patients were spared the morbidity of hepatic resection at the time of interval laparotomy. Actuarial median and 5-year survival of patients after delayed hepatic resection (51 months and 45%, respectively) were significantly improved compared with those of all other patients with resectable metastases (23 months and 7%, respectively) (P = .02). For patients with metachronous lesions who underwent interval reevaluation, 4 (29%) of 14 patients were spared the morbidity of laparotomy because of an increased number of hepatic or distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS Delaying hepatic resection for metastatic colorectal cancer does not impair survival. Potentially, two thirds of patients can avoid maj or hepatic surgery. For synchronous metastases, delaying hepatic resection appears to select patients who will benefit from hepatic resection.
Preliminary data about the influence of vitamin D status on the loss of body fat in young overweight/obese women following two types of hypocaloric diet

The loss of weight was analysed in a group of sixty overweight/obese women of childbearing age (20–35 years) according to their initial vitamin D status. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two slightly hypocaloric diets: Diet V, in which the consumption of vegetables was increased, or Diet C, in which the relative consumption of cereals (especially breakfast cereals) was increased. Dietetic, anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the start of the study and again at 2 weeks after dividing the women into groups depending on their having an initial serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration of < 50 nmol/l (LD) or ≥ 50 nmol/l (HD). Dietary intervention led to a reduction in energy intake, body weight and BMI in all groups. The HD women showed greater body fat losses during the study than the LD women (1·7 (sd 1·8) kg compared to 0·5 (sd 0·8) kg). A better vitamin D status therefore aided the loss of body fat over the experimental period (OR 0·462; CI 0·271, 0·785; P < 0·001). However, when the dietary groups were analysed separately, this effect was only seen in the C subjects (OR 0·300; CI 0·121, 0·748; P < 0·001). The present results suggest that women with a better vitamin D status respond more positively to hypocaloric diets and lose more body fat; this was especially clear among the C subjects who had a greater vitamin D supply during the experimental period.
Are Business Cycles Asymmetric? A Correction

Neftci (1984) proposed a nonparametric test procedure for determining whether business cycles are asymmetric in the sense that contractions are steeper than expansions. He found evidence of this type of asymmetry in postwar quarterly U.S. unemployment variables. ' This comment identifies a probable error in Neftci's empirical work that reverses the significance of his results for the unemployment rate, and it suggests that this test may have low power and be sensitive to measurement error.
Local genetic correlation gives insights into the shared genetic architecture of complex traits

Although genetic correlations between complex traits provide valuable insights into epidemiological and etiological studies, a precise quantification of which genomic regions contribute to the genome-wide genetic correlation is currently lacking. Here, we introduce ρ-HESS, a technique to quantify the correlation between pairs of traits due to genetic variation at a small region in the genome. Our approach only requires GWAS summary data and makes no distributional assumption on the causal variant effects sizes while accounting for linkage disequilibrium (LD) and overlapping GWAS samples. We analyzed large-scale GWAS summary data across 35 complex traits, and identified 27 genomic regions that contribute significantly to the genetic correlation among these traits. Notably, we find 7 genomic regions that contribute to the genetic correlation of 12 pairs of traits that show negligible genome-wide correlation, further showcasing the power of local genetic correlation analyses. Finally, we leverage the distribution of local genetic correlations across the genome to assign putative direction of causality for 15 pairs of traits.
Effects of Re-education in Eating Habits and Physical Activity on the Lipid Profile of Obese Teenagers

Abstract Twenty-five teenagers, 13 males and 12 females, some obese and others overweight, aged between 12 and 18 years, were studied over 8 months, under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team. Effects of re-education in eating habits and physical activity on the lipid profile were evaluated. Dyslipidaemia characterised by increased levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides was obeserved in 64%, 12% and 44% of the teenagers, respectively. Whereas decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were observed in 28%, tendency to hypertension has been observed in 36% of the teenagers. After 8 months, the number of teenagers with total hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia decreased to 32% and 24%, respectively. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels did not vary significantly. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels increased in 17% of participants. Reduction of blood pressure occurred in most teenagers. These data suggest that reeducation programmes in eating habits associated with changes in behaviour and physical activity can benefit obese teenagers and prevent various diseases.
An Invariance Property of the Common Trends Under Linear Transformations of the Data

It is well known that if X(t) is a nonstationary process and Y(t) is a linear function of X(t), then cointegration of Y(t) implies cointegration of X(t). We want to find an analogous result for common trends if X(t) is generated by a finite order VAR. We first show that Y(t) has an infinite order VAR representation in terms of its prediction errors, which are a linear process in the prediction error for X(t). We then apply this result to show that the limit of the common trends for Y(t) are linear functions of the common trends for X(t). We illustrate the findings with a small analysis of the term structure of interest rates.
A Comparative Theory of Electoral Incentives

We expand Denzau and Munger’s 1986 model of ‘How Unorganized Interests Get Represented’ to address cross-national differences in electoral systems. We look at how individual legislators allocate their efforts to serving unorganized constituents versus organized groups. Our model shows how the optimal allocation of effort is affected by differences in nominating processes and electoral rules. Our findings include the following: (1) Closed-list proportional representation (PR) makes legislators generally more responsive to interest groups and less responsive to unorganized voters than single-member districts (SMD). (2) This difference becomes smaller as the personal component of the SMD vote diminishes. (3) Legislators elected via lists in a mixed system may be even less responsive to the unorganized than legislators in a pure list system.
Cultural and structural constraints on total quality management implementation

We present a model delineating the influence of national culture and organizational culture/structure on the eff ectiveness of total quality management (TQM) implementation. Researchers can use this model to examine further connections between contextual variables and TQM success. Practitioners can identify the expected success of TQM programmes in their company, and use the four-step proactive approach to diagnose and change the company's culture and structure.
Price Regulation in Property-Liability Insurance: A Contingent-Claims Approach

A discrete-time option-pricing model is used to derive the “fair” rate of return for the property-liability insurance firm. The rationale for the use of this model is that the financial claims of shareholders, policyholders, and tax authorities can be modeled as European options written on the income generated by the insurer’s asset portfolio. This portfolio consists mostly of traded financial assets and is therefore relatively easy to value. By setting the value of the shareholders’ option equal to the initial surplus, an implicit solution for the fair insurance price may be derived. Unlike previous insurance regulatory models, this approach addresses the ruin probability of the insurer, as well as nonlinear tax effects.
Using relative returns to accommodate fat-tailed innovations in processes and option pricing

The canonical process used to describe financial time series is based on a logarithmic random walk. Adding a fat-tail distribution for the innovations in this framework creates fundamental inconsistencies, essentially related to a diverging integral. The problems are related to (1) the (infinite) values of statistical quantities for processes with fat-tail innovations, (2) the robustness of computations when dealing with large events (genuine or noise), and (3) the pricing of options with heteroskedasticity and fat tails. Instead of logarithmic processes, we advocate using geometric processes and relative returns so that these problems do not occur. The mathematical properties of geometric processes are explored for setups of increasing complexity. For empirical time series and for processes, the skews are evaluated using a robust estimator and are compared for both return definitions. Finally, the European option pricing framework is modified to use geometric processes for the underlying, allowing the incorporation of natural fat-tail innovations.
Communication in settings with no transfers

Consider a setting commonly found in intrafirm, regulatory, and political relationships wherein an uninformed decision maker, attempting to elicit information from an informed party affected by his decision, is unable to use transfers. This article examines whether both parties will agree on the introduction of communication-based organizational structures; results in prior research suggest they will. In contrast we demonstrate that when there is enough disagreement between the two parties, introducing communication benefits the decision maker but leads to a loss for the informed party. This result holds both when the decision maker can commit to a decision rule (as in Holmstom (1977)) and when he cannot (as in Crawford and Sobel (1982)). We also show that in the commitment case, with enough disagreement, the optimal communication-based decision rule is discontinuous. Our results suggest a possible rationale for observed legal and regulatory limitations on the information decision makers can elicit from other parties, as well as for attempts by various parties to avoid preplay communication.
Does the State Benefit Labor? A Cross-Country Comparison of the Net Social Wage

This article discusses the empirical literature on the net transfer between labor and the state. It also provides international comparisons of the net social wage in the United States and other advanced capitalist economies on a consistent basis. The results indicate that the welfare state in the United States differs significantly in its impact on the income of labor from other advanced capitalist countries. This claim is based on the fact that the net social wage ratio in the United States is much smaller than that of other countries when all are estimated by the same empirical method.
Universal or targeted approach to prevent the transmission of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in intensive care units: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Objective Several control strategies have been used to limit the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in hospitals. However, their implementation is expensive and effectiveness of interventions for the control of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) spread is controversial. Here, we aim to assess the cost-effectiveness of hospital-based strategies to prevent ESBL-PE transmission and infections. Design Cost-effectiveness analysis based on dynamic, stochastic transmission model over a 1-year time horizon. Patients and setting Patients hospitalised in a hypothetical 10-bed intensive care unit (ICU) in a high-income country. Interventions Base case scenario compared with (1) universal strategies (eg, improvement of hand hygiene (HH) among healthcare workers, antibiotic stewardship), (2) targeted strategies (eg, screening of patient for ESBL-PE at ICU admission and contact precautions or cohorting of carriers) and (3) mixed strategies (eg, targeted approaches combined with antibiotic stewardship). Main outcomes and measures Cases of ESBL-PE transmission, infections, cost of intervention, cost of infections, incremental cost per infection avoided. Results In the base case scenario, 15 transmissions and five infections due to ESBL-PE occurred per 100 ICU admissions, representing a mean cost of €94 792. All control strategies improved health outcomes and reduced costs associated with ESBL-PE infections. The overall costs (cost of intervention and infections) were the lowest for HH compliance improvement from 55%/60% before/after contact with a patient to 80%/80%. Conclusions Improved compliance with HH was the most cost-saving strategy to prevent the transmission of ESBL-PE. Antibiotic stewardship was not cost-effective. However, adding antibiotic restriction strategy to HH or screening and cohorting strategies slightly improved their effectiveness and may be worthy of consideration by decision-makers.
The new diplomacy of the South: South Africa, Brazil, India and trilateralism

Abstract In the aftermath of 9/11 surely of great significance is the reassertion of the South – North divide as a defining axis of the international system. In this context the emergence of a coterie of Southern countries actively challenging the position and assumptions of the leading states of the North is an especially significant event. The activism on the part of three middle-income developing countries in particular—South Africa, Brazil and India—has resulted in the creation of a ‘trilateralist’ diplomatic partnership, itself a reflection of broader transformations across the developing world in the wake of globalisation. This article will examine the rise of the co-operative strategy known as ‘trilateralism’ by regional leaders within the South. Specifically it will look at the relationship between emerging regional powers in the context of multilateralism, as well as at the formulation and implementation of trilateralism. As with previous co-operative efforts in the developing world, the prospects of success are rooted in overlapping domestic, regional and international influences on South African, Brazilian and Indian foreign policies. The article will conclude with an assessment of these influences over the trilateral agenda.
Lab-on-a-Bird: Biophysical Monitoring of Flying Birds

The metabolism of birds is finely tuned to their activities and environments, and thus research on avian systems can play an important role in understanding organismal responses to environmental changes. At present, however, the physiological monitoring of bird metabolism is limited by the inability to take real-time measurements of key metabolites during flight. In this study, we present an implantable biosensor system that can be used for continuous monitoring of uric acid levels of birds during various activities including flight. The system consists of a needle-type enzymatic biosensor for the amperometric detection of uric acid in interstitial fluids. A lightweight two-electrode potentiostat system drives the biosensor, reads the corresponding output current and wirelessly transfers the data or records to flash memory. We show how the device can be used to monitor, in real time, the effects of short-term flight and rest cycles on the uric acid levels of pigeons. In addition, we demonstrate that our device has the ability to measure uric acid level increase in homing pigeons while they fly freely. Successful application of the sensor in migratory birds could open up a new way of studying birds in flight which would lead to a better understanding of the ecology and biology of avian movements.
Oxidative product formation in irradiated neutrophils

The effect of irradiation on neutrophil oxidative function was evaluated using a flow cytometric assay of intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. This assay quantitates the H2O2‐dependent conversion of the nonfluorescent compound, 2′‐7′‐dichlorofluorescein (DCFH), into fluorescent 2′‐7′‐dichlorofluorescein (DCF) on a single‐ cell basis. Intracellular H2O2 production in response to stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate was not affected by neutrophil irradiation at doses up to 2500 rad. In addition, irradiation of intracellular DCFH and aqueous 2′‐7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH‐DA) resulted in DCF production, which suggested that oxidative molecules produced by aqueous radiolysis were detected by this assay. This study indicates that radiation doses of 1500 to 2500 rad, which are sufficient to prevent induction of graft‐versus‐host disease by transfused blood components, are not deleterious to neutrophil oxidative metabolism.
Enterprise performance measurement

The future trends with respect to globalisation, customer orientation, process orientation, and high productivity have led to increased focus on productivity and enterprise competitiveness. In order to improve competitiveness, it is necessary to measure performance. The classical approach to this is to apply the Sink and Tuttle model describing seven performance criteria. A more modern approach has been advised by the TOPP program. TOPP measures performance along three dimensions: efficiency, effectiveness and adaptability. TOPP uses questionnaires to collect data. Another approach is applied in the EU ENAPS project where the goal is to build a European benchmarking database. ENAPS provides a set of tools to a number of agents actually doing the benchmarks. Performance measurement requires an enterprise model. The EU FOF project developed such a model. This was further developed by TOPP and then further refined in ENAPS.
Did Fair-Value Accounting Contribute to the Financial Crisis?

The recent financial crisis has led to a major debate about fair-value accounting. Many critics have argued that fair-value accounting, often also called mark-to-market accounting, has significantly contributed to the financial crisis or, at least, exacerbated its severity. In this paper, we assess these arguments and examine the role of fair-value accounting in the financial crisis using descriptive data and empirical evidence. Based on our analysis, it is unlikely that fair-value accounting added to the severity of the current financial crisis in a major way. While there may have been downward spirals or asset-fire sales in certain markets, we find little evidence that these effects are the result of fair-value accounting. We also find little support for claims that fair-value accounting leads to excessive write-downs of banks' assets. If anything, empirical evidence to date points in the opposite direction, that is, towards overvaluation of bank assets.
Activity-based segmentation of the outbound leisure tourism market of Saudi Arabia

Using an array of multivariate statistical methods (principal components, cluster, discriminant, and analysis of variance), this study empirically develops market segments for the outbound leisure travel market of Saudi Arabia based on respondents’ stated preferences for common vacation activities. Analysis of 455 responses to a structured survey reveals three main travel segments—conservatives, fun seekers, and variety seekers. Conservatives (older, married, and male respondents) have a profound dislike for entertainment-oriented activities; fun seekers (young, single, and female) prefer shopping and leisure activities, and variety seekers (middle aged, single, and female) like all vacation activities. Implications for destination marketers and tourism segmentation research are discussed.
Internet Appendix for: 'Market (In)Attention and the Strategic Scheduling and Timing of Earnings Announcements'

This Internet Appendix includes supplementary discussion and analyses. The original paper "Market (in)attention and the strategic scheduling and timing of earnings announcements" is available at the following URL: <br><br><a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2545966">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2545966</a>.
Income, wealth and financial fragility in Europe

The article examines the distribution of income and wealth among the generation of Europeans aged 65 and over, using data drawn from the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). It looks at how cross-country comparisons of income, wealth and debt are affected by differences in purchasing power, household size and taxation, and shows that some seemingly wide international differences appear less so when the proper adjustments are made. The article reveals wide differences in income, wealth and indebtedness of elderly households in Europe, and provides background information on social issues such as the adequacy of savings at retirement, and the financial fragility of the elderly.
A Transforming Architecture for Future Wireless Networks: Transformium Network

The explosive growth of cellular network users and traffic stimulates the current network architecture to be more spectral-, energy-, and operation efficient and flexible. In this paper, we propose a transformium network architecture comprising transformium core, body and cloud, where the core dynamically schedules the body and cloud orchestrated with wireless network environment. To enable the transforming ability, some new emerging technologies, including software defined networking, network virtualization are employed in the proposed architecture. As a consequence, the transforimium network is a promising network architecture to improve the network capacity, quality of service and solve the network ossification problem.