Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrared Continental Surface Emissivity Spectra and Skin Temperature Retrieved from IASI Observations over the Tropics

AbstractLand surface temperature and emissivity spectra are essential variables for improving models of the earth surface–atmosphere interaction or retrievals of atmospheric variables such as thermodynamic profiles, chemical composition, cloud and aerosol characteristics, and so on. In most cases, emissivity spectral variations are not correctly taken into account in climate models, leading to potentially significant errors in the estimation of surface energy fluxes and temperature. Satellite infrared observations offer the dual opportunity of accurately estimating these properties of land surfaces as well as allowing a global coverage in space and time. Here, high-spectral-resolution observations from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounder Interferometer (IASI) over the tropics (30°N–30°S), covering the period July 2007–March 2011, are interpreted in terms of 1° × 1° monthly mean surface skin temperature and emissivity spectra from 3.7 to 14 μm at a resolution of 0.05 μm. The standard deviation estimated for t.
Divided Government, Interest Representation, and Policy Differences: Competing Explanations of Gridlock in the Fifty States

Recent research has focused on divided government and interest representation as sources of legislative gridlock. We hypothesize that these two factors will differentially affect the legislative process in eight different policy areas even if they do not affect the overall output of legislation. Using data from the 50 states, we found that when a governor faced a legislature controlled by the opposition party, divided government did make passage of conflictual policy more difficult, When the control of the legislature itself was split, divided government had a positive (or insignificant) effect in less conflictual policy areas. Previous scholars have failed to detect the negative effects of divided government because the effects differed across policy areas. Interest group proliferation also decreased the odds of bill passage in some policy areas but increased the odds in other arenas. It is important to examine interest groups and divided government in tandem to understand their relative impacts upon the policy process in the states.
Wasting energy? Campaigns against waste-to-energy sites in France

The proliferation of waste incinerators in France has stimulated widespread policy conflict and social mobilisation. French government has struggled to follow a coherent waste management strategy. Its initial preference for landfills as a waste disposal solution was replaced by waste incineration. This sparked a nationwide programme of construction in both urban and rural areas. Recent technological advances in waste-to-energy have further cemented incineration as a major policy solution in its management mix. Local anti-incinerator campaigns have emerged throughout France in response. A resource-opportunity analysis is employed to explain why some campaigns succeeded when others did not.
Free Cash Flow, Growth Opportunities, And Dividends: Does Cross-Listing Of Shares Matter?

Corporate dividend policy should strike a balance between paying cash to shareholders when there are excess resources and retaining sufficient resources in the company to fund worthwhile projects. Using excess resources to pay dividends can help to avoid overinvestment by the company in inappropriate projects and/or other potential misuse of funds by managers for their own benefit. However, companies also need to avoid paying too much in dividends to ensure that adequate resources are available within the company to fund projects that could increase shareholder wealth (i.e., to avoid underinvestment). Cross-listing of company shares can improve governance and oversight, which may make the dividend policies of cross-listed companies more likely to avoid both over and underinvestment. Using a sample of Chinese listed companies from 2003 to 2011, we find that cross-listed companies pay higher dividends than non-cross-listed companies when there are excess resources (measured by free cash flow), thereby reducing the potential for overinvestment/misuse of the resources by cross-listed companies. We also find that the dividends of cross-listed companies are lower than those of non-cross-listed companies when there are greater growth opportunities (measure by the market-to-book ratio), reflecting the reduced potential for underinvestment by cross-listed companies. We find more limited evidence that cross-listings may influence the relationship between dividend volatility and free cash flow and growth opportunities. Overall, our results suggest that companies cross-listing their shares have dividend policies that are more responsive than those of non-cross-listed companies to potential shareholder concerns about over and underinvestment.
Executive Pay, Innovation, and Risk‐Taking

This paper analyzes the optimal equity pay mix in a setting in which executives face career concerns and must be motivated to search for innovative investment ideas and to make appropriate decisions regarding whether to pursue the uncovered idea. I show that, depending on the value of the firm's potential growth opportunities and the CEO's concern about being fired, the CEO is either tempted to overinvest in risky ideas (excessive risk-taking) or underinvest in risky ideas (excessive conservatism). The optimal pay package consists of stock options, to encourage the discovery of innovative ideas, and either restricted stock, to combat excessive risk-taking, or severance pay, to combat excessive conservatism. The model provides new empirical predictions relating executive pay arrangements to the importance of innovation and career concerns and analyzes how the change in the economic environment caused by the current financial crisis might change the optimal mix of stock options, restricted stock, and severance pay.
Health care utilization and health indicators among a national sample of U.S. veterans in same-sex partnerships.

OBJECTIVES To examine health indicators of same-sex partnered veterans as compared with their opposite-sex partnered veteran and nonveteran peers. METHODS Same-sex partner status was derived by self-reported same-sex partnerships in data from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Outcome variables included health risk disparities associated with sexual minority status (e.g., frequent mental distress) and veteran status (e.g., firearm ownership). Stratified multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the association of same-sex partnered veteran status with health indicators. RESULTS Same-sex partnered veterans had higher odds of being overweight and keeping firearms in the house compared with same-sex partnered nonveterans. Same-sex partnered veterans were less likely than opposite-sex partnered veterans to be overweight, and they were more than twice as likely to be current smokers when compared with opposite-sex partnered nonveterans. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest both that some health disparities patterns identified by same-sex partnership status among the general population also exist among veteran populations, and that some unique distinctions may exist, particularly related to BMI and firearm ownership. Collection of information about sexual minority status within Department of Veterans Affairs data sources is needed to more accurately assess the health of this minority population.
Effect of the Immigration Reform and Control Act on the wages of Mexican migrants.

The extent to which the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 affected the wages of Mexican workers in the United States is assessed using data collected from migrants in 13 Mexican communities as well as from out-migrants from those communities located in the United States. No evidence of selectivity bias in these data was found. Examination of changes in the wages earned by migrant household heads before and after IRCAs passage in 1986 indicated that IRCA had no effect on the wages earned by Mexican migrants per se but that it substantially increased the penalties accruing to undocumented status. (EXCERPT)
Chest MRI in patients with cystic fibrosis: a radiation-free method

We read with great interest the well written manuscript by Mott et al ,1 which reported their experience with CT for the detection of structural lung disease in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis (CF). They emphasised the importance of an early diagnosis because disease progression occurs over the course of 1 year in most cases. However, we would like to discuss some aspects of imaging studies in these …
S&P 500 Index Inclusions and Analysts’ Forecast Optimism

The authors examine analyst behavior surrounding the announcements of S&P 500 Index inclusions. Their main objective is to understand how analysts react to such announcements and whether analysts’ forecast estimates are overly optimistic following inclusions. The results indicate that analysts overreact to S&P 500 addition announcements; in the sample of newly added companies studied in this article, analyst earnings forecasts are found to be overoptimistic. The results also show a significant decrease in analyst forecast accuracy and higher inter-analyst forecast dispersion. These findings are important for investors who use analysts’ earnings forecasts to make investment decisions about companies that are newly added into the S&P 500. Investors should be cautious about making investment decisions based on analysts’ earnings forecasts as the forecasts tend to be upward biased (optimistic) and less accurate. The authors conclude that the credibility of analysts’ earnings forecasts for S&P 500–added firms may be altered.
Abattoir survey of sheep and goats in The Gambia

An abattoir survey of sheep and goats was carried out in The Gambia for one year. A total of 1248 goats and 438 sheep, predominantly young females, were slaughtered and sampled. Sixty per cent of the females of both species were pregnant. There were no significant differences between the dressing percentages of different breeds and age groups. Sex and stage of pregnancy had a significant influence on carcase yields in both species. In goats the highest carcase yields were obtained during the early dry season. Most of the animals were clinically healthy and there were few pathological findings postmortem. In both species, there was a seasonal fluctuation of packed cell volume (Pcv), with a minimum during the rains, and although the prevalence of trypanosomiasis was low it reduced the PCV. Faecal egg counts of Trichostrongylidae were highest during the rainy season and goats had higher faecal egg and coccidial oocyst counts than sheep. In sheep, a breed difference was observed for PCV and an age difference for egg excretion. The peak or higher rates of egg excretion occurred during the rains in both species. The immune status against peste des petits ruminants was significantly lower in goats (39 per cent) than in sheep (49.5 per cent). Antibodies against bluetongue virus were found in 62.6 per cent of goats and 55.8 per cent of sheep.
Autoradiographic analysis of lymphocyte proliferation in the thymus and in thymic lymphoma tissue.

An autoradiographic study using tritiated thymidine has been made of lymphocyte proliferation in the 2-month-old normal AKR thymus and in AKR thymic lymphoma tissue. Mean cell cycle times were: normal large and medium lymphocytes, 6.8 and 8.2 hr; lymphoma large and medium cells, 7.6 and 20.2 hr. Most normal small lymphocytes were nondividing, but the small lymphocyte population was replaced by division of medium lymphocytes every 3.2 days. Most lymphoma small lymphocytes were also nondividing and possibly had a finite life-span of less than 2 days. In individual lymphomata no correlation was found between the degree of differentiation and cellular proliferative rates.
Disentangling the Roles of Air Exposure, Gill Net Injury, and Facilitated Recovery on the Postcapture and Release Mortality and Behavior of Adult Migratory Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Freshwater*

We sought to improve the understanding of delayed mortality in migrating sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) captured and released in freshwater fisheries. Using biotelemetry, blood physiology, and reflex assessments, we evaluated the relative roles of gill net injury and air exposure and investigated whether using a recovery box improved survival. Fish (), captured by beach seine, were allocated to four treatment groups: captured only, air exposed, injured, and injured and air exposed. Only half of the fish in each group were provided with a 15-min facilitated recovery. After treatment, fish were radio-tagged and released to resume their migration. Blood status was assessed in 36 additional untagged fish sampled after the four treatments. Compared with fish sampled immediately on capture, all treatments resulted in elevated plasma lactate and cortisol concentrations. After air exposure, plasma osmolality was elevated and reflexes were significantly impaired relative to the control and injured treatments. Injured fish exhibited reduced short-term migration speed by 3.2 km/d and had a 14.5% reduced survival to subnatal watersheds compared to controls. The 15-min facilitated recovery improved reflex assessment relative to fish released immediately but did not affect survival. We suggest that in sockeye salmon migrating in cool water temperatures (∼13°–16°C), delayed mortality can result from injury and air exposure, perhaps through sublethal stress, and that injury created additive delayed mortality likely via secondary infections.
On the Austrian Contribution to Capital Theory

Members of the Austrian school held particular views on capital. In this essay the development of Austrian theorising on capital is assessed and contrasted with what has been presented as the Neoclassical view. So far as this subject is concerned it was Bohm‐Bawerk, among the older members of the Austrian school, who became widely known as the main contributor (partly because some of his work was translated early).
Climate Innovation: Australian Corporate Perspectives on the Role of Government

Technological innovation is the most politically palatable avenue for governments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It avoids less palatable alternatives, such as regulating social behaviour. However, technological innovation in advanced, liberal capitalist states such as Australia is the product of the interaction of science possibilities with market demands, and is primarily reliant on the choices of profit-seeking corporations. Therefore, interviews were conducted with key office-holders in Australia's most carbon-intensive industry sectors. The perspectives they offered challenge the conventional wisdom that Australian business desires less government intervention. Instead, corporate representatives expressed a desire for stronger, clearer and more strategic long-term government support. This is because a liberal economic basis for capitalism in Australia means government, more than the market, is central for climate innovation as opposed to normal market innovation.
The John Eisenberg lecture: health services research as a citizen in improvement.

Arguably the greatest achievement of academic health services research of the last half-century has created its greatest unmet challenge. The achievement is to have documented beyond doubt the widespread defects in health care, even in wealthy systems. The challenge is to discover what we need to know that we do not now know in order to create much more effective systems of care. Health services research has not yet been sufficiently helpful in meeting the challenge of improving care in part because it has over-constrained both its methods and its favorite topics. The cost of insisting on formal, classical, summative, evaluative experimental designs in an uncertain, poorly understood, nonlinear, system is, unfortunately, to maintain the status quo. When the status quo is harmful, as health care is today, harm is not a theoretical problem. It is real, and it is indecent. Health services research should become more effectively part of the solution. To do that will require that we enrich our portfolio of methods and broaden our agenda of inquiry. The scientific methods that we need to enhance and dignify in academic settings will combine formal classical methods with some pragmatic, immediate, and in many ways more informative forms of learning and investigation.
The interactions between quality, productivity and economic performance: The case of Swedish pharmacies

The interaction between employee and customer satisfaction, respectively, as well as interactions between these criteria and productivity and cost efficiency in service production, are considered in this paper. Data from Swedish pharmacies on quality measured as a customer satisfaction index (CSI) and an employee satisfaction index (ESI) are used. The quality measures are derived from questionnaires and obtained using a partial least squares estimation procedure. Productivity is defined as a partial labor productivity measure. The interaction effects between quality, productivity and economic performance in terms of cost efficiency are derived and estimated using a restricted second-order approximation of a general functional structure. The analysis is based on data from 1993 to 1995 and indicates significant positive relations from ESI to CSI and significant positive relations from ESI to productivity. As for the interaction with cost efficiency, the estimated combined effect from CSI and productivity indicates improvements in cost efficiency in most cases. For 'highly productive' pharmacies, with productivity above an estimated threshold value, the partial effect from increased CSI is also an improved cost efficiency.
Sources, Development and Uses of Innovation in Modern Biotechnology

This research examines the innovation process that includes sources, development, and uses of innovation in the field of modern biotechnology. Based on existing literature and primary qualitative data collected from 39 young, small American biotechnology firms we show how biotechnology innovations constantly cross boundaries of traditionally separate industries. All three stages of innovation (sourcing, development, and use) involve a variety of actors that represent different fields of science, business, or markets. Previous literature has predominantly focused on the innovation development networks, but our study shows that also the sources of ideas as well as adoption of an innovation are characterized by networks of actors. Consequently, we suggest that biotechnology managers' understanding of innovation processes would benefit from paying attention to the networked nature of sources and uses of innovations, in addition to the collaborative product development process itself.
Estimating Regional Input Coefficients and Multipliers: Is the Choice of a Non-Survey Technique a Gamble?

Lehtonen O. and Tykkyläinen M. Estimating regional input coefficients and multipliers: is the choice of a non-survey technique a gamble? , Regional Studies. Regional input–output tables are frequently estimated using regionalization techniques, which saves time and money. This paper presents an evaluation of four location quotient regionalization techniques in twenty regions which addresses the issue of the impacts of the properties of a region on the results of regionalization. The results do not allow a generalization to be made that any one of the four location quotient techniques would always yield the best results, but they do indicate that the attributes of regions can give information which should be taken into account when selecting the best possible regionalization technique.
Pengaruh Kreativitas Iklan dan Endorser terhadap Proses Keputusan Pembelian Konsumen Mie Sedaap

The problem in this research is how creativity and endorsers influence the purchase decision process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of advertising creativity and endorser of the purchase decision process. The population in this study is the Faculty of Economics, University of Semarang and consume ever watched an ad Mie Sedaap. The sample usedis determinedby the cluster sampling a total sample of 98 respondents. Methods of data analysis using descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression are in byusing SPSS22. The results showed that simultaneous hypothesis testing and endorser advertising creativity positive and significant impacton the buying decision process. While the partial test results show that advertising creativity positive and significant impacton the buying decision process while the endorser is also positive and significant impacton the buying decision process.The conclusionsin this study is the better creativity the nadvertising will in crease the purchase decision process and the better the endorser is used, it will increase the purchase decision process and the buying decision process would increase if advertising and endorser creativity is also enhanced
Regionalisation Nordic Style: Will Regions in Sweden Threaten Local Democracy?

Abstract Governance in the Nordic countries has a highly local character. Most public services are provided by locally elected bodies that enjoy a high degree of autonomy in relation to political institutions at the national level. In recent years, questions about the appropriate size of local government have re-surfaced, prompted, at least in part, by the current trend towards regionalisation within the EU. In this paper we investigate empirically the question of whether regionalisation in the Nordic setting can be said to reduce the democratic quality of governance in the area of health care. We do so by comparing conditions for democracy in a provincial governing unit (a so-called county council) in Sweden, with an average size of about 260,000 inhabitants, with those in a newly created region, populated by 1.5 million. We ask, thus, if it is true that governance in the smaller unit, i.e. the county council, is more democratic than in the region, and, if so, in what way? Our results point to that there is in fact little difference in democratic conditions between the region and the county council; a result that can be attributed to the fact that local institutions for decision-making and citizen participation were carefully re-constructed when Swedish county councils were amalgamated into regions. Hence, we conclude that institutions that facilitate direct democratic participation, such as the right of citizens to attend assembly meetings or submit proposals to the assembly are probably more important for the democratic quality of governance than size. ‘Small' is not always more beautiful, at least not in democratic terms.
Candidiasis: the emergence of a novel species, Candida dubliniensis

The incidence of fungal infections in people has increased dramatically over the past 2 decades, as has the number and variety of infecting fungal agents [1−29]. These trends parallel a dramatic increase in the number of individuals with deficient cell-mediated immunity, particularly those infected with HIV and those receiving chemotherapeutic treatments which induce severe immunosuppression. These individuals include those having bone marrow and organ transplants and people receiving anti-cancer therapy. Furthermore, the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, mucosal colonization by commensal yeasts, medical therapies which involve invasive surgical procedures and the use of indwelling central venous catheters render patients vulnerable to infection by a wide variety of opportunistic fungal pathogens, particularly Candida species [14,15,17,19,20,23,26,28,29].