Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Change in Adherence Status from 1 Year to the Next Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Oral Antidiabetes Drugs

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and medical resource utilization in the United States and worldwide. Treatment is aimed at keeping blood glucose levels close to normal and preventing or delaying medical complications. It has been estimated that only 50% of patients with diabetes in the United States achieve glycosylated hemoglobin A1c level < 7%. Nonadherence to antidiabetic medications has been identified as a major factor related to poor glycemic control. OBJECTIVES: To (a) assess adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) whose adherence status to oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) changed from 1 year to the next and (b) identify predictors of change in adherence status. METHODS: This retrospective study of the Humana Medicare Advantage Database included patients with T2DM and continuous enrollment between 2010 and 2012. Proportion of days covered (PDC) by OADs was calculated for each of the 3 study years (2010, 2011, 2012). Patients were classified as adherent (PDC ≥ 80%) or nonadherent (PDC < 80%) during each year. Patient characteristics from the baseline period (2010) were used as covariates, and adherence status changes from baseline to follow-up year (2011) were used as response variables. Data from the subsequent study periods (2011 as baseline, 2012 as follow-up) were used to validate the model (final model). RESULTS: A total of 238,402 patients met inclusion criteria. Among them, 144,216 (60.5%) were adherent, and 94,186 (39.5%) were nonadherent during the baseline period. Change in adherence status from baseline to follow-up year was observed in 31,320 (21.7%) patients that were adherent and 39,284 (41.7%) patients that were nonadherent during the baseline year. The final model for baseline adherent patients had a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) index of 73% and a misclassification rate of 39%. The predictors of highest importance were identified as total number of prescriptions filled with 90-day supply, diabetes-related pill burden, longest gap in OADs, total number of antidiabetic classes filled, and copay for the last OAD filled. The final model had a sensitivity value of 76.4%. The final model for baseline nonadherent patients had a ROC index of 68%, a misclassification rate of 36.4%, and sensitivity value of 52.9%. The predictors of highest importance were diabetes-related pill burden, longest gap in OADs, month-wise patient oscillation from adherent to nonadherent during baseline year, total number of prescriptions filled with a 90-day supply, and total pill burden during the baseline year. CONCLUSIONS: One third of the T2DM patients changed adherence status from 1 year to the next, and factors associated with adherence status changes were identified. Predictive models such as those used in this study can serve as useful and cost-effective tools for payers, helping to identify members that should be targeted for adherence enhancement programs and, ultimately, to improve patients’ long-term outcomes.
The post-repurchase announcement drift: an anomaly in disguise?

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the stock price drifts after open-market stock repurchase announcements by differentiating actual repurchases from repurchase announcements and by controlling for the repurchasing firms’ earnings improvement in the announcement year relative to the prior year. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors use the calendar-time method and matching method based on different criteria to calculate the post-announcement abnormal returns. Findings - – The results show that only firms actually repurchasing their shares exhibit a positive post-announcement drift. More importantly, the authors find that these repurchasing firms have the same post-announcement drift as their matching firms that have similar size and earnings performance but do not repurchase. This supports the argument that the post-repurchase announcement drift found in previous studies is not a distinct anomaly but the post-earnings announcement drift in disguise. Social implications - – The post-repurchase announcement drift found in previous studies is the post-earnings announcement drift in disguise. Originality/value - – The study shows that because high earnings performance positively relates to real repurchase activities, controlling for earnings performance in examining whether a drift occurs after repurchase announcements.
Signaling Firm Performance Through Financial Statement Presentation: An Analysis Using Special Items

This paper investigates whether managers’ presentation of special items within the financial statements reflects economic performance or opportunism. Specifically, we assess special items presented as a separate line item on the income statement (income statement presentation) to those aggregated within another line item with disclosure only in the footnotes (footnote presentation). Our study is motivated by standard-setting interest in performance reporting and financial statement presentation, as well as prior research investigating managers’ presentation choices in other contexts. Empirical results reveal that special items receiving income statement presentation are less persistent relative to those receiving footnote presentation. These results are consistent across numerous alternative specifications. Overall, the findings are consistent with managers using the income statement versus footnote presentation to assist users in identifying those special items most likely to differ from other components of earnings―that is, for informational, as opposed to opportunistic, motivations.
Towards a strategy implementation framework

Aims to develop an implementation framework. Further to a critical review of previous research, ten implementation variables were identified and a conceptual framework constructed. The implementation process of a strategic decision was investigated in two international hotel groups via in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews, observations and documentation analysis. The initial conceptual framework was found to be useful as it grouped key variables together and illustrated their roles when implementing strategic decisions. Three new variables, however, emerged from the findings; namely, multiple project implementation, organisational learning and working with external companies. A revised framework was then proposed and further explanations provided. Concludes by emphasising the importance of contextual variables in implementation and dispels the strategic management notion of “fit”.
Movement and Physiological Demands of International and Regional Men's Touch Rugby Matches

Abstract Beaven, RP, Highton, JM, Thorpe, M-C, Knott, EV, and Twist, C. Movement and physiological demands of international and regional men's touch rugby matches. J Strength Cond Res 28(11): 3279–3284, 2014—This study compared the internal and external match demands imposed on international and regional standard male touch rugby players. The study adopted a cohort design with independent groups. Twelve international players (mean age, 27.8 ± 6.2 years; body mass, 72.8 ± 3.7 kg; stature, 174.5 ± 5.4 cm) and 9 regional players (mean age, 25.5 ± 5.5 years; body mass 74.2 ± 7 kg; stature 174.1 ± 7 cm) were analyzed during 9 competitive matches from the 2013 season. Movement demands were measured using a 5-Hz global positioning system, alongside heart rate (HR) and session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) to quantify internal load. Total distance covered by international players was lower than regional players (2265.8 ± 562.3 cf. 2970 ± 558.9 m; p ⩽ 0.05). However, international players had greater relative distance (137.1 ± 13.6 cf. 126.2 ± 17.2 m·min−1) due to shorter playing times per match (p ⩽ 0.05). Absolute high-speed running (>14 km·h−1) was not different between groups (p > 0.05), but relative high-speed running (39.3 ± 12.0 cf. 26.0 ± 13.6 m·min−1) was higher for international players. Regional players performed more absolute low-speed activity (⩽14 km·h−1) than international players (p ⩽ 0.05), whereas relative low-speed activity was not different between groups (p > 0.05). Very high-speed running (>20 km·h−1) distance, bout number and frequency, peak, and average speed were all greater in international players (p ⩽ 0.05). Higher average HR, summated HR, and s-RPE (p ⩽ 0.05) indicated higher internal loads during matches for regional players. These data indicate that performance in men's touch rugby is characterized by more relative high-speed running and better repeated sprint capacities in higher standard players.
Decentralization, Vertical Fiscal Imbalance, and Political Selection

In a career-concern model of politics with endogenous candidacy and different types of politicians, following a decentralization reform, politicians with different skills are elected in municipalities characterized by different levels of autonomous resources. As an effect, consumer welfare increases only, or mainly, in richer municipalities. We test these predictions by exploiting the differentiated reduction in Vertical Fiscal Imbalance in Italian municipalities, due to the strong difference in the tax base, following the decentralization reforms of the ’90s. Results strongly support our predictions and are robust to several alternative stories.
A Natural Resource Management Framework for Sustainable Development

Natural resources in the form of oil, gas, minerals and forests are an asset in the countries where they are found. A number of countries depend largely on exports of their natural resources, earning major portion of their foreign exchange from these exports. It is very easy for the countries to exhaust their natural resources by over utilization of these resources. Policy makers may overlook sustainability aspect of the natural assets and resultantly, design policies to obtain short term gains while ignoring long term implications. Another problem faced by countries depending heavily on export of natural resources is that their revenue generation capacities from service sector or export of other items is overlooked in policy decisions. The paper presents a framework that may be used by policymakers for visualizing country’s natural resources as assets and developing policies for gaining maximum economic benefits from these assets, but at the same time, taking care that these assets are developed and preserved for the next generations. The paper suggests that the countries should view natural resources as critical asset and secondly, asset specific strategies should be formed for their development. It is emphasized that these asset specific strategies should be designed in such a manner as they do not work against one another and are aligned with the overall economic plan of the country.
In-Group versus Out-Group Trust: The Impact of Income Inequality

In this article, we adopt a variant of the trust game by Berg, Dickhaut, and McCabe (1995) and the dictator game by Cox (2004) to determine if income inequality can activate in-group favoritism and, if so, whether such a bias is strong enough to survive the removal of income inequality. We find evidence of in-group favoritism only on the part of rich first movers. Rich first movers trust their in-group members significantly more in the presence of income inequality not only before but also after they gain enough experience. Poor first movers, in contrast, do not exhibit such in-group bias. They do not discriminate between in-group and out-group at the very outset of the experiment, and once they become experienced, they behave with significantly more trust toward the rich than toward the poor. We also find that in-group and out-group favoritism established in the past can be alleviated, but not completely removed, by an equal income distribution.
Crisis Management in Alpine Winter Sports Resorts—The 1999 Avalanche Disaster in Tyrol

SUMMARY Alpine tourism destinations must be prepared for environmental hazards such as avalanche disasters. The maintenance of safety and security, and thus the management of crises have become a major issue in Alpine winter resorts. After a short literature review of crisis management models applicable for tourism destinations, the article demonstrates the disaster management process of Galtuer (Austria) in 1999, which suffered one of the severest avalanche disasters ever experienced in the Austrian Alps. The authors investigate security and emergency measures taken in this Alpine resort and discuss failures and success factors in disaster management. The paper reveals that destinations greatly improve their disaster management tools and procedures after having faced a crisis. The final part of the paper identifies key lessons and provides recommendations for future research.
Inflation targeting and inflation expectations in Mexico

In this article we analyse inflation expectations in Mexico. After a review of the theoretical and empirical literature, we apply unit root, normality and cointegration tests to the data provided by Banco de México (Banxico) in the Survey on the Expectations of the Private Sector Economics Specialists. Our results reject the null hypothesis of normality for inflation expectations over the period 2004:01–2011:12. The exchange rate has become one of the most relevant variables in the transmission mechanism of monetary policy in a small open economy. In this regard, we show the existence of a long-run relationship between nominal exchange rate and interest rate where inflation expectations matter for long-term dynamics.
The Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool Revised (QIKAT-R)

Purpose Quality improvement (QI) has been part of medical education for over a decade. Assessment of QI learning remains challenging. The Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool (QIKAT), developed a decade ago, is widely used despite its subjective nature and inconsistent reliability. From 2009 to 2012, the authors developed and assessed the validation of a revised QIKAT, the “QIKAT-R. ” Method Phase 1: Using an iterative, consensus-building process, a national group of QI educators developed a scoring rubric with defined language and elements. Phase 2: Five scorers pilot tested the QIKAT-R to assess validity and inter- and intrarater reliability using responses to four scenarios, each with three different levels of response quality: “excellent,” “fair,” and “poor. ” Phase 3: Eighteen scorers from three countries used the QIKAT-R to assess the same sets of student responses. Results Phase 1: The QI educators developed a nine-point scale that uses dichotomous answers (yes/no) for each of three QIKAT-R subsections: Aim, Measure, and Change. Phase 2: The QIKAT-R showed strong discrimination between “poor” and “excellent” responses, and the intra- and interrater reliability were strong. Phase 3: The discriminative validity of the instrument remained strong between excellent and poor responses. The intraclass correlation was 0.66 for the total nine-point scale. Conclusions The QIKAT-R is a user-friendly instrument that maintains the content and construct validity of the original QIKAT but provides greatly improved interrater reliability. The clarity within the key subsections aligns the assessment closely with QI knowledge application for students and residents.
The Measurement of the Abrasion of Human Teeth by Dentifrice Abrasives: a Test Utilizing Radioactive Teeth

THE MEASUREMENT of the abrasiveness of dentifrice abrasives toward l human teeth has occupied the attention of many workers since the first study by W. D. Miller' in 1907. He found, by the hand brushing of freshly extracted teeth mounted in plaster of Paris, that the commonly used dentifrices were capable of producing marked damage to the teeth. This damage was noted clinically as wedge-shaped notches in the cervical region of anterior teeth. Some of the materials tested could abrade enamel in relatively short brushing times. The attention given to such materials has resulted in the use of much less abrasive materials in dentifrices with a consequent decrease in enamel abrasion to the point where it is now of little concern. The abrasion of dentin subsequently received attention, when it was demonstrated by Bunting and Rickert,2 Head,3 Carney,4 and Wright and Fenske5 that dentin is worn away relatively rapidly by dentifrice abrasives. Calcium carbonate dentifrice abrasives, which did not damage enamel, produced marked wear of cementum and dentin. Since a great many people experience some recession of the gum line, such abrasion is a real problem. The earlier methods used in measuring the abrasiveness of dentifrice abrasives varied from hand brushing of extracted teeth,' which gave qualitative comparisons, to precise measurement of the rate of weight loss of metal blocks held against a rotating surface covered with a slurry of the abrasive under test.6 Later work by Tainter7 and Epstein8 indicated that there is no simple correlation between metal block abrasion and tooth abrasion. The surface flow of metals results in a lower rating for a given abrasive on the basis of metal abrasion than is found in actual tooth abrasion, and varies with the abrasive and the metal. Therefore, it appeared that a reliable method of determining the abrasiveness of dentifrice abrasives toward either dentin or enamel must involve the use of human teeth, preferably freshly extracted, moist teeth suitably protected from bacterial attack during storage. The most satisfactory quantitative methods of evaluating abrasiveness using human teeth involve the use of a brushing machine and the measurement of the depth of a cut produced in the surface of a suitably mounted tooth. The necessity of using moist teeth complicates measurement of weight loss during abrasion.
Trends in UK NGOs: A research note

This paper reports on some of the generic findings arising from research being undertaken in the UK, South Africa, and Uganda into the ways in which the management tools currently promoted by official donors are passed down the aid chain, through UK NGOs, to civil society organisations in the South. The increasing competition for donor funds is both squeezing out the smaller NGOs, and also setting an increasingly standardised approach, with the resulting loss in diversity. More disturbingly, NGOs at all levels are increasingly secretive about their own shortcomings, and reluctant to voice their concerns about what is happening, for fear of losing their funding. This environment, and the attitudes it fosters, are not conducive to learning; allow for donor-defined paradigms and priorities to dominate; and threaten to destroy the values and strengths that NGOs can, at their best, bring to development. This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis.
Essays on the impact of institutional development on capital markets

This thesis examines the impact of institutional development on capital markets. The first part of the thesis focuses on the impact of accounting standards and reporting incentives on the information content of stock prices using a sample of 44 countries around the world over a 10-year period from 1995 through 2004. Following Morck, Yeung, and Yu (2000), we use stock market synchronicity as a proxy for the informativenss of stock prices. We find that the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards or US GAPP per se is not related to the information content of stock prices. Better accounting standards are helpful only in countries with proper reporting incentives. In particular, we find a significantly negative relationship between stock price synchronicity and accounting standards in common-law countries, countries with better shareholder protection, and countries with effective legal enforcement. Our results are robust to alternative measures of both accounting standards and reporting incentives,
Teacher leadership in action

The paper outlines the concept of teacher leadership as it is used and understood within a large network of over 600 teachers known as HertsCam and coordinated by David Frost. The paper goes on to describe the network within which teachers pursue award-bearing programmes and engage in knowledge building strategies on behalf of the professional community in Hertfordshire. It discusses an approach to school improvement and teacher development known as ‘teacher-led development work’ which has its roots in action research. The paper draws on a number of teachers’ development projects to illustrate and exemplify the way teacher leadership drives change and improvement through teachers’ leadership of processes of collaboration, inquiry and influence.
A combination of individual model on memory-based group recommender system to the books domain

A recommender system has an important role in decision support by identifying items that will be useful to users in various domains. Development of recommender systems does not only focus on individual users but also groups in various domains. In this paper we present group recommender systems with a collaborative filtering method. Collaborative filtering is a widely used method for recommender systems, easily found in previous studies, that finds similar preferences on the basis of other users' explicit feedback for recommendations. The problem with recommendations for groups using collaborative filtering still is finding the best aggregation technique for group recommender systems. Aggregation techniques in group recommender systems are used to construct an individual model. There are several aggregation techniques that we discuss in this research, such as average, least misery and most happiness. Observations of the recommendation give us the conclusion that the use of least-misery techniques results in the best recommendations according to F1. Furthermore, giving more weight to group neighborhood can also improve the recommendation.
The Hitting Time of Multiple Random Walks

This work provides generalized notions and analysis methods for the hitting time of random walks on graphs. The hitting time, also known as the Kemeny constant or the mean first passage time, of a random walk is widely studied; however, only limited work is available for the multiple random walker scenario. In this work we provide a novel method for calculating the hitting time for a single random walker as well as the first analytic expression for calculating the hitting time for multiple random walkers, which we denote as the group hitting time. We also provide a closed form solution for calculating the hitting time between specified nodes for both the single and multiple random walker cases. Our results allow for the multiple random walks to be different and, moreover, for the random walks to operate on different subgraphs. Finally, using sequential quadratic programming, we show that the combination of transition matrices that generate the minimal group hitting time for various graph topologies is oft.