Association of the modified frailty index with adverse outcomes after penile prosthesis implantation

Objectives: To investigate frailty as a predictor of surgical outcome in elderly patients undergoing penile prosthesis implantation.

Material and methods: A total of 54 elderly patients, above 60 years of age, underwent penile prosthesis implantation between 2012 and 2014. Their data were collected and retrospectively analyzed. A modified frailty index (mFI) was calculated for each patient based on 11 risk factors from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging Frailty Index. The 1-year adverse outcomes were correlated with mFI, patients’ and procedure’s risk factors.

Results: Mean age was 64.9?±?5.2 years. No mortality was reported in our patients, however, one-year adverse outcomes were encountered in 43 (79.6%) patients. Among all studied variables, the 1-year adverse outcomes was not significantly association with mFI, but with preoperative glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (p?=?0.031) and associated Peyronie’s disease (PD) (p?=?0.000). HbA1c, dyslipidemia, hypertension, PD and duration of the procedure were predictive of infection complications (p?Conclusions: mFI is not a predictive of post-penile prosthesis implantation adverse outcomes in elderly patients with impotence. Degree of diabetic control and association with PD was associated with the 1-year adverse outcomes and infection complications.     

Statistical test based on intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses

In this paper, the classical statistical test based on intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses in relation to the underlying population parametric is extended. In this approach, the type-I, type-II, power of test, and p-value are extended for intuitionistic fuzzy hypotheses. Throughout the paper, some applied examples are provided for both parametric and non parametric cases to clarify the discussions.     

Racial/Ethnic Minority Vocational Research Trends: An 11‐Year Update

This study extends Flores et al.'s ( 2006 ) 36‐year analysis of racial/ethnic minority (REM) career research to identify recent trends in choice of topics and leading individual and institutional contributors. The authors identified 166 articles on REM career research published from 2005 to 2015 in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, The Career Development Quarterly, the Journal of Career Assessment, and the Journal of Career Development. Of these studies, 92% were empirical, with more than three quarters of these using quantitative rather than qualitative methodology. Most frequently, the empirical studies (n = 153) were based on samples of high school (30.7%) or undergraduate (34.6%) students. The authors discuss the implications of their findings and suggest ways to expand REM career research in the future.     

Revisiting Fiat Regime’s Attainability of Shari’ah Objectives and Possible Futuristic Alternatives

Maqasid of Shari'ah is a millennium old theory on the higher objectives of Islamic divine law. As the discipline of Islamic economics and finance grew in politico-economic importance in the past three decades, a cathartic trend has emerged among Muslim experts to realign economic and financial practices with not merely the minimum legal requirements of religion but also the wisdom and crucial objectives of Shari'ah. An expositive example of this is the monetary economics debate of a Shari'ah consonant currency. Though vast majority of religious clerics have approbated fiat and paper currencies in strict legal terms since the 1980s, a revisionist movement since the mid-1990s seeks to counter it—some going as far as indorsing reversion to gold and silver coinage of medieval Islamic epoch of affluence. Unlike orthodox fiqhi (strict jurisprudentialism) approach that involves legalese with little leeway, Maqasid approach concerns itself with the spirit of the law. This paper operates in the exciting laboratory of Maqasidic framework to appraise the multitudinous role of fiat currency in protecting economic, political, and social public interests, prevention of harm, promotion of egalitarianism, and attainment of ultimate utopic vision of theological and spiritual demands in Shari'ah. The paper contributes, theoretically, by introducing several moral-philosophical arguments against fiat’s compatibility with Shari'ah, and, practically, by prognosticating the future course of discourse in light of advancements in technological innovations—including nascent crypto-currencies.     

The effects of learning and forgetting on the optimal lot size quantity of intermittent production runs

This paper studies the effects of learning and forgetting on the production lot size problem with infinite and finite planning horizons. It is assumed that the determination of the economic manufactured quantity (EMQ) in the succeeding production run is dependent on: (1) the maximum inventory accumulated prior to interruption; (2) the length of the interruption period which incurs total forgetting; and (3) the level of experience in equivalent units remembered at the start-up of the next production run. The optimum operating inventory doctrines is obtained by trading off procurement cost per unit time and the inventory carrying cost per unit time, so that their sum will be a minimum. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the application of learning and forgetting to the determination of the EMQ.     

Social Networking and Individual Perceptions: Examining Predictors of Participation

Social networking is a process and practice that draws people and organizations together in an electronic medium. This article explores social interaction-based theories to suggest a social networking participation model that may help organizations understand acceptance or rejection of participation. Responses from 191 public administrators were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), focusing on relationships between participation and five constructs: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived improvement potential (PIP), intra-organizational trust, and type of use. The study found favorable model fit statistics that support positive correlations between the latent variables examined and participation in social networking activities. The results demonstrate the potential of the survey instrument to serve as an adoption and participation model to predict and promote social networking activities as they relate to perceived performance improvement.     

Exploring Moderating Effects of Violent Conflict on Household Welfare in a Resource-Constrained Environment: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT

This study examines correlates of household welfare in three countries of sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, using data from the 2004 wave of the Afrobarometer survey. We also assess the role violent conflict might play in influencing this relationship. This subject has become especially relevant today in sub-Saharan Africa, given the growing disfranchisement of vulnerable individuals and households and increased incidents of violent conflict. Insight into the relationship between violent conflict and household welfare may be an important step in understanding why many sub-Saharan African countries have difficulties in stimulating economic growth and welfare. The study sample includes 3,525 respondents. Study findings provide partial support for the hypothesized relationship. Specifically, poverty reduction initiatives and informal assistance are associated with reduced hardship, while violent conflict is related to an increase in hardship. We also note that certain individual and household characteristics are linked to hardship. Practice and policy implications are suggested.     

Corporate governance and the market reaction to stock repurchase announcement

This paper investigates the effect of corporate governance on market reaction around of a stock repurchase announcement. We argue that corporate governance affects the ability of a stock repurchase to alleviate agency costs related to free cash flows, and the credibility of the undervaluation signal sent by the announcement of buyback programs. We find a higher 3-day cumulative abnormal return to programs announced by firms with better corporate governance practices than those with bad governance (1.6% and 0.85% respectively), and the market reaction is significantly higher following the successive scandals in year 2001 (Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom??) and the resulting Sarbanes?COxley Act of 2002. Further investigations indicate that firms with a lower Free Cash Flow to Asset ratio have a higher market reaction, which is consistent with the information signaling hypothesis, and this is more significant in firms with good governance practices, and following post Sarbanes?COxley Act.