Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of International Simple Resale on Prices in International Telecommunications Markets

This paper empirically investigates the effect of international simple resale (ISR) authorization on the prices for international message telephone service (IMTS). We compile a firm-level panel data set for over 200 United States-foreign country bilateral markets from 1995 to 2004. These data provide detailed information on prices, variable costs, fixed costs and market shares for 75 firms for each bilateral market, as well as the timing of ISR authorization by the Federal Communications Commission for each bilateral market. Estimates from a difference-in-differences model show that ISR authorization, and the associated lowering of barriers to entry, almost always results in lower prices for all markets. Additionally, we find evidence that ISR authorization alters the relationship between market concentration and price. Prior to ISR authorization more concentrated markets have higher prices. ISR authorization dampens this effect and in some cases reverses the relationship so that market concentration is negatively correlated with IMTS prices set by incumbent firms.
Hypericum perforatum Extracts as Potential Antidepressants

Extracts of Hypericum perforatum have been used in the treatment of mild to moderate depression for many years in Europe. More recently, these extracts have become available in the USA as dietary supplements and have been popularly used to improve mood. In support of this practice, data from several controlled clinical studies suggest that Hypericum perforatum is better than placebo and as effective as established antidepressant drugs. These data have, however, several limitations that should temper our enthusiasm and argue for more research before accepting Hypericum perforatum extracts into our pharmacopoeia of established antidepressants. Extant data on the possible effects of Hypericum perforatum extracts in depression are here critically reviewed and plans for further research presented.
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) autograft versus graft substitutes: what do patients prefer?-A clinical study.

BACKGROUND Patient dissatisfaction with donor site morbidity has led to the search for alternative grafting options and techniques. This report compares patient satisfaction rates between autograft and graft substitutes for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS This study was performed with the approval of the local area health network ethics committee. Over a 9-year period, the author performed 574 ACDF procedures (697 levels). Of these, 22 patients had previous surgery with autograft, with a subsequent ACDF procedure performed using a graft substitute. Patients rated their satisfaction with pain, recovery, and preference of autograft versus a bone graft substitute. Graft substitutes used include: tricalcium phosphate/hydroxyapatite (TCP/HA) composite and iFactor placed within a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage. RESULTS Results demonstrated that 21/22 patients achieved a solid fusion with the graft substitute. A total of 20/22 patients rated the autograft incision more painful than the anterior cervical incision, and 21/22 preferred the graft substitute. Three patients had adjacent segment disc replacement performed after autograft/ACDF. All patients reported preference for the total disc replacement (TDR) procedure in terms of recovery and postoperative pain. CONCLUSIONS Patient satisfaction with bone graft substitutes is very high compared with autograft with all but one (21/22) preferring the graft substitute option. The author questions the traditional recommendation that autograft is the "gold standard" for ACDF. In modern age of graft substitutes, autograft should not be considered the gold standard, but an index option between other options for comparison.
The relationship between theory of mind and metaphor: Evidence from children with language impairment and autistic spectrum disorder

Happe (1993) proposed that theory of mind (ToM) understanding was necessary for comprehension of metaphorical expressions. The current study investigated the role of both ToM and language ability in metaphor understanding. Ninety-four children aged 8–15 years with communication impairments were grouped according to language ability and autistic symptomatology in the first instance, and then according to ToM performance. Their performance on a metaphor task was compared to 34 typically developing age-matched peers. These analyses showed that only children with language impairment, with or without concurrent autistic features, were impaired on the metaphor task. Furthermore, possession of first-order ToM skills did not ensure metaphor comprehension. Instead, semantic ability was a stronger predictor of performance on the metaphor task. These results are considered with reference to the view that ToM understanding is necessary for the comprehension of metaphor.
Experimental Models for Study of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Physiology and Pathophysiology

We have developed a cell culture procedure that can produce large quantities of confluent monolayers of primary human fetal retinal pigment epithelium (hfRPE) cultures with morphological, physiological and genetic characteristics of native human RPE. These hfRPE cell cultures exhibit heavy pigmentation, and electron microscopy show extensive apical membrane microvilli. The junctional complexes were identified with immunofluorescence labeling of various tight junction proteins. Epithelial polarity and function of these easily reproducible primary cultures closely resemble previously studied mammalian models of native RPE, including human. These results were extended by the development of therapeutic interventions in several animal models of human eye disease. We have focused on strategies for the removal of abnormal fluid accumulation in the retina or subretinal space. The extracellular subretinal space separates the photoreceptor outer segments and the apical membrane of the RPE and is critical for maintenance of retinal attachments and a whole host of RPE/retina interactions.
The Global Traffic in Human Organs

Inspired by Sweetness and Power, in wbich Sidney Mintz traces tbe colonial and mercantilist routes of enslaving tastes and artificial needs, tbis paper maps a late-aoth-century global trade in bodies, body parts, desires, and invented scarcities. Organ transplant takes place today in a transnational space witb surgeons, patients, organ donors, recipients, brokers, and intermediaries—some witb criminal connections—following new patbs of capital and technology in the global economy. The stakes are high, for tbe technologies and practices of transplant surgery bave demonstrated tbeir power to reconceptualize tbe buman body and the relations of hody parts to tbe wbole and to the person and of people and bodies to eacb other. Tbe phenomenal spread of these technologies and tbe artificial needs, scarcities, and new commodities (i.e., fresb organs) tbat they inspire —especially witbin tbe context of a triumphant neoliberalism—raise many issues central to antbropology's concern with global dominations and local resistances, including tbe reordering of relations hetween individual bodies and the state, hetween gifts and commodities, between fact and rumor, and between medicine and magic in postmodernity.
An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of Commercial Billboards in Televised Sports Arenas

Advertising billboards in sports arenas can be seen in mass televised sports programmes. Through the use of recall measures, an attempt was made to evaluate some of the characteristics and effectiveness of this medium. Results show that this medium is of questionable effectiveness. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed, along with suggestions for further studies.
The emergence of erythromycin resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes in Fremantle, Western Australia

Erythromycin resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes is unusual except in Japan. Since January 1, 1985, a dramatic increase has occurred in the prevalence of erythromycin‐resistant Strept. pyogenes infections in the outpatients who have presented to Fremantle Hospital, Western Australia. In 1985, 1% of isolates of Strept. pyogenes was erythromycin‐resistant. This had risen to 9.1% of isolates in 1986 and to 17.6% of isolates in 1987. Several M‐ and T‐types of Strept. pyogenes were involved. Treatment failure now can be expected when erythromycin is prescribed for the treatment of common infections in outpatients at this hospital. Laboratories that use disc methods of antimicrobial susceptibility testing may not detect erythromycin resistance in these organisms. (Med J Aust 1989; 150: 626‐631)
BSE in North America : consumer perceptions and willingness to pay for tested beef

BY MATTHEW LUKE MOORE, M.A. Washington State University May 2005 Chair: Jill J. McCluskey The objective of this thesis is to better understand consumer preferences for beef after the discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “Mad Cow Disease,” in the United States. This objective is accomplished with an empirical study and willingness to pay for BSE-tested beef. An social accounting matrix (SAM) Input-Output model using IMPLAN to analyze the effect of the demand shock from BSE on the Washington State economy when all beef exports are stopped. The thesis estimates the premium U.S. consumers are willing to pay for beef labeled as BSE-tested as well as factors affecting their willingness to pay (WTP) for the beef. Data was collected in a consumer survey conducted in Seattle, Washington. A double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation model was used to analyze v factors affecting WTP for BSE-tested beef and to estimate a mean WTP for BSE-tested beef. From the survey, consumers consider themselves somewhat knowledgeable about BSE. Consumers know that variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) is contracted from eating BSE-infected beef. However, they had little knowledge about prion diseases. Consumers believe U.S. beef is still somewhat safe and think it is very important to test for BSE. Most consumers prefer beef originating from or produced in Washington and will choose BSE tested beef over regular non-tested beef, assuming equal quality and taste. Over half of the consumers did not change their consumption patterns of beef after the BSE news. Seafood and chicken are the main substitutes for conventional beef when consumption patterns did change. Half of the consumers have taken some precautions when buying beef. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the source respondents’ trust most for a reliable source of BSE information. Most agree on the implementation of a national identification system for beef. The estimated mean that consumers are willing to pay for BSE tested beef over regular non-tested beef is a 58.7% premium. The discrete choice model is used to measure the impacts of food safety concerns, knowledge of BSE, risk, consumption frequency, demographics, price versus safety, and economic growth versus saving the environment. Model estimation reveals three very important factors having a significant impact on this study were how people felt about the overall safety of U.S. beef, whether consumers preferred beef produced in Washington, and the precautions consumers take
Hepatitis C Virus Induces Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activation via CD81 Binding for Viral Internalization and Entry

ABSTRACT While epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been shown to be important in the entry process for multiple viruses, including hepatitis C virus (HCV), the molecular mechanisms by which EGFR facilitates HCV entry are not well understood. Using the infectious cell culture HCV model (HCVcc), we demonstrate that the binding of HCVcc particles to human hepatocyte cells induces EGFR activation that is dependent on interactions between HCV and CD81 but not claudin 1. EGFR activation can also be induced by antibody mediated cross-linking of CD81. In addition, EGFR ligands that enhance the kinetics of HCV entry induce EGFR internalization and colocalization with CD81. While EGFR kinase inhibitors inhibit HCV infection primarily by preventing EGFR endocytosis, antibodies that block EGFR ligand binding or inhibitors of EGFR downstream signaling have no effect on HCV entry. These data demonstrate that EGFR internalization is critical for HCV entry and identify a hitherto-unknown association between CD81 and EGFR.
Cohort selection and word grammar effects for speaker recognition

Automatic speaker recognition systems are maturing and databases have been designed to specifically compare algorithms and results to target error rates. The LDC YOHO speaker verification database was designed to test error rates at the 1% false rejection and 0.1% false acceptance level. This work examines the use of speaker-dependent (SD) monophone models to meet these requirements. By representing each speaker with 22 monophones, both closed-set speaker identification and global-threshold verification was performed. Using four combination lock phrases, speaker identification error rates are obtained at 0.19% for males and 0.31% for females. By defining a test hypothesis, a critical error analysis for speaker verification is developed and new results reported for YOHO. A new Bhattacharyya distance is developed for cohort selection. This method, based on the second order statistics of the enrolment Viterbi log-likelihoods, determines the optimal cohorts and achieves an equal error rate of 0.282%.
An Awfully Big Adventure : Doing Cross-Disciplinary Interventionist Research

INTRODUCTION Going to the movies allows escapism to another world, especially the adventure flicks such as Indiana Jones that are fraught with danger and risk. Yet there was always the discovery of treasure at the end of it all, which made the perils of the journey seem worthwhile. In fact, I was contemplating what had possessed me to elect management accounting as a career instead of archaeology, for example, where was the adventure? Whilst I am not a fan of science fiction, ‘To go boldly where no one has gone before’ seemed like an awfully big adventure to me. I wanted to be a navigator on the USS Enterprise travelling into an unknown universe. In fact, my transition or perilous journey from senior management in commerce into the intimidating universe of academe was going to be the biggest adventure that I would embark upon, second only to my undertaking cross-disciplinary interventionist research (IR) during my PhD. Earning one’s PhD is rewarded with a license to research, a certification of my navigation skills to traverse the gateway into the kingdom of knowledge, the privileged world of an academic. It would seem logical, embarking on this journey, to engage with a PhD that is conventional, safe employ positivist research! It represents rigorous research, relying on the importance of results, describing knowledge, and the reproduction of these results captured in a different study; it provides external validity, advances knowledge and contributes to the evolution of theory. Don’t engage in dangerous and risky research. “. speaking from the heart as well as the head can reveal some of the underlying perspectives and prejudices that shape academic action,” (Hopwood, 2002, p.777). The purpose of this paper is to provide such a ‘head and heart’ or practical and reflective perspective of IR, with the potential to provide useful outcomes for future IR researchers. More specifically to provide an example of how to do IR, using Intervention theory formulated by Argyris (1970) and an intervention research framework constructed by Thomas and Rothman (1994), both of which seemingly have not been used before in accounting research.
Deep brain stimulation: Anatomical, physiological, and computational mechanisms

INTRODUCTION—THE ALBIN AND DELONG MODELModern understanding of the basal ganglia (BG) dates to the Albin and DeLongmodel, which proposed a functional relationship between the nuclei of the BG[striatum, pallidum, substantia nigra, and subthalamic nucleus (STN)] (1,2). Inthis model, the BG controls the initiation and execution of motor programsthrough the interplay of the direct and indirect projection pathways, both ofwhich originate in the striatum (Fig. 1A). According to the model, activation F1of the direct pathway results in inhibition of pallidal output and consequentdisinhibition of thalamocortical projection neurons. Activation of the indirectpathway results in excitation of the internal segment of the globus pallidus
A new chromosome instability disorder

Chromosome analysis in a 31‐year‐old woman referred for primary amenorrhea, revealed a very high incidence of chromosome aberrations. She had microcephaly and immunodeficiency. Her healthy parents were consanguineous (1/32) and a younger sister, also with primary amenorrhea, died when 20 years old with a malignant lymphoma.
Factors affecting the utilization of the internet by internationalizing firms in transition markets: Evidence from Vietnam

Purpose – This study investigates key factors that influence the utilization of the internet by internationalizing firms in one transition market, Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach – A systematic sample of 306 internationalizing firms in Ho Chi Minh City was surveyed to test the theoretical model. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the data.Findings – This study finds that the two key concepts in the technology acceptance model (TAM), perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the internet, can be used to predict internet utilization by organizations. Market orientation is also a predictor of internet utilization. Learning orientation facilitates perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the internet by internationalizing firms, and hence its utilization.Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to investigate other antecedents as well as outcomes of internet utilization by internationalizing firms.Practical implications – This study suggests that progr.
Influence of Grafting Properties of Organic Thin Films for Low Level Electrical Contacts Protection

Thin layers of hard gold can act as good "lubricants" for separable connectors, but because of corrosion and wear mechanisms, additional protection is necessary. Organic thin films can be used in many different forms, from liquid to solid and many studies have been reported in the past. The present work shows the major influence of three properties: - the grafting of the film on the substrate, - the film "cohesion" and packing, - the film surface energy, on the friction behaviour and the electrical characteristics of ball on plane contacts. Usual dedicated devices were used to measure friction and contact resistance values. The molecular properties of the films were analysed with several physico-chemical analysis tools (XPS, contact angle, IR, AFM). Liquid films grafted by functional groups were compared to non grafted ones. Thin solid films of different types (poly(methacrylates) and poly(phenylene)-like) were studied and their friction and electrical properties were analysed in relation to their grafting, surface energy and cohesion characteristics. The results of this study should help tailoring the properties of solid films for electrical contacts protection.
Association between physicians’ interaction with pharmaceutical companies and their clinical practices: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Pharmaceutical company representatives likely influence the prescribing habits and professional behaviors of physicians. The objective of this study was to systematically review the association between physicians’ interactions with pharmaceutical companies and their clinical practices. Methods We used the standard systematic review methodology. Observational and experimental study designs examining any type of targeted interaction between practicing physicians and pharmaceutical companies were eligible. The search strategy included a search of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases up to July 2016. Two reviewers selected studies, abstracted data, and assessed risk of bias in duplicate and independently. We assessed the quality of evidence using the GRADE approach. Results Twenty articles reporting on 19 studies met our inclusion criteria. All of these studies were conducted in high-income countries and examined different types of interactions, including detailing, industry-funded continuing medical education, and receiving free gifts. While all included studies assessed prescribing behaviors, four studies also assessed financial outcomes, one assessed physicians’ knowledge, and one assessed their beliefs. None of the studies assessed clinical outcomes. Out of the 19 studies, 15 found a consistent association between interactions promoting a medication, and inappropriately increased prescribing rates, lower prescribing quality, and/or increased prescribing costs. The remaining four studies found both associations and lack of significant associations for the different types of exposures and drugs examined in the studies. A meta-analysis of six of these studies found a statistically significant association between exposure and physicians’ prescribing behaviors (OR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.82–3.50). The quality of evidence was downgraded to moderate for risk of bias and inconsistency. Sensitivity analysis excluding studies at high risk of bias did not substantially change these results. A subgroup analysis did not find a difference by type of exposure. Conclusion There is moderate quality evidence that physicians’ interactions with pharmaceutical companies are associated with their prescribing patterns and quality.