Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Governance of Strategic IT Projects: A Nomological Network of the Antecedents of Performance

Increasingly, as firms undertake large, mission-critical, and strategic IT projects, the governance and management of these projects is an important challenge. Though prior research has examined the control and coordination of IS projects, not much attention has been devoted toward understanding what factors influence the governance of IS projects, particularly in terms of the distribution of project decisionmaking rights. Numerous decisions are made on IS projects, such as the integration of business requirements and information technologies and the management of costs and schedules. Despite a prevailing norm encouraging co-leadership of IS projects by business and IS units, it is not clear how and why successful IS projects might actually be governed. Drawing from the governance and project management literatures, we conceptualize IS project governance on the basis of decision-making rights for three key activities: requirements analysis, technical analysis, and budget/schedule management. Further, we identify a variety of factors that could determine how decision-making for these key project activities are organized and develop hypotheses about their impacts on project performance. The hypotheses are tested using matched survey responses from lead business unit and IT executives associated with 58 projects. Our results reveal that the strategic importance of the IS project and the business units’ knowledge about IT are critical antecedents of the degree to which business and IT units are actively engaged in the governance of IS projects. We find that business unit participation in project governance is driven by executives’ perceptions of the strategic importance of the project. The IT unit’s role in governance is negatively influenced by perceptions of strategic importance, but it is positively influenced by both the business unit’s knowledge of IT and the IT unit’s knowledge of business processes. Understanding the drivers of each unit’s role in governance is essential since our results indicate that a greater level of governance for both groups is positively related to project performance.
Material and Device Improvement of GaAsP Top Solar Cells for GaAsP/SiGe Tandem Solar Cells Grown on Si Substrates

With its wide bandgap and good diode performance, GaAsP is an excellent candidate for the top cell in a silicon-based multijunction tandem device. Even though the material is not lattice matched to silicon, inclusion of a graded SiGe buffer between the GaAsP layer and the Si substrate has previously been demonstrated to enable lattice matching. The SiGe layer may then serve as a high-quality current-matched bottom cell to form a tandem dual-junction structure. This paper describes the design, fabrication, analysis, and improvement of the GaAsP top solar cell in a three-terminal GaAsP/SiGe tandem solar cell on a silicon substrate. Uncertified GaAsP top cell efficiencies have been improved from 8.4% to 18.4% with bandgap voltage offsets (Woc) of 0.48 and 0.31 V under concentration factors of 1 and 20 ×, respectively. This progress is made by improved III-V material quality, reduced series resistance, and an addition of antireflection coating. Improving the optics, material quality, and fill factor (FF) should further improve the efficiency of the GaAsP top cell in this tandem structure grown on an Si substrate.
Comparative Study of Factor Structure of Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices

The Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices were administered on group or individual bases to children ranging in age from 4 yr. 9 mo. to 11 yr. 0 mo. (N = 728). Factor analysis yielded three factors: 1. Perceptual closure involving complex figures and patterns with heterogeneous inner structures, 2. Concrete and abstract reasoning, 3. Completion of homogeneous patterns and recognition of given elements. Factor matrix comparisons across age groups resulted in a mean similarity coefficient of . 75. Comparisons of data with earlier analyses also resulted in high similarity. This supports the hypothesis of a three-factor structure rather than a four-factor solution or a simple dual classification into items which can be solved by perceptual processes and those which require conceptual solutions.
An Evaluation of the Federal Tax Credit for Scientific Research and Experimental Development

Canada has one of the world's most generous tax regimes for private research and development (R&D), with a federal tax credit of 20% to 35% on a broad range of eligible spending. This paper evaluates the federal scientific research and experimental development tax credit, taking into consideration the responsiveness of the private sector to changes in the price of R&D, the spillovers on the rest of the economy from the additional R&D, the economic cost of raising taxes to fund the credit and the administration and compliance costs associated with the credit. The key parameters used in the evaluation were determined after an extensive review of the recent empirical literature. Based on this review, the study concludes that the SR&ED tax credit generates a net economic gain for Canada. JEL classification: H23, H2; O3.
Affiliation to the work market after curative treatment of head-and-neck cancer: A population-based study from the DAHANCA database

Abstract Objectives. Survivors of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) are more severely affected in regard to affiliation to the work market than other cancer survivors. Few studies have investigated associations between socioeconomic and disease-related factors and work market affiliation after curative treatment of HNSCC. We investigated the factors for early retirement pension due to disability and unemployment in patients who had been available for work one year before diagnosis. Methods. In a nationwide, population-based cohort study, data on 2436 HNSCC patients treated curatively in 1992–2008 were obtained from the Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group database and linked to Danish administrative population-based registries to obtain demographic and socioeconomic variables. We used multivariate logistic regression models to assess associations between socioeconomic factors (education, income and cohabitating status), cancer-specific variables such as tumour site and stage, comorbidity, early retirement pension and unemployment, with adjustment for age, gender and year of diagnosis. Results. Short education [odds ratio (OR) 4.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2–10.4], low income (OR 3.2; 95% CI 1.8–5.8), living alone (OR 3.0; 95% CI 2.1–4.4) and having a Charlson comorbidity index score of 3 or more (OR 5.9; 95% CI 3.1–11) were significantly associated with early retirement overall and in all site groups. For the subgroup of patients who were employed before diagnosis, the risk pattern was similar. Tumour stage was not associated with early retirement or unemployment. Conclusions. Cancer-related factors were less strongly associated with early retirement and unemployment than socioeconomic factors and comorbidity. Clinicians treating HNSCC patients should be aware of the socioeconomic factors related to work market affiliation in order to provide more intensive social support or targeted rehabilitation for this patient group.
Children's pain vocabulary.

This paper will address children's pain vocabulary, that is, the self-reported words provided by the children, in a descriptive study carried out to examine how a group of school-age children view their pain. This was an initial step to demonstrate that children can describe pain and do possess a pain vocabulary. Our aim was to determine the feasibility of achieving a meaningful grouping of children's pain words and the pain intensity implied by the words. A sample of 40 school-age children were the subjects for this study. All the pain word descriptors used by the children in response to the question 'Can you think of words to describe what pain feels like? ' were categorized on the basis of the Melzack classification.
Biomechanical Properties and Vascularity of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft can be Predicted by Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging has been used to determine graft integrity and study the remodeling process of anterior cruciate ligament grafts morphologically in humans. The goal of the present study was to compare graft signal intensity and morphologic characteristics on magnetic resonance imaging with biomechanical and histologic parameters in a long-term animal model. Thirty sheep underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with an autologous Achilles tendon split graft and were sacrificed after 6, 12, 24, 52, or 104 weeks. Before sacrifice, all animals underwent plain and contrast-enhanced (gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentacetic acid) magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T, proton density weighted, 2-mm sections) of their operated knees. The signal/noise quotient was calculated and data were correlated to the maximum load to failure, tensile strength, and stiffness of the grafts. The vascularity of the grafts was determined immunohistochemically by staining for endothelial cells (factor VIII). We found that high signal intensity on magnetic resonance imaging reflects a decrease of mechanical properties of the graft during early remodeling. Correlation analyses revealed significant negative linear correlations between the signal/noise quotient and the load to failure, stiffness, and tensile strength. In general, correlations for contrast-enhanced measurements of signal intensity were stronger than those for plain magnetic resonance imaging. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that contrast medium enhancement reflects the vascular status of the graft tissue during remodeling. We conclude that quantitatively determined magnetic resonance imaging signal intensity may be a useful tool for following the graft remodeling process in a noninvasive manner.
An Investigation of the Companies’ Liquidity and the Factors Affecting It: The Case of Poland

This study investigates empirically the liquidity of non financial companies in Poland, as measured by static measures such as the current and quick ratios and the dynamic measure of the cash conversion cycle, since the accurate measurement of liquidity and its consequences for the value of a firm is a major issue for managers and academicians. The results indicated a negative relation between: a) the cash conversion cycle and the firm’s profitability, b) the size of the company and its liquidity and c) the indebtness of the company and its liquidity. As an inference, all three measures should be used simultaneously by the firm’s stakeholders, because they complement each other and they give more insights about the company’s performance, helping the firm’s stakeholders in making correct and rational decisions regarding the underlying company.
The calpain inhibitor MDL‐28170 and the AMPA/KA receptor antagonist CNQX inhibit neurofilament degradation and enhance neuronal survival in kainic acid‐treated hippocampal slice cultures

The cytoskeleton controls the architecture and survival of the central nervous system neurons by maintaining the stability of axons, dendrites and cellular architecture, and any disturbance in this genuine structure could compromise cell survival. The developmentally regulated intracellular intermediate filament protein neurofilament (NF), composed of the light (NF‐L), medium (NF‐M) and high (NF‐H) molecular weight isoforms, is expressed abundantly in nerve cells but its significance in nerve cell survival in stress situations in the brain is unknown. We have used Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and Fluoro‐Jade B and thionin stainings to clarify the effect of kainic acid (KA) treatment on NF protein stability, and its importance for neuronal survival in hippocampal slice cultures. The contribution of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) and α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/KA glutamate receptor subtypes, calpain proteases and l‐type Ca2+‐channels to these processes were also assessed. Our results indicated that KA‐induced degradation of NF was a fast process, similarly affecting all three NF proteins. It was effectively inhibited by the AMPA/KA receptor antagonist CNQX and the calpain inhibitor MDL‐28170, whereas the Ca2+‐channel blocker nifedipine and the NMDA receptor antagonist MK‐801 had no significant effect. Moreover, KA‐induced neuronal damage was effectively decreased in cultures treated with CNQX and MDL‐28170. Our results suggest that the stability of NF proteins is an important factor contributing to neuronal survival after excitotoxic injury, and that both AMPA/KA receptor antagonists and calpain inhibitors might serve as neuroprotectants against this type of insult in the immature hippocampus.
Two phases of HIV RNA decay in CSF during initial days of multidrug therapy

Background: Defining cellular and tissue sources of HIV-1 in CSF is important for understanding disease pathogenesis and optimal therapies for HIV infection in the brain. Objective: To identify the time of maximal viral decay in CSF during the initial days of antiretroviral therapy. Methods: Serial CSF and plasma data were available from four adults who underwent ultraintensive CSF sampling for 48 hours at baseline and again beginning 72 hours after starting antiretroviral therapy. Regression lines were generated using HIV-1 RNA data from 17 on-treatment serial CSF samples obtained at 3-hour intervals. Viral RNA was quantified by Nuclisens® and Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor® assays. Results: Extrapolation of regression lines intersected baseline below actual baseline CSF HIV-1 RNA concentrations, indicating that virus decayed most rapidly on days 1 through 3 with half-lives of no more than 0.9 to 2.8 days. Half-lives on days 4 and 5 ranged from 1.3 to 4.9 days. Plasma data also showed early rapid decay. Conclusions: Multiple phases of viral decay suggest that virus in CSF originates from at least two sources during untreated, asymptomatic HIV-1 infection. The short half-life indicates that the primary source is CD4+ T cells. Sampling during days 1 through 3 and different stages of disease will better define sources of virus.
Closed-Form Hop-Count Distributions in Random Networks with Arbitrary Routing

We contribute a new solution to the problem of establishing an analytical relationship between hop-counts under a certain routing policy and Euclidean distances in random networks, both in the linear and planar cases. The contributed solution is unified, in that hop-count distributions have similar expressions both in the 1D and the 2D cases; general in terms of routing policies, in that the effect of any given policy is accounted for by means of a single parameter; closed-form, such that hop-count probability mass functions (PMF's) are given in terms of scaled versions of the closed-form PMF's of the number of nodes; and mathematically tractable, since the derived hop-count distributions are in the form of a difference of the well-known Nakagami-m cumulative density functions (CDF's). Direct and Kullback-Leibler divergence comparisons against empirical data demonstrate the high accuracy of our solution. The simplicity, accuracy and generality of the result owes partly to a self-imposed confinement to connected networks, defined formally in stochastic-geometric terms, which allows for the elimination of recursions and multivariate marginalization commonly required by existing solutions. The contributed results find application in the design and analysis of ad hoc networks, cooperative localization algorithms or latency and energy consumption analysis.
The Chimpanzee as an Animal Model for Investigating Alcoholism

Young chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) will accept ethanol in quantities sufficient to produce symptoms of withdrawal when ethanol is subsequently discontinued. Mild to severe symptoms of physical dependence, including grand mal seizures, are observed when ethanol is abruptly withdrawn after 6 to 10 weeks of chronic oral intake. In addition, the rate of disappearance of ethanol in blood increased during periods of chronic ingestion, an indication of developing metabolic tolerance. These results suggest that the young chimpanzee may be a suitable model for experimental studies of alcoholism.
The Convergent Validity of Four Burnout Measures in a Chinese Sample: A Confirmatory Factor‐Analytic Approach

The purpose of this paper is to study the convergent validity of the four most widely used burnout measures in a sample of Chinese nurses (N = 717). First, Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the factor structure of scores produced by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBIGS), the Burnout Measure (BM), the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM), and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Next, several competing models were tested to investigate the convergent validity of these four burnout instruments. The final results suggest that burnout is best conceived of as a multidimensional construct consisting of exhaustion and withdrawal, which are two related but conceptually distinct aspects. In addition, positively phrased items should be dropped from burnout measures for they constitute a separate factor that is considered to be an artifact.
Determination of Structural Principles Underlying Three Different Modes of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Escape from CTL Recognition1

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection of H-2b mice generates a strong CD8+ CTL response mainly directed toward three immunodominant epitopes, one of which, gp33, is presented by both H-2Db and H-2Kb MHC class I molecules. This CTL response acts as a selective agent for the emergence of viral escape variants. These variants generate altered peptide ligands (APLs) that, when presented by class I MHC molecules, antagonize CTL recognition and ultimately allow the virus to evade the cellular immune response. The emergence of APLs of the gp33 epitope is particularly advantageous for LCMV, as it allows viral escape in the context of both H-2Db and H-2Kb MHC class I molecules. We have determined crystal structures of three different APLs of gp33 in complex with both H-2Db and H-2Kb. Comparison between these APL/MHC structures and those of the index gp33 peptide/MHC reveals the structural basis for three different strategies used by LCMV viral escape mutations: 1) conformational changes in peptide and MHC residues that are potential TCR contacts, 2) impairment of APL binding to the MHC peptide binding cleft, and 3) introduction of subtle changes at the TCR/pMHC interface, such as the removal of a single hydroxyl group.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF STOCK HOLDINGS OF FOREIGN AND LOCAL INVESTORS IN THE INDONESIAN STOCK EXCHANGE (IDX)

This study provides an overview of the characteristics of stockholdings of foreign and local investors in terms of firm sizes, price levels and liquidity. There are four key findings. First, the IDX is a highly concentrated market and foreign investors dominate the ownership of high market capitalization stocks. Second, foreign investors trade less frequently than domestic counterparts. Third, small, illiquid lower priced stocks dominate this market with domestic individual investors holding most of the stocks with these characteristics. Finally, the paper profits of foreign institutional and domestic individual investors are found to be higher than those of domestic institutional investors.
Contraceptive Use and Sexual Behavior in Obese Women

Abstract Obesity and unintended pregnancy differentially affect women based on sociodemographic factors. Because of the overlap of these factors, obesity and unintended pregnancy have been described as colliding epidemics. Understanding the relationship between obesity and unintended pregnancy, contraceptive use, and sexual behavior is important in improving the reproductive health of women given the increasing weight demographic. A review of the literature reveals contraceptive use versus nonuse does not differ in women of different body weights. Obese women use oral contraceptives less than normal weight women and are more likely to use procedural methods like sterilization. No difference was noted in most types of sexual behavior for women of different body weights.
Expression and nutritional regulation of lipogenic genes in mammary gland and adipose tissues of lactating goats.

While the effect of long-chain fatty acids on adipose tissue (AT) lipogenic activities has been described in non-lactating ruminants (Vernon, 1977), little is known about their effects on the mammary gland and the AT in lactating animals. However, in cows in mid lactation, duodenal rapeseed oil infusion decreased the rate of fatty acid (FA) synthesis in AT and increased milk yield of long-chain FA (18[ratio ]1, 18[ratio ]2 and 18[ratio ]3) and decreased medium-chain FA (14[ratio ]0 and 16[ratio ]0), suggesting a depressive effect of fat feeding on mammary lipid synthesis de novo (Chilliard et al. 1991). On the other hand, in goat species, the addition of vegetable lipids to the diet led to an increase in the milk fat content and yield (Chilliard et al. 2003) suggesting that the possible negative effect of long-chain FA on FA synthesis in the lactating mammary gland could be more than compensated by increasing the supply of FA brought to the mammary gland for milk synthesis. Elsewhere, AT from various anatomical sites are characterized by different FA composition in goat (Bas et al. 1987) together with different patterns of lipogenic gene expression in sheep (Barber et al. 2000). These results suggest that each AT site is characterized by a specific metabolism. However, in lactating ruminants, few data are available on the extent of expression and regulation of genes coding for lipogenic enzymes in AT. Therefore, the current study was performed in three lipogenic tissues of lactating goats, namely the mammary gland, an internal AT site (perirenal AT) and an external AT site (subcutaneous AT).
Entrepreneurial Networks in the Micro-Business Sector: Examining Differences Across Gender and Business Stage

Abstract In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 entrepreneurs from a variety of micro businesses in Nova Scotia to explore entrepreneurial networks. Results indicate women's networks are no more formal than men's, however, informal network members such as family and friends and those in other businesses were more frequently cited by women than by men. Both those in the startup and ongoing stages rely more on informal than formal networks. Participants tended not to belong to formal networking organizations. Overwhelmingly, participants viewed their networks as successful with benefits seen largely in terms of advice and sales. Micro entrepreneurs tend not to have a clear view of their networks which are small and not particularly diverse. Implications are discussed.
Amisulpride overdose: suggested management of prolonged QTc

A case of amisulpride overdose is presented and its effect on prolonging the QT (corrected) interval is discussed. Amisulpride is used for the treatment of schizophrenia and part of its safety profile is that is has no effect on the QT interval in therapeutic doses. The efficacy of intravenous calcium in restoring the QT to normal is proposed.