Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single reading with computer-aided detection for screening mammography.

BACKGROUND The sensitivity of screening mammography for the detection of small breast cancers is higher when the mammogram is read by two readers rather than by a single reader. We conducted a trial to determine whether the performance of a single reader using a computer-aided detection system would match the performance achieved by two readers. METHODS The trial was designed as an equivalence trial, with matched-pair comparisons between the cancer-detection rates achieved by single reading with computer-aided detection and those achieved by double reading. We randomly assigned 31,057 women undergoing routine screening by film mammography at three centers in England to double reading, single reading with computer-aided detection, or both double reading and single reading with computer-aided detection, at a ratio of 1:1:28. The primary outcome measures were the proportion of cancers detected according to regimen and the recall rates within the group receiving both reading regimens. RESULTS The proportion of cancers detected was 199 of 227 (87.7%) for double reading and 198 of 227 (87.2%) for single reading with computer-aided detection (P=0.89). The overall recall rates were 3.4% for double reading and 3.9% for single reading with computer-aided detection; the difference between the rates was small but significant (P<0.001). The estimated sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for single reading with computer-aided detection were 87.2%, 96.9%, and 18.0%, respectively. The corresponding values for double reading were 87.7%, 97.4%, and 21.1%. There were no significant differences between the pathological attributes of tumors detected by single reading with computer-aided detection alone and those of tumors detected by double reading alone. CONCLUSIONS Single reading with computer-aided detection could be an alternative to double reading and could improve the rate of detection of cancer from screening mammograms read by a single reader. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00450359.)
Tick Size Regulation and Sub-Penny Trading

We show that following a tick size reduction in a decimal public limit order book (PLB) market quality and welfare fall for illiquid but increase for liquid stocks. If a Sub-Penny Venue (SPV) starts competing with a penny-quoting PLB, market quality deteriorates for illiquid, low priced stocks, while it improves for liquid, high priced stocks. As all traders can demand liquidity on the SPV, traders' welfare increases. If the PLB facing competition from a SPV lowers its tick size, PLB spread and depth decline and total volume and welfare increase irrespective of stock liquidity.
An investigation of the state dependency of recall during hypnotic amnesia

If hypnosis was to be considered a state, one would expect that entering or leaving it would lead to spontaneous state-dependent effects on free recall (e.g. Tulving and Thompson, 1973; Eich, 1980). In apparent support of the contrary view, that hypnosis does not provide state-cues that facilitate free recall, Kihlstrom, Brenneman, Pistole and Shor (1985) found that the reinduction of hypnosis did not differentially facilitate the breaching of post-hypnotic amnesia compared to a non-reinduction group. However, following the second deinduction of hypnosis, subjects' recall level decreased, whereas subjects' recall level in the non-reinduction group increased. This apparent state-dependent effect is interpreted here as indicating that state incongruence can constitute a task-demand for greater amnesia. In order to test this suggestion, subjects in the present study memorized a word-list either before or after a hypnotic induction. Following an amnesia suggestion, subjects who learned the word-list before the induction recalled fewer items than those who learned it afterwards, which could be interpreted as a state-dependent effect. However, an equivalent recall level in the two groups following the reversal of the amnesia and before the deinduction of hypnosis, suggests that the apparent state-dependency of amnesic recall reflects subjects' belief that hypnosis represents an altered state rather than an effect of the presence of state-cues per se.
Foreign Direct Investment and Environmental Taxes

Abstract This paper studies the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on environmental policy stringency in a two-country model with trade costs, where FDI could be unilateral and bilateral and both governments address local pollution through environmental taxes. We show that FDI does not give rise to ecological dumping because the host country has an incentive to shift rents away from the source country toward the host country. Environmental policy strategies and welfare effects are studied under the assumption that parameter values support FDI to be profitable.
Board Size and Composition and Corporate Performance: the Case of Non- Financial Companies on the Nigerian stock Exchange

The rampant corporate failures in recent times both within and outside Nigeria make corporate governance issue an interesting and important area of research in Accounting. The cases of Enron, Xerox, Adelphia et cetera internationally and Cadbury, NITEL, NEPA, NRC and many banks in Nigeria are very well known. Interestingly the Board of Directors as the top management of these corporate entities is where the bulk stops. The quality of the board, its efficiency and by extension the corporate performance of the entity could be affected by the size and composition of the Board as a critical element of corporate governance. Precisely the question is asked, if at all, to what extent do Board size, Board composition/structure, and frequency of board meetings and regularity of attendance at meetings by board members impact the corporate performance of companies? This paper uses opinions of company administrators and managers to assess their perception on the impact of Board size and composition and the related variables on the financial performance of Non-Financial Companies quoted on the Nigerian stock exchange. A total of 72 companies selected through the Taro Yameni formula were selected and three copies of a structured questionnaire administered to three top ranking managers/accountants in each company to get their perception of the impact of these board characteristics on the corporate governance and performance of these companies. The Micro soft Special Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the responses presented in a 5-point likert scale. The regression showed that there is a significant positive relationship between the Board size, composition, frequency of meetings, regularity of members’ attendance and performance of quoted non financial companies. R, the correlation coefficient which has a value of 0.977, indicates that there is a significant positive relationship between the Board size, composition, frequency of meetings, regularity of members’ attendance and performance of quoted companies. R square, the coefficient of determination, shows that (B = -02.0%; C= 80.4%; F= -22.2%; R= 40.7%) of the variation in the performance of quoted companies is explained by the model. More specifically, a higher percentage outside board membership leads to a higher corporate performance and the fewer the overall size of the Board, the higher the corporate performance. It is therefore recommended among others that the Board should not be unnecessarily weighty in size but more importantly, the Board should be composed more of outsiders with proven integrity, acumen, experience and skill in corporate management. This is expected to reduce drastically the spate of corporate failures as good corporate governance is engendered Key words: Board of Directors, Corporate performance, corporate governance,
Does Academic Entrepreneurship Pay

We investigate the private returns for academics that start new businesses. Total earnings for the universe of 478 individuals working at Swedish universities who quit to become full-time entrepreneurs between 1999 and 2008 are compiled. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first analysis of entrepreneurial returns to include capital gains. Entrepreneurship for academics appears a gradual process and episodic. Earnings are similar before and after becoming an entrepreneur, and dividends and capital gains are inconsequential. But the income risk is more than three times higher in entrepreneurship.
An assessment of the impact of watershed programmes on agricultural sustainability in Hamedan province, Iran

This paper assessed the effects of watershed programmes (WPs) on the sustainability of agro-ecosystems in Hamedan province, western Iran. This research was a causal–comparative study, and various techniques were used to collect data, such as survey data, archival data, observations, and face-to-face interviews with key informants. The causal–comparative method requires a comparison of agro-ecosystems with and without WPs. Therefore, a survey was conducted using a stratified random sampling to select 136 households in agro-ecosystems with and without WPs. Nine indicators were selected to evaluate sustainability. Significant differences were found between the two agro-ecosystems in biodiversity, soil quality management, hydrological processes, energy-use efficiency (EUE), access to public services, farm management practices, and social capital. No significant variation was found in the indicator of quality of life, even though that indicator was found to be slightly higher in the agro-ecosystem that had WPs. Results revealed that the agro-ecosystem with WPs, with the exception of the social capital, productivity, biodiversity, soil quality, EUE, farm management, and hydrological processes as well as access to public services had significantly higher values than the agro-ecosystem without WPs. Therefore, it can be concluded that despite WPs' positive impact on biodiversity, soil quality, hydrological processes, EUE, farm management, productivity, and access to public services, it had a negative impact on social capital. The findings suggest that WPs affected the agro-ecosystem by increasing the stability and economic viability of the agro-ecosystem and decreasing social dimensions. A new approach, including demand-driven WPs rather than supply-driven ones to cater to the specific needs of local people, was recommended for the promotion of the social acceptability of WPs.
The Effects of Market Makers and Stock Analysts in Emerging Markets

We exploit a quasi-experiment to examine the effects of market makers and stock analysts in three emerging stock markets. We find substantial differences in the effects across markets and, in contrast to existing literature, the effects of market makers are not always positive. Our results suggest that the structure of market makers’ agreements and compensation matters for their effects on market quality. Stock analysts, on balance, have marginally positive effects on liquidity and informational efficiency. The benefits of market makers are weaker in the presence of stock analysts, and vice versa, suggesting that market makers and stock analysts are more like substitutes than complements in their effects on market quality.
An Exploratory Study of Adolescent Female Reactions to Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: The Case of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine

When the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was approved in 2006, an extensive direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising campaign raised awareness and promoted vaccination. This study explores adolescents' exposure to and understanding of the messages in these advertisements. Sixty-seven African American females participated in a focus group about DTC advertising for the HPV vaccine. Virtually all adolescents had seen an HPV vaccine DTC advertisement, but most did not understand the health information contained in it. If DTC advertising is to be an effective source of health information for adolescents in the future, it must take into account the unique features of an adolescent audience.
Isolation of a membrane-associated Bacteroides gingivalis glycylprolyl protease

A low-molecular-weight proteolytic enzyme was purified 47-fold from outer membranes of Bacteroides gingivalis ATCC 33277 by preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was present in all B. gingivalis strains tested but was not found in other species of black-pigmented Bacteroides. The molecular weight, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was 19,500 when the enzyme was heated to 100 degrees C in SDS before electrophoresis and 29,000 when it was mixed with SDS but not heated. The optimum pH, with azocasein as the substrate, was between 6.0 and 6.5. The activity was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, N-alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, Hg2+, and various reducing agents. The enzyme was active against azocasein, azocoll, proline-rich protein from saliva, and the synthetic peptide glycyl-L-proline-p-nitroanilide. The enzyme did not degrade acid-soluble collagen nor did it hydrolyze various arginine- and lysine-containing synthetic substrates.
Regulating More Effectively: The Relationship between Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and Tax Non-Compliance

In recent years, a significant number of middle-income taxpayers have been making use of aggressive tax planning strategies to reduce tax. In many cases, it is unclear whether these are designed and used by taxpayers to minimize tax legally or to avoid tax illegally. Those that are designed to exploit loopholes in tax law need to be dealt with in a way that restores faith and equity to the system. But how can tax authorities best manage taxpayers who may have inadvertently become involved in such illegal tax planning practices? Using longitudinal survey data, it will be shown that attempts to coerce and threaten taxpayers into compliance can undermine the legitimacy of the Tax Office's authority, which in turn can affect taxpayers' subsequent compliance behaviour. Responsive regulation, which is based on principles of procedural justice, will be discussed as an alternative enforcement strategy.
Evaluation of the AutoSCAN-3 and Sceptor systems for Enterobacteriaceae identification

To evaluate the accuracy and cost effectiveness of the AutoSCAN-3 (Micro-Scan Systems of America, Sacramento, Calif.) and Sceptor (BBL Microbiology Systems, Cockeysville, Md.) systems for identification of members of the Enterobacteriaceae, we performed parallel tests on 678 stock cultures of well-characterized clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae. Automated results by AutoSCAN-3 correctly identified 95.1% at the genus level and 94.9% at the species level. However, 15 of 42 Shigella isolates were misidentified as members of other genera. In contrast to the automated results, visual interpretation of panels produced 97.9% agreement at the genus level, missing only three Shigella isolates. Sceptor correctly identified 96.8% at the genus level and 93.4% at the species level. Of 42 Shigella isolates, 3 were missed and were designated as Salmonella spp. Although all Salmonella spp. were correctly identified, six other isolates were misidentified as Salmonella spp. Test costs were found to be comparable for each system, with the cost per test increasing markedly with fewer than 10 to 15 tests performed per day.
Innovation and Rural Development: Some Lessons from Britain and Western Europe

Taxibuses, dial-a-ride, Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS), telecottages, village design statements, ecomuseums, good-neighbour schemes, green audits, village trusts, post of ces in pubs, advice shops, train and build schemes, local produce markets . all are examples of activities designed to help regenerate the local economy of particular rural areas and/or to improve the quality of life of the people living there. And all are typically introduced by local people and organisations as a response to some perceived problem unlikely to be solved by traditional ways of doing things. In short, all are ‘innovations’. This paper will focus speci cally on innovation in a rural development context, pose some questions about its signi cance, review four compendia of innovative initiatives and suggest what they imply both for our understanding of the theory of innovation diffusion in a rural development context and for the practical pursuit of such development. This is timely for two reasons. The  rst is that the encouragement of rural development, both in Britain and wider a eld in Europe, is currently dominated by attempts to promote the spread of what is held to be ‘good practice’—be it in the restructuring of the local economy in the face of a continuing decline in agricultural and other land-based employment, in the provision for scattered rural dwellers of such services as healthcare, retailing and transport, in the machinery and processes of local economic regeneration, or whatever. Examples of ‘Good Practice Guides’ are legion and typically comprise attractively illustrated collections of short summaries of successful projects deemed worthy of wider application. They relate, for example, to village retailing, rural transport and childcare (Rural Development Commission, RDC, 1994, 1996, 1998 respectively), to partnership working (Slee & Snowden, 1997, for the Scottish National Rural Partnership), to consensus building (Sidaway, 1998), to the marketing of quality tourism (LEADER Observatory, 1996c), to the execution of ‘baseline studies’ prior to planning a local area development
The Effects of Experience, Ownership, and Knowledge on IPO Survival: Empirical Evidence from Germany

We study the implications of ownership and its induced incentives on firm survival on the stock market for young and high‐tech firms. Using a unique data set of all 341 firms listed on the Neuer Markt, the German equivalent of the NASDAQ, our results differ from studies on more traditional firms. Ownership by CEOs has no influence on firm survival when introducing measurements of human capital and intellectual property rights. This confirms assumptions that firms in the knowledge based industries differ in their governance structure from traditional firms.
Revisiting a Theory-Supported Approach to Teaching Cross-Cultural Management Skills

Abstract Cross—cultural skills are a major criterion for success in the global business environment. For American managers in multinational organizations, this means learning to manage cultural difference at three levels: self, interpersonal, and organizational. Since literature indicates that training programs based on cross—cultural and learning theories are more effective, this paper examines a training program that Serrie first reported in a 1992 issue of JTIB. The five related and synergistic activities discussed in the paper give participants experience in dealing with and solving real—world problems in cross-cultural management at all three levels. The process is reassessed in terms of recent theory, and to confirm the efficacy of this approach, a pretest—posttest experiment was conducted with a treatment group and control groups. Results show that the treatment group was the only one to show a significant (at p < 0.05) increase in intercultural expertisea measure of cross—cultural skill. Limitations and implications are discussed.
An Exploratory Study of Entrepreneurial Creativity: Its Antecedents and Mediators in the Context of UAE Firms

In this study, we attempt to advance our understanding of the role of entrepreneurial creativity in the context of firms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Through field research accompanied by a review of the related literature, this study identifies crucial antecedents of entrepreneurial creativity. The proposed model combines variables belonging to different contextual factors such as external factors (resource access, resource possession, and alertness to opportunity) and individual factors (creative self‐efficacy, expertise and intrinsic motivation). The model is tested using data from a large‐scale survey of firms in the UAE. We find that expertise and creative self‐efficacy is significantly related to entrepreneurial creativity. The results also reveal that intrinsic motivation and alertness to opportunity are the key mediators between contextual factors and entrepreneurial creativity. The findings of this study present some interesting practical implications to entrepreneurs in order to improve their creative skills.
How restaurant variety indirectly impacts gaming for different casino worth segments

Purpose – Casinos offer a variety of dining experiences to appeal to the tastes of different customers. The aim of this paper is to investigate the indirect impact of dining by restaurant type on gaming by worth segment.Design/methodology/approach – Data from two hotel‐casinos were analyzed using time series regression analysis. Variables representing restaurant covers at steakhouse, buffet and casual dining venues were used to predict slot coin‐in for five customer worth segments.Findings – Steakhouse dining was a significant predictor of slot coin‐in for high worth players, buffet and casual dining were related to low‐worth gaming volume, whereas medium‐worth players were impacted by a range of dining options.Research limitations/implications – Regression analysis does not imply causality, and the results may not hold for other casino properties or sample time periods.Practical implications – The findings have implications for the optimal restaurant mix at casinos and the types of offers that are given .
Does 'fit' matter in nonprofits? Exploring value congruence, role stressors and employee health

ABSTRACT: The number of employees working in nonprofit organisations has grown significantly. These employees are often motivated to join these organisations by a strong desire to fulfil the particular vision and mission of that nonprofit (such as helping the community). While the effects of employee organisation value congruence on job-related attitudes are reasonably well documented, little consideration has been given to the nonprofit context and also perceptions of work stressors and health outcomes. A sample on nonprofit employees from a human services organisation ( N = 181) was surveyed with results suggesting that value congruence was related to lower perceptions of role stressors. The results further revealed that value congruence was related to less favourable employee health in some circumstances. Outcomes are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical importance. KEYWORDS: human resource management, values, work environment, organisational culture, stress & stress management, not-for-profits
Research Note: Tourism and Economic Growth in Latin American Countries – Further Empirical Evidence

Using panel data that span from 1990 to 2005, the authors investigate the impact of tourism on the economic growth of 18 heterogeneous Latin American countries within the framework of the conventional neoclassical growth model. Results from the empirical models show that revenues from the tourism industry contribute positively to both the current level and the growth rate of the per capita GDP of the countries in the region, as do investments in physical and human capital. The findings imply that Latin American economies may enhance their economic growth in the short run by strengthening their tourism industries strategically, while not neglecting the traditional sources of economic growth.