Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combination of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and erythropoietin improves outcomes of patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Patients with decompensated cirrhosis have significantly reduced survival without liver transplantation. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to increase survival in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure, and erythropoietin promoted hepatic regeneration in animal studies. We performed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether co-administration of these growth factors improved outcomes for patients with advanced cirrhosis. METHODS In a prospective study, consecutive patients with decompensated cirrhosis seen at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi (from May 2011 through June 2012) were randomly assigned to groups given subcutaneous G-CSF (5 μg/kg/d) for 5 days and then every third day (12 total doses), along with subcutaneous darbopoietin α(40 mcg/wk) for 4 weeks (GDP group, n = 29), or only placebos (control group, n = 26). All patients also received standard medical therapy and were followed for 12 months. Histology was performed on liver biopsies. The primary end point was survival at 12 months. RESULTS Baseline characteristics of patients were comparable; alcohol intake was the most common etiology of cirrhosis. A higher proportion of patients in the GDP group than controls survived until 12 months (68.6% vs 26.9%; P = .003). At 12 months, Child-Turcotte Pugh scores were reduced by 48.6% in the GDP group and 39.1% in the control group, from baseline (P = .001); Model for End Stage Liver Disease scores were reduced by 40.4% and 33%, respectively (P = .03). The need for large-volume paracentesis was significantly reduced in GDP group, compared with controls (P < .05). A lower proportion of patients in the GDP group developed septic shock (6.9%) during follow-up compared with controls (38.5%; P = .005). No major adverse events were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS In a single-center randomized trial, a significantly larger proportion of patients with decompensated cirrhosis given a combination of G-CSF and darbopoietin α survived for 12 months more than patients given only placebo. The combination therapy also reduced liver severity scores and sepsis to a greater extent than placebo. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT01384565.
Foreign Trade Prices in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

Six European socialist states - Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Rumania and the Soviet Union - announced the establishment of CMEA in January, 1949. Each CMEA country has the centrally planned economy of the socialist state, with the check on the free movement of prices that a deliberate planning policy provides. This book discusses what determines the movement of resources in the CMEA economy and what role the price system plays. Professor Hewitt concludes that the price system resulted in price changes causing a significant deterioration in Soviet-East European terms of trade during the 1960s. He finds little evidence that prices have influenced actual trade flows, and believes economic reforms in some East European countries could eventually lead to a much greater influence of CMEA foreign trade prices. This book discusses the major proposals to reform the price system and shows how debates on that matter have naturally led into debates on reforming all intra-CMEA economic institutions.
Fiscal Paradise: Foreign Tax Havens and American Business

The tax haven affiliates of American corporations account for more than 20 percent of U. S. foreign direct investment, and nearly a third of the foreign profits of U. S. firms. American companies report extraordinarily high profit rates on their tax haven investments in 1982. This behavior implies that the revenue-maximizing tax rate for a typical haven is around 5–8 percent. American (and foreign) investment in tax havens has an uncertain effect on U. S. tax revenue, but since low tax rates encourage American companies to shift profits out of high-tax foreign countries, it is possible that low foreign tax rates ultimately enhance U. S. tax collections.
The relative reinforcing value of food predicts weight gain in a longitudinal study of 7--10-y-old children.

BACKGROUND The relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food, defined as how hard an individual is prepared to work to gain access to food rather than a nonfood alternative, has been shown to be higher in obese adults and children than in their normal-weight counterparts. However, these cross-sectional studies are unable to determine whether a high RRV of food is predictive of adiposity change or whether it is a consequence of being obese. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the association between the RRV of food and 1-y weight gain in children aged 7-10 y. DESIGN An observational longitudinal study design was used. The RRV of food was determined by using a questionnaire method at baseline when the children (n = 316) were aged 7-9 y. Adiposity [body mass index (BMI), BMI SD score, fat mass index, waist circumference, and waist circumference SD score] was assessed at baseline and after 1 y. RESULTS Regression analyses indicated that the RRV of food was not associated with any measure of adiposity at baseline or at the 1-y follow-up (all P > 0.58). Changes in BMI (B = 0.06, P < 0.001), BMI SD score (B = 0.03, P = 0.001), and fat mass index (B = 0.09, P = 0.001) after 1 y were significantly predicted by the RRV of food at baseline. CONCLUSIONS The RRV of food predicted the change in adiposity over a relatively short-term period of 1 y and thus may be associated with the development of obesity. The lack of association in cross-sectional analyses indicates that this behavior is a risk factor for weight gain, although weight differences may not emerge until later childhood.
MPs' Role Orientations in Newly Emerged Democratic Legislatures

Understanding the behaviour of the elected representatives at the beginning of the transition period in former Communist countries provides an insight into some of the first freely elected parliaments after decades of authoritarianism. The role perception grasps the essence of how MPs position themselves in their decision-making process in a fuzzy institutional setting. By relying on the sole established institutions for that period (that is, political parties), this article tests to what extent the party type and size explain role orientations of the MPs in terms of delegates (from the party), trustees, and politicos. Using a dataset that includes over 600 MPs from four parliaments, this cross-national analysis reveals that MPs belonging to newly emerged and rather small parties are more likely to be party delegates compared with their colleagues.
Association of estrogen receptor-alpha and vitamin D receptor genotypes with therapeutic response to calcium in postmenopausal Chinese women.

AIM To investigate the correlation between calcium treatment in postmenopausal women and estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) Xba I and Pvu II genotype and vitamin D receptor (VDR) Apa I genotype. METHODS One hundred fifteen postmenopausal Chinese women of Han population were enrolled and treated with calcichew-D3 (1000 mg calcium and 400 U vitamin D3) daily for 1 year. At entry and after 1 year treatment, the bone mineral density (BMD), serum and urinary bone turnover biochemical markers were evaluated. ER-alpha and VDR genotype were analyzed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS After 1 year of calcium supplementation, a significant increase of BMD and a marked reduction in serum ALP and PTH levels, and a significant increase of serum 25-(OH) vitamin D level were observed (P<0.01 or P<0.05). At entry and after 1 year of treatment, no significant association was found between Xba I, Pvu II, and Apa I genotypes and BMD in L1-4, Neck, and Troch, and all bone turnover marker levels. However, the percentage of change (median, QR) in Neck BMD was significantly different in homozygous XX [-4.14 (from -6.54 to -1.34)] in comparison with Xx [1.72 (from -1.12 to 3.20)] (P<0.001) or xx [1.22 (from -1.74 to 3.06)] Xba I ER-alpha genotype (P=0.001). CONCLUSION Women with ER-alpha Xba I genotype XX may have a higher risk of relatively fast bone mass loss in femoral neck after menopause and that they may have a poor responsiveness to calcium supplementation. The changes in BMD are not associated with ER-alpha Pvu II genotype and VDR Apa I genotype after 1 year of calcium supplementation.
The Political Resource Curse

Extant theoretical work on the political resource curse implies that dependence on resource revenues should decrease autocracies’ likelihood of democratizing but not necessarily affect democracies’ chances of survival. Yet most previous empirical studies estimate models that are ill-suited to address this claim. We improve upon previous studies, estimating a dynamic logit model using data from 166 countries, covering the period from 1816 to 2006. We find that an increase in resource dependence decreases an autocracy’s likelihood of being democratic over both the short term and long term but has no appreciable effect on democracies’ likelihood of persisting.
Language Maintenance Revisited: An Australian Perspective

Abstract Language maintenance has been an issue debated whenever languages come into contact. This paper presents a detailed discussion of the reasons most often cited as to why languages should be maintained, with a specific focus on Australia because of the country's multilingual makeup. Australia currently has about 150 aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages still in use, and more than 100 languages other than English are spoken by its immigrant population. However, these diverse language resources have been allowed to steadily decline. The arguments for the maintenance of Australia's languages are categorized loosely based on Thieberger's (1990) work and each of the arguments is discussed: (a) group intergrity and group membership, (b) identity, (c) cultural heritage, (d) socialhumanitarian and economic implication, (e) assimilation, and (f) cognitive development and academic achievement. This paper argues that there are many apparent advantages to maintaining languages.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND THE GOVERNANCE OF KNOWLEDGE: RETHINKING THE RELATIONSHIP IN TERMS OF CORPORATE COHERENCE

Abstract Corporate governance and the governance of knowledge were for a long time distinct fields of analysis. Reasons for this incompatibility are linked to the restricted vision of corporate governance supported by shareholder value which essentially refers to information rather than knowledge. In this paper, we argue that other visions of corporate governance exist which are also closer to knowledge dynamics and knowledge governance problems. We elaborate thus on the possible reconciliation between corporate governance and the governance of knowledge. We sustain that each key actor (the manager and the investor) embodies a piece of diversified and localized knowledge related to his/her specific domain and field of experience, and these different modules of knowledge have to be recombined by an appropriate mode of corporate governance that stimulates corporate development. In this perspective, the reconciliation really appears essential since managers, by defining and selecting innovative processes, and investors, by determining the money that is invested to sustain these processes, both take part in the creation and governance of new knowledge by the firm. We show that this reconciliation can be based on the notion of corporate coherence of the cognitive firm that allows replacing the conventional conflicting vision of corporate governance by a new vision based on cooperation between managers and investors that collectively contribute to corporate development and coherence.
An rs9621532 Variant Near the TIMP3 Gene is not Associated with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in a Chinese Han Population

Background: Recently, two genome-wide association studies with large cohorts both identified rs9621532, a new single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that is associated with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and located near the TIMP3 gene. Previous studies have demonstrated that AMD and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) share some common genetic background and that the incidence of PCV is higher in Asian populations than Caucasian populations. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the rs9621532 SNP is associated with neovascular AMD (nAMD) and PCV in a Chinese Han population. Methods: We performed a case-control study in a Chinese Han population. The rs9621532 SNP was genotyped in 136 patients with nAMD, 195 patients with PCV, and 181 control individuals using the Multiplex SNaPshot system and the direct DNA sequencing technique. Rs9621532 genotypes and allele frequencies in the nAMD, PCV and control groups were evaluated using PLINK software. Results: In the nAMD, PCV, and control groups, the minor allele frequencies of the rs9621532 variant were 0.05147, 0.02564, and 0.03039, respectively. The rs9621532 SNP was not significantly associated with susceptibility to nAMD (p = 0.1773) or PCV (p = 0.6933). None of the p-values for the additive or dominant models were found to be statistically significant in the nAMD or PCV groups. No recessive homozygotes were genotyped in any of the three groups. Conclusions: No evidence was found to support an association between the rs9621532 variant and susceptibility to either nAMD or PCV in a Chinese Han population.
Experiences of women professionals abroad: comparisons across Japan, China and Turkey

The article reports on a series of studies that examined women professionals' experiences working outside their home countries, specifically Japan, China and Turkey. The studies investigated several dimensions: (1) areas where, regardless of setting, women reported similar experiences, (2) areas where their experiences seemed to differ, in part because of setting, and (3) areas in which the women disagreed on their experiences or insights, regardless of setting. Examples of findings were that, regardless of setting, women faced challenges of gaining credibility, faced high visibility and responsibility, needed keen interpersonal skills, were frustrated with social life outside of the workplace, and used networks extensively. The womens' experiences and perceptions differed most for their reasons for working abroad, their views on performance, and their experiences with sexual harassment. The article closes with ideas for future research.
Contribution of income generating activities to financing secondary school education in Kenya: a case study of Eldoret municipality

Public expenditure on education is a matter of great concern given that it is weighing very heavily on the exchequer. The need for institutions to generate their own income has been motivated by the 8-4-4 system of education which is heavily vocationalized. Government fees-guidelines which principals have to adhere to and the cost sharing system still leave a financial gap in the school. The government initiated Investment Program for the entire sector and Free Primary Education in 2003, Free Tuition Day Secondary Education in 2008. However, it is still evident that there are financial gaps that need additional funding. To find a way out of this fiscal distress, the government has advised the schools managers to mobilize available institutional resources such as land, physical facilities and equipment to generate income to provide the necessary learning resources to enable the schools to run efficiently. The study sought to identify the nature and types of income generating activities, their potential, contribution and challenges. It employed a descriptive survey design. The study population consisted of 14 principals, 3 District Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, 2 District Schools Auditors and one Deputy District Education Officer. Public secondary school Principals in Eldoret municipality, District Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, District school Auditors and Deputy District Education Officer were purposively sampled. A semi-structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool for the school heads while an interview schedule was administered to the district education personnel. Study findings revealed that public secondary schools have the potential to generate additional income. Urban setting schools can capitalize on their location to engage in commercial as well as agricultural projects and renting school facilities. Money generated has been used in purchase of Teaching /learning material, Repair Maintenance and improvement, Infrastructure development and student/ staff motivation. The main management challenges of Income Generating Activities included lack of sufficient funding, land limitation, poor record management and lack of qualified personnel. In conclusion income generating activities can be a useful source of additional income and recommends that the government should formulate a national framework for policy planning and administration of Income Generating Activities, initiate capacity building programs for school managers to equip them with entrepreneurial skills and infuse entrepreneurship in order to manage Income Generating Activities effectively.
Explaining the Role of User Participation in Information System Use

Even though user participation in information system development has long been considered to be a critical factor in achieving system success, research has failed to clearly demonstrate its benefits. This paper proposes user involvement as an intervening variable between user participation and system use. Embedding the constructs of participation and involvement into the theoretical framework of Fishbein and Ajzen, a model is developed and tested in a field study of information system projects. Several key findings emerge from the study. User participation and user involvement represent two distinct constructs, with participation leading to involvement, and involvement mediating the relationship between participation and system use. The critical dimension of user participation is overall responsibility. The role of user participation and involvement is different, depending upon whether system use is mandatory or voluntary.
Environmental costing of sewage discharged by hotels in Hong Kong

Investigates the green cost attributable to water consumption in the hotel industry and accommodation operations in Hong Kong. An abatement cost approach plus a prorated model were used in the green costing. The study surveyed 20 hotels on the energy consumption in 1994‐1996 and performed green costing on the major water uses in hotels. Results indicate that green costs per room, attributable to water consumption in hotels range from HK$3.657 to HK$7.641. Implications for green reporting at property level and industry level are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research.
Policy learning and policy failure in sustainable tourism governance: from first- and second-order to third-order change?

Sustainable tourism presents a paradox. At one level sustainable tourism is a success given the concept's diffusion among industry, government, academics and policy actors. Yet, it is simultaneously a policy failure given the continued growth in the environmental impacts of tourism in absolute terms. This paper analyses sustainable tourism, and the governance systems for sustainable tourism, via the concepts of policy learning and failure. The tractability of sustainable tourism policy problems is identified. Policy learning is discussed in instrumental, conceptual/paradigmatic and political learning/strategic terms. Although policy failure should encourage learning with respect to sustainable tourism this has only related to first- and second-order change which focus on changes to indicators and settings rather than the dominant policy paradigm. This is despite the dominant paradigm of “balanced” sustainable development that promotes economic growth failing on a number of indicators. A reason for this may be the unwillingness of key actors in tourism policy networks to acknowledge policy failure. The paper concludes that although exogenous factors such as a crisis event may lead to policy paradigmatic change, there is insufficient evidence that such a shift in sustainable tourism policy will necessarily occur given the entrenched dominance of the existing paradigm.
Minorities on the Margins? The Spatial Organization of Fringe Banking Services

ABSTRACT: Case studies in select large cities have found that fringe services, including payday lenders, check cashers, pawn brokers, and money transmittal companies are more geographically accessible to predominantly minority neighborhoods while traditional banks are more accessible to white neighborhoods. However, many analyses are bivariate rather than multivariate and do not disentangle the influence of neighborhood socioeconomic status from that of race. Furthermore, the fringe services industry contends that market factors, such as zoning, arterials, population base, and commercial activity influence location. This study employs geographic information systems (GIS) and multiple regression to untangle the spatial relationship between minority communities and traditional and fringe banks in four small-to-moderate-sized metropolitan areas. We find that, though market factors are indeed powerful determinants of fringe bank location, there are nonetheless persistent ethnic effects in two of the four cities and these effects cannot be attributed to factors correlated with a large minority presence.
Multidisciplinary investigations recognize high prevalence of co-morbidity of psychiatric and somatic diagnoses in long-term sickness absentees

Aims: In Sweden, the Social Insurance Offices each year refer long-term sickness absentees to comprehensive investigations to clarify medical conditions. However, there is a lack of scientific knowledge about these patients and their morbidity. The aim was to characterize a population of these sickness absentees regarding prevalence of somatic and psychiatric diagnoses and possible associations with sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional study was made up of 635 sickness absentees below the age of 64, who the local Social Insurance Offices in Stockholm County, Sweden, referred to a special unit for multidisciplinary investigation. Data was obtained from questionnaires and medical records. The patients were examined by board certified specialists in psychiatry, orthopaedic surgery, and rehabilitation medicine. Relative risks were estimated by use of modified Poisson regression to assess the associations between characteristics and diagnose outcomes. Results: About 80% of the patients had more than one diagnosis. The vast majority had a psychiatric diagnosis, and approximately 55% had that in combination with at least one somatic diagnosis. An increased risk for being given a psychiatric diagnosis was found for men and unemployed people. In addition, lack of social life and friends and self-reported mental health problems were associated with psychiatric diagnoses but also among those who were given somatic diagnoses in combination with psychiatric diagnoses. Increased risks for somatic diagnoses were found for women and for patients with a higher education. Conclusions: Long-term sickness absentees referred to multidisciplinary investigations display high co-morbidity of psychiatric and somatic diagnoses and are a heterogeneous group with diverse sociodemographic and medical characteristics.