Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Managerial Task Assignment and Promotions

A two-period model of managerial task assignment is developed, where the current employer has the advantage of observing the actual performanc e of the manager, while outside employers can observe only the assign ments. Optimal contracts are rigid, but the market value of managers is below actual productivity and they are promoted less than is effic ient. The author introduces the idea of managers explo iting their information to separate themselves out in the market plac e. As a consequence, the model has the appealing property of small ab ility-based wage differentials within a task, as well as large ones b etween tasks. Copyright 1988 by The Econometric Society.
Paternal Exposure to Methotrexate and Pregnancy Outcomes

Objective. To assess the risk of major malformation in the case of paternal exposure to methotrexate (MTX) at the time of conception. Methods. Using prospective data of our Teratology Information Service, we analyzed outcomes of paternal MTX exposure at the time of conception or up to 3 months before conception. Results. We report on the outcomes of 42 pregnancies involving 40 men treated with MTX at the time of conception. Twenty-three men were treated for an inflammatory disease (54.8%), 9 for psoriasis (21.4%), and 8 for a malignant disease (19.0%). Weekly dosages varied between 7.5 mg and 30 mg. The pregnancies resulted in 36 live births, 3 spontaneous abortions, and 3 voluntary abortions. No congenital malformation was observed at birth. Conclusion. Based on our results and case reports in literature, paternal MTX exposure at the time of conception does not seem to raise any major concern for offspring.
Glutamine Supplementation in Parenteral Nutrition and Intensive Care Unit Patients: Are We Throwing the Baby Out With the Bathwater?

Clinical research in many fields of medicine, including the intensive care unit (ICU), has demonstrated numerous therapies to be efficacious when targeted to patients with clear clinical or biologic need for the therapy. However, as the eternal search for the “magic bullet” therapy continues to improve outcome in all patients, we often transfer therapies that have been successful in targeted patient groups to all patients aiming for the mythical “goliath trial. ” This phenomenon was recently observed with aspirin therapy to reduce myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. 1 Aspirin has unquestionably been shown to reduce subsequent vascular and cardiac events when given following a previous MI or stroke. 2 However, when given to all patients, regardless of whether they had had a previous MI or stroke, aspirin was shown to markedly increase the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and was determined not to be ideal for all patients. 1 This finding did not change the fact that any years of data still demonstrated that aspirin is still clearly indicated in patients following MI or stroke, but the risk of bleeding outweighed the benefit of daily aspirin when given to patients without a clear preexisting data-driven indication. As a result, did we tell all of our patients to stop taking aspirin? Of course not! We only refined our knowledge and learned to use aspirin more safely in the right patients. Our experience in the ICU has been quite similar. This author would roughly estimate that there have been approximately 79 large trials of sepsis therapies of >1000 patients over the past 20 years. Of these, 72 have been negative (no effect of therapy), and 6 showed harm of studied therapy. The 1 study (The Prowess Trial) 3 that showed benefit then, unfortunately, was shown not to be beneficial in 2 subsequent trials. What can we learn from this? First, when we attempt to extend successful previous trials into the “goliath” trial, we often disregard the original inclusion/ exclusion criteria of the previous successful trials to include “all patients” and enroll larger numbers. This was true in the aspirin trials attempting to prove all patients should take a daily aspirin, not just those at high risk for subsequent MI or stroke. This, of course, was not successful. 1
Team Effectiveness and Six Essential Servant Leadership Themes

As evidenced by LaFasto and Larson’s (2001) work with over 6,000 team members and leaders, interest in teams continues to capture the attention of both leadership scholars and practitioners. Subsequently, research into what leadership behaviors contribute to team effectiveness becomes relevant for those at the crossroads of theory and practice. Utilizing the Organizational Leadership Assessment (Laub, 1999) as a measure of servant leadership and the Team Effectiveness Questionnaire (Larson & LaFasto, 2001) as a measure of team effectiveness, this paper presents a multiple regression model that is able to explain a significant percentage of the variance in the effectiveness of teams. The essential servant leadership variables identified were (a) providing accountability, (b) supporting and resourcing, (c) engaging in honest self-evaluation, (d) fostering collaboration, (e) communicating with clarity, and (f) valuing and appreciating.
Nutritional status of patients who have fallen in an acute care setting.

BACKGROUND Falls may result in injury, loss of independence and higher healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to examine the nutritional status of patients who had fallen in an acute care setting. METHODS Forty-nine patients who had experienced a fall while admitted at an Australian private hospital participated in the study (age: 71.2 (SD 14.1) years; 21 male: 28 female). Nutritional status was assessed using subjective global assessment. Protein and energy intake was determined by dietary history and analysed using Australian computerised food composition data. RESULTS According to subjective global assessment, 27 patients were well nourished and 22 malnourished (21 moderately, one severely malnourished). Well nourished fallers had significantly higher BMI (mean difference 3.7 kg/m(2), CI: 1.2-6.2), dietary protein (mean difference 19.8 g, CI: 2.0-37.5) and energy intake (mean difference 1751 kJ, CI: 332-3170) compared to malnourished fallers. There was no difference in severity of falls based on nutritional status, weight or BMI. CONCLUSIONS There was a high prevalence of malnutrition and poor intake in this sample of patients who had fallen in hospital. Nutrition assessment and intervention for patients who have fallen in the acute care setting should be considered.
The relative timing of syntactic and semantic processes in sentence comprehension

The functional primacy of syntactic over semantic processes was put to test in an auditory event-related brain potentials study using sentences in which the final words were semantically and/or syntactically incongruent with the prior context. Crucially, these words encoded the syntactically relevant word category information in the suffix, available only after the word stem which carried the semantic information. Semantic violations elicited an N400 and syntactic violations a biphasic LAN-P600 pattern. Words that were semantically and syntactically incongruent with the context evoked a biphasic LAN-P600 ERP pattern, but no N400. The similarity of the ERP pattern for the pure syntactic and the double violation condition provides strong evidence for a functional primacy of initial syntactic over lexical-semantic processes.
Estimation of the Predictive Role of Plasma Viral Load on CD4 Decline in HIV-1 Subtype C-Infected Subjects in India

Background:Plasma viral load has been shown to be a meaningful prognostic marker for disease progression in untreated, HIV-1 subtype B-infected subjects in United States and Western Europe and therefore used as a prognostic marker for disease progression. Because of high expenses of commercially available viral load assays, the role of viral load in disease progression has not been evaluated in HIV-1 subtype C-infected patients in India. Methods:We developed an inexpensive real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay to quantify viral load in plasma of HIV-1 subtype C-infected subjects from India and used it in a longitudinal analysis of viral load and CD4 cell number in HIV-infected subjects from Calcutta, India. Results:The real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay can quantify plasma viral load with a linear range of detection from 102 to 109 HIV-1 RNA copies per input. Longitudinal analysis of viral load in a cohort of 39 subjects over an average period of approximately 3 years indicates that 1-log increase in HIV-1 RNA level was associated with a decline of 67 CD4 cell count. Furthermore, HIV-1 RNA level between 500 and 50,000 copies per milliliter would predict a 12.9% decrease in CD4 cell count per year, whereas HIV-1 RNA levels above 50,000 copies HIV-1 RNA per milliliter would predict a 25.3% decrease in CD4 cells per year. In addition, we estimated that the mean incubation period of disease development, as defined by the loss of CD4 below 200, is 8.2 years. Conclusion:Our report on the level of viral load on predicting CD4 decline in Indian subjects with HIV-1 provides an additional important tool to the physicians for treating and planning a therapeutic strategy to control HIV-1 infection in India.
Scoring Users’ Privacy Disclosure Across Multiple Online Social Networks

Users in online social networking sites unknowingly disclose their sensitive information that aggravate the social and financial risks. Hence, to prevent the information loss and privacy exposure, users need to find ways to quantify their privacy level based on their online social network data. Current studies that focus on measuring the privacy risk and disclosure consider only a single source of data, neglecting the fact that users, in general, can have multiple social network accounts disclosing different sensitive information. In this paper, we investigate an approach that can help social media users to measure their privacy disclosure score (PDS) based on the information shared across multiple social networking sites. In particular, we identify the main factors that have impact on users privacy, namely, sensitivity and visibility, to obtain the final disclosure score for each user. By applying the statistical and fuzzy systems, we can specify the potential information loss for a user by using obtained PDS. Our evaluation results with real social media data show that our method can provide a better estimation of privacy disclosure score for users having presence in multiple online social networks.
Leveraging Process Variation for Performance and Energy: In the Perspective of Overclocking

Process variation is one of the most important factors to be considered in recent microprocessor design, since it negatively affects performance, power, and yield of microprocessors. However, by leveraging process variation, overclocking techniques can improve performance. As microprocessors have substantial clock cycle time margin for yield, there is enough room for performance improvement by overclocking techniques. In this paper, we adopt the F-overclocking technique, which increases clock frequency without changing supply voltage. Our experimental results show that the F-overclocking technique significantly improves performance as well as energy consumption. In addition, the F-overclocking technique is superior to the conventional overclocking technique which increases clock frequency and supply voltage together in the perspective of energy efficiency and reliability, showing similar performance improvement. Furthermore, we propose an adaptive overclocking controller which dynamically applies the F-overclocking technique based on the application characteristics. By adopting our adaptive overclocking controller, we further minimize the reliability loss caused by the F-overclocking technique.
Perceived institutional distance in the emerging market entry process

We claim that difference in business environments is the result of differences between institutions. In this paper, a network perspective is taken on business markets and we set out to examine how differences in institutions are perceived in business relationships between firms originating from disparate business networks. The concept of perceived institutional distance is developed in three sequential stages. First, we conceptually develop the concept as an anchored theoretical construct. Second, we try out the concept empirically. Third, we verify the dimensions in which perceived institutional distance is manifested. The study reports from an on-site survey of 203 SMEs with experience of entering emerging markets. Five dimensions in which perceived institutional distance is manifested are presented: patience and rationality from the cognitive institutional pillar, distrust and reliability from the normative pillar, and sanctions from the regulative pillar.
Association between electrocardiographic and echocardiographic markers of stage B heart failure and cardiovascular outcome

The detection of non‐ischaemic (mainly hypertension, diabetes, and obesity) stage B heart failure (SBHF) may facilitate the recognition of those at risk of progression to overt HF and HF prevention. We sought the relationship of specific electrocardiographic (ECG) markers of SBHF to echocardiographic features of SBHF and their prognostic value for development of HF. The ECG markers were Cornell product (Cornell‐P), P‐wave terminal force in lead V1 (PTFV1), ST depression in lead V5 V6 (minSTmV5V6), and increased heart rate. Echocardiographic assessment of SBHF included left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), impaired global longitudinal strain (GLS), and diastolic dysfunction (DD).
Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana Altered in Epicuticular Wax and Leaf Morphology

We report eight new mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana possessing altered leaf morphology and epicuticular wax. These were isolated from a T-DNA-mutagenized population using a visual screen for altered leaf reflectance, i.e. increased glaucousness or glossiness. The mutants were placed into three distinct classes based on alterations in overall plant morphology: knobhead (knb), bicentifolia (bcf), and wax. The four knb mutants formed callus-like growths in the axillary region of the rosette leaves and apical meristem, the two bcf mutants produced hundreds of narrow leaves, and the two wax mutants had leaves and stems that were more glossy than wild type and organs that fused during early development. Leaves of knb and bcf were more glaucous and abnormally shaped than wild type. Epicuticular wax crystals over knb and bcf leaf surfaces (where none were present on wild type) likely contributed to their more glaucous appearance. In contrast, the glossy appearance of the wax mutants was associated with a reduced epicuticular wax load on both leaves and stems. One representative from each phenotypic class was selected for detailed analyses of epicuticular wax chemistry. All three lines, knb1, bcf1, and wax1, had dramatic alterations in the total amounts and relative proportions of their leaf epicuticular wax constituents.
SHARE PRICE MOVEMENTS: A MARKOVIAN APPROACH*

DURING THE LAST DECADE there has been a growing interest in the theory of speculative prices and a considerable volume of empirical work has been carried out in order to validate or discredit alternative theories. Most of this work has been carried out in the U.S.A. on American data and most of it has been focussed on share price movements, but bond prices too have been studied. Some of this research has been focussed on options to buy or sell shares-puts and calls-rather than on the prices of the securities themselves. ' There is not at present a corresponding corpus of literature on U.K. prices.2 This may be due partly to the lack of data and partly to the lack of developed computer facilities in the universities. The American studies have submitted large quantities of detailed data to intensive statistical analysis requiring the availability of high speed digital computers. A mammoth number of man-hours, not to mention computer-hQurs, would be required in order to build up as detailed a statistical picture of U.K. share price behaviour as that now available on U.S.A. prices.3 By analysing some readily available aggregate data on share price movements, however, it is possible to derive statistical relationships which indicate, in a rough way, the nature of share price movements. Clearly these results, derived from data of a very gross nature, cannot be as reliable as the results of more detailed micro-economic studies. They may, however, serve as useful first-approximations to the behaviour of share prices in the U.K. pending the availability of results of more costly and detailed micro-analytic studies.4 The research reported here is similar to much of the American work in
Legal analysis of Agency Theory: an inquiry into the nature of corporation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Agency Theory in order to understand the true nature of the corporation by determining the respective roles of shareholders and directors/managers within a corporation.Design/methodology/approach – The paper compares the economists' depiction of the firm with the legal conception of the corporation. It then analyses the legal concept of ownership and proves that the shareholders are the owners of their shares only and not of the corporation which is a separate legal person. The theories of corporation and relevant case law are also analysed.Findings – The analysis reveals that currently there are two distinct models of the corporation. The economists view a firm in terms of a nexus of contracts like a partnership where shareholders are the owners of the firm and the directors/managers are their agents. The law, on the other hand, regards the corporation as a separate legal entity with rights and liabilities of a natural person that is not subject to ow.
The Question of Access to the Japanese Market

It is now widely accepted that Japan has relatively low official barriers to merchandise, particularly manufactured goods, trade relative to other industrial countries. Yet, Japan's current account and trade surpluses have encouraged the view that there must be special 'hidden barriers' to accessing the Japanese market and a literature has developed on the premise that Japanese business organizations (keiretsu) limit foreign penetration of markets of manufactured goods. This paper surveys the main elements of this literature and questions some of the assumptions upon which recent American policy in this area seems to have been developed. Copyright 1995 by The Economic Society of Australia.
Effect of weight loss on pulse wave velocity: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials involving adults, to determine the effect of weight loss induced by energy restriction with or without exercise, antiobesity drugs or bariatric surgery on pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured at all arterial segments. APPROACH AND RESULTS A systematic search of Pubmed (1966 to 2014), EMBASE (1947 to 2014), MEDLINE (1946 to 2014), and the Cochrane Library (1951 to 2014) was conducted and the reference lists of identified articles were searched to find intervention trials (randomized/nonrandomized) that aimed to achieve weight loss and included PWV as an outcome. The search was restricted to human studies. Two independent researchers extracted the data. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta Analysis version 2 using random effects analysis. A total of 22 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and 20 studies (3 randomized controlled trials), involving 1259 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. The standardized mean difference for the overall effect of weight loss on PWV measured at all sites was -0.32 (95% confidence interval, -0.41, -0.24; P=0.0001). Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (standardized mean difference, -0.35; 95% confidence interval, -0.44, -0.26; P=0.0001; 16 studies) and brachial ankle PWV (standardized mean difference, -0.48; 95% confidence interval, -0.78, -0.18; P=0.002; 5 studies) were improved with weight loss. Meta-regression showed that change in blood pressure was a predictor of change in PWV (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Modest weight loss (mean 8% of initial body weight) achieved with diet and lifestyle measures improved PWV. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that weight loss may reduce PWV, although future research is required.
Alois Alzheimer and Alzheimer's disease: a centennial perspective

The year 2006 is the centenary of the famous presentation of Alois Alzheimer which first described the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since this presentation, enormous progress has been made in understanding the biology of AD. The central role of the β‐amyloid protein (Aβ) in the pathogenesis of AD and the relationship between plaque and tangle pathology is now much better understood. In this article, we review the current status of the amyloid hypothesis of AD and its role in the development of future therapy.
MEDICATION ERRORS: CAUSES, PREVENTION AND REDUCTION

There is a myth in health care that human error can be eliminated altogether, as evidenced by calls to aggressively seek a zero error rate (Anderson & Ellis, 1999). However, errors are an inevitable consequence of human performance (Reason, 1990, 1997) and are symptoms of broader systems problems, not causes in themselves. Only by viewing errors as sources of information about the Ôsafety healthÕ of an organization can we learn appropriate lessons to improve patient safety. In health care, the system includes many practitioners, each with different roles, who create safety by battling against its intrinsic inef®ciencies, who prevent things going wrong by adapting to and resolving issues, by detecting errors and anticipating hazards on a daily basis (Cook et al, 2000). The Ôsystems approachÕ to error analysis has been widely adopted in the aviation and nuclear industries, in which a commonly used paradigm of organizational accidents is Reason's Swiss cheese model (Reason, 1990, 1997). This model distinguishes between active failures and latent conditions. Active failures are errors and violations committed by people at the sharp end of the system, i.e. pilots, control room operators and, in this domain, pharmacists, blood bank technicians, nurses, doctors, etc. Active failures have an immediate impact on safety. Latent conditions arise from fallible decisions made by the higher management in an organization, by regulators, governments, designers, manufacturers and policy makers. Latent conditions lead to weaknesses in the organization's defences, increasing the likelihood that when active failures occur they will combine with existing preconditions, breach the system's defences and result in an organizational accident. Latent conditions and active failures lead to windows of opportunity in the system's defences which, when aligned across several levels of a system, lead to an adverse event (i.e. death or critical incident). This article reviews research on medication errors during drug delivery and transfusion medicine with a view to understanding the underlying latent conditions (i.e. systems problems) that contribute to them.
Remarks on “Financial Services Integration: Right for some, Wrong for Others?”

Abstract I have been asked to provide some introductory remarks on the structure of the financial services industry in the 21st century. Each of the panelists will give their own unique perspective on why consolidation is or is not a good idea for the firms where they work. I, on the other hand, would like to take a little time to provide an overview of what I see as competing “models” for the delivery of financial services. I will try to argue that these models are not necessarily mutually exclusive and that certain clientele may be attracted to one or the other. Thus, integration will indeed turn out to be right for some and wrong for others.