Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Re-evaluating gender differences in self-rated health: The importance of cohort

ABSTRACT Research examining gender differences in self-rated health (SRH) has typically not distinguished between age and cohort-related changes in the health of men and women over time. Using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study finds gender diffegrences in SRH may actually be an artifact of cohort. Prior to examining health across cohorts, women reported worse health than men. With the introduction of cohort to the models, no gender difference was found except in the earliest cohort (born 1924–1933). Historical context is therefore critical to understanding the health trajectories of women and men, which are not uniform across cohorts.
Molecular analyses of GYPB in African Brazilians

Abstract The molecular background of variant forms of GYPB is not well studied in Brazilians of African descent. The present study was carried out to determine the molecular bases of the S–s– phenotype and the frequency of GYPB*S silent gene for the S–s+ phenotype in a blood donor population of African Brazilians. In this study, 165 blood samples from African Brazilians (Northeastern Brazil) who phenotyped as S–s– (n = 17) and S–s+ (n = 148) by hemagglutination were selected. Allele-specific (AS)-PCR and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were used to identify the variant forms of GYPB. In 13 of 17 S–s– samples (76.5%), both GYPB were deleted. In 137 of the 148 S–s+ samples (92.6%), the AS-PCR was consistent with the S–s+ phenotype. In 4 of the S–s– samples (23.5%) and 11 of the S–s+ samples (7.4%), the AS-PCR showed the presence of a GYPB*S allele associated with silencing of S. In the 4 donors with the S–s– phenotype, there was homozygosity (or hemizygosity) for the GYP(P2) allele (n = 2), homozygosity (or hemizygosity) for the GYP(NY) allele (n = 1), and heterozygosity for the GYP(P2) and GYP(NY) alleles (n = 1). In the 11 donors with the S–s+ phenotype, there was heterozygosity for GYP(P2) allele (n = 8) and heterozygosity for GYP(NY) allele (n = 3). This study reports for the first time the molecular mechanisms responsible for the S–s– phenotype in a population of African Brazilians and provides new information about the frequency and molecular bases of the GYPB*S silent gene (7.4%) in this population. Immunohematology 2008;24:148-153.
State Dependent Unemployment Benefits

Optimal design of unemployment insurance is considered in a search setting where the state of nature (business cycle) affects the unemployment risk and thus the return to search. The incentive effects or distortions of individual job search arising due to the unemployment insurance scheme are crucial for optimal policies, so is the scope for risk diversification that depends critically on whether the balanced budget requirement applies to each state of nature or across states of nature. In the former case a basic budget effect tends to cause optimal benefits to be procyclical. If risk diversification across states of nature is possible, the fact that incentives are more distorted in good than bad states of nature tends to make both benefits and contribution rates countercyclical. It is shown that countercyclical benefits exacerbate employment fluctuations but increase average employment by aligning benefits more with states of nature where the incentive costs are small.
Applying the Market Model to Long-Term Corporate Bonds

Recently the standard market model has been used to examine holding period returns of corporate bonds. These studies have involved issues such as: the impact of accounting earnings data on bond price behavior [5]; the relationship of bond betas and ratings [19, 21]; the effect of ratings changes on bond prices [27]; the relationship of bond betas to duration and yield [3, 13, 15]; bond performance of bankrupt and nonbankrupt firms [26]; and tests of the Capital Asset Pricing Model based on bond returns [7]. While the empirical appropriateness of applying the market model to common stock returns has been demonstrated, similar tests have not been conducted with regard to long-term corporate bonds. Section II of this paper will examine the assumptions of the normal error regression model when used in the form of the market model and applied to a sample of long-term corporate bonds during the early years of their lives. The issue of systematic changes in the regression parameters will be addressed in Section III. Lastly, conclusions will be presented in Section IV.
On the Corporate Demand for Directors' and Officers' Insurance

Using data on directors' and officers' insurance policies gathered from a sample of Canadian firms, this article examines the determinants of firms' demand for D&O insurance. Firms with greater litigation risk are more likely to purchase insurance and carry higher limits and deductibles. The data do not support the hypothesis that director cash compensation substitutes for D&O insurance. Consistent with the hypotheses of Mayers and Smith (1982, 1987), firms with greater distress probability and utilities are more likely to purchase insurance and carry higher limits. However, firms with greater inside shareownership are less likely to purchase insurance and carry lower limits. Firms with greater inside voting control are more likely to purchase insurance and carry higher limits.
The impacts of network relationships on SMEs' internationalization process

Executive Summary In today’s globalization era, more and more firms are striving to have an international presence, even though they face many challenges. Based on a multisite case study method, this article examines how indigenous Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use their network relationships to facilitate their internationalization process. The evidence from the case of three software firms and one control firm in this study support the firms’ internationalization process in the ways that network relationships trigger and motivate them to internationalize, influence their marketselection decision and mode-of-entry decision, help them gain initial credibility, allow access to additional relationships and established channels, help in lowering cost and reducing risk, and influence their internationalization pace and pattern. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
5747 - MICROSCOPIC EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF FRACTURE TOUGHNESS IN FRACTURE OF COPPER FOILS

The effect of thickness on the fracture toughness JC of copper foils was investigated experimentally. Specimens with thicknesses ranging from 0.02mm to 1mm were loaded in tension till fracture. The digital speckle correlation method (DSCM) was used to evaluate the strain fields around the crack tip, allowing determination of the J integral. The fracture toughness defined as the value of the J integral at cracking initiation was shown to depend on the material’s thickness. Metalloscope results showed that microscopic structure of different specimens with different thicknesses is one factor affecting the fracture toughness.
Antecedents and consequences of service quality in consumer evaluation of self-service internet technologies

Advances in technology coupled with increasing labour costs have caused service firms to explore self-service delivery options. Although some studies have focused on self-service and use of technology in service delivery, few have explored the role of service quality in consumer evaluation of technology-based self-service options. By integrating and extending the self-service quality framework the service evaluation model and the Technology Acceptance Model the authors address this emerging issue by empirically testing a comprehensive model that captures the antecedents and consequences of perceived service quality to predict continued customer interaction in the technology-based self-service context of Internet banking. Important service evaluation constructs like perceived risk, perceived value and perceived satisfaction are modelled in this framework. The results show that perceived control has the strongest influence on service quality evaluations. Perceived speed of delivery, reliability and enjoyment also have a significant impact on service quality perceptions. The study also found that even though perceived service quality, perceived risk and satisfaction are important predictors of continued interaction, perceived customer value plays a pivotal role in influencing continued interaction.
E-Policy and higher education : from formulation to implementation

Policy formulation and implementation is a highly contested domain within the South African Higher Education landscape. This contestation can be attributed to the lack of wide stakeholder involvement and the architecture of the policy-making process. The contestation is also born of an absence of a systemic monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure adherence to policy. In this paper, I present a document analysis of the e-learning policies of three higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa, with specific reference to how e-policy has shaped: access to information, e-learning as an alternate system of teaching and learning, quality assurance in e-learning, intellectual property rights (IPR) and e-communication. I also draw upon the similarities and differences that emerge from the three policies under scrutiny. In so doing, I provide a basis for discourse about current international trends influencing e-policy in higher education. In conclusion an analysis of the government's (South Africa) e-policy and its impact on the e-policy of higher education is also provided. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 21 (6) 2008: pp. 643-654
Acute effect of resistance exercise intensity in cardiac autonomic modulation after exercise.

BACKGROUND Cardiac sympathovagal balance is altered after resistance exercise. However, the impact of the characteristics of resistance training in this response remains unclear. OBJECTIVE Analyze the acute effect of resistance exercise intensity for trunk and upper limbs in cardiac autonomic modulation after exercise. METHODS Fifteen young men performed three experimental sessions in random order: control (C), resistance exercise with 50% of 1-RM (E50%) and resistance exercise with 70% of 1-RM (E70%). The sessions included 05 exercises for the trunk and upper limbs performed in three sets of 12, 9 and 6 repetitions, respectively. Before and at 20 and 50 minutes after the interventions, the heart rate was measured for spectral analysis of variability. RESULTS In comparison to the values before the intervention, the RR interval and the band of high frequency (HF) increased (major changes: + 112 ± 83 ms; +10 ± 11 un, respectively, p < 0.01), while the low frequency band (LF) and LF/HF ratio decreased (major changes: -10 ± 11 pc; -2 ± 2, respectively, p < 0.01) after the session C. None of these variables changed significantly after the E50% session (p > 0.05). Compared to pre-exercise values, the RR interval and the HF band decreased (major changes: -69 ± 105 ms; -13 ± 14 un, respectively, p <0.01), while the LF band and the LF/HF ratio increased (major changes: -13 ± 14 un, 13 ± 3 14 ± 3 and un, respectively, p <0.01) after E70%. CONCLUSION The higher intensity of resistance exercise for trunk and upper limbs promoted, in an acute manner, greater increase in cardiac sympathovagal balance after exercise.
Stress, Social Support, and Symptoms of Depression in Spouses of the Medically Ill

This study investigated the level and frequency of depressive symptoms in spouses of dialysis patients, as a function of a) severity of patient disease, b) level of stress experienced by the spouse, and c) perception of support from the ill partner. The subjects were forty patients who had begun dialysis in the last year and their spouses. Measures of depression, impact on family, perceived social support, and disease severity were applied. Significant depressive symptoms were reported by 20 percent of spouses. Symptom severity was not correlated with age, sex, or occupation of the spouses, nor with level of depression or functional impairment of the dialysis patients. The amount of social support received from the ill partner accounted for 37 percent of the variance in spouse depression, while social and financial stressors reported by the spouse explained 13 percent of the variance in spouse symptoms. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms in spouses of dialysis patients are associated with the social and economic consequences of the illness for the family but even more so with the amount of perceived support from the patient. The determinants of this perceived support need further exploration.
Arthroscopy Skills Development With a Surgical Simulator

Background: Surgical simulation has become increasingly relevant to orthopaedic surgery education and could translate to improved operating room proficiency in orthopaedic surgery trainees. Purpose: To compare the arthroscopic performance of junior orthopaedic surgery residents who received training with a knee and shoulder arthroscopy surgical simulator with those who received didactic training. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Fourteen junior orthopaedic surgery residents at a single institution were randomized to receive knee and shoulder arthroscopy training with a surgical simulator (n = 8) or didactic lectures with arthroscopy models (n = 6). After their respective training, performance in diagnostic knee and shoulder arthroscopy was assessed using a cadaveric model. Time to completion and assessment of arthroscopic handling using a subjective injury grading index (scale, 1-10) was then used to evaluate performance in final cadaveric testing. Results: Orthopaedic surgery residents who trained with a surgical simulator outperformed the didactic-trained residents in shoulder arthroscopy by time to completion (–35%; P = .02) and injury grading index (–35%; P = .01). In addition, a trend toward improved performance of knee arthroscopy by the simulator-trained group was found by time to completion (–36%; P = .09) and injury grading index (P = .08). Conclusion: In this study, junior orthopaedic surgery residents who trained with a surgical simulator demonstrated improved arthroscopic performance in both knee and shoulder arthroscopy. However, future validation of surgical simulator training for orthopaedic surgery residents remains warranted. Clinical Relevance: Surgical skill development with an arthroscopy surgical simulator could translate to improved arthroscopy performance in the operating room.
Site-specific mutations at a picornavirus VP3/VP1 cleavage site disrupt in vitro processing and assembly of capsid precursors

Most proteolytic cleavages within the picornavirus polyproteins are carried out by viral protease 3C. For encephalomyocarditis virus, the protease 3C-catalyzed processing occurs between Gln-Gly or Gln-Ser amino acid pairs which are flanked by proline residues, but the sequence-specific constraints on recognition and cleavage by the enzyme are not completely understood. To examine alternative cleavage site sequences, we constructed a cDNA plasmid which expresses the viral L-P1-2A capsid precursor in vitro and introduced site-specific mutations into the Gln-Gly pair at the VP3/VP1 junction. The altered protein substrates were tested for cleavage activity in assays with protease 3C. The encephalomyocarditis virus 3C processed Gln-Ala as efficiently as its natural sites but did not cleave Gln-Val, Gln-Glu, Lys-Gly, Lys-Ala, Lys-Val, Lys-Glu, or Pro-Gly combinations. Displacement of the flanking proline residue by an engineered insertion slowed but did not prevent cleavage at this site. Also, a mutant defective in processing at the VP3/VP1 junction was unable to form 14S pentameric assembly intermediates in vitro.
A Prospective, Randomized, Single-Blind Comparison of Laparoscopic Versus Open Sigmoid Colectomy for Diverticulitis

Objective:The aim of this study was to compare open and laparoscopic sigmoid resection for diverticulitis with the patient and the nursing staff blinded to the surgical approach. Methods:A total of 113 patients scheduled for an elective sigmoidectomy were randomized to receive either a conventional open (54 patients) or a laparoscopic (59 patients) approach. Postoperatively, an opaque wound dressing was applied and left in place for 4 days, and patients from both groups were managed similarly. The primary endpoints for analysis were (1) postoperative pain; (2) duration of postoperative ileus; and (3) duration of hospital stay (ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT 00453830). Results:The median duration of procedure was 165 minutes (range, 90–285) in the laparoscopy group and 110 minutes (range, 70–210) in the open group (P < 0.0001). The median delay between surgery and first bowel movement was 76 (range, 31–163) hours in the laparoscopy group versus 105 (range, 53–175) hours in the open group (P < 0.0001). The median score for maximal pain (assessed by a visual analog scale) was 4 (range, 1–10) in the laparoscopy group and 5 (range, 1–10) in the open group (P = 0.05). Finally, the median duration of hospital stay was 5 days (range, 4–69) in the laparoscopy group versus 7 days (range, 5–17) in the open group (P < 0.0001). Conclusion:Laparoscopic sigmoid resection is associated with a 30% reduction in duration of postoperative ileus and hospital stay; by comparison, benefits in terms of postoperative pain appear less impressive, when the patient is blinded to the surgical technique.
Globalization of Chinese Firms Theoretical Universalism or Particularism

Research on the globalization of Chinese and other emerging markets' companies has only just begun and is on the verge of taking off. As it does so, additional thought should be given to the ontological and epistemological underpinnings of the theories attempting to capture the phenomenon. Should Western-centric theory prevail? Be adapted? Or abandoned in favour of new indigenous approaches to theorizing, based on context? Finally, should the context itself be the basis of theorizing? While the debate will not stop here, the future may hold a multiplicity of approaches, both indigenous and internationalized, for explaining emerging markets' contexts and, more specifically, for understanding internationalization of their economies and their multinationals. This article provides an overview of the debate on Chinese Theory of Business vs. Theory of Chinese Business, and highlights the contribution of three key articles utilizing a hybrid approach of adapted theory, controlling for the various multinational contexts. We conclude that no theory has a monopoly on explanation and a multi-levelj multidisciplinaiy, and, perhaps, Eastern-centric theory may prove to show great potential in future theories of emerging markets' multinationals.
Estimating the Impact of Public Investment for the United Kingdom: Has the Golden Rule of Public Finance Made a Difference?

This paper uses a SVAR methodology to investigate the effects of public investment on growth, and more specifically, the effects of the introduction of a golden rule. We extend the existing literature by estimating a model of the British economy that takes into account long run factors. This seems necessary when dealing with a multi annual variable like public investment, and its long term effects on public finances through debt accumulation. We find that in such a long run framework investment has significant and permanent positive effects on GDP growth; this result runs counter to most recent literature on the topic, that was limited to a short run specification. We further find, by comparing different subsamples, that the introduction of the golden rule in 1997 strengthened this positive effect of public investment.
How HR professionals rate ‘continuing professional development’

This article describes a research project undertaken with the co-operation of the UK's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire branch, to investigate members' attitudes to and engagement with ‘continuing professional development’(CPD), and how these correlated with a range of other variables and demographic characteristics. Women held more positive attitudes to the value of CPD than men. The majority of the most popular updating strategies were informal and organisationally located, with less emphasis on courses and qualifications. The most powerful predictor of the perceived value of CPD was professional commitment, while other attitudinal and demographic variables had weaker associations than expected. Valuing CPD did not necessarily translate into participating in it. Implications of this research include guidance for professional institutes on what CPD professionals engage in and why, and what influences this.
Hearing outcome of recurrent sudden deafness: Ipsilateral versus contralateral types

Abstract Conclusion: Patients with recurrent sudden deafness demonstrating normal vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) in the lesion ear of the second episode may indicate a good hearing outcome. Objective: This study retrospectively reviewed our experience of patients with recurrent sudden deafness during the past 20 years. Methods: Sixteen (1.4 %) of 1156 patients with sudden deafness were diagnosed as having a recurrent episode, including ipsilateral type in 7 and contralateral type in 9. All patients underwent an audiovestibular test battery and blood and MRI examinations. After 2000, nine patients underwent the VEMP test. Results: In the ipsilateral type, the mean interval between two episodes was 2 ± 2 years, which did not differ significantly from 3 ± 3 years in the contralateral type. There were no significant differences in relation to age at onset of the second episode, inter-episode interval, gender, presence of vertigo, and abnormal caloric results. However, abnormal rate of VEMP test in the contralateral type (five of five patients) was significantly higher than that in the ipsilateral type (none of four patients). At the second episode, all four patients with normal VEMPs on the lesion ear had improved hearing, while four of five patients with absent or delayed VEMPs showed unchanged hearing. Altogether, the hearing improvement rate in both types of recurrent sudden deafness was 50%.
The value of subjectivity: problems and prospects for 360-degree appraisal systems

This paper focuses on the problems and prospects of 360-degree feedback methods. The rationale behind these appraisal systems is that different evaluation perspectives add objectivity and incremental validity to the assessment of individual performance. This assumption is challenged in this paper. Our research shows that there is a consistent difference in self- and supervisor ratings especially. This implies that, as long as these differences are understood as the result of several effects in measuring one's performance, the multi-source assessments will lead to a false sense of security and objectivity. Instead, when the differences are understood as subjective evaluations with a value in themselves, then different perceptions can be used for a better understanding between supervisors and employees of the working relations, personal performance and underlying motives for career development. Several recommendations are made for human resource management practices and future research.