Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing Land Management: Adoption of New Practices by Rural Landholders

Changing Land Management Adoption of New Practices by Rural Landholders edited by David Pannell & Frank Vanclay Key insights for decision-makers as they assist rural communities adapting to changed circumstances. There is a rich and extensive history of research into factors that encourage farmers to change their land management practices, or inhibit them from doing so. Yet this research is often under-utilised in practice. Changing Land Management provides key insights from past and cutting-edge research to support decision-makers as they attempt to influence or assist rural communities adapting to changed circumstances, such as new technologies, new environmental imperatives, new market opportunities or changed climate. Understanding the process of practice change by rural landholders is crucial for policy makers, agricultural researchers, extension agents, natural resource management bodies,non-government organisations and agricultural consultants. Such understanding can assist with the design and implementation of environmental programs, with the prioritisation of agricultural research and with commercial ventures. Common themes are the need for an appreciation of the diversity of land managers and their contexts, of the diversity of factors that influence land-management decisions, and of the challenges that face government programs that are intended to change land management. ABOUT THE EDITORS David Pannell is Professor in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Western Australia, Director of the Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy, and a Federation Fellow of the Australian Research Council. Frank Vanclay is Professor of Cultural Geography at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and was previously Professor of Rural Sociology with the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research at the University of Tasmania.
Trade distance functions and the derivation of inverse demand for imports

This article introduces a new representation of trade preferences termed as the trade distance function, which measures the maximum amount by which import quantities must be deflated or inflated to reach the indifference surface. The properties of this function are discussed and employed to derive systems of inverse demand for imported goods. We illustrate its usefulness by proposing two new parametric forms of trade distance functions. While the trade distance function directly yields Hicksian inverse demand functions of imports, they usually lack closed-form representations in terms of observable variables. This problem, however, need not hinder estimation and could be solved by using the numerical inversion estimation method. Results generally indicate that the suggested modelling and estimation methods are operationally, implying that the trade distance function approach is a promising tool of the empirical analysis of import demands subjected to tight theoretical conditions.
The GPCR, class C, group 6, subtype A (GPRC6A) receptor: from cloning to physiological function

GPRC6A (GPCR, class C, group 6, subtype A) is a class C GPCR that has been cloned from human, mouse and rat. Several groups have shown that the receptor is activated by a range of basic and small aliphatic L‐α‐amino acids of which L‐arginine, L‐lysine and L‐ornithine are the most potent compounds with EC50 values in the mid‐micromolar range. In addition, several groups have shown that the receptor is either directly activated or positively modulated by divalent cations such as Ca2+ albeit in concentrations above 5 mM, which is above the physiological concentration in most tissues. More recently, the peptide osteocalcin and the steroid testosterone have also been suggested to be endogenous GPRC6A agonists. The receptor is widely expressed in all three species which, along with the omnipresence of the amino acids and divalent cation ligands, suggest that the receptor could be involved in a broad range of physiological functions. So far, this has mainly been addressed by analyses of genetically modified mice where the GPRC6A receptor has been ablated. Although there has been some discrepancies among results reported from different groups, there is increasing evidence that the receptor is involved in regulation of inflammation, metabolism and endocrine functions. GPRC6A could thus be an interesting target for new drugs in these therapeutic areas.
Hypercholesterolemia Due to Chronic Renal Failure in Diabetic Sudanese Patients

This study was conducted to compare the quantitative and qualitative aspects of serum cholesterol in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients due to diabetes with that of CRF in patients due to other causes, and assessing the possibility for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The study was conducted in 80 Sudanese patients on haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, 40 of them had CRF due to Diabetes mellitus and others had CRF due to other causes. Additional 40 health Sudanese served as control. Serum samples were analyzed using standard colorimetric methods to detect concentration of the total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein. In CRF patients due to diabetes mellitus there was significant increase in serum cholesterol level, also there was consequent decrease in high density lipoprotein. The mean of total cholesterol was 255 mg/dl in the first group and in the second was 183 mg/dl, triacylglycerols was 177 mg/dl for the first group and for the second group was 163 mg/dl, low density lipoproteins was 187 mg/dl for the first group and for the second group was 113 mg/dl, high density lipoprotein cholesterol was 27 mg/dl for the first group and 31 mg/dl for the second group. There was no effect of sex, age and the duration of renal failure. This study demonstrated the effect of diabetes mellitus on lipoprotein level in patients with CRF as one of the atherosclerotic risk factor.
Using a choice experiment to estimate the social benefits from improved water supply services

Efficient and sustainable future investments in water infrastructure and improved water services should be based on a thorough understanding of public preferences and values. This paper examines the welfare effects of improved water supply services in a characteristic coastal area, where water policy makers should address both water quality and water quantity problems. A choice experiment method was designed and conducted in order to evaluate public preferences for alternative levels of water supply attributes: i.e. water quality, frequency of water supply interruptions and water availability for agriculture. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire from a sample of residents in the study area (Municipality of New Propontida, Greece). The results show a significant willingness to pay (WTP) for drinking water quality improvements and a lower yet important WTP to avoid interruptions in water services. In a cost-benefit framework, those findings may serve as a reference for sustainable water resources planning, aiming at deriving reliable estimates of social benefits from selected water management decisions.
The diffusion of innovative technologies among elementary and middle School teachers: Examining the relationship between access to social capital and level of technology adoption

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between public school elementary and middle school teachers’ access to social capital (the independent variable) and their level of adoption of innovative technologies (the dependent variable). The study was founded on both diffusion of innovations and social network theory. Study participants were teachers from three schools, sharing two buildings in a single school district. The initial phase of the research involved informal interviews with key policy makers from each school, conducted for the purpose of identifying innovative technologies present at each study site. An existing survey instrument was modified and customized for each site to measure the study variables. Data were collected during a single sampling date at each site. A census of all teachers was attempted, and data were collected from 82% of possible respondents at the three schools. The results of this phase of the study revealed that multiple innovative technologies were present at each site. Variation existed in both the level of adoption of innovative technologies as well as the teachers’ access to social capital at each site. These results were consistent across subgroups based on gender, teaching assignment (academic or elective), and grade level (elementary or middle school). A strong, positive correlation was found between the study variables at all study sites and included nearly all the innovative technologies. An investigation of respondents’ age, teaching experience and years assigned to the study site revealed no significant impacts on the dependent variable. Based on these findings, it was concluded that teachers’ access to social capital was the primary factor impacting the level of adoption of innovative technologies at each site.
Systematic Observation of an Expert Driver's Gaze Strategy—An On-Road Case Study

In this paper we present and qualitatively analyze an expert driver's gaze behavior in natural driving on a real road, with no specific experimental task or instruction. Previous eye tracking research on naturalistic tasks has revealed recurring patterns of gaze behavior that are surprisingly regular and repeatable. Lappi (2016) identified in the literature seven “qualitative laws of gaze behavior in the wild”: recurring patterns that tend to go together, the more so the more naturalistic the setting, all of them expected in extended sequences of fully naturalistic behavior. However, no study to date has observed all in a single experiment. Here, we wanted to do just that: present observations supporting all the “laws” in a single behavioral sequence by a single subject. We discuss the laws in terms of unresolved issues in driver modeling and open challenges for experimental and theoretical development.
Community Preceptors' Views of Their Identities as Teachers

Purpose Community physicians are increasingly being recruited to teach medical students and residents, yet there has been little research about how they think of themselves as teachers or what factors contribute to “teacher identity. ” Physicians who think of themselves as teachers may be more likely to enjoy teaching, to teach more, and to be recognized by students and other faculty as good teachers. Identifying factors that enhance teacher identity may be helpful for the recruitment and retention of high-quality community faculty. Method Thirty-five experienced community preceptors were audiotaped in five structured focus groups in April 2001, answering a series of questions about their teacher identity. Responses were qualitatively analyzed for evidence of themes. Results “Feeling intrinsic satisfaction” was the most common theme that emerged from the tapes. Preceptors also identified that “having knowledge and skill about teaching” and “belonging to a group of teacher” enhanced their roles as teachers. “Being a physician means being a teacher,” “feeling a responsibility to teach medicine,” and “sharing clinical expertise” also emerged as important themes. Although a group of participants were interested in “receiving rewards for teaching,” rewards did not need to be financial compensation. For some, genuine recognition for their efforts by the medical school, particularly in the form of faculty development opportunities, constituted reward and recognition for teaching. Conclusions Community physicians described a variety of factors that contribute to their identity as teachers. Faculty development programs offer opportunities to strengthen teacher identity and foster relationships between teaching programs and community-based faculty.
Sales forecast rationality and small business reorganisation

This research examines the rationality of the sales forecasts made by entrepreneurs and administrators of 23 small reorganisation companies during legal reorganisation processes in Finland in 20082009. The findings are consistent with previous research, where small company entrepreneurs were optimistic and overconfident. The most important results are that the administrators' sales forecasts tend to be as optimistic and overconfident as the entrepreneurs' sales forecasts. These findings may give new perspective for academics in legal reorganisation research where the reasons for failure of legal reorganisation have been investigated for a long period without clear findings.
Effect of Insulin on the Distribution of Cardiac Output in the Fetal Lamb

ABSTRACT. Three to five measurements of fetal cardiac output and its distribution were made using radiolabeled microspheres in each of 12 sheep fetuses in whom fetal plasma insulin concentration was varied by exogenous infusion of insulin to the fetus. Blood concentrations of oxygen and glucose as well as blood gases, pH, hematocrit, and plasma insulin concentrations were also measured. Both fetal arterial oxygen content and whole blood glucose concentration fell as fetal insulin concentration rose. Fetal cardiac output rose as insulin concentration increased and was accompanied by an increase in fetal heart rate. Increased insulin concentration was associated with increased flow to the heart, stomach, placenta, and carcass while blood flow to the fetal brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, and intestines was not affected. As plasma insulin concentration rose, the percentage of the cardiac output distributed to the fetal heart and upper carcass increased; that distributed to the fetal brain, lungs, liver, stomach, intestines, and lower carcass remained unchanged; while that distributed to the kidneys, spleen, and placenta decreased. When expressed as a fraction of cardiac output, an additional 7% (from 39 to 46%) of the cardiac output was distributed to carcass over the range of insulin concentrations studied. Most of the increased portion of the fetal cardiac output distributed to the fetal carcass during hyperinsulinemia was accounted for by a decrease in the percentage of fetal cardiac output perfusing the placenta.
Tobacco mosaic virus as an AFM tip calibrator

The study of high‐resolution topographic surfaces of isolated single molecules is one of the applications of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Since tip‐induced distortions are significant in topographic images the exact AFM tip shape must be known in order to correct dilated AFM height images using mathematical morphology operators. In this work, we present a protocol to estimate the AFM tip apex radius using tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles. Among the many advantages of TMV, are its non‐abrasivity, thermal stability, bio‐compatibility with other isolated single molecules and stability when deposited on divalent ion pretreated mica. Compared to previous calibration systems, the advantage of using TMV resides in our detailed knowledge of the atomic structure of the entire rod‐shaped particle. This property makes it possible to interpret AFM height images in term of the three‐dimensional structure of TMV. Results obtained in this study show that when a low imaging force is used, the tip is sensing viral protein loops whereas at higher imaging force the tip is sensing the TMV particle core. The known size of the TMV particle allowed us to develop a tip‐size estimation protocol which permits the successful erosion of tip‐convoluted AFM height images. Our data shows that the TMV particle is a well‐adapted calibrator for AFM tips for imaging single isolated biomolecules. The procedure developed in this study is easily applicable to any other spherical viral particles. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Testing Models of the Spot Interest Rate Volatility

This paper estimates discrete-time stochastic volatility models of the short-term spot interest rate for Germany and France, 1981-1997. Stochastic volatility interest rate models with both news and square root level effects seem to dominate alternative specifications. We extend previous results by using an exponential functional form for volatility, which is able to mitigate the impact of very large realizations and yield a better fit. Interest rate volatility shows a less persistent behavior than in stock returns and US Treasury bill yields volatility. Positive innovations in interest rates have a greater impact on conditional volatility than negative innovations.
The Knowledge–Innovation Nexus. Its Spatially Differentiated Returns to Innovation

Innovative activities have been long considered as a predominant urban phenomenon suggesting that the innovative capacity of a region highly depends on its urbanization level. This paper tests empirically this statement by studying the impact of knowledge on innovation in 262 regions of the European Union, ranked according to their degree of urbanization. Based on an original database encompassing several knowledge and innovation indicators, and a regional typology and ranking of city regions, the paper shows that when the source of innovation is formal knowledge (i.e., R&D), the benefits accruing from innovation are spatially rather selective and concentrated in first-rank city regions. On the contrary, when the source of innovation is qualified human capital, the innovation advantages are more diffused and penetrate also in second- and third-rank city regions. Moreover, innovative activities aimed at introducing new products require a more balanced mix of R&D and human capital inputs whereas innovative activities aimed at introducing new processes tend to be relatively more human capital intensive.
Pharmacological Characterization of a Novel Liver X Receptor Agonist with Partial LXRα Activity and a Favorable Window in Nonhuman Primates

Liver X Receptors (LXRs) α and β are nuclear hormone receptors that regulate multiple genes involved in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and are potential drug targets for atherosclerosis. However, full pan agonists also activate lipogenic genes, resulting in elevated plasma and hepatic lipids. We report the pharmacology of BMS-779788 [2-(2-(1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-methylethyl)-1-(3′-(methylsulfonyl)-4-biphenylyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-2-propanol], a potent partial LXR agonist with LXRβ selectivity, which has an improved therapeutic window in the cynomolgus monkey compared with a full pan agonist. BMS-779788 induced LXR target genes in blood in vivo with an EC50 = 610 nM, a value similar to its in vitro blood gene induction potency. BMS-779788 was 29- and 12-fold less potent than the full agonist T0901317 in elevating plasma triglyceride and LDL cholesterol, respectively, with similar results for plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein and apolipoprotein B. However, ABCA1 and ABCG1 mRNA inductions in blood, which are critical for RCT, were comparable. Increased liver triglyceride was observed after 7-day treatment with BMS-779788 at the highest dose tested and was nearly identical to the dose response for plasma triglyceride, consistent with the central role of liver LXR in these lipogenic effects. Dose-dependent increases in biliary cholesterol and decreases in phospholipid and bile acid occurred in BMS-779788–treated animals, similar to LXR agonist effects reported in mouse. In summary, BMS-779788, a partial LXRβ selective agonist, has decreased lipogenic potential compared with a full pan agonist in cynomolgus monkeys, with similar potency in the induction of genes known to stimulate RCT. This provides support in nonhuman primates for improving LXR agonist therapeutic windows by limiting LXRα activity.
Evolving optimised decision rules for intrusion detection using particle swarm paradigm

The aim of this article is to construct a practical intrusion detection system (IDS) that properly analyses the statistics of network traffic pattern and classify them as normal or anomalous class. The objective of this article is to prove that the choice of effective network traffic features and a proficient machine-learning paradigm enhances the detection accuracy of IDS. In this article, a rule-based approach with a family of six decision tree classifiers, namely Decision Stump, C4.5, Naive Baye's Tree, Random Forest, Random Tree and Representative Tree model to perform the detection of anomalous network pattern is introduced. In particular, the proposed swarm optimisation-based approach selects instances that compose training set and optimised decision tree operate over this trained set producing classification rules with improved coverage, classification capability and generalisation ability. Experiment with the Knowledge Discovery and Data mining (KDD) data set which have information on traffic pattern, during normal and intrusive behaviour shows that the proposed algorithm produces optimised decision rules and outperforms other machine-learning algorithm.
Estimated Effect of Temperature on Years of Life Lost: A Retrospective Time-Series Study of Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Regions

Background: Numerous studies have reported a strong association between temperature and mortality. Additional insights can be gained from investigating the effects of temperature on years of life lost (YLL), considering the life expectancy at the time of death. Objectives: The goal of this work was to assess the association between temperature and YLL at seven low-, middle-, and high-income sites. Methods: We obtained meteorological and population data for at least nine years from four Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites in Kenya (western Kenya, Nairobi), Burkina Faso (Nouna), and India (Vadu), as well as data from cities in the United States (Philadelphia, Phoenix) and Sweden (Stockholm). A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to estimate the association of daily maximum temperature and daily YLL, lagged 0–14 d. The reference value was set for each site at the temperature with the lowest YLL. Results: Generally, YLL increased with higher temperature, starting day 0. In Nouna, the hottest location, with a minimum YLL temperature at the first percentile, YLL increased consistently with higher temperatures. In Vadu, YLL increased in association with heat, whereas in Nairobi, YLL increased in association with both low and high temperatures. Associations with cold and heat were evident for Phoenix (stronger for heat), Stockholm, and Philadelphia (both stronger for cold). Patterns of associations with mortality were generally similar to those with YLL. Conclusions: Both high and low temperatures are associated with YLL in high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Policy guidance and health adaptation measures might be improved with more comprehensive indicators of the health burden of high and low temperatures such as YLL. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1745
Can Afghanistan avoid the Natural Resource Curse?

Recent discoveries of significant mineral deposits offer Afghanistan the opportunity to attain a level of economic development sufficient to stabilize that country's volatile security situation while providing Afghans with a reasonable standard of living. Much, however, depends on whether Afghanistan can avoid the “Natural Resource Curse,” an inter-related set of economic and social pathologies that often bedevil resource-endowed countries. In this article, the authors describe the Natural Resource Curse, evaluate the obstacles it raises for Afghan economic development, and offer a strategy to minimize the risks Afghanistan faces in its efforts to exploit its mineral wealth for the benefit of the population.