Disentangling Risk and Change: Internal and External Social Comparison in the Mutual Fund Industry

Using data on 3,225 actively managed U.S. mutual funds from 1980 to 2006, we test hypotheses designed to disentangle risk and change as outcomes of behavioral performance feedback routines. We theorize that managers make decisions involving risk and decisions involving change under different conditions and motivated by different concerns. Our results show internal social comparison across units within a firm will motivate risk, whereas external social comparison across firms will motivate change. When a fund experiences a performance shortfall relative to internal social comparison, the manager is likely to make decisions that involve risk because the social and spatial proximity of internal comparisons trigger individual concern and fear of negative individual consequences, such as job loss. In contrast, when a fund experiences a performance shortfall in comparison with external benchmarks, the manager is more likely to consider the shortfall an organizational concern and make changes that do not necessarily involve risk. Although we might assume that negative performance in comparison with both internal and external benchmarks would spur risky change, our results indicate that risky change occurs most often when a decision maker receives unfavorable internal social performance feedback and favorable external social performance feedback. By questioning assumptions about why and when organizational change involves risk, this study begins to separate change and risk outcomes of the decision-making process

Introducing Students to Ethics and Professionalism Challenges in Virtual Communication

As the practice of law, and the conduct of business generally, focuses increasingly on virtual communication, the ethics and professionalism challenges inherent in email, videoconference, text, and telephone communication continue to evolve. These challenges are particularly prevalent in transactional practice, which involves frequent communication with a variety of parties through a variety of communication channels. Exposing law students to these challenges through exercises and simulations contributes to the continued development of their professional identity as lawyers. This article presents a variety of exercises that introduce students to client confidentiality, inadvertent disclosure, and other ethical issues that often arise in the context of virtual communication during a transaction. They also introduce professionalism issues common to transactional practice and explore the relationship between professionalism and ethical duties in transactional practice

Periodontitis prevalence and associated factors: a comparison of two examination protocols

La variabilidad en la definición epidemiológica de la periodontitis y los protocolos de evaluación afectan la medición de la prevalencia y su asociación con ciertos factores. Si bien, el patrón oro para el examen periodontal es el registro de boca completa, que evalúa la pérdida de inserción (CAL, por sus siglas en inglés) y profundidad de sondaje (PS, por sus siglas en inglés), los recursos no siempre están disponibles para los sistemas de vigilancia epidemiológica. Objetivo: En este estudio se compararon diferentes protocolos y definiciones de periodontitis evaluando la prevalencia y la asociación de factores relacionados en pacientes adultos que solicitaron atención en la Facultad de Odontología de la UdelaR

Abdominal venous thrombosis presenting in myeloproliferative neoplasm with JAK2 V617F mutation: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>An unprovoked thombotic event in a patient is cause for further evaluation of an underlying hypercoaguable state. The investigation should include a thorough search, including checking for a variety of known inherited and acquired hypercoaguble states (protein C or S deficiency, anti-phospholipid antibodies, and anti-thrombin III deficiency) and gene mutations that predispose patients to an increased risk of clotting (for example, prothrombin gene 20210 mutation, factor V Leiden, and the <it>JAK2 V617F </it>mutation).</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 38-year-old Caucasian woman with spontaneous, unprovoked abdominal venous thrombosis and demonstrate how testing for the <it>JAK2 V617F </it>mutation was useful in unmasking an underlying hypercoaguable state.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>JAK2 V617F</it>-positive myeloproliferative neoplasm was diagnosed. This case illustrates the importance of testing for <it>JAK2 V617F </it>in patients presenting with Budd-Chiari syndrome, even in the absence of overt hematologic abnormalities, in order to establish a diagnosis of underlying myeloproliferative neoplasm.</p

Ensaio Nacional de aveias forrageiras 2009 - análise conjunta.

Com objetivo de avaliar a capacidade produtiva de forragem de genótipos de aveias brancas e pretas, foram conduzidos experimentos em oito locais do Brasil (Cruz Alta, Passo Fundo e Três de Maio no Rio Grande do Sul; Lages e Canoinhas em Santa Catarina; Londrina e Ponta Grossa no Paraná e São Carlos em São Paulo)

Isolated right ventricular failure in hyperthyroidism: a clinical dilemma

We present a unique case of a 42-year-old gentleman with newly diagnosed Graves’ disease and isolated right ventricular failure. Extensive evaluation to include echocardiogram and cardiac catheterization were negative for significant pulmonary hypertension or coronary artery disease as potential etiologies. Hyperthyroid induced vasospasm is a rare but reported clinical entity that serves to be a clinical and diagnostic dilemma

International variation in invasive care of the elderly with acute coronary syndromes

Aims To explore variations in invasive care of the elderly with acute coronary syndromes across international practice. Methods and results Using combined populations from the SYMPHONY and 2nd SYMPHONY trials, we describe 30-day cardiac catheterization in elderly (≥75 years; n=1794) vs. younger patients (<75 years; n=14 043) after multivariable adjustment and by region of enrolment. The use of cardiac catheterization and revascularization were not protocol-specified. Elderly patients (median age 78 years) were more often female and more frequently had hypertension, diabetes, prior myocardial infarction, and prior coronary bypass surgery. Overall, they underwent less cardiac catheterization than younger patients [53 vs. 63%; adjusted OR 0.53 (0.46, 0.60)]. The absolute rate of cardiac catheterization in the elderly varied from 77% (vs. 91% in younger patients) in the US cohort to 27% (vs. 41% in younger patients) in the non-US cohort. Revascularization of elderly who underwent cardiac catheterization was also higher in US than non-US cohorts (71.3 vs. 53.6%). There was a significant interaction between the patient age and the use of catheterization across US and non-US regions of enrolment, as well as differences in the predictors of catheterization in the elderly. Despite these findings, after adjustment, 90-day rates of death and death or myocardial infarction (MI) were not significantly different in elderly who underwent catheterization compared with those who did not. Conclusion Although older age is universally predictive of lower use of cardiac catheterization, marked variation in catheterization of the elderly exists across international practice. Demonstrated differences in patterns of use suggest a lack of consensus regarding optimal use of an invasive strategy in the elderl