Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What ties resources to entrepreneurs? – activating social capital

The access to information and other resources is of major importance for entrepreneurial ventures. In order to start up a business an entrepreneur needs to provide financial capital, abilities and know-how as well as social resources. The strength of ties of a network actor influences the access to missing resources. The relationship between different tie categories has not been clarified satisfactorily yet. The research at hand seeks to investigate which ties are of strategic importance and how entrepreneurs secure resource access. The entrepreneur’s perception of the network is at the centre of interest making a qualitative approach appropriate. Therefore, entrepreneurs have been investigated using an interview guideline containing open questions. The findings of this work emphasise the interaction of weak and strong ties. Commonalities between actors, trust and tie duration enhance resource access and activation of indirect ties.
Quality journals and gamesmanship in management studies

Purpose – Publication in quality journals has become a major indicator of research performance in UK universities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the notion of “quality journal”. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the situation in management studies and finds dizzying circularity in the definitions of “quality journal”. Findings – The paper finds that what a quality journal is does not really matter: agreement that there are such things matters very much indeed. As so often happens with indicators of performance, the indicator has become the target. So, the challenge is to publish in quality journals, and the challenge rewards gamesmanship. Vested interests have become particularly skilful at the game, and at exercising the winners’ prerogative of changing the rules. All but forgotten in the desperation to win the game is publication as a means of communicating research findings for the public benefit. The paper examines the situation in management studies, but the problem is much.
Synergistic Effects of Planning and Self-Efficacy on Physical Activity

Many individuals are motivated to improve their physical activity levels but often fail to act on their good intention. This study examines the roles of planning and self-efficacy in the prediction of physical activity. A total of 290 participants (77% women, mean age = 41.9 years) were surveyed three times. Intentions, planning, and physical activity were specified as a mediator chain. Results reveal that intentions were partly translated into physical activity by planning. Self-efficacy moderated this mediation, reflected by a planning × self-efficacy interaction (p < .05) on physical activity accounting for 16% of the variance in behavior. If a person is self-efficacious, planning seems more likely to be translated into physical activity.
Serum zinc in critically ill adult patients with acute respiratory failure

Background and aims: Zinc deficiency leads to susceptibility to infections and may affect pulmonary epithelial cell integrity. Low zinc levels have also been associated with a degree of organ failure and decreased survival in critically ill children. Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to assess serum zinc in adult patients with acute respiratory failure, its association with ventilatory support time, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), organ dysfunction and 30‐day mortality.
Rural Manufacturing on the Crest of the Wave: A Count Data Analysis of Technology Use

This study compares the extent of technology use by rural and urban manufacturing plants. Count data regression models explain technology use as a function of rural-urban indicator variables, plant characteristics, and location characteristics. The results show no difference in technology use due to rural-urban location. Characteristics of nonmetro plants, including size, prevalency of branch plants, and nature of production process, tend to raise nonmetro manufacturing technology use. Lower nonmetro schooling levels, an older labor force, and mix of industries with low technology use tend to reduce technology use in nonmetro areas. Copyright 1998, Oxford University Press.
Evaluating the Private Finance Initiative in the National Health Service in the UK

This paper seeks to develop a system of how to judge the merit and worth of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects in the UK National Health Service (NHS) once they are operational. This concern is couched in relation to whether PFI can be seen to provide long‐term “value for money” (VFM) using a broad definition of this term. This paper does not attempt to further the debate that has focussed on the broader macro economic VFM arguments; rather, the focus is upon developing a model for evaluation at the organisational level where there is a paucity of direction and clarity. Whilst there are many VFM criteria available to guide whether PFI in the NHS should be pursued at the pre‐decision stage, there is little in the way of post‐project evaluation systems to judge VFM once decisions have been taken. Little thought has been given to the design of these post‐project evaluation systems let alone the experiences of how such systems may operate. This paper is addressing these lacunae but only in the sense of suggesting a design for a system for post‐project evaluation. This is drawn from PFI pre‐decision processes, post‐project intentions of some PFI schemes and evaluation theory. It is not about the judgements that come from the use of such a framework which the paper conclude will take some time to be forthcoming.
Will I See You at Work? Ethnic Workplace Segregation in Sweden, 1985–2002

Using linked employer-employee data covering the entire working-age Swedish population between 1985 and 2002, the authors present evidence of substantial and increasing ethnic workplace segregation. Moreover, when human capital, geography and industrial affiliation are taken into account, immigrants are overexposed both to workers from their own birth region and to immigrants from other regions. Segregation is generally negatively correlated with economic status: groups with low employment rates are more segregated from natives; groups with many immigrant colleagues earn less than those with more native colleagues; and the higher the number of immigrants to which individuals are exposed, the lower their wages. When local labor market conditions improve, however, segregation decreases. Though the degree and nature of segregation varies substantially across ethnic groups, the patterns are quite persistent over time.
Influence of Opa1 Mutation on Survival and Function of Retinal Ganglion Cells.

PURPOSE Mutations in the OPA1 gene cause autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA), a visual disorder associated with degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Here, we characterized the disease progression in a homologous mouse model B6;C3-Opa1 329-355del and asked whether the pronounced cell death affects certain RGC types more than others. METHODS The influence of the Opa1 mutation was assessed by morphologic (retina and optic nerve histology) and functional (multielectrode array) methods. RESULTS The RGC loss of approximately 50% within 18 months was significantly more pronounced in RGCs with small-caliber axons. Small-caliber axon RGCs comprise a variety of functional RGC types. Accordingly, electrophysiological analyses of RGCs did not show a dropout of distinct functional RGC subgroups. However, the response properties of RGCs were affected significantly by the mutation. Surprisingly, these functional changes were different under different luminance conditions (scotopic, mesopic, and photopic). Finally, melanopsin cells are known to be less susceptible to retinal insults. We found that these cells are also spared in the Opa1 mouse model, and demonstrated for the first time that this resistance persisted even when the melanopsin gene had been knocked-out. CONCLUSIONS Small-caliber axons show a higher vulnerability to the Opa1 mutation in our mouse model for ADOA. Luminance-dependent functional changes suggest an influence of the Opa1 mutation on the retinal circuitry upstream of RGCs. Photoresponsive RGCs are protected against cell death due to the Opa1 mutation, but not by melanopsin expression itself.
Superstardom in Popular Music: Empirical Evidence

This paper offers empirical evidence which counters two opposing but frequently expressed views concerning the market for popular music. The first view is that the consumers of popular music have no recognition of or appreciation for "quality" or "ability" in singing. The second is that the market is an example of the "Superstar Phenomenon," in the Marshall-Rosen sense, wherein small differences in ability are magnified into disproportional levels of success. Using an external measure of "voice quality," provided by the literature on voice, the estimated elasticity of record sales to voice quality is found to be significantly greater than zero but less than one. Copyright 1991 by MIT Press.
[Hemodynamic changes of pulmonary circulation during HDT -30 degrees].

OBJECTIVE To study the hemodynamic changes of pulmonary circulation during simulated weightlessness. METHOD 12 subjects were studied using echocardiography and electrocardiography during head-down tilt (HDT) of -30 degrees lasting for 45 min. RESULT Right ventricular ejection time increased significantly (P<0.05); peak velocity of pulmonary arterial blood flow decreased significantly (P<0.05); acceleration time of pulmonary arterial blood flow did not change significantly; significant decrease of right ventricular output occurred at the 10th minute and the 30th minute (P<0.05); pre-ejection period significantly decreased at the 30th minute and recovery. Heart rate, mean velocity of pulmonary arterial blood flow, and acceleration of pulmonary arterial blood flow did not change significantly; left ventricular cardiac output, stroke volume and blood pressure remained constant throughout the experiment. CONCLUSION Changes of the parameters of pulmonary circulation suggested that pulmonary resistance increased, and the increase of pulmonary resistance maybe be the direct cause of the increase of pulmonary arterial pressure.
Technical Efficiency Indicators in a Philippine Manufacturing Sector

This paper uses the stochastic production frontier approach to investigate the relationship between size and technical efficiency in the Philippines textile industry. Results show that technical efficiency increases with size, thus weakening the case for SME targeted policies. Moreover, both exports and government interventions are positively associated with efficiency, although the link between government support and technical efficiency is somewhat weaker.
Improving Mammography Screening Using Best Practices and Practice Enhancement Assistants: An Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) Study

Purpose: In 2004 only 68% of women in Oklahoma over the age of 40 reported having a mammogram in the past 2 years, compared with 75% nationally. Strategies to improve mammography rates have been numerous but have generally included single strategies, such as physician education, practice audit and feedback, and reminders; flow sheets and results have been mixed. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the impact of a practice facilitator and “best practice” interventions on mammography rates in a practice-based research network. Methods: A total of 16 practices participated; 8 were assigned to intervention and 8 to usual care. Pre- and post-audits of mammography rates were conducted. Intervention practices received feedback with benchmarking, academic detailing, and the assistance of a practice enhancement assistant to help with practice redesign over a 9-month period. Results: The groups differed significantly for both the proportion of mammograms offered to eligible patients (P = .043) and for the proportion of patients with current mammograms (P < .015). For the control group, 38% of eligible women were offered a mammogram and 202 (35% of those eligible) actually did have documentation that a mammogram had been performed. Fifty-three percent of the eligible patients in the intervention group were offered a mammogram and 52% of those eligible (n = 332) did have documentation in the chart that the mammogram had been completed. Conclusion: The results suggest that these interventions can improve mammography rates in a range of practice settings. These findings are consistent with other studies that have tested multicomponent interventions.
Tick-borne Ehrlichiae and Rickettsiae of Dogs (2-May-2003)

Introduction Over the past several decades, tick-borne diseases caused by obligate intracellular bacteria have emerged as important threats to mammals worldwide, and have gained notoriety because of growing concern that changing climate conditions may favor vector-borne disease transmission. Canids not only become clinically affected with specific ehrlichiae and rickettsiae, but may also serve as reservoir hosts for organisms that cause disease in humans. While this article will focus on a handful of the species in the genera Ehrlichia and Rickettsia of most clinical importance to canids (Table 1), a large number of species exist, many of which have only recently emerged, and others that may still be unrecognized.
Identification of Fusarium solani species complex from infected zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Although Fusarium sp. infections have been reported in aquatic invertebrates, studies of Fusarium spp. as fish pathogens remain very limited. In our study, a fungus was isolated from diseased zebrafish (Danio rerio). DNA sequence analysis of the fungus, based on a partial region of the translation elongation factor 1α gene (EF-1α), the internal transcribed spacer region and domains D1 and D2 of the large subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene (ITS plus LSU), and the RNA polymerase II subunit gene (RPB2), showed 99.9–100% homology to Fusarium solani species complex sequences. Multilocus sequence typing analysis based on 3-locus haplotypes (EF-1α, ITS plus LSU, and RPB2) suggests that the isolated strain was type 3+4-P. Challenge experiments showed that this organism could be pathogenic to zebrafish, but usually does not infect healthy subjects under normal circumstances.
Measurement Error, Reliability, and Minimum Detectable Change in the Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Color Trails Test among Community Living Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

BACKGROUND Knowing the reliability of cognitive tests, particularly those commonly used in clinical practice, is important in order to interpret the clinical significance of a change in performance or a low score on a single test. OBJECTIVE To report the intra-class correlation (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimum detectable change (MDC) for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Color Trails Test (CTT) among community dwelling older adults. METHODS 130 participants aged 55 and older without severe cognitive impairment underwent two cognitive assessments between two and four months apart. Half the group changed rater between assessments and half changed time of day. RESULTS Mean (standard deviation) MMSE was 28.1 (2.1) at baseline and 28.4 (2.1) at repeat. Mean (SD) MoCA increased from 24.8 (3.6) to 25.2 (3.6). There was a rater effect on CTT, but not on the MMSE or MoCA. The SEM of the MMSE was 1.0, leading to an MDC (based on a 95% confidence interval) of 3 points. The SEM of the MoCA was 1.5, implying an MDC95 of 4 points. MoCA (ICC = 0.81) was more reliable than MMSE (ICC = 0.75), but all tests examined showed substantial within-patient variation. CONCLUSION An individual's score would have to change by greater than or equal to 3 points on the MMSE and 4 points on the MoCA for the rater to be confident that the change was not due to measurement error. This has important implications for epidemiologists and clinicians in dementia screening and diagnosis.
CSR reporting and the UK financial services sector

Purpose - Sector-specific guidelines have often been suggested as the way to encourage corporate social disclosure. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which disclosure in published annual reports of organisations within the financial services sector complies with their sector guidelines. Design/methodology/approach - The financial services sector can be broadly defined as consisting of three sub-sectors: Banks, Insurance Providers, and Building Societies, and the industry is dominated by a relatively small number of large mainstream providers. Here content analysis was used to investigate the disclosure of major banks, building societies and insurance providers, using their Annual Report and Accounts and, if published annually, their stand-alone CSR reports for the same period. Findings - Although the “moral” and “business-case” arguments should lead organisations to be accountable to their stakeholders in respect of their social and environmental impact, the level of disclosure is lamentably low across the financial services sector with an observable tendency for compliance to be related to size – the larger the organisation, the more likelihood of compliance, which might indicate a resource issue. Research limitations/implications - The nature of the enquiry did not permit an in-depth analysis of the motivations for extensive reporting. However, it allows the identification of those organisations seeking to legitimate or mediate perceptions of their behaviour, whereby only good news is reported by selective inclusion or exclusion of disclosure categories and issues. Originality/value - The paper contributes to the debate on whether sector-specific guidelines will increase the level and quality of corporate social disclosure.
Trust in government and welfare regimes: Attitudes to redistribution and financial cheating in the USA and Norway

Claims have been made that national institutions influence public preferences, as well as structuring patterns of social division. This article analyses attitudes to redistribution and financial cheating in Norway and the USA. On the aggregate level the results show that there are striking differences between the two countries regarding attitudes to redistribution and confidence in the state, while similar attitude patterns are found regarding cheating with taxes and benefits. Results endorse arguments emphasising that the design and scope of welfare state policies shape and determine their own legitimacy. There is less support for political trust arguments, which emphasise that the efficacy of political decision-making institutions promotes beliefs about trust in the state and views on government responsibilities. Similarly, arguments proposing that advanced welfare statism has undesirable effects on civic morality, such as cheating on taxes and benefits, are not supported empirically. Finally, while conflicts over redistribution are similarly structured in the USA and Norway, divisions over financial cheating are less clear-cut and vary cross-nationally.
ELECTRIC PULP TEST OF TEETH WITH PERIODONTAL DISEASE

SUMMARY: Purpose: The aim of the research is to investigate the change in pulp vitality of teeth with periodontal disease using electric pulp tester (EPT). Methods: Subjected to observation were 108 patients with chronic periodontitis. Vitality of 805 teeth with periodontal pocket depth greater than 4 mm was studied by EPT. The research was conducted with EPT “Yonovit “. Results: The highest percentage of surveyed teeth (68.4%) respond to the norm when they are tested with EPT – values between 3 µA and 10 µA . Teeth that respond to EPT with values below 3 µA and between 35-100 µA are relatively equal - respectively 4.3% and 3.3%. With increased threshold of irritation – 10-35 µA react 23.4% of teeth. Small number of teeth have threshold of irritation over 100 µA - 0.6%. Conclusion: The value of EPT among periodontal damaged teeth depends on many factors - patient’s age, extent of periodontal affect, group affiliation of teeth, etc.
Auditor Tenure and the Pricing of Discretionary Accruals in the Post-SOX Era

ABSTRACT This study empirically examines the public policy implications of mandatory audit firm rotation in the context of the relation between auditor tenure and the market's perception of discretionary accruals quality in the pre- and post-SOX periods. Consistent with prior research, the pre-SOX results support the effects of auditor learning and auditor closeness on the relation between auditor tenure and audit quality. We further demonstrate that in the post-SOX period, there is no significant relation between auditor tenure and the pricing of discretionary accruals. The post-SOX results indicate that the market's perception of auditor tenure as a significant determinant of audit quality may have diminished in the environment of increased regulation under SOX. The findings further imply that ongoing consideration of a policy that mandates periodic audit firm rotation may no longer be essential with the passage of SOX. Data Availability: Data used in this study were obtained from publicly available sou.
Agricultural Product Supplies and Input Demands: Regional Comparisons

Supply equations for five output groups and demand equations for four input groups in ten regions of the United States are estimated and evaluated. The econometric estimation is conducted for complete regional product supply and input demand systems subject to competitive theory. The results document the extreme diversity of production relationships within the United States. They clearly indicate the unequal effects of changes in economic conditions and government policies on major production regions.
Parental Wealth and First-time Homeownership: A Cohort Study of Family Background and Young Adults’ Housing Situation in Sweden

This paper investigates whether family background seems to have any influence on first-time homeownership. Recent studies have indicated that it has become more difficult to become established in the housing market and such situations may increase the importance of parental wealth. In this study, parental wealth is estimated as family background information on parents’ homeownership, father’s socioeconomic status and single parenting. Unique cohort data for three birth cohorts suggest that there is a significant cohort effect in young adults’ tenure decision. Furthermore, the results imply that parents’ homeownership has become a more important predictor of the transition to first-time homeownership for those young adults facing increasing problems in the housing market.