Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Workforce Downsizing and Firm Performance: An Organizational Routine Perspective

While there is an extensive body of work on how organizational routines emerge and evolve over time, there is a scarcity of research on what happens when routines are disrupted or disbanded through the elimination of key individuals involved in them. This study is the first to theorize and empirically examine the relationship between the magnitude of workforce downsizing and firm performance applying an organizational routine perspective. Consistent with prior research on organizational routines, we posit that small-scale downsizing leads to efficiency improvements without disrupting the existing routines. While larger routine disruptions occur in both medium- and large-scale downsizing, we further argue and find that large-scale downsizing tends to be more beneficial than medium-scale downsizing. Building on prior research on routines, we reason that in medium-scale downsizing employees try to salvage the impaired, partially functioning routines, while large-scale downsizing requires a more fundamental rethinking and re-creation of routines leading to more positive outcomes. Our study contributes to downsizing research through the application of the organizational routine perspective to explain the financial outcomes of downsizing. In doing so, we depart from the widely held assumption in the downsizing literature that the relationship between the magnitude of downsizing and firm performance is linear. Our study also extends prior research on organizational routines by highlighting the usefulness of conceiving routines as mindful accomplishments where the pressure to engage in path-breaking cognitive effort may lead to better results than path-dependent repairing of routines.
The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act of 2001 : its effects and the implications for workers and trade unions in Ireland

This thesis concerns the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act of 2001, its effects on workers and implications for trade unions in Ireland. The legislation provides a means of resolving the substantive issues in dispute between workers and employers when employers refuse to recognise the trade union articulating those issues. It may also deal with procedural issues but may not provide for collective bargaining. In abeyance since 2007 due to legal challenges, and amid Government commitments to return the Act to its original intent, this thesis seeks to provide an evidence based response to the various calls for the Act’s amendment or replacement. A mixed methods approach contributed to an extensive examination of the cases taken under the Act: - Documentary analysis of all Labour Court Recommendations issued - A tracing of each workplace back to the union which referred the case - A survey of union officials currently or potentially responsible for the members at workplaces where cases had previously been taken - Interviews with union members, activists and staff in ten selected cases The Labour Court Recommendations, in complying with the terms of the Act, must and do accept non-union fora for the resolution of collective issues and effectively corral trade unions into individual representation, managing misbehaviour and exit. Focussing also on the aftermath of the Labour Court Recommendations afforded a unique understanding of the effects on workers and their trade unions; the effects of the process in addition to the effects of the written outcome. The research found that the majority of workplaces no longer have union members. Those still in membership display low levels of density and of activism and a distinct link is demonstrated between the union organising approach and such outcomes in each case. Those campaigns conducted with a greater emphasis on mobilisation or organising model techniques, where the referral under the 2001 Act was just one element in a broad campaign were more successful in achieving collective bargaining and better membership density and activism levels. The study recommends caution regarding sole reliance on the procedures provided by the Act.
Association of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection with increased risk of asthma in children

The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection and the risk of asthma among children by detecting the rate of MP immunoglobulin M (MP-IgM) and the eosinophil (EOS) count. A total of 139 asthmatic children were enrolled as the case group and assigned into three groups: Group A (aged <3 years, n=42), group B (aged 3–8 years, n=45) and group C (aged >8 years, n=52). Additionally, 115 healthy children were enrolled in the control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the MP-IgM-positive rate. EOS count was detected in the experimental and control groups by using a hemocytometer analyzer. A meta-analysis was performed by using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 2.0 software. The positive rates of the MP-IgM and EOS count in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group (both P<0.001). Furthermore, the asthmatic children in group C had a higher MP-IgM-positive rate and EOS count as compared to those in groups A and B, respectively (all P<0.05). Results from groups A and B were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The meta-analysis further confirmed that asthmatic children had a higher MP-IgM-positive rate as compared to the healthy controls (P<0.001). Age-stratified analysis revealed that the MP-IgM-positive rate in asthmatic children aged ≥8 and <8 years was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls (P=0.003 and P<0.001). Asthmatic children had a higher MP-IgM-positive rate and EOS count as compared with controls, suggesting that the MP infection may be closely associated with the risk of asthma. Additionally, the positive rate of MP-IgM may indicate an important biological marker in predicting the development of asthma.
Stability-Improved ADE-FDTD Implementation of Drude Dispersive Models

Graphene, which is considered to be a Drude dispersive model in the 0–10 THz frequency range, has recently received much attention due to its outstanding electrical and optical properties. This increases the interest in the auxiliary differential equation (ADE) implementation of Drude dispersion in the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm. In this letter, detailed stability analysis of the ADE-FDTD scheme, which retains the second-order nature of Drude models, is investigated. It is shown that the stability of this scheme is more restrictive than the classical Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy constraint. To overcome this drawback, stability-improved implementation is presented. Numerical examples are included to verify these findings.
Keeping candles lit: The role of concierge medicine in the future of primary care

Universal coverage and financial sustainability are two competing aims in primary care. Patient empowerment and patient engagement have been suggested as essential ingredients of the recipe for innovative primary care models aimed at sustaining universal coverage. Concierge medicine is achieving a growing popularity among both scholars and practitioners as a direct primary care practice which allows to bridge the gap between patient empowerment and patient engagement. However, ethical and legal concerns hinder the diffusion of concierge models in the current primary care practices. This manuscript is aimed at providing an evidence synthesis of extant contributions in the field of concierge medicine in order to discuss its attributes and to examine its expected effects on universal coverage and sustainability. For this purpose, a systematic literature review involving 29 manuscripts was performed. The findings of this study pointed out that concierge models could play a significant role in enhancing the access to primary care and in improving the sustainability of the healthcare service system. However, the existing institutional arrangements which regulate the access to primary care should be revised to allow more spaces for the implementation of concierge practices.
Correlation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu) receptor status with hormone receptors Oestrogen Receptor, Progesterone Receptor status and other prognostic markers in breast cancer: an experience at tertiary care hospital in Karachi.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu) positivity and to correlate its status in breast cancer patients with other prognostic markers. METHODS The comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Histopathology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from January 1 to October 31, 2010. It included all specimens of mastectomy and lumpectomy with axillary tissue. Incisional, trucut and wedge biopsies as well as all non-epithelial tumours were excluded. All samples were processed as per standard guidelines and were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. SPSS 10 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The age of the 100 cases in the study ranged from 20 to 82 years with a mean of 51+/-17.6 years. Two (2%) of the patients were males. HER-2/neu over-expression increased with increasing tumour size, grade, lymph node metastasis and with oestrogen receptor and progesterone receptor negativity. No significant correlation of HER-2/neu was seen with the age of patient and with the tumour type. CONCLUSIONS The expression of HER-2/neu was associated with decrease in oestrogen receptor and progresterone receptor positivity, and increase in tumour size, high tumour grade and lymph node metastasis.
Detecting Parkinson's Disease from Interactions with a Search Engine: Is Expert Knowledge Sufficient?

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a slowly progressing neurodegenerative disease with early manifestation of motor signs. Recently, there has been a growing interest in developing automatic tools that can assess motor function in PD patients. Here we show that mouse tracking data collected during people's interaction with a search engine can be used to distinguish PD patients from similar, non-diseased users and present a methodology developed for the diagnosis of PD from these data. The main challenge we address is the extraction of informative features from raw mouse tracking data. We do so in two complementary ways: First, we manually construct expert-recommended features, aiming to identify abnormalities in motor behaviors. Second, we use an unsupervised representation learning technique to map these raw data to high-level features. Using all the extracted features, a Random Forest classifier is then used to distinguish PD patients from controls, achieving an AUC of 0.92, while results using only expert-generated or auto-generated features are 0.87 and 0.83, respectively. Our results indicate that mouse tracking data can help in detecting users at early stages of the disease and that both expert-generated features and unsupervised techniques for feature generation are required to achieve the best possible performance.
Speed mentoring: An innovative method to facilitate mentoring relationships

Background: Junior faculty members have difficulty in identifying mentors. Speed dating permits people to efficiently try out interpersonal relationships. Aim: Evaluate a “speed mentoring” event to help junior faculty answer questions and initiate mentoring relationships. Methods: This single-group pre–post study involved junior (mentee) and senior (mentor) faculty members at an academic medical center. During the event, each mentee spent 10 min talking with each mentor in rotation. Results: Seven mentees and six mentors participated. All participants felt that time was well spent (mentees, mean [SD] = 6.3 [0.8] on a seven-point Likert scale [7 = strongly agree]; mentors, 5.7 [1.4]). Topics discussed included mentoring relationships, getting started in research, and time management. Conclusions: Participants perceived benefits from this low-cost, brief intervention to facilitate mentoring relationships.
Comparative Advantage in UK Manufacturing Trade, 1910-1935

This paper uses a maintained hypothesis of comparative advantage based on relative factor endowments to investigate UK manufacturing trade prior to World War II. The results from several independent tests indicate that Britain exported goods intensive in the use of unskilled labour and had a comparative disadvantage in goods intensive in the use of human capital right up to the mid 1930s. This is consistent with the views of contemporaries but somewhat at odds with recent optimistic assessments of structural change in pre-war Britain.
Verifying the Relative Efficacy between Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy and Its Alternatives for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Network Meta-analysis

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common breathing disorder, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy together with its alternatives has been developed to treat this disease. This network meta-analysis (NMA) was aimed to compare the efficacy of treatments for OSA. Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Embase were searched for eligible studies. A conventional and NMA was carried out to compare all therapies. Sleeping characteristics, including Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), arterial oxygen saturation, and arousal index (AI), and changes of blood pressure were selected as outcomes. A total of 84 studies were finally included after rigorous screenings. For the primary outcomes of AHI and ESS, the value of auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (APAP), CPAP, and oral appliance (OA) all showed statistically reduction compared with inactive control (IC). Similar observation was obtained in AI, with treatments of the three active interventions. A lower effect of IC in SaO2 was exhibited when compared with APAP, CPAP, and OA. Similar statistically significant results were presented in 24 h systolic blood pressure and 24 h DBP when comparing with CPAP. Our NMA identified CPAP as the most efficacious treatment for OSA patients after the evaluation of sleeping characteristics and blood pressures. In addition, more clinical trials are needed for further investigation due to the existence of inconsistency observed in this study.
On the Gibson Paradox

This paper uses recent developments in the theory of nonstationary regressors to investigate empirical relationships previously taken to support the Gibson paradox, using quarterly data over the 1957:1-1994:4 period on nominal interest rates and prices for eight European Union countries--Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and The Netherlands. Using the methodology suggested by Kydland and Prescott, it is shown that the (relevant) cyclical nominal interest rate--price level contemporaneous correlations are weak, thereby punching a hole in the Gibson paradox. Evidence is also presented, based on the integration properties of the data, that standard Gibson paradox regressions are spurious. Copyright 1999 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Open lung biopsy in pediatric bone marrow transplant patients.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical benefits of open lung biopsy in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary infiltrates in children who have undergone bone marrow transplantation. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients in whom pulmonary infiltrates developed within 6 months after bone marrow transplantation. Of 528 patients who received bone marrow transplants (313 allogeneic, 215 autologous) at St Jude Children's Research Hospital between June 1991 and December 1998, 83 (16%) had radiographic evidence of pulmonary infiltrates after the procedure. Of these, 43 (52%) underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), 19 (23%) underwent open lung biopsy (OLB), 6 (7%) underwent needle biopsy, and 5 (6%) underwent transbronchial biopsy; 21 received medical therapy alone. The authors evaluated the outcome, culture results, histopathologic findings, radiographic findings, and clinical features of those who underwent OLB. RESULTS The 19 patients ranged in age from 0.9 to 19.8 years (median, 11.4 years). Histopathologic studies indicated an infectious process in 6 patients (30%), bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) in 5 (26%), interstitial pneumonitis (IP) in 4 (21%), gangliosidosis in 1, and lymphocytic infiltrate in 1. Although the clinical plan was changed on the basis of the histopathologic diagnosis for 17 of the 19 patients (90%), improvement in outcome was seen in only 8 (47.5%) of these patients. Postoperative morbidity (30 days) was 47% and included prolonged intubation (7 patients), pneumothorax (2 patients), and pleural effusion (1 patient). The 30-day survival rate was 63.2% plus minus 10.6%. No patient with multisystem organ failure (MSOF), ventilator dependence, or a postoperative complication survived after OLB. CONCLUSIONS Histopathologic analysis of OLB specimens is very accurate in determining the cause of pulmonary infiltrates in pediatric patients who have undergone BMT, but OLB may not improve patient outcome. Because the postoperative morbidity and mortality rates associated with OLB are high, careful patient selection is necessary. The mortality rates of patients with MSOF or ventilator dependence are particularly high; therefore, less-invasive alternatives for diagnosis of pulmonary lesions should be considered before OLB is performed.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Three Key Approaches

Corporate social responsibility remains an embryonic and contestable concept. This paper assesses three key approaches and offers a perspective gauging little prospect of theoretical synthesis. Ethical responsibility theory advocates strong corporate self-restraint and altruism duties and expansive public policy strengthening stakeholder rights. Economic responsibility theory advocates market wealth creation subject only to minimalist public policy and perhaps customary business ethics. These two viewpoints embed competing moral frameworks and political philosophies. Any theoretical synthesis must discover some subset of ethical principles yielding corporate competitive advantage. Corporate citizenship language invokes a political metaphor providing neither true intermediate positioning nor theoretical synthesis. Two conflicting interpretations abandon responsibility language without adopting the economic viewpoint. An instrumental citizenship interpretation expands philanthropy as a strategic lever for increasing corporate reputation and market opportunities while retaining managerial discretion. An ideal citizenship interpretation restates ethical responsibility into voluntarism language intended to influence managerial discretion concerning universal human rights. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2006.
Exophthalmometry in Mexican adults.

BACKGROUND Up to the present time we do not know of any report about normal proptosis values in normal Mexican adults. Moreover, we think it is important to establish them in each population to distinguish between normal and pathological orbital processes because the values may vary in relation to ethnic factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Ocular protrussion values using Hertel's exophthalmometer were measured in 301 randomly selected normal adult subjects (185 females and 116 males), mean age 36 +/- 8.6 years, without known history of ocular trauma, surgery, endocrine disease or any ocular pathologic process. RESULTS The mean protrussion value was 15.18 +/- 2.16 mm for males and 14.82 +/- 1.98 mm for females. (p = NS). The distance between the lateral orbital rims was 97.78 +/- 3.97 mm for males and 94.33 +/- 1.98 mm for females (p < 0.001). We found a statistically significant difference between the values found in Mexican adults and those of American white and black subjects with enough data to make statistical calculations. DISCUSSION We established normal proptosis values for Mexican adults using Hertel's exophthalmometer. Ocular protrussion was lower than those reported in normal American black and white adults. We argue that the differences may be explained by different skull structure, and more specifically, orbital due to anthropological or racial differences.
The Influence Of Public Equity Ownership On Earnings Management Through The Manipulation Of Operational Activities

This paper examines whether public equity firms and private equity firms with public debt exhibit different degrees of real earnings management, defined as the manipulation of operational activities in order to influence reported earnings. Public equity firms face intense capital market scrutiny that their private equity counterparts do not. Therefore, this study’s comparison of the two types of firms provides insight on the impact of capital market pressure on real earnings management behaviors. My results show that public equity firms are more likely than private equity firms to opportunistically alter normal operations to improve earnings by pushing sales through discounts and promotions, and by lowering costs of sales through overproduction. I find no difference in abnormal discretionary expenses between public equity and private equity firms. Although private equity firms with public debt do not face the same capital market pressure that public equity firms face, they are not immune from incentives to engage in real earnings management. Specifically, I find that private equity firms with public debt engage in real earnings management as their debt moves closer to default. Moreover, private equity firms with public debt that do engage in real earnings management appear to emphasize the zero earnings benchmark, consistent with prior research, suggesting that this benchmark is of primary importance to creditors.
Much Ado about Nothing? The Surprising Persistence of Nascent Entrepreneurs through Macroeconomic Crisis

We hypothesize that a major macroeconomic crisis triggers four alternative responses among nascent entrepreneurs: disengagement, delay, compensation, and adaptation. We also suggest that commitment and ambition (or “high potential”) moderate these responses. Our most important finding is the relative absence of behavioral crisis responses. However, crises may make high–tech founders become more likely to disengage, whereas the opposite holds for founders far into the process. Our study sheds light on the mechanisms behind aggregate effects of crises on the number and type of start–ups in an economy, and can guide future research on the effect of crises on nascent entrepreneurship.
The acculturation modes of Russian speaking adolescents in Latvia: Perceived discrimination and knowledge of the Latvian language

Abstract After the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 million ethnic Russians were left living outside Russia. This article reports on research exploring acculturation strategies of ethnic Russian adolescents in Latvia: looking at the most and least preferred strategy, interrelatedness between choice of acculturation strategies and a person's gender or citizenship, as well as the impact of Latvian language knowledge and perceived discrimination on the choice of acculturation strategies. A total of 459 adolescents from secondary schools with Russian as the language of instruction in Riga participated in the study. The article draws on John Berry's two-dimensional acculturation model, based on four different acculturation strategies for ethnic minority and immigrant adaptation in the host society.