Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contractual complexity in strategic alliances

In contrast to prior studies examining strategic alliances as discrete structural alternatives, we investigate their contractual features. A focus on the contractual provisions that firms use permits a more fine-grained understanding of alliance design than is allowed by current taxonomies of collaborative agreements. The analysis examines the dimensionality of the contractual complexity construct and uses transaction cost theory to understand the determinants of firms’ adoption of different contractual provisions for their collaborative agreements.
The exposure of international bank loans to third-country risk: an empirical analysis of overdue claims

The paper analyses the performance outcomes on foreign credits made by UK-owned banks to borrowers in 17 foreign countries between 1991 and 2000. The analysis is unique in its use of bank-specific data on overdue credits in individual countries. Results indicate that credit repayment in a given country is influenced by exports to, and economic activity in, another country linked by trading relationships. The observed cross-country interdependence is relevant to the understanding of risk management practices of international banks.
Foreign direct investment and the stages of sector diversification

Foreign direct investment (FDI), when considered homogenous, has case-specific result on sector diversification. However, FDI when disaggregated by its type, market-seeking FDI diversifies developed countries, while efficiency-seeking FDI diversifies developing countries, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Flexible labour markets and well-established financial markets also play important role in this context.
Deep structure of Japan subduction zone as derived from local, regional, and teleseismic events

We have determined a detailed three-dimensional P wave velocity structure of the Japan subduction zone to 500-km depth by inverting local, regional, and teleseismic data simultaneously. We used 45,318 P wave arrivals from 1241 shallow and deep earthquakes which occurred in and around the Japan Islands. The arrival times are recorded by the Japan University Seismic Network which covers the entire Japan Islands densely and uniformly. We also used 4211 travel time residuals from 100 teleseismic events which are read from seismograms recorded by seismic stations in northeastern Japan. In comparison with the previous results obtained from only local and regional events, the present result for the area around the lower plate boundary and the mantle below the plate is determined more reliably because of the addition of 7035 data from 100 teleseismic events and 41 very deep earthquakes. In the crust and uppermost mantle, low-velocity zones are clearly visible beneath active volcanoes. In the mantle wedge the low-velocity zones generally parallel with the slab and exist continuously to a depth of about 200-km, which is consistent with the petrological, geochemical and geodynamic studies. We consider that the existence of volcanism-related low-velocity anomalies in the mantle wedge is a general Seismological characteristic of subduction zones, in light of all the available tomographic results for many subduction zones in the world. The Pacific slab beneath Japan is imaged more clearly than in previous studies as a high-velocity zone with a thickness of 80–90 km and a P wave velocity 4–6% higher than the normal mantle. Lower velocity anomalies are found in the mantle below the slab.
Ovarian tissue cryopreservation--new opportunity to preserve fertility in female cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION Malignant disease and the therapy are major factors that may result in complete loss of fertility. There are several strategies for fertility preservation in fertile women faced with cancer. A modern and potentially effective method of reproductive function protection is ovarian tissue cryopreservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS This paper summarizes the medical and scientific knowledge in this interesting multidisciplinary medical field. Furthermore, the authors' own experience with this novel and interesting method of ovarian tissue protection is presented. Ovarian tissue was obtained during laparoscopic surgery in five nuliparous women (aged 19-33) with a diagnosis of lymphoma before chemotherapy from 2004 to 2006. After laboratory preparation, tissue was frozen by a slow cooling technique and stored in liquid nitrogen. RESULTS In total 75 women with malignant lymphoma before chemotherapy were referred to our center for consultation--68 chose ovarian inactivation by GnRH analogues during chemotherapy, two IVF cycles with embryo or oocyte cryopreservation and five ovarian tissue cryopreservation. In these five women one to two slices of ovarian cortex from both ovaries were recovered. Totally 20 cryotubes with three pieces of tissue in each were cryopreserved. In no case was metastasis of cancer cells found by histological evaluation. CONCLUSIONS Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue represents an effective alternative or addition to the cryopreservation of embryos or oocytes for women at risk of premature ovarian failure due to chemotherapy. Reproductive function protection requires close cooperation between oncology departments and assisted reproduction centers.
Determining The Strength of Auditing Standards and Reporting

This study devises a model to evaluate the strength of auditing standards and reporting (SARS) in individual countries. Drawing from data collected by the World Economic Forum the model’s predictive capabilities are tested in the geographical region of sub-Saharan Africa. Data from 28 countries was utilised. The predictive powers of the model are significant. Eight of the thirteen variables utilised were found to be significant predictors of a country’s SARS. Corporate governance variables and shareholder protection variables were found to be particularly prominent. Evaluation of the results also demonstrates that a country’s SARS does not appear to be linked to adoption of international standards of auditing. This suggests standardised adoption of ISAs will not necessarily lead to uniformly strong and consistent audit reporting regimes across countries.
Blockholders and corporate monitoring costs: Evidence from Malaysia

This paper examines the effect of outside block-holders’ ownership on the demand for corporate monitoring in relation to agency theory in the Malaysian business environment. The results of this study provide evidence that, given the cultural differences, the agents and the principals may act differently. The findings indicate that blockholders in Malaysia appear to demand more monitoring costs as their shareholdings increase. This positive relationship may be associated with the demand for more monitoring by minority shareholders as a balance against the power of the majority shareholders in the concentrated business environment in Malaysia and the tighten regulations after 1997/98 financial crisis. Further investigation shows that the institutional and non-institutional block-holders react and demand different level of monitoring costs. The institutional blockholders who are mostly government related institutions appear to demand more monitoring costs as their share ownership increase, while the non-institutional shareholders are associated with less monitoring costs as their shares increase.
Fetal RHD genotyping in maternal serum during the first trimester of pregnancy

Summary. Fetal RHD genotype determination is useful in the management of sensitized RhD‐negative pregnant women. It can be ascertained early during pregnancy by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. However, these procedures are invasive, resulting both in an increased risk of fetal loss and in an increased severity of immunization due to fetomaternal haemorrhage. A reliable determination of RHD genotype by fetal DNA analysis in maternal serum during the first trimester of pregnancy is reported in this study. One hundred and six sera from RhD‐negative pregnant women were obtained during the first trimester of pregnancy. These sera were tested for the presence of RHD gene using a new real‐time polymerase chain reaction assay and the results compared with those obtained later in pregnancy on amniotic fluid cells and by RHD serology of the new‐born. All sera from women carrying a RhD‐positive fetus (n = 62) gave positive results for RHD gene detection and sera from women carrying a RhD‐negative fetus (n = 40) were negative. The high level of accuracy of fetal RHD genotyping obtained in this study could enable this technique to be offered on a routine basis for the management of RhD‐negative patients during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Tularemia, plague, yersiniosis, and Tyzzer's disease in wild rodents and lagomorphs in Canada: a review.

Information related to infection of wild rodents or lagomorphs in Canada by Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, other Yersinia spp. , and Clostridium piliforme was searched for this study. Reports on tularemia in humans linked to these species came from diagnostic databases, literature, wildlife health specialists, and public health agencies. Tularemia has been diagnosed in 8 species of wild rodent and 2 species in the genus Lepus in Canada. Tularemia occurred in wild animals, or in humans associated with these species, in all jurisdictions except the Yukon and Nunavut. Tularemia was diagnosed most frequently in beaver, muskrats, and snowshoe hares, and although tularemia is closely linked to cottontail rabbits in the USA, it has not been reported in cottontails in Canada. Tularemia in humans was associated with muskrats and hares more commonly than with beaver. Plague was diagnosed in bushy-tailed woodrats in British Columbia in 1988. Based on surveys, Y. pestis may occur enzootically in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. Infection with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica has been diagnosed in beaver, muskrats, and snowshoe hares in many provinces. Tyzzer's disease has been diagnosed in muskrats in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec and in snowshoe hares in Ontario. Infection with these bacteria is likely much more frequent than indicated by diagnostic records.
Aerodynamics of Gurney flaps on a wing in ground effect

A study was performed of a single-element, high-lift wing fitted with Gurney flaps in ground effect. The effect of the Gurney has been quantified in terms of aerodynamic performance and flow field characteristics. The results are of direct relevance to both aeronautical and racing car applications. The qualitative performance of the Gurney in ground effect compares with freestream; the normal force of the wing is increased and a sharper stall results. Laser Doppler anemometry was used to investigate the effect of the Gurney on the turbulent wake characteristics behind the wing. Particle image velocimetry was employed to elucidate the unsteady flow behind the Gurney, which is characterized by a street of alternately shedding, discrete vortices away from the ground. When flow starts toseparate from the trailing edge of the suction surface, the stall mechanism in ground effect, an unsteady wake results and the aerodynamic performance deteriorates.
The IGF Pgatghway in Gynecology Oncology- Current Knowledge and Possible Therapeutic Implementations

The IGF system comprises the ligands (IGF-1, IGF-2), cell surface receptors (IGF1R, IGF2R) and at least six IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) and is coupled to several intracellular messenger pathways including the RAS-RAF-MAPK and PI3K. The IGF1R expression and activation was shown to be a fundamental prerequisite for acquisition of a malignant cell phenotype. IGF1R expression was shown to be significantly higher in endometrial carcinoma than in normal endometrium. Furthermore, several factors appear to negotiate their effect on endometrial growth and proliferation through the effect on IGF1R expression, including steroid hormones, hyper insulinemia and tumor suppressor genes such as p53 and BRCA. Interestingly, treatment with metformin (an oral anti hyperglycemic agent) was recently shown to prevent endometrial cancer through down regulation of the IGF axis. In the ovary, the IGF1R has been shown to be responsible for surface epithelial proliferation and administration of IGF1 was shown to stimulate ovarian carcinoma cell growth. IGF1R expression was found to be significantly higher in malignant than benign tumors and several IGFBPs levels were consistently different in patients with malignant tumors compared to controls. In addition, numerous studies demonstrated that hyperactivation of the IGF1R signaling pathway is important in ovarian cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. IGF axis targeted treatment such as anti-IGF1R antibodies have shown significant promise in in-vitro studies and are being investigated in clinical studies.
Replacement of Candida albicans with C. dubliniensis in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients with Oropharyngeal Candidiasis Treated with Fluconazole

ABSTRACT Candida dubliniensis is an opportunistic yeast that has been increasingly implicated in oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients but may be underreported due to its similarity with Candida albicans. Although most C. dubliniensis isolates are susceptible to fluconazole, the inducibility of azole resistance in vitro has been reported. Thus, the use of fluconazole prophylaxis in the treatment of these patients may have contributed to the increasing rates of isolation of C. dubliniensis. In this study, yeast strains were collected from the oral cavities of HIV-infected patients enrolled in a longitudinal study of OPC. Patients received fluconazole for the suppression or treatment of OPC, and isolates collected at both study entry and end of study were chosen for analysis. Samples were plated on CHROMagar Candida medium for initial isolation and further identified by Southern blot analysis with the species-specific probes Ca3 (for C. albicans) and Cd25 (for C. dubliniensis). Fluconazole MICs were determined by using NCCLS methods. At study entry, susceptible C. albicans isolates were recovered from oral samples in 42 patients who were followed longitudinally (1 to 36 months). C. albicans strains from 12 of these patients developed fluconazole resistance (fluconazole MIC, ≥64 μg/ml). C. dubliniensis was not detected at end of study in any of these patients. Of the remaining 30 patients, eight (27%) demonstrated a replacement of C. albicans by C. dubliniensis when a comparison of isolates obtained at baseline and those from the last culture was done. For the 22 of these 30 patients in whom no switch in species was detected, the fluconazole MICs for initial and end-of-study C. albicans isolates ranged from 0.125 to 2.0 μg/ml. For the eight patients in whom a switch to C. dubliniensis was detected, the fluconazole MICs for C. dubliniensis isolates at end of study ranged from 0.25 to 64 μg/ml: the fluconazole MICs for isolates from six patients were 0.25 to 2.0 μg/ml and those for the other two were 32 and 64 μg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, a considerable number of patients initially infected with C. albicans strains that failed to develop fluconazole resistance demonstrated a switch to C. dubliniensis. C. dubliniensis in this setting may be underestimated due to lack of identification and may occur due to the impact of fluconazole on the ecology of oral yeast species.
Depressive symptoms in blood donors notified of HIV infection.

OBJECTIVES Understanding more about the psychological state of persons notified of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is critical for designing notification and counseling programs that will have the most positive effect. METHODS The subjects were blood donors who had been notified of HIV infection by the New York Blood Center. A nurse elicited a medical history, performed a limited medical examination, and asked the subjects to complete a questionnaire that included questions about drug use, sexual behavior, and psychological characteristics. The subjects completed another questionnaire approximately 2 weeks later. RESULTS The average depressive symptom scores for both men and women were substantially higher than scores typically found in representative population samples. More than a quarter of the men and more than a third of the women reported seeking psychological or psychiatric services in the first few weeks following notification. CONCLUSIONS Anticipating and meeting individuals' psychological needs may be necessary if HIV screening programs are to address effectively the needs of persons infected with HIV.
Ethnic and socio-cultural specificities in Tunisia have no impact on the prevalence of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in Crohn's disease patients, their relatives or associated clinical factors

Background. In Western Europe and the USA, the presence of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCAs) in Crohn's disease (CD) patients and their healthy relatives suggests that ASCAs may be influenced by genetic and/or environmental factors. Objectives. To assess the prevalence of ASCAs in Tunisian patients with CD or ulcerative colitis (UC), and unaffected family members, in relation to clinical phenotype. Patients and methods. Seventy-seven patients (39 CD, 38 UC), 66 healthy relatives of CD patients, 16 relatives of UC patients and 70 healthy controls were studied. ASCAs were quantified with a new isotype-specific ELISA test involving an antigenic extract from S. cerevisiae strain W303 and by the original test which detects total immunoglobulins against S. cerevisiae Su1 mannan. Results. The specificity of the two tests was identical (91%). The isotype-specific ASCA W303 test was more sensitive than the ASCA Su1 test for immunoglobulin detection, but some CD patients were positive only with this latter test. A high percentage of patients with CD (72%) and their unaffected family members (35%) were ASCA-positive in contrast to UC patients (16%) and their relatives (0%) and controls (8.6%). ASCAs were shown to be independent of rural or urban living, disease activity, but were associated with ileal location. The antigen of S. cerevisiae strain W303 discriminated patients depending on age at onset or location of the disease. Conclusion. This study confirms the antigenic heterogeneity of S. cerevisiae strains in their ability to detect ASCA. It suggests that ASCAs are markers of immunoregulatory disturbance in CD, independently of ethnic/cultural differences between Europe, the USA and North Africa.
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Reveals an Association between Brain Iron Load and Depression Severity

Previous studies have detected abnormal serum ferritin levels in patients with depression; however, the results have been inconsistent. This study used quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for the first time to examine brain iron concentration in depressed patients and evaluated whether it is related to severity. We included three groups of age- and gender-matched participants: 30 patients with mild-moderate depression (MD), 14 patients with major depression disorder (MDD) and 20 control subjects. All participants underwent MR scans with a 3D gradient-echo sequence reconstructing for QSM and performed the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) test. In MDD, the susceptibility value in the bilateral putamen was significantly increased compared with MD or control subjects. In addition, a significant difference was also observed in the left thalamus in MDD patients compared with controls. However, the susceptibility values did not differ between MD patients and controls. The susceptibility values positively correlated with the severity of depression as indicated by the HDRS scores. Our results provide evidence that brain iron deposition may be associated with depression and may even be a biomarker for investigating the pathophysiological mechanism of depression.
Self‐service technology for sales purposes in branch banking

Purpose – This article aims to explain the adoption of self‐service technology with pro‐active sales applications (automated teller machines or kiosk systems) in brick‐and‐mortar outlets with special respect to personality traits, relationship characteristics and previous online banking usage.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is proposed, extending well proven technology adoption models by moderating effects from personality traits and customer relationship characteristics. An empirical study using survey and customer account data from customers of a European retail bank assesses the usage antecedents, separately for adopters of online‐banking and non‐adopters.Findings – The study validates the framework and identifies relevant moderating effects.Research limitations/implications – The study was carried out solely in one country, but provides a starting point for more international research.Practical implications – The results call for a clear decision in the multi‐channel strategy abo.
Cognitive Neuropsychology and Developmental Disorders: Uncomfortable Bedfellows

Cognitive neuropsychology provides a theoretical framework and methods that can be of value in the study of developmental disorders, but the “dissociation” logic at the centre of this approach is not well suited to the developmental context. This is illustrated with examples from specific language impairment. Within the developing language system there is ample evidence for interaction between levels of representation, with modularity emerging in the course of development. This means that one typically is seeking to explain a complex pattern of associated impairments, rather than highly selective deficits. For instance, a selective impairment in auditory processing can have repercussions through the language system and may lead to distinctive syntactic deficits that are seen in written as well as spoken language. Changes in the nature of representations and in the relationships between components of a developing system mean that cross-sectional data at a single point in development may be misleading indicators of the primary deficit. Furthermore, traditional cognitive neuropsychology places a disproportionate emphasis on representational (competence) deficits, with processing (performance) deficits being relatively neglected. Methods for distinguishing these two kinds of impairment are discussed, as well as other approaches for elucidating the underlying nature of developmental disorders.