Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Shared Understanding in Distributed Scrum Development: an Empirical Analysis

Originally, agile information systems development (ISD) methods such as Scrum are intended for co-located teams. Recent research efforts provide initial evidence of the applicability of Scrum in distributed environments. What is missing so far, however, are theoretical conceptualizations that explain these findings as well as confirmatory studies that validate those exploratory results. We address this gap by investigating the influence of team distribution on project success, with a focus on shared understanding. Drawing on Shared Mental Models Theory, we investigate the building and maintaining of shared understanding among team members. We conducted a field study in a software product development company and employ a quantitative survey design, which is complemented by seven semi-structured interviews. We find that the level of team distribution does not moderate the highly significant effect of shared understanding on project success. We consult our qualitative data to provide explanations for this surprising finding.
A comparison of system (02 and C02) and C-14 measurements of metabolism in estuarine mesocosms

Metabolism in estuarine mesocosms was measured by total system oxygen and carbon dioxide and by C-14 bottle incubations to determine the effects of nutrient enrichment (6 levels) over a 9 mo period. These data provided an unprecedented opportunity for calculating metabolic ratios (photosynthetic quotient [P.Q.] and respiratory quotient [R.Q.] ) based on the 3 measures of metabolism and determining the impact of other system processes. System metabolism ratios based on daily data varied from 0 to 5.0. System metabolism ratios of P.Q. and R Q. based on integrated data were highly correlated (r = 0.95 to 0.96) and similar to traditional ratios obtained in phytoplankton studies. A system photosynthetic quotient of 1.2 and a system respiratory quotient of 1.1 were calculated from the integrated data. These ratios were only slightly affected by carbon dioxide diffusion and 3 benthic processes: denitrification, sulfur metabolism and calcium carbonate dissolution. There was no trend for system metabolism ratios up the nutrient gradient. The C-14 estimations of productivity appeared nitrogen limited in the lower nutrient treatments and provided lower estimates than the 2 system measures of production
Early versus potential adopters: Exploring the antecedents of use intention in the context of retail service innovations

Purpose – The success of retail service innovations is contingent upon a thorough understanding of the antecedent factors that drive adoption intention. Using the example of a novel kiosk technology, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the antecedents of kiosk use intention and to find out how perceptions of antecedent factors vary among potential and early adopters.Design/methodology/approach – Based on the “Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology” and the technology readiness (TR) concept, the proposed framework identifies several factors underlying adoption intention. The framework is tested on potential and early adopters of a kiosk system recently launched by Taiwan's largest convenience retailer.Findings – Results show that while performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence impact overall use intention, the perceptions of these antecedents vary significantly between potential versus early users. Further, individual TR does not intervene with .
A 2.7Gb/s/mm2 0.9pJ/b/chip 1coil/channel ThruChip interface with coupled-resonator-based CDR for NAND Flash memory stacking

This paper presents an inductive-coupling interface for NAND Flash memory stacking whose bandwidth per unit area is 2.7Gb/s/mm2 and energy consumption per chip is 0.9pJ/b/chip. The bandwidth is increased by 10× (in other words, layout area is reduced to 1/10 for the same data rate), and the energy consumption is reduced by half, both compared to the latest research results [1]. A relayed transmission scheme using one coil is proposed to reduce the number of coils in a data link. Coupled resonation is utilized for clock and data recovery (CDR) for the first time in the world, resulting in elimination of a source synchronous clock link. As a result, total number of coils needed to form a channel is reduced from 6 to 1, yielding the significant improvement in data rate, layout area and energy consumption.
BAL9141, a Novel Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin Active against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Treatment of Experimental Endocarditis

ABSTRACT The therapeutic efficacy of BAL9141 (formerly Ro 63-9141), a novel cephalosporin with broad in vitro activity that also has activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), was investigated in rats with experimental endocarditis. The test organisms were homogeneously methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain COL transformed with the penicillinase-encoding plasmid pI524 (COL Bla+) and homogeneously methicillin-resistant, penicillinase-producing isolate P8-Hom, selected by serial exposure of parent strain P8 to methicillin. The MICs of BAL9141 for these organisms (2 mg/liter) were low, and BAL9141was bactericidal in time-kill curve studies after 24 h of exposure to either two, four, or eight times the MIC. Rats with experimental endocarditis were treated in a three-arm study with a continuous infusion of BAL5788 (formerly Ro 65-5788), a carbamate prodrug of BAL9141, or with amoxicillin-clavulanate or vancomycin. The rats were administered BAL9141 to obtain steady-state target levels of 20, 10, and 5 mg of per liter or were administered either 1.2 g of amoxicillin-clavulanate (ratio 5:1) every 6 h or 1 g of vancomycin every 12 h at changing flow rates to simulate the pharmacokinetics produced in humans by intermittent intravenous treatment. Treatment was started 12 h after bacterial challenge and lasted for 3 days. BAL9141 was successful in the treatment of experimental endocarditis due to either MRSA isolate COL Bla+ or MRSA isolate P8-Hom at the three targeted steady-state concentrations and sterilized >90% of cardiac vegetations (P < 0.005 versus controls; P < 0.05 versus amoxicillin-clavulanate and vancomycin treatment groups). These promising in vivo results with BAL9141 correlated with the high affinity of the drug for PBP 2a and its stability to penicillinase hydrolysis observed in vitro.
The behaviour of nuclear structures during depletion and restoration of Nissl material in motor neurons.

Electrical stimulation of motor cell axons is a convenient and effective method of producing extensive depletion of Nissl material in the parent cell bodies (Barr & Bertram, 1949). In the present study, this method has been used in order to observe the behaviour of certain nuclear structures during depletion and restoration of Nissl material. With the basic dye cresyl violet, components of the cell which contain large amounts of nucleic acid stain intensely, due to the phosphoric acid component of the nucleic acid molecule. The Nissl material of the cytoplasm is known to contain nucleic acid of the ribose type, in the form of nucleoprotein. The same type of nucleic acid is present in the large nucleolus, or plasmasome, so characteristic of the nerve cell nucleus. In the cat, the nucleolar satellite is the only intranuclear structure, other than the nucleolus, which appears well defined with the cresyl violet stain. The satellite, although much smaller than the nucleolus, is large enough to be readily examined in nerve cells of female cats, but lies at the limit of visibility, with an oil-immersion objective and ordinary illumination, in male cats (Barr & Bertram, 1949; Barr, Bertram & Lindsay, 1950). The nucleolar satellite, unlike the nucleolus and Nissl material, contains nucleic acid of the desoxyribose type. The neuron, therefore, lends itself especially well to a study of the relationship between cytoplasmic nucleoproteins and certain nuclear structures of similar chemical composition. Interest in the present experiments arises from the fundamentally important role of the nucleic acids in cellular physiology. It is likely that information derived from the neuron concerning the structures responsible for the synthesis of cytoplasmic nucleic acids will apply to other cells characterized by large nucleoli and abundant cytoplasmic nucleoproteins. Obvious examples are to be found among rapidly growing and dividing cells such as occur in embryonic tissues, haematopoietic areas and malignant tumours.
Understanding the adoption and use of information systems/information technology in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises : a study in Portuguese industry

This research analysed factors and sets of factors that affect and explain the varying levels of success in the adoption and use of IS/IT (Information Systems/Information Technology) in Portuguese manufacturing SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). The study set out to fill a gap in knowledge not covered by previous research into the area of IS/IT in SMEs. Existing work was found to be of limited relevance or was out-of-date, due to the rapid evolution of IS/IT, and did not address the Portuguese context. The study followed a realist approach to social enquiry. Seeking to explain IS/IT success, it is necessary to understand the perspectives and social relationships amongst the key actors involved in the process of IS/IT adoption and use. Case study research was undertaken in twelve SMEs operating in the Portuguese manufacturing industry. A total of 56 interviews were conducted with top managers, IS/IT managers, IS/IT staff, and IS/IT suppliers. The factors identified as associated with IS/IT success were clustered into four categories according to their perceived relevance. Interrelationships amongst factors were established and the common patterns across firms with similar levels of IS/IT adoption and success were analysed. This research demonstrates that a combination of factors were determinant to explain IS/IT adoption and success. These are related to the involvement of the top managers in the process of IS/IT adoption and use, and to the development of IS/IT competencies, in-house or in associated IS/IT suppliers. Of particular importance is the presence of an individual in the firm with IS/IT knowledge, CEO trust, and a view on how to incorporate IS/IT in the strategic development of the firm. In the SMEs that were more successful in adopting and using IS/IT, the establishment of co-operative links with IS/IT suppliers was essentially based on personal relationships or ownership of the IS/IT enterprise, rather than on contractual relationships. The findings were validated by comparison with existing theory, and resource-based theory was found to provide a coherent explanation of the results of the empirical work.
Colorectal distention in the horse: visceral sensitivity, rectal compliance and effect of i.v. xylazine or intrarectal lidocaine.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Most current models of visceral sensitivity testing in the horse have required visceral cannulation. Colorectal distention (CRD) is a widely used, noninvasive method for testing in other species and could be adapted for use in horses. OBJECTIVES To develop a protocol of controlled CRD in the conscious horse and to evaluate the effect of i.v. xylazine or intrarectal lidocaine on CRD threshold and rectal compliance. METHODS Eight horses were used for baseline studies (3 trials each) and 6 horses to evaluate treatments (4 trials, 2 per treatment). A 45 cm diameter polyvinyl balloon attached to plastic tubing was used for rectal distention following a stepwise barostat-controlled inflation pattern. RESULTS The procedure was well tolerated by all horses. Mean baseline threshold pressure was 14.17 mmHg. Xylazine i.v. resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) higher mean threshold pressures compared to baseline or rectal lidocaine. Rectal compliance increased following lidocaine treatment relative to baseline or xylazine. CONCLUSIONS CRD offers a noninvasive method for visceral sensitivity testing in the horse. Xylazine raises CRD threshold, while lidocaine increases rectal compliance. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE The increased rectal compliance following intrarectal lidocaine administration may explain the benefit of its use to facilitate rectal examination.
Investigating the Social Dimension of Alignment: Focusing on Communication and Knowledge Sharing

Strategic alignment has been viewed as one of the main concerns of management and IT executives. While the importance of alignment and the benefits that can result from it are not questioned, achieving and maintaining alignment is still a major concern facing organizations. This research focuses on the social dimension of alignment, and in particular on the two factors of communication and knowledge sharing. Five IT companies were selected for this empirical case study. The findings of the research revealed that the consistency of communication and knowledge sharing leading to alignment between IT and business objectives is of a high level. However the extent to which they can lead to alignment is affected by other factors that can inhibit or enhance their ability to achieve a seamless alignment outcome.
Altered ulnar nerve kinematic behavior in a cadaver model of entrapment.

BACKGROUND Ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow is more than a compressive lesion of the nerve. The tensile biomechanical consequences of entrapment are currently marginally understood. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of tethering on the kinematics of the ulnar nerve as a model of entrapment neuropathy. METHODS The ulnar nerve was exposed in 7 fresh cadaver arms, and markers were placed at 1-cm increments along the nerve, centered on the retrocondylar region. Baseline translation (pure sliding) and strain (stretch) were measured in response to progressively increasing tension produced by varying configurations of elbow flexion and wrist extension. Then the nerves were tethered by suturing to the cubital tunnel retinaculum and again exposed to progressively increasing tension from joint positioning. RESULTS In the native condition, for all joint configurations, the articular segment of the ulnar nerve exhibited greater strain than segments proximal and distal to the elbow, with a maximum strain of 28 ± 1% and translation of 11.6 ± 1.8 mm distally. Tethering the ulnar nerve suppressed translation, and the distal segment experienced strains that were more than 50% greater than its maximum strain in an untethered state. CONCLUSION This work provides a framework for evaluating regional nerve kinematics. Suppressed translation due to tethering shifted the location of high strain from articular to more distal regions of the ulnar nerve. The authors hypothesize that deformation is thus shifted to a region of the nerve less accustomed to high strains, thereby contributing to the development of ulnar neuropathy.
Analysis of the incidence and risk factors for the progression of proximal junctional kyphosis following surgical treatment for lumbar degenerative kyphosis: minimum 2-year follow-up

Abstract Background context. Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) following surgical treatment of lumbar degenerative kyphosis (LDK) is one of the critical complications leading to the failure of instrumentation and additional extensive surgery. However, most previous studies have focused on idiopathic scoliosis resulting from variable surgical techniques. LDK usually differ from other scoliotic deformities in terms of patient characteristics and disease mechanisms. Purpose. Identification of the prevalence of PJK after the surgical treatment of LDK and searching for the predictable value for the progression of PJK. Study design. Retrospective comparative study. Patient sample (must be included in clinical studies). Forty-seven consecutive patients who underwent surgical correction of a sagittal imbalance due to LDK, from January 2005 to December 2008 in a single spine clinic, were evaluated with a minimum 2 years follow-up (mean 3.8 years). Methods. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with or without the occurrence of PJK, and three categorized factors according to patient characteristics, surgical variables, and the radiographic spinopelvic parameters were evaluated. Results. PJK had occurred in 29 of 47 patients (61.7%). Among variable factors, old age, upper-instrumented vertebra below L2, lumbar lordosis to PI ratio, and the sum of lumbar lordosis, and the sacral slope related to PI were found to be statistically significant. Conclusions. The overall incidence of PJK following surgical treatment of LDK patients was higher than expected. Spinal biomechanics may be changed after long instrumented fusion surgery. Thorough consideration of these factors is needed in the treatment strategy of LDK patients. A long-term follow-up study should be conducted.
Value impact of M&As and the listing status of target firms A survey of new evidence

บทคดยอ บทสรปทวา การควบรวมกจการ (acquisitions) โดยปกตแลวทำลายความมงคงของผถอหนในบรษทผซอนนถกดงมาจากการพบเหนการควบรวมทบรษทผขายไดรบการจดทะเบยนในตลาดหลกทรพย ในชวงการประกาศเสนอการควบรวมนนอยางดทสดผถอหนในบรษทผซอจะเสมอตว (break-even) และบอยครงทสญเสยความมงคง แตทวาประมาณรอยละ 80 ของการควบรวมกจการในตลาดซอขาย อำนาจในการควบคมกจการทมความตนตวมากทสดในโลกนน บรษทผขายไมไดจดทะเบยนในตลาดหลกทรพย ในการวเคราะหการควบรวมกจการของบรษทผขายทไมไดจดทะเบยนในตลาดหลกทรพยนน งานวจยในระยะหลงๆพบอยางสมำเสมอวา บรษทผซอไดกำไรเหนอระดบปกตอยางมากและอยางมนยสำคญทางสถต ซงตรงกนขามกบผลกระทบตอมลคาจากการควบรวมกจการของบรษททไดรบการจดทะเบยนในตลาดหลกทรพย หลกฐานงานวจยพวกใหมทสอดคลองกนน แมวาจะเพงเกดใหม กเปนการเรยกถามความนาเชอถอขององคความรเดมทมเกยวกบการตดสนใจทำการควบรวมกจการ และชถงความจำเปนในการหาคำอธบายอนๆสำหรบผลกระทบตอมลคาจากการทำการควบรวมกจการ อยางไรกตามหลกฐานงานวจยเกยวกบผลกระทบตอความมงคงขนทายสดจากการควบรวมกจการของบรษททไมไดจดทะเบยนในตลาดหลกทรพยนนมเพยงเบาบางและหางไกลจากการนำมาเปนขอสรปได การเรยนรเกยวกบการควบรวมกจการของบรษทผขายทไมไดจดทะเบยนในตลาดหลกทรพยนนอยางตองดำเนนตอไปอกมาก Abstract The much celebrated conclusion that acquisitions typically destroy shareholders’ wealth was drawn from the experiences of acquisitions of targets that are listed on a stock exchange: acquirer shareholders typically breakeven at best, and often earn significant value losses, on bid announcement. However, around 80% of the M&A population in the world’s most active markets for corporate control involve targets that are unlisted companies. When analyzing acquisitions of unlisted targets, the recent studies persistently find that the acquirers earn a large and significant announcement-period abnormal return, which is in sharp contrast with the value impact of listed-target acquisitions. This body of new and consistent evidence, though emerging, calls into question the generalizability of the traditional wisdom on the decision to acquire corporate control and requires alternative explanations for the value impact of M&As. Yet, evidence on the ultimate wealth effects of acquisitions of unlisted targets is still sparse and far from conclusive. Much remains to be learned about deals involving an unlisted target.
Penetration of Vancomycin into Epithelial Lining Fluid in Healthy Volunteers

ABSTRACT Although vancomycin is often regarded as an agent that concentrates poorly in the lower respiratory tract, as determined from concentrations in epithelial lining fluid (ELF), few data are available. This study sought to determine the profile of vancomycin exposure in the ELF relative to plasma. Population modeling and Monte Carlo simulation were employed to estimate the penetration of vancomycin into ELF. Plasma and ELF pharmacokinetic (PK) data were obtained from 10 healthy volunteers. Concentration-time profiles in plasma and ELF were simultaneously modeled using a three-compartment model with zero-order infusion and first-order elimination and transfer using the big nonparametric adaptive grid (BigNPAG) program. Monte Carlo simulation with 9,999 subjects was performed to calculate the ELF/plasma penetration ratios by estimating the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in ELF (AUCELF) and plasma (AUCplasma) after a single simulated 1,000-mg dose. The mean (standard deviation) AUCELF/AUCplasma penetration ratio was 0.675 (0.677), and the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile penetration ratios were 0.265, 0.474, and 0.842, respectively. Our results indicate that vancomycin penetrates ELF at approximately 50% of plasma levels. To properly judge the adequacy of current doses and schedules employed in practice, future studies are needed to delineate the PK/PD (pharmacodynamics) target for vancomycin in ELF. If the PK/PD target in ELF is found to be consistent with the currently proposed target of an AUC/MIC of ≥400, suboptimal probability of target attainment would be expected when vancomycin is utilized for pneumonias due to MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) with MICs in excess of 1 mg/liter.
Evaluating Consumer Usage of Nutritional Labeling: The Influence of Socio-Economic Characteristics

The majority of consumers report making frequent use of nutritional labeling when purchasing food products. However, certain segments appear to place a greater emphasis on food product labels than others. This study empirically evaluates which demographic characteristics encourage consumers to be more likely to take nutritional labels into account when purchasing grocery products. The results indicate that females, older individuals, and those living in suburban and rural areas are the most likely to make use of nutritional labeling. The results also indicate that larger households were less likely to use nutritional labeling.
The narrative structure as a citation context in data papers: A preliminary analysis of Scientific Data

The data paper is a new type of scientific publication aiming to describe data objects per se and bridge the gaps between scientific writing and data‐driven scientific practice. Despite its importance, we are still largely in the dark as to the narrative structure of this emerging genre of scientific writing. In this poster, we presented and discussed some preliminary empirical evidence of the narrative structure of data papers and the distribution of cited sources in relation to this structure, based on a manual examination of 40 data papers from the journal of Scientific Data. Our findings suggest that even though data papers have a different structure from research papers, their paper sections bear distinct narrative functions as illustrated by the pattern of citation distribution. Moreover, some of these sections have similar functions to their counterparts in research papers. The implications of our initial findings and the next step of our project were explained in conclusion.
Does Improving Customer Satisfaction Really Increase the Market Value of Equity? - Revisiting the ACSI Customer Satisfaction Data

In a recent article, Fornell et al. (2006) propose that customer satisfaction is a potent driver of corporate market value of equity (MVE). Using data from ACSI from the years 1994-2007 comprising a total of 1,057 observations from 107 firms, we apply an autoregressive, distributed lag model to the data and can confirm that the influence of CS on MVE is significant, when all firms are pooled. Pooling, however, is inappropriate if it is done across heterogeneous sub-samples without addressing group-level effects. Unpooled regression of MVE on CS reveals large heterogeneity among firms with regard to the influence of CS on MVE. Hierarchical random coefficient models with partial pooling are then applied to account for firm heterogeneity, while assuming that firms are exchangeable. We find that, for the vast majority of companies, there is no significant relationship between CS and MVE. The same finding results from two different industry level models. It is concluded that the significant influence of CS on MVE as reported by Fornell et al. is a case of Simpson’s paradox. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.