Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Governance Mechanisms and Firm Value: The Impact of Ownership Concentration and Dividends

Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: This study examines whether ownership concentration affects board and audit committee independence, and whether the impact of board and audit committee independence on firm value is moderated by ownership concentration and dividend payouts. Research Findings/Insights: Using panel data on a sample of Australian publicly listed firms over the period 2000–2005 (1,530 firm-year observations), the study finds that ownership concentration has a negative impact on board independence, but no impact on audit committee independence. Results also suggest that board independence enhances firm value and that performance impact of board independence is stronger in closely-held firms and/or firms having low dividend payouts. A marginally positive impact of audit committee independence, especially among closely-held firms, is also found. Theoretical/Academic Implications: This study suggests that the impact of governance mechanisms is moderated by companies' ownership structure and dividend policies. It extends research on the effectiveness of governance mechanisms by distinguishing two types of agency problems and using a simultaneous equations model. The findings underline the important governance role that independent boards and audit committee can play in a country that has high ownership concentration and high levels of private benefits of control. Practitioner/Policy Implications: The results of this study strengthen the idea that independent directors can also play a key role in the governance of closely-held firms. As such, for investors, as far as agency costs are concerned, investments in closely-held firms that have a higher proportion of independent directors on the board and audit committee are sensible. Closely-held firms should be aware of the investor's need for more independent directors, especially when dividends are low.
Voriconazole for invasive bone aspergillosis: a worldwide experience of 20 cases.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND; Bone aspergillosis remains a rare but potentially devastating fungal disease. Although voriconazole is effective for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, evidence of its efficacy for aspergillosis located in bone is limited. METHODS We report our experience with voriconazole in 4 cases of invasive bone aspergillosis. In addition, all cases of probable and definite bone aspergillosis from the Pfizer clinical database were reviewed and analyzed to determine the safety and efficacy of voriconazole treatment. Global response was evaluated at the end of therapy on the basis of a composite assessment of overall clinical, radiological, and mycological responses. RESULTS Twenty patients are described, of whom 18 had definite bone involvement diagnosed (spondylodiskitis in 9, sternum/rib osteomyelitis in 6, and peripheral bone involvement in 5). Of 20 patients, 14 were immunocompromised. Oral or intravenous voriconazole was given as salvage therapy for 18 patients; 2 patients received voriconazole as first-line therapy. Median duration of voriconazole treatment was 83.5 days (range, 4-395 days). Global response at end of therapy was satisfactory in 11 (55%) of 20 patients, including complete responses in 4 patients and partial responses in 7 patients; there were no relapses of infection in the 4 patients with complete response to therapy with voriconazole. Treatment was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS Long-term voriconazole treatment is a new therapeutic option for invasive aspergillosis with bone involvement.
Development of tolerance to the disruptive effects of cocaine on repeated acquisition and performance of response sequences.

Pigeons obtained food by making four responses on three keys in a specified sequence. Errors produced 5-second timeout periods, during which the keylights were off and responses had no effect. To establish a base line of repeated acquisition, the sequence of correct responses was changed from session to session. Cocaine (3 mg/kg) disrupted the behavior: total errors increased, the relative frequency of perseverative errors increased, the rate of within-session error reduction (learning) decreased and the total trial time (pausing) increased. During repeated drug administration (30-50 sessions), these effects disappeared, i.e., tolerance developed. Tolerance did not develop, however, to cocaine-induced increases or decreases in timeout responding; such effects were nondisruptive in the sense thay they did not reduce the rate of food reinforcement. For comparison, cocaine (3-10 mg/kg) was also studied under a "performance" condition, in which the sequence of correct responses was the same from session to session. Cocaine increased performance errors and produced pausing, but tolerance developed more quickly under the learning condition . The more rapid development of tolerance was presumably due to the stronger stimulus control of behavior under the performance condition.
Competencies, Innovation And Profitability Of Firms

This empirical study investigates the impact of competencies on firms' economic perfomance. A panel dataset of Finnish manufacturing firms is used to assess the effects of education and innovation on profitability. The differences between innovators and non-innovators, and between product- and process-innovators are also examined, to illuminate the interactions between innovation and skills. The results indicate that educational measures of competence are significantly associated with profitability. First, interactions between different levels and fields of education have the most important effects. For example, the positive effect of research skills is conditioned by a sufficient share of employees with general skills acquired in higher education. Second, profitability of innovating firms is determined differently from that of non-innovating firms, in particular, educational competencies are more important for innovators. Finally, the determinants of profitability. of product innovators differ from those of process innovators, i.e., different competencies complement different types of innovation.
Gamma knife thalamotomy for disabling tremor: a blinded evaluation.

BACKGROUND Gamma knife thalamotomy (GKT) has been used as a therapeutic option for patients with disabling tremor refractory to medications. Impressive improvement of tremor has been reported in the neurosurgical literature, but the reliability of such data has been questioned. OBJECTIVE To prospectively evaluate clinical outcomes after GKT for disabling tremor with blinded assessments. DESIGN Prospective study with blinded independent neurologic evaluations. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Consecutive patients who underwent unilateral GKT for essential tremor and Parkinson disease tremor at our center. These patients were unwilling or deemed unsuitable candidates for deep brain stimulation or other surgical procedures. INTERVENTIONS Unilateral GKT and regular follow-up evaluations for up to 30 months, with blinded video evaluations by a movement disorders neurologist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical outcomes, as measured by the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale and activities of daily living scores, and incidence of adverse events. RESULTS From September 1, 2006, to November 30, 2008, 18 patients underwent unilateral GKT for essential tremor and Parkinson disease tremor at our center. Videos for 14 patients (11 with essential tremor, 3 with Parkinson disease tremor) with at least 6 months' postoperative follow-up were available for analysis (mean [SD] follow-up duration, 19.2 [7.3] months; range, 7-30 months). The Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale activities of daily living scores improved significantly after GKT (P = .03; median and mean change scores, 2.5 and 2.7 points, respectively [range of scale was 0-27]), but there was no significant improvement in other Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale items (P = .53 for resting tremor, P = .24 for postural tremor, P = .62 for action tremor, P = .40 for drawing, P > .99 for pouring water, P = .89 for head tremor). Handwriting and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale activities of daily living scores tended to improve (P = .07 and .11, respectively). Three patients developed delayed neurologic adverse events. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we found that GKT provided only modest antitremor efficacy. Of the 2 patients with essential tremor who experienced marked improvement in tremor, 1 subsequently experienced a serious adverse event. Further prospective studies with careful neurologic evaluation of outcomes are necessary before GKT can be recommended for disabling tremor on a routine clinical basis.
Measuring social learning in participatory approaches to natural resource management

The role of social learning as a governance mechanism in natural resource management has been frequently highlighted, but progress in finding evidence for this role and gaining insight into the conditions that promote it are hampered by the lack of operational definitions of social learning and practical methods to measure it. In this article, we present a simple and flexible method to measure social learning, whether it has occurred and to what extent, among stakeholders in natural resource management. The method yields measurements of social learning that are visual, quantitative and qualitative. First, we elaborate our definition of social learning as a convergence of perspectives and outline how stakeholder perspectives in natural resource management can be described with Cultural Theory. Next, we provide a generic description of the method, followed by two examples illustrating its application to the domains of water and land management. Finally, we discuss relative strengths and weaknesses of the method and how it could be applied to improve our understanding of factors that contribute to social learning.
Determinants of Co-Workers' Innovative Behaviour: An Investigation into Knowledge Intensive Services

Innovation researchers increasingly pay attention to service industries, resulting in a large amount of literature on success factors in new service development. However, the role of individual co-workers in innovation is still underexposed. This paper investigated the drivers of innovative behaviour of individual co-workers, which is considered to be a major determinant of incremental innovation. From the literature seven constructs were derived that are often discussed as drivers of innovation, but have not been tested as determinants of individual co-workers' innovative behaviour. Survey data were collected from 360 persons working in knowledge-intensive service firms. Based on a regression analysis, it appeared that perceptions of job challenge, autonomy, strategic attention and external contacts are positively related to innovative behaviour of individual co-workers. Also, operating in a market where firms compete on differentiation had a positive impact. On the other hand, a firm climate supportive to innovation and a high variation in demand did not affect innovative behaviour in a direct manner.
SOURCES OF SUCCESS IN ADVANCED MATERIALS INNOVATION: THE ROLE OF "CORE RESEARCHERS" IN UNIVERSITY–INDUSTRY COLLABORATION IN JAPAN

This article aimed to identify the effect of university-industry collaborations on the innovative performance of firms operating in the advanced materials field, and it proposed an original classification of the research organization partners. The main contribution resides in the estimation of the role played by collaborations with differently experienced corporate researchers. In the advanced materials industry the most effective collaborations are driven by "core researchers," who have been involved in authoring scientific papers, in addition to applying sizeable patents. The results of the case study focusing on partner firms collaborating with "Pasteur scientists" such as Fujishima and Hashimoto of the University of Tokyo confirm the idea that core researchers have the quality to work as boundary spanners between science and technology, and that their becoming heavy-weighted project leaders pushed the firms' R&D towards commercialization.
Agency Problems and Endogenous Investment Fluctuations

This article proposes a theory of investment fluctuations in which the source of the oscillating dynamics is an agency problem between financiers and entrepreneurs. In the model, investment decisions depend on entrepreneurs' initiative to select investment projects ex ante, and financiers' incentive to control entrepreneurs ex post. Too much control discourages entrepreneurial incentive to initiate new investment, whereas too little control jeopardizes its productivity. This initiative-control trade-off is capable of generating endogenous reversal of investment booms, induced by an ongoing deterioration of project profitability. Investment fluctuations may arise even though no external shocks hit the economy and agents are perfectly rational. The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. , Oxford University Press.
Circulating levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha & interferon-gamma in patients with dengue & dengue haemorrhagic fever during an outbreak.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a severe illness caused by dengue viruses, the pathogenesis of which is not fully understood. Immune enhancement caused by cytokines, interferon and activated complement system is one of the hypotheses proposed to explain the haemorrhagic form of disease. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in dengue infection, and their possible association with disease severity. METHODS Blood samples were collected from 60 patients; 28 patients of DF and 32 of DHF (clinically categorized into DF or DHF as per WHO criteria) from September to November 2003 at Delhi. Fifteen healthy individuals were included as control. All the patients were confirmed positive for dengue infection by serology or by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serum levels of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were determined by ELISA. RESULTS The levels of both the cytokines were significantly elevated in the disease group as compared to the control group. Significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha; 258.02 pg/ml (P<0.005) were seen in patients having secondary infection, while patients with primary infection had higher level of IFN-gamma; 29.47 pg/ml (P<0.005). TNF-alpha was elevated in the later phase of illness, while IFN-gamma was elevated in early phase also. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Overproduction of TNF-alpha during secondary infection may have a role in immunopathogenesis of DHF, however, study of other cytokines produced along with IFN-gamma;, during the course of dengue infection is required to know the specific role of IFN-gamma in DI.
EU SUGAR POLICY REFORM: QUOTA REDUCTION AND DEVALUATION

The research presented is part of a larger study aiming at the analysis of reform options for the EU sugar policy regime. This paper focuses on the effects of quota reduction and support price cuts. A thorough theoretical analysis investigates the implications of farm heterogeneity for aggregate supply modeling purposes under the current sugar regime. It can be shown that the treatment of sugar quantities produced under the different quotas and without quota can be treated as different products in an aggregate profit function analysis. Marginal and discrete price and quota effects are derived. Subsequently, the derived behavioral characteristics are implemented in the framework of the agricultural sector model CAPSIM to provide a broader policy evaluation. Preliminary simulation results are presented for the EU at aggregate level.
The Influence of Agency Staffing on Quality of Care in Nursing Homes

ABSTRACT Data from a large sample of nursing homes were used to examine the cross-sectional association between use of agency staff, regular staff, and quality. Agency use data came from a survey conducted in 2003 (N = 1071 nursing homes). The agency and regular staff measures were for nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, and registered nurses. We used a single quality factor constructed from the 14 quality measures in Nursing Home Compare. More agency nurse aides resulted in a smaller increase in quality, compared to the use of an equivalent number of regular nurse aides. Agency registered nurse staff were associated with better quality factor scores, especially in the presence of high levels of regular licensed practical nurses. Our results have policy and practice implications, the most significant of which is that agency registered nurses may be beneficial in a wide variety of circumstances, whereas agency nurse aides and licensed practical nurses should be used with caution.
Comparing operationalizations of dual commitment and their relationships with turnover intentions

This study evaluates the meaning behind the different approaches to measuring dual commitment in a sample of 2568 unionized South Korean electronics employees. Results show that individuals can be simultaneously committed to both the union and the organization. We then examine the utility of dual commitment by examining its prediction of intention to stay. Analysis of variance provides support that individuals who are dually committed have significantly higher intentions to stay within the organization than those who are uncommitted or unilaterally committed. A new direction to reinvigorate the future of dual commitment research is offered.
Genetic differences in ChTLR15 gene polymorphism and expression involved in Salmonella enterica natural and artificial infection respectively, of Chinese native chicken breeds, with a focus on sexual dimorphism

ABSTRACT Chicken Toll-like receptor 15 (ChTLR15) has been shown to participate in immune activation in response to various pathogens and in the innate defence against infection. Two genetically distinct Chinese breeds of chicken (Qinyuan Partridge and Baier breeds) were used to study the correlation between ChTLR15 single nucleotide polymorphisms and the natural infection status of salmonella in hens, and also to examine genetic and sex-specific effects on ChTLR15 mRNA expression in heterophils and spleen during acute infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) from 1 to 10 days after experimental infection. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (G168A, C726T and A1166G) in a single exon of ChTLR15 were identified in the two breeds, but only C726T showed a significant association with salmonella infection. Compared with layer-type Baier chicks, meat-type Qingyuan chicks showed a higher tolerance for capture stress and (SE) infection, as measured, respectively, by the modified body weight of chicks in the control group and in the infection group. Meanwhile, ChTLR15 down-regulation in heterophils and up-regulation in spleen were involved in the response to pathogenic SE colonization during the acute infection period. These significant genetic effects in females led to greater differences in both innate and adaptive immune responses than those exhibited in males. These results suggest that genetics, time and gender play important roles in the modulation of ChTLR15 mRNA level elicited by the SE-mediated immune response differentially in the two genetically distinct breeds, with a focus on sexual dimorphism.
The measurement of the degree of foreign involvement

This paper extends Errunza and Senber (1984) in assessing the relationship between alternative measures of the degree of foreign involvement (DFI) and the conditions under which the use of a specific measure will not affect the outcome of empirical studies on corporate international diversification. The results suggest that among 21 pairs of seven most widely used series of DFI, only three series (foreign assets, foreign earnings and foreign tax ratios) in two pairs are equivalent. Evidence of constant returns to scale between the ratio of foreign to total assets and the ratio of foreign to total earnings is also discussed.
Alendronate versus calcitriol for prevention of bone loss after cardiac transplantation.

2306 n engl j med 350;22 www.nejm. org may 27, 2004 the authors reply: We agree with Dr. Hurt that it is important to distinguish between local recurrences that are due to incomplete excision and those that are due to metastasis. However, it is highly unlikely that a melanoma would not be completely excised with a minimum of a 1-cm margin of macroscopically normal tissue, and there was no histopathological evidence of tumor in the margin. With regard to the analysis suggested by Dr. Hellman, in our trial, events happened over time, so the correct and most informative summary measures to use are hazard ratios, not crude numbers of events. From the absolute number of events, one can calculate the excess number in one of the treatment groups (in this case, 26), but one cannot identify the individual patients who account for the excess and thus whether death rates are higher in that group. We are grateful to Drs. Krown and Chapman for their comments in the editorial accompanying our article. 1 They agree that accurate nodal staging is the only established benefit of sentinel-lymph-node biopsy, and any evidence of a survival advantage with selective lymphadenectomy must await the results of the Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial. They share our concern about the place of adjuvant interferon therapy for patients with pathological stage III melanoma but stress the potential importance of sentinel-lymph-node biopsy as a means of selecting patients for novel adjuvant therapies such as vaccines. We agree, but data from randomized, controlled trials are required to determine whether there is any survival advantage and to assess morbidity before decisions are made about the ultimate role of sentinel-lymph-node biopsy. Unfortunately, few patients undergoing sentinellymph-node biopsy have been enrolled in randomized, controlled trials either to validate the procedure or to investigate adjuvant treatments according to sentinel-node status. Drs. Krown and Chapman also state that “it is not clear that the findings of the current study will change surgical practice. ” In their editorial, they do not discuss our overview of three excision-margin trials, which suggested a significant increase in the risk of death from melanoma associated with a narrow margin of excision, as compared with a wide margin (hazard ratio, 1.26; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.50; P=0.008). This evidence suggests that wider margins of excision may improve survival in a proportion of patients.
Academic Integrity: An Instructor's Obligation

Most research in academic dishonesty focuses on why cheating is an epidemic in educational institutions, why students commit dishonest acts, and what can be done to curtail dishonesty in the classroom. Very little research focuses on what instructors have to endure when they charge students with academic dishonesty. This paper offers insights into actual cases of academic dishonesty, the process, the appeal, the result of each infraction, and why instructors might be reluctant to report incidents. Furthermore, this paper offers guidelines that can help prepare anyone who is serious
Does the Precision of News Affect Market Underreaction? Evidence from Returns Following Two Classes of Profit Warnings

We evaluate whether the market reacts rationally to profit warnings by testing for subsequent abnormal returns. Warnings fall into two classes: those that include a new earnings forecast, and those that offer only the guidance that earnings will be below current expectations. We find significant negative abnormal returns in the first three months following both types of warning. There is also evidence that underreaction is more pronounced when the disclosure is less precise. Abnormal returns are significantly more negative following disclosures that offer only qualitative guidance than when a new earnings forecast is included.