The Interaction Among Multiple Governance Mechanisms at Young, Newly Public Firms

We focus on the relations among inside ownership, board composition, unaffiliated block ownership, and compensation structure for a sample of firms following their IPOs. Specifically, we follow firms for up to eleven years after their IPOs and examine the full sample and subsamples of firms that survive, are acquired, or that file for bankruptcy during the sample period. We find that as CEO ownership declines, board independence, board seats held by venture capitalists, and unaffiliated block ownership increase. Our findings suggest that as inside ownership decreases alternative governance mechanisms evolve to help mitigate the resulting increase in agency costs. Interestingly, the associations between CEO ownership, the fraction of venture capital board membership, and unaffiliated block ownership exist only for firms that survive over the eleven-year sample period

Poverty and Well-being in Post-Apartheid South Africa: An Overview of Data, Outcomes and Policy

WP 2006-03 January 2006This is an overview of poverty and well-being in the first decade of post-apartheid South Africa. It is an introduction to a volume that brings together some of the most prominent academic research done on this topic for the 10-year review process in South Africa. This overview highlights three key aspects of the picture that the detailed research paints. First, data quality and comparability has been a constant issue in arriving at a consensus among analysts on the outcomes for households and individuals in postapartheid South Africa. Second, while the outcomes on unemployment, poverty and inequality are indeed bad, the outcomes on social indicators and access to public services are much more encouraging. Third, the prospects for rapid and sustained economic growth, without which poverty and well-being cannot be addressed in the long run, are themselves negatively affected by increasing inequality, poverty and unemployment

Nursing considerations to complement the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines

Objectives: To provide a series of recommendations based on the best available evidence to guide clinicians providing nursing care to patients with severe sepsis. Design: Modified Delphi method involving international experts and key individuals in subgroup work and electronic-based discussion among the entire group to achieve consensus. Methods: We used the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines as a framework to inform the structure and content of these guidelines. We used the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to rate the quality of evidence from high (A) to very low (D) and to determine the strength of recommendations, with grade 1 indicating clear benefit in the septic population and grade 2 indicating less confidence in the benefits in the septic population. In areas without complete agreement between all authors, a process of electronic discussion of all evidence was undertaken until consensus was reached. This process was conducted independently of any funding. Results: Sixty-three recommendations relating to the nursing care of severe sepsis patients are made. Prevention recommendations relate to education, accountability, surveillance of nosocomial infections, hand hygiene, and prevention of respiratory, central line-related, surgical site, and urinary tract infections, whereas infection management recommendations related to both control of the infection source and transmission-based precautions. Recommendations related to initial resuscitation include improved recognition of the deteriorating patient, diagnosis of severe sepsis, seeking further assistance, and initiating early resuscitation measures. Important elements of hemodynamic support relate to improving both tissue oxygenation and macrocirculation. Recommendations related to supportive nursing care incorporate aspects of nutrition, mouth and eye care, and pressure ulcer prevention and management. Pediatric recommendations relate to the use of antibiotics, steroids, vasopressors and inotropes, fluid resuscitation, sedation and analgesia, and the role of therapeutic end points. Conclusion: Consensus was reached regarding many aspects of nursing care of the severe sepsis patient. Despite this, there is an urgent need for further evidence to better inform this area of critical care

Ultrasound-guided in utero injections allow studies of the development and function of the eye

Ultrasound-guided in utero injections into the brain of murine embryos has been shown to facilitate gene delivery. We investigated whether these methods would allow gene transfer into ocular structures. Gene transfer using retroviral vectors or electroporation was found to be quite effective. We determined the window of time, as well as compared several strains of mice, that yield a high degree of survival and successful gene transfer. Several retroviral constructs were tested for expression and coexpresssion of two genes in retinal cell types. In addition, a retroviral vector was engineered to give cone photoreceptor-enriched expression, and a retroviral vector was demonstrated to provide RNAi-mediated loss-of-function. These methods enable access to early ocular structures and provide a more rapid method of assessment of gene and promoter function than possible using genetically engineered mice

Memory Self-Efficacy in its Social Cognitive Context

This chapter takes a primarily cognitive construct - memory self-efficacy (MSE) - and returns it to its roots - social cognition (Bandura, 1986). This is a natural and obvious move. MSE has evolved since the mid-1980s (Berry, West, & Powlishta, 1986; Hertzog, Dixon, Schulenberg, & Hultsch, 1987) to its present identity and status in the cognitive aging and adult developmental research literature. If it is to avoid becoming a hypothesis in search of data (Light, 1991) or worse, an epiphenomenon to more robust explanations of cognitive aging (e.g., speed) (Salthouse, 1993), its potential and limits must be scrutinized and subjected to rigorous new research agendas. Arguably, MSE has arrived at its present destination via metamemory (Dixon, Hertzog, & Hultsch, 1986; Hertzog, Dixon, & Hultsch, 1990a; Hertzog et al., 1987; Hultsch, Hertzog, Dixon, & Davidson, 1988), thereby acquiring a more cognitive emphasis than its clinical and social underpinnings suggest. This chapter presents MSE research from my lab that has been conducted from the orienting framework of self-efficacy theory and methodology (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997; Bandura, Adams, Hardy, & Howells, 1980; Bandura, Reese, & Adams, 1982). The value of this framework lies in its rich theoretical foundation, its unique measurement approach, and its ties to social cognition. The goal of the chapter is to evaluate the present status of MSE research and to suggest new research directions

Human matrix metalloproteinases: An ubiquitarian class of enzymes involved in several pathological processes

Human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to the M10 family of the MA clan of endopeptidases. They are ubiquitarian enzymes, structurally characterized by an active site where a Zn(2+) atom, coordinated by three histidines, plays the catalytic role, assisted by a glutamic acid as a general base. Various MMPs display different domain composition, which is very important for macromolecular substrates recognition. Substrate specificity is very different among MMPs, being often associated to their cellular compartmentalization and/or cellular type where they are expressed. An extensive review of the different MMPs structural and functional features is integrated with their pathological role in several types of diseases, spanning from cancer to cardiovascular diseases and to neurodegeneration. It emerges a very complex and crucial role played by these enzymes in many physiological and pathological processes

Why come to school? Learning from middle school students' perspectives on chronic absenteeism

Presented to the 16th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held online, Wichita State University, May 1, 2020.Research completed in the Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology, College of Applied StudiesINTRODUCTION: Chronic absenteeism is a long known barrier to educational success and academic achievement (McClusky, Bynum & Patchin, 2004). While governing agencies have established policies and standards for attendance, schools have implemented several interventions to address chronic absenteeism (Kearney & Gracyk, 2014) and none of them have turned the tide on this growing social issue. What remains elusive is an understanding of students' awareness of absenteeism and its consequences, what factors they identify as contributing to the issue and possible solutions to improve attendance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the perceptions of middle school students regarding their attendance and precluding barriers. METHODS: Seventeen students from two middle schools in Kansas participated in the study. The participants were identified by school administration as at-risk for chronic absenteeism. This study employed semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The interviews were 15-30 minutes in length. RESULTS: Study participants came from ethnically and economically diverse backgrounds. Their families differed in structure, parental roles and degree of extended family engagement in student lives. They perceived schooling and education as a critical resource for personal, financial, and academic success and independence. Participants identified multiple barriers that have negatively impacted their attendance. The most frequently disrupting factors to one's attendance were student concerns with mental health and illness of family members. Since schools were not located within walking distance, transportation was also emphasized as an issue for being absent. CONCLUSION: Extenuating circumstances related to students' physical and mental health and expectations to provide healthcare, emotional and financial support to family members unfavorably contributed to one's status of at-risk of being chronically absent. Despite diverse and economically suppressed family backgrounds, students highly valued their education. They strived to attend the school regularly "[b]ecause it's fun and I get to learn, and I don't want to be at home because it's boring and my brother is annoying".Graduate School, Academic Affairs, University Librarie

Forest City/University Hospitals Telemedicine System Project Evaluation: Progress Report II

In June 1974, a task force comprised of faculty from the School of Medicine and faculty and graduate students from the Department of Operations Research, Case Western Reserve University, in association with the staff of Forest City Hospital, Cleveland, initiated an evaluation study of a proposed Telemedicine Link between University Hospitals of Cleveland and Forest City Hospital. The different stages of the Telemedicine study completed to date are: a definition of the project goals and objectives; formulation of parameters relevant to an evaluation of Telemedicine\u27s impact on the quality of care delivered; design of data gathering instruments; and, finally, the collection of data itself. This report documents progress through each of the above stages. Since the study is ongoing, this is an interim report, reflecting the current status of the evaluation. The report concludes by indicating what further work remains to be done to complete the study

Results of IEA Wind TCP Workshop on a Grand Vision for Wind Energy Technology

The wind industry has realized substantial growth reaching over 500 gigawatts (0.5 terawatts) of installed capacity in 2017 (Global Wind Energy Council 2018) and producing about 5% of global electricity demand in 2016 (Wiser and Bolinger 2018). The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for wind energy projects both on land and offshore has fallen as a result of substantial innovation over the last several decades. More specifically, equipment, installation, and operation costs have decreased while energy production per turbine has increased (Wiser et al. 2016). At the same time as LCOE has been decreasing, integration challenges in the broader electric system have been successfully addressed in many markets, thereby enabling the level of wind energy generation to grow to more than 10% of electricity consumption in at least eight countries around the world and more than 30% in Portugal and Denmark (Wiser and Bolinger 2018).publishedVersio

Weekly epirubicin in patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the benefit of weekly epirubicin in the treatment of metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer. One hundred and forty-eight patients with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer received weekly 30-min intravenous infusions of epirubicin 30 mg m2 of body surface area. The primary end-point was palliative response, defined as a reduction in pain intensity and an improvement in performance status. The secondary end-points were the duration of the palliative response, quality of life and survival. Fifty-seven (44%) of the 131 evaluable patients met the primary criterion of palliative response after six treatment cycles and 73 (56%) after 12 cycles; the median duration of the response was 9 months (range 1–11). The median global quality of life improved in 52% of the patients after six cycles and in 68% after 12 cycles. The 12- and 18-month survival rates were respectively 56 and 31%, with a median survival of 13+ months (range 1–36). The treatment was well tolerated: grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 8% of the patients, grade 3 anaemia in 7%, and grade 3 thrombocytopenia in 3%. None of the patients developed grade 4 toxicity or congestive heart failure. Weekly epirubicin chemotherapy can lead to a rapid and lasting palliative result in patients with metastatic HRPC, and have a positive effect on the quality of life and survival