Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Alignment and Task Coordination in Organizations: An ‘Information Clutch’ Metaphor

Abstract Despite their rising popularity, distributed teams face a number of collaboration challenges that may potentially hinder their ability to productively coordinate their resources, activities, and information, often in dynamic and uncertain task environments. In this paper, we focus principally on the criticality of information alignment for supporting coordinated task performance in complex operational environments. As organizations become more expertise, geographically, and temporally distributed, appropriate alignment and coordination among distributed team members becomes more critical for minimizing the occurrence of information flow failures, poor decision-making, and degraded team performance. We first describe these coordination processes using the metaphor of an ‘information clutch’ that allows for smooth transitions of task priorities and activities in expert teams. We then present two case study examples that illustrate the potentially significant impact of information sharing and information alignment on productivity and coordination in organizations. We conclude with a discussion of future directions in this area.
China and Central Asia: a new Great Game or traditional vassal relations?

Central Asia and China have been closely intertwined in history and today that relationship has begun to re-emerge. This article analyses the reasons for the close cooperation which has re-emerged in the 1990s and boomed in the twenty-first century. Domestic and internal factors, as well as political and economic considerations are included in the search for an explanation for current relations and future expectations. Despite the fact that China has emerged as one of the world's most powerful states, its dependence on the Central Asian states in regard to oil and gas but also domestic security is intriguing. The future of Sino-Central Asian relations is deeply embedded in joint problems and common interests, but also in fear of domination and external intervention.
A Textbook Case of Nation-Building: The Evolution of History Curricula in Myanmar

Over the past sixty years, successive regimes in Myanmar have faced the challenge of building a nation-state amidst ethnic diversity and political contention.1 In addition to the material aspects of building the institutions and infrastructure that allow a state to function, nation-building refers to the process of constructing or structuring a national identity using the power of the state. It thus entails the discursive construction of an “imagined community” toward which citizens are supposed to feel belonging, loyalty, and patriotism (Anderson 1983). In this endeavor, military regimes in Myanmar have both built on the ideological groundwork laid in the dynastic, colonial, and independence eras, and developed innovative new strategies to convince Myanmar’s inhabitants to overlook what divides them and prioritize what they have in common. In this article, we will trace the
Conceptual model for relationship between earning quality and cost of capital

In this study the relationships between cost of capital and six dimensions of earning quality are evaluated. Furthermore, we provide a conceptual model based on these relationships. Six dimensions of earning quality based on accounting information include, “Accrual quality ", " Earning variability", "Optional accrual items", "Common factor", "Earning predictability" and "Earning smoothness". Findings of this paper show that, common factor has no effect on cost of capital. Furthermore, optional accrual items have unexpected relation with cost of capital. Among other factors, "Earning quality" and “Accrual quality " had the highest impact on cost of capital. Finally, a conceptual model is presented using structural equations such that, only two indices of quality of accrual items and earning smoothness and two indices of operating environment (size and return of assets) are presented in the final model. Key words: Earning quality, cost of capital, conceptual model; accrual quality; smoothness.
Effective Safety and Health Management Policy for Improved Performance of Organizations in Africa

Improving performance in organization may be demonstrated by way of intensifying effort towards increasing output level and quality. To accomplish this goal means efforts of employees are required in task performance. Effective execution of such essential employee responsibility, to a great extent, depends on the level of safety in the workplace. Management policy, especially in the developing economies is yet to properly address the issue of employee health and safety. This has resulted in frequent accidents and hazards, leading to high costs in the areas of hospital bills, salaries for hospitalized workers and compensations. Increased labor turnover, absenteeism, strained management-labor relationships, operational inefficiency, and ultimately decreasing performance become noticeable in such organizations. To satisfy workers’ safety needs and motivate them, ceteris paribus, management must maintain effective health and safety program, and be committed to its success in all ramifications.
The Crisis and National Labour Law Reforms: A Mapping Exercise

This Working Paper maps the labour law reforms in various European countries either triggered by the crisis or introduced using the crisis – falsely – as an excuse. Such reforms generally render existing labour law provisions more flexible and loosen minimum standards, shifting the emphasis to soft law (deregulation). In some countries it consists only of piecemeal although significant deregulatory measures, while in others it involves far-reaching overhauls of the whole labour code. Furthermore, in several countries fundamental changes are being made to industrial relations structures and processes which might jeopardise social dialogue and collective bargaining there. The authors critically address this large-scale deregulation of labour law currently taking place, in particular the lack of democratic foundations underlying the reforms and their negative impact on fundamental social rights and workers’ protection. The working paper is also complemented with an annex providing an analysis of the reforms on a country by country basis. These country studies will be regularly updated and are available and downloadable in English only.
Toward an Understanding of Founder's Syndrome: An Assessment of Power and Privilege Among Founders of Nonprofit Organizations

On the subject of stewardship, Block (1996, p. 47) writes, “Stewardship not only affects the use of power, but it also confronts the way we hold privilege. ” He also states, “Holding on to privilege is an act of self-interest, the antithesis of service and stewardship. ” As Block uses it, the term privilege denotes a class structure within governance settings, and self-interest refers to using one's power (through the exercise of privilege) to ascertain an objective that may not be in accord with others'.
Comparison of a standard and a gender-specific posterior cruciate-substituting high-flexion knee prosthesis: a prospective, randomized, short-term outcome study.

BACKGROUND Recently, much debate has focused on the effect of gender-specific total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of the present study was to compare clinical and radiographic results as well as femoral component fit in patients receiving either a standard posterior cruciate-substituting LPS-Flex or gender-specific posterior cruciate-substituting LPS-Flex total knee prosthesis. METHODS Sequential simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty was performed for eighty-five patients (170 knees). Eighty-five women (mean age, 69.7 years) received a standard LPS-Flex prosthesis in one knee and a gender-specific LPS-Flex prosthesis in the contralateral knee. The mean duration of follow-up was 2.13 years. At each follow-up, the Knee Society score, the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) score, and radiographs were evaluated. The aspect ratio of the distal part of the femur was compared with those of the standard LPS-Flex prosthesis and the gender-specific LPS-Flex prosthesis. RESULTS The mean postoperative Knee Society scores (95.5 points in the standard implant group, compared with 96.5 points in the gender-specific implant group) and Hospital for Special Surgery knee scores (90.7 points in the standard implant group, compared with 91.2 points in the gender-specific implant group) were similar in both groups. The mean postoperative WOMAC score was 36.6 points. Postoperatively, the mean ranges of knee motion in the supine position (125 degrees in the standard implant group, compared with 126 degrees in the gender-specific implant group), patient satisfaction (8.3 points in the standard implant group, compared with 8.1 points in the gender-specific implant group), and radiographic results were similar in both groups. The femoral component in the standard implant group fit significantly better than that in the gender-specific implant group (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The present study did not show any clinical benefits of a gender-specific LPS-Flex total knee prosthesis at the time of short-term follow-up. Longer follow-up is needed to determine whether there will be an advantage in terms of longer-term function. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: Prognostic features and outcomes

Between January 1990 and April 2001, 115 patients received high-dose chemotherapy (HDT) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). With a median follow-up of 58 months (range, 1 – 175 months), 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 46% and 58%, respectively. Twelve patients with primary refractory disease had a 5-year PFS of 41% and OS of 58%, not significantly different from those of the remaining cohort. Early and overall regimen related mortality were 7% and 16%, respectively. Male gender (P = 0.04) and a time to relapse (TTR) < 12 months (P = 0.03) were associated with decreased OS by univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, TTR < 12 months remained statistically significant (P = 0.04). We have confirmed that HDT and ASCT result in long-term survival for a proportion of patients with relapsed or refractory HL. All patients, including those with primary refractory disease, benefited from HDT and ASCT.
How to control for unmeasured confounding in an observational time‐to‐event study with exposure incidence information: the treatment choice Cox model

In an observational study of the effect of a treatment on a time‐to‐event outcome, a major problem is accounting for confounding because of unknown or unmeasured factors. We propose including covariates in a Cox model that can partially account for an unknown time‐independent frailty that is related to starting or stopping treatment as well as the outcome of interest. These covariates capture the times at which treatment is started or stopped and so are called treatment choice (TC) covariates. Three such models are developed: first, an interval TC model that assumes a very general form for the respective hazard functions of starting treatment, stopping treatment, and the outcome of interest and second, a parametric TC model that assumes that the log hazard functions for starting treatment, stopping treatment, and the outcome event include frailty as an additive term. Finally, a hybrid TC model that combines attributes from the parametric and interval TC models. As compared with an ordinary Cox model, the TC models are shown to substantially reduce the bias of the estimated hazard ratio for treatment when data are simulated from a realistic Cox model with residual confounding due to the unobserved frailty. The simulations also indicate that the bias decreases or levels off as the sample size increases. A TC model is illustrated by analyzing the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study of hormone replacement for post‐menopausal women. Published 2017. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Serum concentrations of fatty acids and colorectal adenoma risk: a case-control study in Japan.

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies of n-3 fatty acids (FAs) and risk of colorectal cancer have generated inconsistent results, and relations with precursor colorectal adenomas (CRA) have not been evaluated in detail. We here focused on possible associations of serum FAs with CRA in the Japanese population. METHODS We conducted a case-control study of 203 asymptomatic CRA cases (148 men, 55 women) and 179 healthy controls (67 men, 112 women) during 1997-2003 in Nagoya, Japan. Baseline information was obtained using a lifestyle questionnaire and serum FA levels were measured by gas chromatography. RESULTS A non-significant inverse association with CRA was observed for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) among women. Moreover, the concentrations of docosahexaenoeic acid (DHA), a major component of n-3 highly-unsaturated FAs (HUFAs), were significantly lower in cases in both sexes. In addition, serum concentrations of total FAs, saturated FAs (SFAs) and mono-unsaturated FAs (MUFAs) had strong positive links with CRA risk. In contrast, arachidonic acid (AA) and DHA were inversely related, with 66% and 59% risk reduction, respectively. Ratios of SFAs/n-3 PUFAs and SFAs/n-3 HUFAs exhibited significant positive relations with CRA risk but there was no clear link with n-6 PUFAs/n-3 PUFAs. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a promoting influence of SFAs and MUFAs along with a protective effect of DHA on CRA risk. However, further research is needed to investigate the observed discrepancy with the generally accepted roles of the AA cascade in carcinogenesis.
Dividends, Asymmetric Information, and Agency Conflicts: Evidence from a Comparison of the Dividend Policies of Japanese and U.S. Firms

We compare dividend policies of U.S. and Japanese firms, partitioning the Japanese data into keiretsu, independent, and hybrid firms. We examine the correlation between dividend changes and stock returns, and the reluctance to change dividends. Results are consistent with the joint hypotheses that Japanese firms, particularly keiretsu-member firms, face less information asymmetry and fewer agency conflicts than U.S. firms, and that information asymmetries and/or agency conflicts affect dividend policy. Japanese firms experience smaller stock price reactions to dividend omissions and initiations, they are less reluctant to omit and cut dividends, and their dividends are more responsive to earnings changes. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
Contracting for Peace: Do Nonaggression Pacts Reduce Conflict?

Nonaggression pacts are often concluded between states with conflicting interests, and we consider their use as conflict management devices. Because nonaggression pacts raise domestic and international audience costs for aggressors, they should reduce the likelihood of conflict. We test this proposition while taking into account possible selection bias in the conclusion of nonaggression pacts, and we find that nonaggression pacts indeed seem to reduce conflict between signatories. Our finding lends support to the liberal institutionalist argument that institutions can constrain state behavior and also suggests that nonaggression pacts are an effective conflict management tool.
Racial Distancing in a Southern City: Latino Immigrants' Views of Black Americans

The United States is undergoing dramatic demographic change, primarily from immigration, and many of the new Latino immigrants are settling in the South. This paper examines hypotheses related to attitudes of Latino immigrants toward black Americans in a Southern city. The analyses are based on a survey of black, white, and Latino residents (n = 500). The results show, for the most part, Latino immigrants hold negative stereotypical views of blacks and feel that they have more in common with whites than with blacks. Yet, whites do not reciprocate in their feelings toward Latinos. Latinos' negative attitudes toward blacks, however, are modulated by a sense of linked fate with other Latinos. This research is important because the South still contains the largest population of African Americans in the United States, and no section of the country has been more rigidly defined along a black-white racial divide. How these new Latino immigrants situate themselves vis-à-vis black Americans has profound implications for the social and political fabric of the South.
Patent Rights and Trade: Analysis of Biological Products, Medicinals and Botanicals, and Pharmaceuticals

This article analyzes the effects of foreign patent rights on U.S. bilateral exports. The empirical analysis covers three highly disaggregated drug industries over three decades. We estimate bilateral trade equations for each industry using cross-country data on the strength of national patent rights. The findings show that strong foreign patent rights enhance the market power of U.S. drug exporters across countries with weak imitative abilities. Alternatively, strong foreign patent rights stimulate the market expansion of U.S. drug exports across countries with strong imitative abilities. These effects are larger in magnitude during the 1980–90s relative to the 1970s. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Top income shares in the long run: An overview

This paper offers an overview of what we have learned from a collective research project on income distribution in the long run. Using historical income tax statistics and a common methodology, we have constructed annual top income shares series (often broken down by income source) for over 20 countries covering most of the 20th century. One important con- clusion is that the decline in income inequality that took place during the first half of the 20th century was mostly accidental, and does not seem to have much to do with a Kuznets-type process. Top capital incomes were hit by major shocks during the 1914-1945 period, and were never able to fully recover from these shocks, probably because of the dynamic impact of pro- gressive income and estate taxation. Our database also allows us to readdress the cross-country analysis of the interplay between inequality and growth with better prospects than with standard databases. (JEL: D31)
A taxonomy of entrepreneurial farmers

The paper develops a conceptual understanding of the farmer as entrepreneur and provides an innovative theoretical framework based on a modelling process and taxonomy of the farmer, which enables the complexities of the dynamic changing forces which act upon the life world of the farmer to be framed. A number of key themes emerge: Farmers are a particularly rich area for study in the area of entrepreneurial capability; the myths surrounding farmers' capability to be entrepreneurial require examination; farmers are businesspeople in that they run businesses, but in practice they do not necessarily have well-defined business skills; the barriers to becoming entrepreneurial for farmers are greater than in other sectors.
An Examination of the Local Economic Impacts of Military Base Closures

The 1988 Base Closure and Realignment Act empowered the Commission on Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) to undertake five rounds of significant military base closure and realignment. Investigating the economic impacts associated with base closures provides the first step in not only determining whether the BRAC Commission has effectively minimized negative impacts on affected communities but also provides guidance to policy makers in targeting future base closures, and helps affected communities prepare for the economic shocks associated with these events. This article examines (a) the local economic impacts associated with general changes in military base employment; (b) if the first four, completed rounds of BRAC closures have a significant differential impact on county-level employment; (c) whether these BRAC closures exhibit economic spillover effects on the employment of neighboring counties; and (d) if the economic impact associated with BRAC losses differs for enlisted and civilian personnel reductions.
Relation between exhaled nitric oxide and left ventricular performance in chronic hemodialysis patients

Abstract Introduction: End-stage renal disease is the most debilitating condition for patients with renal diseases. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in these patients. It has been shown that nitric oxide (NO) increases in renal failure and hemodialysis patients and could be correlated with cardiovascular diseases in this population. Objectives: To investigate the relation between exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and left ventricular performance in chronic hemodialysis patients. Methods: In this prospective study, eNO was measured in 20 chronic hemodialysis patients (13 males and 7 females with the mean age of 45.20 ± 14.99 years). Left ventricular findings were studied by conventional and Doppler echocardiography. eNO correlation with the echocardiographic parameters was evaluated. Results: The median eNO was 11.65 ppb (range: 1.9–29.9 ppb). eNO was positively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (ρ = 0.561, p = 0.01) and negatively correlated with left ventricular end systolic volume (ρ = −0.451, p = 0.046), isovolumic relaxation time (ρ = −0.448, p = 0.047) and myocardial performance index (ρ = −0.587, p = 0.007). Conclusion: There is a positive correlation between eNO and left ventricular performance in chronic hemodialysis patients. Therefore, eNO may play an important role in pathophysiology of cardiac involvement in these patients.
Antigenic Characterization of Hantaan and Seoul Virus Nucleocapsid Proteins Expressed by Recombinant Baculovirus: Application of a Truncated Protein, Lacking an Antigenic Region Common to the Two Viruses, as a Serotyping Antigen

ABSTRACT Hantaan virus (HTN) and Seoul virus (SEO) are members of the genusHantavirus in the family Bunyaviridae and are causative agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. The complete and truncated nucleocapsid proteins (NP) of HTN and SEO were expressed by a recombinant baculovirus system. Antigenic characterization of the NP using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) indicated that the binding sites for the serotype-specific MAbs were located between amino acids (aa) 155 and 429. A Western blot assay indicated that the serotype-specific epitopes were conformation dependent. An indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assay with the truncated NP (aa 155 to 429) was able to distinguish convalescent-phase sera from HTN and SEO patients. However, the antibody titers with the truncated NP were lower than those with the whole NP. The truncated NP of SEO (aa 155 to 429) could be used as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen, but the truncated NP from HTN lost its reactivity when used for ELISA. The IFA assay using baculovirus-expressed truncated NP as an antigen is a rapid, simple, and safe test for distinguishing between HTN and SEO infections by serotype.