Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parenchymal abnormalities associated with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: assessment with diffusion-weighted MR imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The common entity cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is associated with the poorly characterized imaging finding of parenchymal abnormalities; diffusion-weighted imaging has offered some insight into these manifestations. We assessed the relationship between the diffusion constant from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) with follow-up imaging findings and clinical outcome. METHODS We evaluated the medical records and T2-weighted MR images of 13 patients with CVT complicated by intraparenchymal abnormality. Diffusion-weighted (DW) images and ADC maps were evaluated for increased, decreased, or unchanged signal intensity and were compared with signal intensity of contralateral, normal-appearing brain. In addition, ADCs were obtained in nine pixel regions of interest in abnormal regions in eight of the 13 patients. RESULTS Eight patients had superficial CVT, and five had superficial and deep CVT. CVT of deep veins was associated with deep gray nucleus and deep white matter abnormalities, whereas superficial CVT was associated with cortical and subcortical abnormalities. Twenty-four nonhemorrhagic lesions were identified in 10 of 13 patients on the basis of follow-up imaging findings. Four patients without seizures had lesions with decreased diffusion that appeared hyperintense on follow-up T2-weighted images, three patients with seizures had lesions with decreased diffusion that resolved, and seven patients had lesions with increased diffusion that resolved. Three of 10 patients had more than one lesion type. No difference was noted in mean ADCs for lesions with decreased diffusion that resolved compared with lesions with decreased diffusion that persisted. CONCLUSION DW imaging in these patients disclosed three lesion types: lesions with elevated diffusion that resolved, consistent with vasogenic edema; lesions with low diffusion that persisted, consistent with cytotoxic edema in patients without seizure activity; and lesions with low diffusion that resolved in patients with seizure activity. This information may be important in prospectively determining severity of irreversible injury and in patient treatment.
Car boot sales: a study of shopping motives in an alternative retail format

Describes car boot sales as an alternative retail format focusing on consumers’ shopping motives and related shopping behaviour in this type of retail setting. Concludes that car boot sales appeal more to middle and lower social class groups. Further concludes the growth of the car boot sale is largely due to the functional needs and non‐functional wants of these sub‐groups.
Tax Enforcement and Income Diversion: Evidence after Putin's Election in 2000

Using a direct estimate of income diversion for 156 firms for the period from 1999 through 2004, we show that an increase in tax enforcement after the election of Vladimir Putin in 2000 is associated with a decrease in the appropriation of private rents by insiders in firms investigated for tax evasion. We also find evidence consistent with a simultaneous spillover effect: the largest nongovernment-controlled companies in Russia decrease income diversion even though they were not explicitly targeted as tax evaders. This effect is significant both economically and statistically after changes in firm-level corporate governance are controlled for, and it cannot be explained by trends regarding the general improvement of corporate governance in Russia during our sample period.
FACTORS INFLUENCING DIVESTMENT DECISION-MAKING: EVIDENCE FROM A FIELD STUDY

This research investigates factors which influenced the corporate‐level divestment decisions of large, diversified firms. Field research, including interviews with corporate executives of 40 large diversified firms, provided the data to test propositions developed from various literature sources. In general, thefindings from this research indicate that a business unit's strength, its relationship to other units in its firm and its parent firm's financial position compared to its competitors are important divestment influences, whereas other factors such as general economic conditions are not. Some of the findings are consistent with conventional management wisdom, but others are counterintuitive.
Crop Farmers’ Perception of and Adaptation to Climate Change in Orlu Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria

Food insecurity is a big challenge which Nigeria is currently battling with. This is compounded by the negative effects of climate change on agricultural production, and by extension, rural development. This work was therefore designed to ascertain crop farmers’ perception of, and adaptation to climate change in Orlu agricultural zone of Imo State. The objectives of the study were to: assess farmers’ level of awareness of elements of climate change, ascertain the extent farmers perceived climate change in the zone, find out the various effects of climate change in the area as perceived by the farmers, and ascertain the adjustment strategies adopted by the farmers. Data were collected from one hundred and twenty (120) crop farmers randomly selected from the zone, using interview schedule. Percentage, means, frequency distribution as well as multiple regression model were used to analyze the data. Most of the farmers (98.33%) experienced climate change in the area and that changes in rainfall pattern were most prominent. Farmers perceived reduced crop yield, drought and increased flooding, among others, as the greatest adverse effects of climate change. Some of the strategies adopted to combat the adverse effects included; adjustment in planting period, use of improved crop varieties, adoption of improved farming methods, among others. Age, farming experience, educational level and membership of social organizations were significant factors that influenced farmers’ perception of climate change in the area. Some of the recommendations include; extension agents should advice farmers to adopt early planting and harvesting before adverse climate conditions get to their peak, government and non-governmental organizations should assist farmers with irrigation facilities so that they will not be solely dependent on rain fed agriculture, among others.
Choosing a Model of Maternity Care: Decision Support Needs of Australian Women.

BACKGROUND Access to information on the features and outcomes associated with the various models of maternity care available in Australia is vital for women's informed decision-making. This study sought to identify women's preferences for information access and decision-making involvement, as well as their priority information needs, for model of care decision-making. METHODS A convenience sample of adult women of childbearing age in Queensland, Australia were recruited to complete an online survey assessing their model of care decision support needs. Knowledge on models of care and socio-demographic characteristics were also assessed. RESULTS Altogether, 641 women provided usable survey data. Of these women, 26.7 percent had heard of all available models of care before starting the survey. Most women wanted access to information on models of care (90.4%) and an active role in decision-making (99.0%). Nine priority information needs were identified: cost, access to choice of mode of birth and care provider, after hours provider contact, continuity of carer in labor/birth, mobility during labor, discussion of the pros/cons of medical procedures, rates of skin-to-skin contact after birth, and availability at a preferred birth location. This information encompassed the priority needs of women across age, birth history, and insurance status subgroups. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates Australian women's unmet needs for information that supports them to effectively compare available options for model of maternity care. Findings provide clear direction on what information should be prioritized and ideal channels for information access to support quality decision-making in practice.
The Cross-Section of German Stock Returns: New Data and New Evidence

We introduce a new data set that comprises factor returns and returns of portfolios that are single- and double-sorted. We use this data set to perform asset-pricing tests for the german equity market. We test the standard cAPM, the Fama-French (1993) three-factor model, and the carhart (1997) four-factor model. Our tests are based on a more comprehensive data set than are earlier studies. We investigate the sensitivity of our results to the choice of test assets. Our results indicate that none of the models can consistently explain the cross-section of returns, and that the results of asset-pricing tests are sensitive to the choice of test assets.
How to diagnose business-to-business relationships by mapping negative incidents

Negative incidents mean adverse situations that are not anticipated and therefore catch customers' attention. Despite these incidents' significance for how relationships develop, they may remain hidden from the seller since they have not been captured with current customer understanding techniques. We suggest a new technique, labelled NIM (Negative Incident Mapping), which explores and maps negative incidents in business-to-business relationships. The key idea is that the seller's understanding of identifiable customers' concerns is compared with the customers' actual experiences. The technique combines qualitative and quantitative information and generates results on the incidents, single relationships, and customer portfolio. Empirical findings from two studies when generating the technique are presented in the article. The technique may be useful to account managers for managing individual relationships and the portfolio of relationships. It may inspire researchers to explore further negative incidents in business relationships, the effect of combined repeated incidents, and customer-understanding measurement.
Integrated Information Systems and Interorganizational Performance: The Role of Management Accounting Systems Design

The interorganizational environment faced by business organizations presents unique challenges for management accounting and control. Past management accounting research has shown interest in such collaborations because despite their benefits, such relationships pose significant issues of coordination and control. As information and communication systems supplement management control systems in their support of decision facilitation and decision influencing, examining the design of management accounting systems (MASs) in the management of interorganizational relationships and assessing how it affects the attainment of interorganizational exchange partner performance objectives is important. In this chapter, I extend past accounting research to examine the complementary nature of decision-facilitation and decision-influencing objectives of MAS design as enabled by the use of integrated information systems in interorganizational settings. The economic theory of complementarity is employed to examine synergistic effects of complementary MAS objectives. A field survey is used to examine hypothesized relationships, and data were obtained from 116 organizations involved in strategic alliance activity. This chapter reports findings that support the view that the degree of complementarity in decision-facilitation and decision-influencing objectives assists in the development of capabilities that enhance performance in the interorganizational relationship. The study blends theory in the areas of strategy, information systems, and management accounting and extends management accounting research in the context of IT-enabled interorganizational relationships.
Assessing the Economic Impacts of an Economic Partnership Agreement on Nigeria

This study discusses potential economic implications for Nigeria of an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. It uses the World Banks Tariff Reform Impact Simulation Tool to assess the effects of preferential tariff liberalization with respect to the European Union. The results suggest that the impact of an Economic Partnership Agreement on total imports into Nigeria will be slight. This is in part because the Agreement will likely allow the most protected sectors to be excluded from liberalization, and also because where substantial tariffs are involved much of the increase in imports from the European Union will occur at the expense of other suppliers of imports. It is this trade diversion, arising from the discriminatory nature of the EPA, which generates a negative welfare impact of the tariff reforms. One way for Nigeria to limit these losses is to pursue non-preferential trade liberalization before implementing an EPA. The paper looks at the large number of import bans in Nigeria and argues that the positive impact on welfare of removing these import bans is likely to be substantial. Their removal would undermine a major reason for cross border smuggling and pave the way for a return to normal regional trade flows. The paper shows how an Economic Partnership Agreement presents an opportunity for accelerating the reforms that are needed to support a strategy to increase regional and global trade integration. Such an agreement is more likely to have positive and significant impacts when integrated into a comprehensive strategy toward competitiveness and alleviation of the supply constraints that have stifled the impact of previous trade agreements. Key issues that should be addressed include liberalization and regulatory strengthening of services sectors to ensure that all firms in Nigeria have access to efficiently produced backbone services and initiatives to address the countrys poor trade logistics performance.
What's in a Message? The Longitudinal Influence of a Supportive versus Combative Orientation on the Performance of Nonprofits

In this article, the authors propose that in the long run, a nonprofit organization with supportively oriented positioning (e.g., promoting a cause) is likely to survive longer and achieve more donations compared with a nonprofit with a combative orientation (e.g., fighting against something). To test this proposition, the authors adopt a three-pronged approach that (1) uses publicly available financial data from nonprofits’ tax filings over a ten-year period, (2) measures annual donor pledges from a field study with a registered nonprofit organization, and (3) examines actual donation behavior of participants in a longitudinal lab study. Moreover, the authors test this proposition for donations of money as well as time. They consider various theoretical mechanisms that might cause the proposed effect, such as regulatory focus theory, inertia in giving, and the preponderance of supportive charities.
Momentum Trading, Return Chasing, and Predictable Crashes

We combine self-collected historical data from 1867 to 1907 with CRSP data from 1926 to 2012, to examine the risk and return over the past 140 years of one of the most popular mechanical trading strategies — momentum. We find that momentum has earned abnormally high risk-adjusted returns — a three factor alpha of 1 percent per month between 1927 and 2012 and 0.5 percent per month between 1867 and 1907 — both statistically significantly different from zero. However, the momentum strategy also exposed investors to large losses (crashes) during both periods. Momentum crashes were predictable — more likely when momentum recently performed well (both eras), interest rates were relatively low (1867–1907), or momentum had recently outperformed the stock market (CRSP era) — times when borrowing or attracting return chasing “blind capital” would have been easier. Based on a stylized model and simulated outcomes from a richer model, we argue that a money manager has an incentive to remain invested in momentum even when the crash risk is known to be high when (1) he competes for funds from return-chasing investors and (2) he is compensated via fees that are convex in the amount of money managed and the return on that money.
Enterprise risk management: developing a strategic ERM alignment framework- Finance sector

This thesis investigates the evolutionary process of risk management practices associated with the implementation of enterprise risk management (ERM) across the finance sector. Despite the increasing number of ERM adoptions in the finance industry in recent years, ERM was still at an early stage of development and further research is recommended. The literature review identifies a gap in the ERM literature, prompting the development of a theoretical framework to investigate key organisational factors critical to effective implementation of the strategic framework. A strategic ERM Alignment Framework was developed to address key shortcomings of existing ERM practices in the industry and to provide practical guidance to academics and practitioners. The research was conducted as a two-stage empirical study in the finance sector, employing sequential mixed methods of data collection and analysis: a series of 35 semistructured qualitative interviews with senior enterprise risk managers representing a variety of financial organisations, followed by a quantitative questionnaire survey of 115 finance industry professionals. The literature supports the industry view of continuous internal and external pressures towards ERM implementation across financial organisations. The research findings confirm that ERM is perceived to have slowly transformed from a process of compliance to a strategic tool and become a source of value creation and competitive advantage. The study also shows that aligning ERM with core organisational strategies and enterprise risk culture have been the underlying factors driving a strategic ERM framework sustainable over time. Inadequate senior management support for ERM and an insufficiently dynamic enterprise risk culture are identified as the greatest challenges to ERM sustainability. Major benefits of ERM are revealed as well informed risk-adjusted decision making and a strategic enterprise-wide view of key risks. The main contribution to knowledge of this research is the development of a strategic ERM Alignment Framework for the finance sector and practical guidelines for its effective implementation. Specifically, this research offers academics and finance industry practitioners a better understanding of organisational factors critical to the implementation of a strategic ERM Alignment Framework, supported by empirical evidence.
Market share increase: What happens to productivity and profitability?

The bankruptcy of a fast-growing logistics provider claiming to have a remarkable market share can seriously shock the customers and the business community. On choosing the next provider, its former customers will pay more attention to company size, growth and corporate performance indicators. Do these measures affect one another and, if yes, to what extent? Is there a direct or an inverse effect? And, over all: What is the 'measure of competition' in the logistics service sector? We also examined the issue widely discussed in the related literature of whether higher productivity leads to lower costs resulting in a bigger market share, or perhaps it is just the other way round? Based on the calculations with the 2001-2006 figures of companies belonging to the logistics service related sectors, we could prove that productivity will/can be increased by raising market share, but on the other hand, market share cannot be enhanced through increased productivity.
Pulsatility index is better than ankle-brachial doppler index for non-invasive detection of critical limb ischaemia in diabetes.

BACKGROUND Diabetic polyneuropathy of the feet and legs obscures the diagnosis of critical limb ischaemia (CLI) because of lack of pain sensation. Hence, the Fontaine classification does not apply to these patients. Furthermore, many of them will exhibit medial arterial calcification, which invalidates the application of sphygmomanometry. This study was done to evaluate the pulsatility index (P1) assessed at the ankle arteries by colour Doppler ultrasonography as a non-invasive method to diagnose CLI in diabetic polyneuropathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS 140 legs of 106 diabetic patients were studied who presented with polyneuropathy and painlessness of the feet; of these, 117 feet displayed an ulcer or gangrene. CLI was defined as the need for arterial revascularisation, as indicated by the physicians in charge on the basis of a) a foot lesion Wagner grade 1-5, and b) a positive arteriography. All patients were subjected to 4 vascular assessment techniques: digital subtraction arteriography, ankle-brachial Doppler index, systolic ankle blood pressure, and PI. RESULTS Of the 140 legs, 61 (44%) were affected by CLI, and 76 (54%) by medial arterial calcification. A PI < 1.2 indicated CLI with a sensitivity of 0.87 and a specificity of 0.62. The sensitivity and specificity of ankle-brachial index < 0.9, and of systolic ankle pressure < 70 mm Hg to predict CLI was 0.71 and 0.42, and 0.30 and 0.89, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The pulsatility index is a better noninvasive technique than the ankle-brachial Doppler index or the systolic ankle pressure to assess critical limb ischaemia in diabetic polyneuropathy. A pulsatility index < 1.2 at the ankle arteries is a reliable criterion for diagnosis of CLI in diabetic patients with polyneuropathy.
Psychosocial Impact of Hospitalization on Ill Children in Pediatric Oncology Wards

Background: Cancer and hospitalization can be the major crisis that a child encounters . A diagnosis of cancer often involves long hospital stays from days to months for the pediatric oncology patient in Iraq with limited access to psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers. Consequently, many patients experience psychosocial problems as a result. Objective(s): The aims of this study was to assess psychosocial impact of hospitalization on ill children, ages from 6 to 12 years in Pediatric Oncology Wards and to find relationship between sociodemographic variables for child ,family and illness such as child's gender, age, type of treatment, frequency of hospitalization, parental education, etc. Methodology: Seventy-five participants (mothers), from two different hospitals, were recruited using a nonprobability (purposive) sampling strategy. Data collection included interviews with (n=75) of parents of pediatric oncology patients from the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital and Central Child Teaching Hospital in Baghdad city (2012 to 2013). The Child Behavior and Psychosocial Problems checklist was used to evaluate psychosocial impact. Cut of point used to determine the level of psychosocial impact of hospitalization on children and using correlation analysis were computed to determine the relationship of sociodemographic variables to the psychosocial impact of hospitalization on ill children in oncology ward. Results: The results of the study indicated that impact of hospitalization was mild on the most of the participants (n = 50; 66.0). Moreover, the results showed significant relationships between the frequency of hospitalization and duration of hospitalization. Recommendations: The researchers recommend applied special program for preparation of children for the experience of hospitalization and recommend to the Ministry of Health to develop special training program for the medical staff to deliver mental health services to the all children in oncology wards. Conclusion: Hospitalization is still have many psychosocial impact on children in oncology wards. Identification of psychosocial risk factors based on the Child behavior and psychosocial problems could be helpful in predicting child psychopathology and could help in decrease psychosocial problems related to hospitalization