Causality in Quantiles and Dynamic Stock Return-Volume Relations

This paper investigates the causal relations between stock return and volume based on quantile regressions. We first define Granger non-causality in all quantiles and propose testing non-causality by a sup-Wald test. Such a test is consistent against any deviation from non-causality in distribution, as opposed to the existing tests that check only noncausality in certain moment. This test is readily extended to test non-causality in different quantile ranges, and the testing results enable us to identify the quantile range for which causality is relevant. In the empirical studies of 3 major stock market indices, we find that, while the conventional test suggests no causality in mean, there are strong evidences that lagged volume Granger causes return in all but some middle quantiles. In particular, the causal effects have opposite signs at lower and upper quantiles and are stronger at more extreme quantiles. These relations form (symmetric) V shapes across quantiles. They also show that the dispersion of the return distribution increases with volume so that volume has a positive effect on return volatility. It is also shown that the quantile causal effects of lagged return on volume are mainly negative.Granger non-causality in quantiles, quantile causal effect, quantile regression, return-volume relation, sup-Wald test

Assessing IT-business alignment in service-oriented Enterprises

Nowadays, more and more businesses transform into service-oriented enterprises in order to sustain their competitive advantage. To ensure that the underlying information technology (IT) can best support the transformation, we aim to develop an IT-business alignment framework to assess the quality of alignment in the context of service-oriented enterprises. Based upon the existing literature, we propose three components of IT-business alignment: strategic alignment, operational alignment, and social alignment. We study their various contributions to the performance of service-oriented IT projects, together with the interactions with service integration level.Our data were collected from Web questionnaires. The total dataset is derived from 300 selected companies in an on-line technology management forum. Among the returned questionnaires, 104 were found to be complete and usable; this represented a response rate of 34 percent.A Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis is conducted and derives the following three research findings: (1) IT-business alignment plays a significant role in improving the performance of service-oriented IT; (2) the service integration level is an important performance moderator for strategic and operational alignment; (3) the service integration level is an important contributor to social alignment. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol3/iss1/3

COMPARISON OF KINESIO TAPING AND SPORTS TAPING IN FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL PLAYERS: A PILOT STUDY

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of kinesio taping and sports taping for collegiate basketball players in functional activities. Seventeen collegiate basketball players were recruited in particapitate this study and divided into three groups(Kinesio taping group, sports taping group and control group) in random. The ankle range of motion, plantarflexor muscle strength and endurance, vertical jump, and dynamic balance were measured before and after taping applied. The results was showed significantly increasing in ankle plantar-flexion range for Kinesio taping group(p=.03). There were no remarkable difference in the other measurements. In conclusion, the Kinesio Taping would not restriction the ankle plantar-flexion range. In future, we may recruited more subjects to identify the effect of Kinesio taping in functional activities for collegiate bsketball players

Risk factors and clinical significance of bacteremia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant only to carbapenems

Background/purposeCarbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections have been a challenge and issue in hospital settings. However, the clinical impact of P. aeruginosa blood isolates resistant only to carbapenems has never been discussed previously.MethodsTo assess the risk factors and clinical significance of bacteremia caused by carbapenem resistance only P. aeruginosa (CROPA), a 6-year retrospective case–control study was conducted. The CROPA strains were defined as isolates susceptible to ciprofloxacin, antipseudomonal penicillins and cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides but resistant to one antipseudomonal carbapenem (imipenem or meropenem) or both. The controls were selected among patients with bacteremia due to P. aeruginosa susceptible to all above classes of antipseudomonal antibiotics, which was defined as all-susceptible P. aeruginosa.ResultsTwenty-five patients had at least one blood culture positive for CROPA, and 50 controls had all-susceptible P. aeruginosa bacteremia. CROPA bacteremia had a high 30-day mortality rate (72.0%), as compared to 26.0% for the controls (p < 0.001). Through multivariate analysis, carbapenem exposure was the only risk factor for developing CROPA bacteremia (p = 0.002). A comparison between the surviving and deceased patients with CROPA bacteremia showed that nine (50%) of those who died, but none of the survivors, received carbapenems as the initial empirical therapy (p = 0.027).ConclusionCarbapenem exposure was associated with emergence of CROPA infections. Repeated carbapenem use in such patients might increase rates of inappropriate initial empirical treatment and mortality. Prudent carbapenem use is important to reduce the emergence of CROPA

Rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by a new array format-based surface plasmon resonance method

Tubercle bacillus [TB] is one of the most important chronic infectious diseases that cause millions of deaths annually. While conventional smear microscopy and culture methods are widely used for diagnosis of TB, the former is insensitive, and the latter takes up to 6 to 8 weeks to provide a result, limiting the value of these methods in aiding diagnosis and intermediate decisions on treatment. Therefore, a rapid detection method is essential for the diagnosis, prognosis assessment, and recurrence monitoring. A new surface plasmon resonance [SPR] biosensor based on an array format, which allowed immobilizing nine TB antigens onto the sensor chip, was constructed. Simultaneous determination of multiple TB antibodies in serum had been accomplished with this array-based SPR system. The results were compared with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, a conventional immunological method. Array-based SPR showed more advantages in providing label-free and real-time detection. Additionally, the high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of TB infection showed its potential for future development of biosensor arrays for TB diagnosis

Resilience assessment of lowland plantations using an ecosystem modeling approach

As afforestation programs of former farmlands take hold in Taiwan to achieve a variety of ecological and socio-economic values, it is becoming necessary to define best forest management. Hence, we simulated mixed stands of Cinnamomum camphora and Fraxinus griffithii planted through a gradient of soil fertility and varying camphor/ash density ratios, but maintaining a fixed total stand density of 1500 trees ha −1 . Total stand productivity was slightly lower in mixed stands than the combination of both monocultures in rich and poor sites. Maximum negative yield surpluses for 50-year old stands were 7 Mg ha −1 and 6 Mg ha −1 for rich and poor sites with a 1:1 camphor laurel/ash ratios. Maximum stand woody biomass in rich sites was reached in camphor laurel monocultures (120 Mg ha −1 ) and in poor sites for Himalayan ash monocultures (58 Mg ha −1 ). However, for medium-quality sites, a small yield surplus (11 Mg ha −1 ) was estimated coinciding with a maximum stand woody biomass of 95 Mg ha −1 for a 1:1 camphor laurel/ash density ratio. From an ecological resilience point of view, rotation length was more important than stand composition. Long rotations (100 years) could improve soil conditions in poor sites. In rich sites, short rotations (50 years) should be avoided to reduce risks or fertility loss.Yueh-Hsin Lo was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ref. AGL2012-33465). Juan A. Blanco was funded through a “Ramón y Cajal” contract (Ref. RYC-2011-08082) and a Marie Curie Action (Ref. CIG-2012-326718-ECOPYREN3). Shih-Chieh Chang was given a grant by the Ministry of Science and Technology (Ref. NSC 102-2621-M-259-005

Risk factors and outcomes of carbapenem-nonsusceptible Escherichia coli bacteremia: A matched case–control study

BackgroundInfections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae have been the emerging problem worldwide. This primary object of this study was to understand the risk factors and clinical outcomes of carbapenem-nonsusceptible Escherichia coli (CNSEc) bacteremia.MethodsWe conducted a matched case–control study in a 3,715-bed tertiary care medical center in northern Taiwan. The controls were selected among patients with carbapenem-susceptible E coli and were matched with CNSEc for bacteremia.ResultsFifty-one patients were included in this study (17 cases and 34 controls). Bivariate analysis showed that prior exposure to carbapenems (p<0.001), stay in intensive care units (p=0.016), placement of central venous catheters (p=0.001), chronic liver diseases (p<0.001), uremia with regular dialysis (p=0.004), and mechanical ventilation (p=0.004) were associated with CNSEc bacteremia. Multivariate analysis revealed that prior exposure to carbapenems [odds ratio (OR), 29.17; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.76–484.70; p=0.019], uremia with regular dialysis (OR, 98.58; 95% CI, 4.02–999; p=0.005) and chronic liver diseases (OR, 27.86; 95% CI, 2.31–335.83; p=0.009) were independent risk factors for CNSEc bacteremia. Compared with carbapenem-susceptible E coli group, CNSEc group had a longer hospital stay (68.4 days vs. 35.8 days; p=0.04) and a higher disease severity, as indicated by a Pittsburgh bacteremia score greater than or equal to 4 (5.6% vs. 2.5%; p=0.015). Patients with CNSEc bacteremia had a higher overall in-hospital mortality rate (94.12% vs. 50.00%; p=0.002), but there was no difference in the 28-day mortality between these two groups.ConclusionsCNSEc bacteremia would lead to a poor outcome among patients with prior exposure to carbapenems, chronic liver disease, and uremia with regular dialysis

Changes in endotracheal tube cuff pressure during laparoscopic surgery in head-up or head-down position

BACKGROUND: The abdominal insufflation and surgical positioning in the laparoscopic surgery have been reported to result in an increase of airway pressure. However, associated effects on changes of endotracheal tube cuff pressure are not well established. METHODS: 70 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal tumor resection (head-down position, n = 38) and laparoscopic cholecystecomy (head-up position, n = 32) were enrolled and were compared to 15 patients undergoing elective open abdominal surgery. Changes of cuff and airway pressures before and after abdominal insufflation in supine position and after head-down or head-up positioning were analysed and compared. RESULTS: There was no significant cuff and airway pressure changes during the first fifteen minutes in open abdominal surgery. After insufflation, the cuff pressure increased from 26 ± 3 to 32 ± 6 and 27 ± 3 to 33 ± 5 cmH(2)O in patients receiving laparoscopic cholecystecomy and laparoscopic colorectal tumor resection respectively (both p < 0.001). The head-down tilt further increased cuff pressure from 33 ± 5 to 35 ± 5 cmH(2)O (p < 0.001). There six patients undergoing colorectal tumor resection (18.8%) and eight patients undergoing cholecystecomy (21.1%) had a total increase of cuff pressure more than 10 cm H(2)O (18.8%). There was no significant correlation between increase of cuff pressure and either the patient's body mass index or the common range of intra-abdominal pressure (10-15 mmHg) used in laparoscopic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: An increase of endotracheal tube cuff pressure may occur during laparoscopic surgery especially in the head-down position

Positive Association of Metabolic Syndrome with a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of Syndecan-3 (rs2282440) in the Taiwanese Population

Background/Purpose. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) poses a major public health burden on the general population worldwide. Syndecan-3 (SDC3), a heparin sulfate proteoglycan, had been found by previous studies to be linked with energy balance and obesity, but its association with MetS is not known. The objective of this study is to investigate whether SDC3 polymorphism (rs2282440) is associated with MetS in the Taiwanese population. Methods. Genotypes of SDC3 polymorphism (rs2282440) were analyzed in 545 Taiwanese adult subjects, of which 154 subjects had MetS. Results. Subjects with SDC3 rs2282440 TT homozygote had higher frequency of MetS than those with CC or CT genotype (p=0.0217). SDC3 rs2282440 TT homozygote had a 1.96-fold risk of being obese and 1.8-fold risk of having MetS (with CC genotype as reference). As for the individual components of MetS, subjects with SDC3 rs2282440 TT homozygote were more likely to have large waist circumference and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 1.75 and OR = 1.84, resp.). Conclusion. SDC3 rs2282440 polymorphism is positively associated with MetS in the Taiwanese population. Further investigation is needed to see if this association is mediated by mere adiposity or SDC3 polymorphism is also linked with other components of MetS such as lipid metabolism

Relationship of teicoplanin MICs to treatment failure in teicoplanin-treated patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia

Background/PurposeThe objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of teicoplanin minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for treatment failure among patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia.MethodsIn this study, all patients with ≥1 tracheal aspirates or sputum cultures positive for MRSA admitted to the hospital between April 2011 and September 2011 were reviewed. We enrolled patients who are ≥18 years of age, with a diagnosis of pneumonia, and with a receipt of teicoplanin therapy throughout the course. The relationship between teicoplanin Etest MICs and treatment outcomes of MRSA pneumonia was analyzed to identify the breakpoint of teicoplanin MICs influencing treatment outcomes.ResultsOf the 80 patients enrolled, 31 had a lower teicoplanin MIC level (<2.0 mg/L) and 49 had a higher MIC level (≥2.0 mg/L) for MRSA. The lower MIC group had a higher clinical resolution rate in 14 days [24 (77.4%) vs. 23 (46.9%), p = 0.007] and a lower treatment failure rate at the end of teicoplanin treatment [4 (12.9%) vs. 18 (36.7%), p = 0.020]. A comparison between the treatment success and failure groups showed that the former had a longer duration of teicoplanin use (18.76 ± 10.34vs.12.41 ± 5.65 days; p = 0.014). Results of a multivariate analysis showed that teicoplanin MICs ≥ 2.0 mg/Land shorter duration of teicoplanin therapy were independent risk factors for treatment failure.ConclusionA higher teicoplanin MIC value (≥2.0 mg/L) may predict the treatment failure among patients with teicoplanin-treated MRSA pneumonia