Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Systems and Outsourcing Studies in Theory and Practice

This book is a set of readings on Information Systems Outsourcing resulting from more than 20 years of experience of the editors. Most of the chapters are updated versions of research work previously published in either books or scholarly journals. Altogether there are 15 chapters organized under two sections. The first section primarily stresses on the importance of critically examining theories borrowed from various fields to study IT outsourcing. The second section focuses on outsourcing practice and is based on over 500 case studies. This section evaluates the processes and practices associated with domestic, offshore, and global sourcing of IT services from both, client and supplier perspectives
Should the Personal Computer Be Considered a Technological Revolution? Evidence from U.S. Metropolitan Areas

The introduction and diffusion of personal computers are widely viewed as a technological revolution. Using U.S. metropolitan area–level panel data, this paper asks whether links between PC adoption, educational attainment, and the return to skill conform to a model of technological revolutions in which the speed and extent of adoption are endogenous. The model implies that cities will adjust differently to the arrival of a more skill-intensive means of production, with the returns to skill increasing most where skill is abundant and its return is low. We show that the cross-city data fit many of the predictions of the model during the period 1980–2000, the PC diffusion era.
Public research intensity and the structure of German R&D networks: a comparison of 10 technologies

A rich literature has emerged that analyzes the emergence of inter-organizational networks. However, little is still known about how and why the (global) structures of such networks differ between technologies. Based on a rich database covering subsidized R&D cooperation in Germany, we compare cooperation networks of 10 distinct technologies. A particular focus is hereby on the existence of systematic differences between networks that are dominated by firms and those that primarily connect public research organizations. Among others, we find that the first tend to be larger and less dense with big firms being the most central organizations. In comparison, networks dominated by public actors are stronger centralized and involve more isolates.
The Effect of International Institutional Factors on Properties of Accounting Earnings

International differences in the demand for accounting income predictably affect the way it incorporates economic income (dividend-adjusted change in market value) over time. We characterize the "shareholder" and "stakeholder" corporate governance models of common and code law countries respectively as resolving information asymmetry by public disclosure and private communication. Also, code law directly links accounting income to current payouts (to employees, managers, shareholders and governments). Consequently, code law accounting income is less timely, particularly in incorporating economic losses. Regulation, taxation and litigation cause variation among common law countries. The results have implications for security analysts, standard-setters, regulators, and corporate governance.
Offering fragile X syndrome carrier screening: a prospective mixed-methods observational study comparing carrier screening of pregnant and non-pregnant women in the general population

Introduction Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading cause of inherited intellectual and developmental disability. Policy development relating to carrier screening programmes for FXS requires input from large studies examining not only test uptake but also psychosocial aspects. This study will compare carrier screening in pregnant and non-pregnant populations, examining informed decision-making, psychosocial issues and health economics. Methods and Analysis Pregnant and non-pregnant women are being recruited from general practices and obstetric services. Women receive study information either in person or through clinic mail outs. Women are provided pretest counselling by a genetic counsellor and make a decision about testing in their own time. Data are being collected from two questionnaires: one completed at the time of making the decision about testing and the second 1 month later. Additional data are gathered through qualitative interviews conducted at several time points with a subset of participating women, including all women with a positive test result, and with staff from recruiting clinics. A minimum sample size of 500 women/group has been calculated to give us 88% power to detect a 10% difference in test uptake and 87% power to detect a 10% difference in informed choice between the pregnant and non-pregnant groups. Questionnaire data will be analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression models. Interview data will be thematically analysed. Willingness-to-pay and cost effectiveness analyses will also be performed. Recruitment started in July 2009 and data collection will be completed by December 2013. Ethics and Dissemination Ethics approval has been granted by the Universities of Melbourne and Western Australia and by recruiting clinics, where required. Results will be reported in peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and through a website http://www.fragilexscreening. net.au. The results of this study will make a significant contribution to discussions about the wider introduction of population carrier screening for FXS.
Percutaneous Release of Trigger Finger

Purpose. To evaluate the condition of the tendons and neurovascular bundles after percutaneous release for trigger finger of the middle, ring, and little fingers. Methods. 30 women and 13 men aged 20 to 55 (mean, 40) years underwent percutaneous release of the A1 pulley using a 18-gauge needle for 43 trigger fingers of the middle, ring, or little finger unresponsive to conservative treatment. 19 trigger fingers were grade II and 24 were grade III. Open exploration was performed to evaluate the condition of the tendons and neurovascular bundles after percutaneous release. Results. Incomplete release of the A1 pulley was noted in 3 fingers, which occurred during the early study period. Superficial flexor tendon laceration was noted in 6 fingers but this did not interfere with tendon function. No injury to the A2 pulley, nerve, or artery of any finger was noted. Conclusion. Percutaneous release of trigger fingers is quick, safe, and effective.
"Health Scare," Excise Taxes and Advertising Ban in the Cigarette Demand and Supply*

The cigarette industry is a fascinating laboratory for industrial economists. Because of its concentrated market structure and history of conflicts over health and tax issues, the industry has been the focal point of many economic studies. Most of the recent studies have concentrated on the demand side of the market. For example, Bass, Schmalensee, Hamilton and Fujii deal with the impact of advertising and the "health scare" on cigarette demand [4; 15; 10; 8]. Barzel, Johnson, and Sumner-Ward assessed the importance of the excise tax (or ad valorem tax) on consumers' cigarette demand [3; 12; 16]. On the supply side, Vernon-Rives-Naylor developed an econometric model of the tobacco industry [20], which, however, is more concerned with the agricultural aspects of the product than the industry's market organization. A careful review of the above studies suggests serious shortcomings which appear to limit their application to policy formulation or market analysis. First, the variables are introduced, in an ad hoc fashion without reference to existing demand (or supply) theories. Second, none of the above studies recognizes explicitly the interactions among the variables in the demand and the supply equations in the context of the determination of market equilibrium. This paper has three objectives: 1. to apply the standard neoclassical market theory to the cigarette industry; 2. to identify the interactions between cigarette demand and supply using a simultaneous equations approach, -the first such attempt in a cigarette industry study--and 3. to evaluate the effects of cigarette taxes, advertising and "health scare" issues on the industry's output based on the empirical results obtained from the simultaneous equations analysis. ' The judicious selection of explanatory variables, careful data
The factor structure of the DSM‐III‐R personality disorders: an evaluation of competing models

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test a series of competing models to determine the best way to characterize the factor structure of the DSM‐III‐R personality disorder scores. Data were collected from 301 clients with a primary diagnosis of anxiety disorder. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R (SCID) was used to determine Axis I and Axis II diagnoses, and adequate to good reliability was obtained for the number of criteria met for a given personality disorder. Several factor models were tested, including a single‐factor model, a three‐factor model based on the DSM grouping of odd, dramatic, and anxious personality disorders, and a four‐factor model based on normal personality theories. Only the DSM three‐factor model received strong and unequivocal support. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Discipline and Liquidity in the Interbank Market

Using 20 years of panel data, I demonstrate that high-risk banks have consistently paid more than safe banks for interbank loans and have been less likely to use these loans as a source of liquidity. The economic importance of this effect was relatively small until the mid-1990s, when regulatory and institutional changes began to impose more of the costs of bank failure on uninsured creditors. Subsequently, interbank-market price discipline roughly doubled, and risk-based rationing effects increased by a factor of six. In imposing this discipline, lenders seem to care most about credit risk at borrowing institutions. Copyright (c)2008 The Ohio State University.
Patterns of venture capital funding: Is gender a factor?

Since the early 1980s, new ventures with high growth potential and large capital needs have found an ever-increasing pool of venture capital available to support their growth. However, the flow of venture capital investment to women-led businesses remains meager in spite of the fact that in the US and Europe an increasing number of businesses are owned by women. The apparent disparity between potential investment opportunity and actual deals made between venture capital firms and women-led businesses raises the question of whether gender is an issue. The majority of venture capital studies investigate equity funds flows, investor criteria and the nature of the investor-investee relationship. Research on women entrepreneurs focuses on psychological dimensions, business characteristics and performance. Questions about the intersection of gender and venture capital financing are largely unexamined. This exploratory study utilizes longitudinal data to track US venture capital investments by proportion, stage, industry and gender. The descriptive statistics and our analysis of the findings suggest several hypotheses to explain the apparent gender gap.
Polymorphic variants at 10q25.3 and 17q22 loci and the risk of non-syndromic cleft lip and palate in the Polish population.

BACKGROUND Non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (CLP) is one of the most common birth defects. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several novel risk loci associated with this craniofacial anomaly. Therefore, the objective of this report was to investigate the contribution of the top seven polymorphisms reaching genome-wide statistical significance in GWAS analyses in the Polish population. METHODS AND RESULTS Nucleotide variants located at chromosomal regions 1p22.1, 10q25.3, 17q22, and 20q12 were tested in a group of 206 patients with nonsyndromic CLP and a properly matched control group. Significant results, which persisted even after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.0071), were observed for polymorphisms located at 10q25.3 (rs7078160 and rs4752028) and 17q22 (rs227731). Under a recessive model, both rs7078160 and rs4752028 were associated with a greater than fourfold increase in the risk of CLP (odds ratio [OR] = 4.536; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.678-12.265; p = 0.0012 and OR = 4.573; 95% CI, 1.817-11.512; p = 0.0004, respectively). Polymorphism rs227731 increased the risk of CLP when analyzed under a dominant model (OR = 1.732; 95% CI, 0.184-2.253; p = 0.0044). Borderline association was alsoidentified for the 1p22.1 locus (rs481931). Moreover, 10q25.3 haplotypes were significantly associated with a susceptibility to CLP. CONCLUSION Our evaluation study confirmed a substantial association of polymorphisms located at chromosomal regions 10q25.3 and 17q22 with nonsyndromic CLP in the Polish population.
Performance du GeneXpert MTB/RIF® dans le diagnostic de la tuberculose extra-pulmonaire à Dakar: 2010-2015

Introduction Le défi des pays en voie de développement est la disponibilité de méthodes de diagnostic rapide et précis pour le management de la tuberculose. Des techniques moléculaires offrent cet avantage et nous avons utilisé le test GeneXpert MTB/RIF dans le diagnostic de la tuberculose extra-pulmonaire pour évaluer sa performance par rapport aux méthodes conventionnelles. Méthodes Entre 2010 et 2015, 544 échantillons cliniques extra-pulmonaires ont été recueillis et traitées par la microscopie, la culture et le GeneXpert. L'étude de la sensibilité aux antituberculeux a été effectué avec le MGIT 960. Le Génotype MTBDRplus a été utilisé pour confirmer les cas de résistance à la rifampicine détectés par le système GX. Résultats La population d'étude de 544 patients incluait 55,15% d'hommes et 44,85% de femmes. L'âge des patients variait entre 1 à 92 avec la majorité dans le groupe d'âge 18-45 ans. La sensibilité et la spécificité globale de la microscopie étaient de 43,86% et 98,36%, et pour le GeneXpert® 94,74% et 97,95% respectivement avec 95% IC. Deux résultats de résistance à la rifampicine discordants ont été trouvées entre le test GeneXpert et la méthode phénotypique. Les résultats du test MTBDRplus ont montré une concordance de 100% avec ceux du MGIT 960 pour les cas discordants de résistance à la rifampicine. Conclusion Cette étude a montré que le test GeneXpert a une plus grande sensibilité pour le diagnostic de routine de la tuberculose extra-pulmonaire et devrait être utilisé à la place de la microscopie. Les cas de résistance à la rifampicine détectés par le GeneXpert doivent être confirmés par d'autres tests moléculaires avant d'initier un traitement.
Wheelchair seating intervention. Results from a client-centred approach

Purpose : The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of wheelchair intervention from a client-centred perspective. Method : Results from 38 consecutive active wheelchair users visiting the wheelchair-seating department at the University Hospital in Linköping, Sweden, were analysed and described. All clients had defined problems related to wheelchair seating. Back pain was estimated before intervention and at follow-up, using a Visual Analogue Scale. The effect of intervention on different aspects of wheelchair functionality, seating and occupational performance was estimated by the clients at follow-up. Results : Two initial main problem areas were identified among the group; seating discomfort (87% ) and back pain (63% ). Back pain was significantly reduced at follow-up (p<0.001). Problems initially defined by the clients, e.g. seating discomfort, were affected positively, in 79% of all clients, as estimated by the clients at follow-up. No significant correlation was found between the initial cause of intervention or the highest ranked wheelchair functionality aspect and final acceptance of intervention. Conclusions : The results from this study confirm the possibility of reducing, or even eliminating, common secondary problems such as back pain and discomfort, related to wheelchair seating by individually adjusted measures. Further research and development in this field is both necessary and cost-effective.
Socioeconomic status is associated with frailty: the Women’s Health and Aging Studies

Background: Frailty is a common risk factor for morbidity and mortality in older adults. Although both low socioeconomic status (SES) and frailty are important sources of vulnerability, there is limited research examining their relationship. A study was undertaken to determine (1) the extent to which low SES was associated with increased odds of frailty and (2) whether race was associated with frailty, independent of SES. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the Women’s Health and Aging Studies using multivariable ordinal logistic regression modelling was conducted to estimate the relationship between SES measures and frailty status in 727 older women. Control variables included race, age, smoking status, insurance status and co-morbidities. Results: Of the sample, 10% were frail, 46% were intermediately frail and 44% were robust. In adjusted models, older women with less than a high school degree had a threefold greater odds of frailty compared with more educated individuals. Those with an annual income of less than $10 000 had two times greater odds of frailty than wealthier individuals. These findings were independent of age, race, health insurance status, co-morbidity and smoking status. African-Americans were more likely to be frail than Caucasians (p<0.01). However, after adjusting for education, race was not associated with frailty. The effect of race was confounded by socioeconomic position. Conclusions: In this population-based sample, the odds of frailty were increased for those of low education or income regardless of race. The growing population of older adults with low levels of education and income renders these findings important.
Knowledge and agrarian de-collectivisation in Kazakhstan

The agrarian de-collectivisation in Kazakhstan is an instructive case for examining the relative viability of large-scale farming vis-à-vis smallholder agriculture. Within the transition from communism to capitalism in Kazakhstan, de-collectivisation involved not only a redefinition of property rights but also a dramatic rupture with former modes of agricultural knowledge generation and use. Up to now, however, the role of knowledge and skills in shaping de-collectivisation has received scant attention in the literature on postsocialism. This article argues that the loss and inadequacy of knowledge, following the collapse of knowledge institutions and the shift from large-scale knowledge-intensive mechanised farming to predominantly manual farming on small plots, needs to form part of any explanation of the postsocialist agrarian crisis. The analysis shows the importance of studying access to, and control over, knowledge in constructing a theory of agricultural labour processes.
Mercury release from dental amalgam after treatment with 10% carbamide peroxide in vitro.

OBJECTIVES The effect of 10% carbamide peroxide on mercury release from dental amalgams was assessed in vitro by using a cold-vapor atomic absorption Mercury Analyzer System. STUDY DESIGN Samples of 4 commercial brands of dental amalgam, Megaloy (Dentsply/Caulk, Milford, Del), Mega+ (CFPM, Aulnaye, France), Nongama 2 (Silmet, Or Yehuda, Israel), and Valiant Ph.D. (Dentsply/Caulk, Milford, Del), were treated for 48 hours with 10% carbamide peroxide and compared with samples treated with phosphate buffer. RESULTS Amalgam specimens exposed for 48 hours to 10% carbamide peroxide showed significantly higher concentrations of mercury in solution as compared with specimens treated with phosphate buffer (P <.001). Megaloy and Valiant Ph.D. yielded significantly higher mercury concentrations in solution than Mega+ and Nongama 2 (P <.001). Mega+ yielded significantly higher mercury concentrations in solution than Nongama 2 (P <.05). No significant differences were found in mercury concentrations in solution between Megaloy and Valiant Ph.D. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with 10% carbamide peroxide bleaching agents caused an increase in mercury release from amalgam restorations, possibly increasing exposure of patients to its adverse effects. Amalgam brands differed in the amounts of mercury release after bleaching with carbamide peroxide.
High-dose Erythropoietin Has No Long-term Protective Effects in Sheep with Reperfused Myocardial Infarction

High-dose erythropoietin has been claimed to be cardioprotective in experimental acute myocardial infarction. In large mammals, however, results are controversial and long-term follow-up data are lacking. We thus assessed the long-term effects of high-dose erythropoietin on left ventricular infarct size and function in an ovine model of reperfused myocardial infarction. After 90 minutes of coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion, sheep received recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) 3000 units/kg on 3 consecutive days (rhEPO group, n=7) or vehicle (placebo group, n=6). Ten weeks later, ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography and catheterization. Infarct size, evaluated as percent fibrotic myocardium (morphometry) and by hydroxyproline quantification, was similar in both groups (morphometry: rhEPO: 22.1±5.5%, placebo: 18.1±3.3%, P not significant; hydroxyproline: rhEPO: 6.6±1.3 μg/mg wet weight, placebo: 7.1±0.9 μg/mg, P not significant). Ventricular function was diminished in the rhEPO group, as indicated by lower septal wall thickening at the infarct border zone (rhEPO: −1.9±16.4%, placebo: 20.5±17%, P<0.04), higher end systolic volume (rhEPO: 47±14.3 mL, placebo: 32.6±7.3 mL, P<0.05), and higher end diastolic pressure (rhEPO: 17±6.5 mm Hg, placebo: 10.1±2.8 mm Hg, P<0.03). In the rhEPO group, left ventricular endocardial area was larger, suggesting dilatation. High-dose erythropoietin has no cardioprotective effects in sheep with reperfused myocardial infarction.
The Information Content of Value Line Convertible Bond Rankings

The authors extend the research on the Value Line enigma to evaluate whether Value Line recommendations for convertible bonds provide excess returns, like Value Line’s recommendations do for common stocks and options. They find that, although convertible bond recommendations provide excess returns, the convertible bond rankings do not provide useful information beyond that contained in common stock recommendations of the same convertible bonds.