Contests with Bilateral Delegation: Unobservable Contracts

We study two-player contests in which, in order to win a prize, each player hires a delegate to expend effort on her behalf; neither party's delegation contract is revealed to the rival party when the delegates choose their effort levels. We obtain first the outcomes of this unobservable-contracts case. Next, we perform comparative statics of these outcomes with respect to the higher-valuation player's valuation for the prize. Finally, we compare the outcomes of the unobservable-contracts case with those of the observable-contracts case. We find, among other things, that the unobservability of delegation contracts narrows the gap between the delegates' equilibrium contingent compensation

Contests with Bilateral Delegation: Unobservable Contracts

We study two-player contests in which, in order to win a prize, each player hires a delegate to expend effort on her behalf; neither party's delegation contract is revealed to the rival party when the delegates choose their effort levels. We obtain first the outcomes of this unobservable-contracts case. Next, we perform comparative statics of these outcomes with respect to the higher-valuation player's valuation for the prize. Finally, we compare the outcomes of the unobservable-contracts case with those of the observable-contracts case. We find, among other things, that the unobservability of delegation contracts narrows the gap between the delegates' equilibrium contingent compensation

Group Size and Matching Protocol in Contests

We investigate the effects of group size and matching protocol in Tullock contest experiments. In a 2x2 factorial design we implement partner and random stranger matching protocols in contests between two and between three players. Group size does not affect overall absolute bid levels, but the rate of overbidding is lower in two-player groups across matching protocols. Matching protocol does not affect bidding behavior for three-player groups, but a partner matching reduces both the level and dispersion of bids in two-player groups. These results show the joint effect of group size and matching protocol, and suggest that identifiability in repeated play facilitates tacit collusion

Arctic-North Pacific Coupled Impacts on the Late Autumn Cold in North America

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is known to bring an anomalously cold (warm) period to southeastern (northwestern) North America during the cold season of its positive phase through a Rossby wave linkage. This study provides evidence that the remote connection between the North Pacific and the downstream temperature over central North America is strengthened by the warm arctic conditions over the Chukchi and East Siberian Sea, especially in the late autumn season. The modulation effect of the Arctic manifests itself as an altered Rossby wave response to a transient vorticity forcing that results from an equatorward storm track shift, which is induced collaboratively by the PDO and the warm Arctic. This observational finding is supported by two independent modeling experiments: 1) an idealized coupled GCM experiment being nudged toward the warm arctic surface condition and 2) a simple stationary wave model (SWM) experiment forced by transient eddy forcing

Development and Evaluation of Multilingual Education Materials to Promote Immigrant Women's Adaptation to Pregnancy

PURPOSE: This study was done to develop and evaluate multilingual education materials to promote health and adaptation to pregnancy for immigrant women in Korea. METHODS: This study had three procedures: First, contents of the education materials were developed according to pregnant women's needs, literature reviews, and group discussion. Details in contents were constructed based on Roy's adaptation model; Second, validity verification and translation of education materials were accomplished; Third, evaluation of the education materials was done through a survey of immigrant women. RESULTS: The education materials were developed in six languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Cambodian). The title is "Healthy mother, happy family: eight-step guide to a healthy pregnancy". It was composed of an eight-step guide to healthy pregnancy, self-examination check list, websites for childbirth education and information, and guidelines on education materials in a brochure. In the evaluation, the average response score for the questionnaire items was high (3.23 on a four-point Likert scale). The average score for Cambodian immigrants was the highest of all immigrant women. CONCLUSION: Multilingual education materials developed in this research will help community health nurses to manage pregnancies for immigrant women and will be useful for health education for these women

Prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in Korean adults: The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS)

*Context:* Sarcopenic obesity (SO), a combination of excess weight and reduced muscle mass and/or strength, is suggested to be associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. 
*Objectives:* To examine the prevalence and characteristics of Sarcopenic and SO defined by using different indices such as Appendicular Skeletal muscle Mass (ASM)/height^2^ and Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI (%): skeletal muscle mass (kg)/weight (kg) × 100) for Korean adults. 
*Methods:* 591 participants were recruited from the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS) which is an ongoing prospective observational cohort study. Analysis was conducted in 526 participants (328 women, 198 men) who had complete data on body composition using Dual X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. 
*Results:* The prevalence of sarcopenia and SO increases with aging. Using two or more standard deviations (SD) of ASM/height^2^ below reference values from young, healthy adults as a definition of sarcopenia, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 6.3% and 1.3% in men and 4.1% and 1.7% in women over 60 years of age. However, using two or more SD of SMI, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 5.1% and 5.1% respectively in men and 14.2% and 12.5% respectively in women. As defined by SMI, subjects with SO had 3 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26-7.26) and subjects with non-sarcopenic obesity had approximately 2 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.18-3.02) compared with normal subjects. 
*Conclusion:* Obese subjects with relative sarcopenia were associated with a greater likelihood for metabolic syndrome. As Koreans were more obese and aging, the prevalence of SO and its impact on health outcomes are estimated to be rapidly grow. Further research is requested to establish the definition, cause and consequences of SO.
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Impact of prior abdominal surgery on postoperative prolonged ileus after ileostomy repair

SummaryBackground and aimsPostoperative ileus (POI) is one of the most common reasons for sustained hospital stays after ileostomy repair. Although many factors have been investigated as POI risk factors, the investigation of the impact of prior abdominal surgery (PAS) before rectal cancer surgery has been limited. This study aimed to identify the impact of PAS as a risk factor for POI after ileostomy repair.Material and methodsA total of 220 consecutive patients with rectal cancer who underwent ileostomy repair were enrolled. The patients were divided into PAS-positive and PAS-negative groups according to the history of PAS before rectal cancer surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the clinicopathological factors associated with POI.ResultsThe PAS-positive group had a longer operation time (111 min vs. 93.4 min, p=0.029) and a greater length of hospital stay (10 days vs. 7.8 days, p=0.003) compared with the PAS-negative group. POI was more frequent in the PAS-positive group (23.1% vs. 6.2%, p=0.011). The POI rate in the entire cohort was 8.1%. The repair method (stapled side-to-side vs. hand-sewn end-to-end, odds ratio OR=3.6, 95% confidence interval CI=1.2–11.1, p=0.022) and PAS (odds ratio=4.0, 95% confidence interval=1.2–12.8, p=0.017) were significant predictors of POI in the multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThis study suggests that PAS before rectal cancer surgery is associated with POI after ileostomy repair

A Narrow Internal Auditory Canal with Duplication in a Patient with Congenital Sensorineural Hearing Loss

A narrow internal auditory canal (IAC) with duplication is a rare anomaly of the temporal bone. It is associated with congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Aplasia or hypoplasia of the vestibulocochlear nerve may cause the hearing loss. We present an unusual case of an isolated narrow IAC with duplication that was detected by a CT scan. In this case, the IAC was divided by a bony septum into an empty stenotic inferoposterior portion and a large anterosuperior portion containing the facial nerve that was clearly delineated on MRI