On the status of the phoneme /b/ in heritage speakers of spanish

Aquest estudi examina les produccions intervocàliques de /b/ per part de parlants d’herència de l’espanyol residents als Estats Units. Es van dividir un total d’onze parlants en dos grups en base al grau d’exposició a l’espanyol en l’entorn domèstic, i tots van completar unes tasques de lectura i descripció d’imatges dissenyades per tal d’obtenir la producció de /b/ intervocàlica mostrant variació en la posició dins de la paraula, l’accent sil·làbic i l’ortografia. Segons els resultats del model d’efectes mixtos, tots dos grups clarament van realitzar tres al·lòfons amb variació en mode d’articulació, però el grup amb més experiència domèstica amb l’espanyol va aplicar una regla fonològica d’espirantizació a una aproximant pura amb més freqüència en totes les dades. Els al·lòfons aproximants tensos i oclusius menys similars a la producció meta apareixen més en la tasca de lectura, en síl·labes accentuades, i en el grup amb menys exposició a l’espanyol. D’altra banda, la posició dins de la paraula interactua amb el grup i la tasca per donar lloc a formes menys similars a la producció meta. Els resultats posen èmfasi en la influència del context lingüístic, l’ortografia, i la demanda cognitiva de les tasques a l’hora d’explicar la producció fonètica i fonològica dels parlants

Management of Information Technology Outsourcing Relationships: The Role of Service Level Agreements

Existing studies on information technology outsourcing relationships have typically examined partnership factors that influence IT outsourcing effectiveness. This research extends such studies and draws upon relational exchange theory to investigate how relational elements in service level agreements (SLAs) may impact outsourcing relationships. The results show that the effects of a well-structured SLA in managing IT outsourcing relationship are significant. This paper also provides insight into the development of relational governance through a contractual mechanism over the entire course of an outsourcing engagement. Suggestions for appropriate SLA elements are also developed

A Content-Analytic Longitudinal Study of the Drivers for Information Technology and Systems Outsourcing

This research addresses the question, what are the key drivers for information technology and systems (ITS) outsourcing? ITS outsourcing drivers are examined in this research in light of several underlying organizational and economic theories in order to generate a comprehensive and enduring ITS outsourcing drivers taxonomy. A preliminary taxonomy has been developed using qualitative content analysis of 49 articles, which has been triangulated using an internal/external drivers model developed from systems-theoretic notions. Quantitative content analysis technique is being used to analyze outsourcing reports publicly available in the PR Newswire database published over the last 11 years to further develop the ITS outsourcing drivers taxonomy

A Comparative Analysis of E-Commerce Governance Mechanisms

This research-in-progress compares the effectiveness of various governance mechanisms used by organizations to implement e-commerce initiatives. The research uses economic theories to develop refutable hypotheses regarding the different governance mechanisms. The hypotheses will be tested using an event-study methodology

Managing Security Service Providers: Issues in Outsourcing Security

The issue of trust and risk in outsourced relationships was extended beyond traditional outsourcing models with the introduction of Application Service Providers (ASPs). As ASPs evolve, Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) have emerged as external providers of security for firms facing increasing information assurance threats. This research-in-progress paper develops a conceptual model of MSSP adoption; it investigates variables that affect the adoption and management of the relationship (trust, risk, reputation and relationships with vendors)

Prevalence & risk factors for soil transmitted helminth infection among school children in south India

Background & objectives: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are a major public health problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries, affecting the physical growth and cognitive development in schoolage children. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of STH infection among school children aged 6-14 yr in Vellore and Thiruvanamalai districts in south India. Methods: Children aged 6-14 yr, going to government and government aided schools (n=33, randomly selected) in Vellore and Thiruvanamalai districts were screened to estimate the prevalence of STH, and a case control study was done on a subset to assess the risk factors for the infection. Results: The prevalence of STH was 7.8 per cent, varying widely in schools from 0 to 20.4 per cent, in 3706 screened children. Hookworm (8.4%) rates were high in rural areas, while Ascaris (3.3%) and Trichuris (2.2%) were more prevalent among urban children. Consumption of deworming tablets (OR=0.25, P<0.01) offered protection, while residing in a field hut (OR=6.73, P=0.02) and unhygienic practices like open air defaecation (OR=5.37, P<0.01), keeping untrimmed nails (OR=2.53, P=0.01) or eating food fallen on the ground (OR=2.52, P=0.01) were important risk factors for STH infection. Interpretation & conclusions: Our study indicated that school children with specific risk factors in the studied area were vulnerable subpopulation with elevated risk of STH infection. Identifying risk factors and dynamics of transmission in vulnerable groups can help to plan for effective prevention strategies