Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Natura 2000 and the narrative nature of nature: a case for critical discourse analysis

The histories of particular places and of the elements that constitute and occupy them are interpreted through different narratives by different subjects. This translates into various, often conflicting, notions of “sustainability” that need to be adjudicated. Highlighting the importance of cultural heritage for the preservation of “natural” heritage, we argue that the mapping of the social, representational and discursive terrain of local contexts is relevant for understanding and managing conservation in semi-natural areas. We suggest that practical arrangements, which are needed to protect biodiversity, should strive to become coherent elements of local narratives, and vice-versa. In the process of harmonizing local discourses toward localized definitions of “sustainable” development and conservation, we believe that Critical Discourse Analysis may constitute a relevant tool for exploring the dialectical relationship between local representations and the strategic behavior displayed by actors within decision-making with spatial and socio-economic implications.
Putting Monetary Policy in its Political Place

Even though a central bank has formal independence, the success of its actions are part of an interdependent system of policies in which elected governments have a role too. In the making of monetary policy, economists have technical expertise but politicians claim electoral legitimacy. This paper examines monetary policy from the perspective of elected officeholders who must balance non-economic pressures, both domestic and international, against concerns of central bankers with monetary constraint. It emphasizes divisions within national governments about how that balance should be struck, and differences in political priorities for economic policymaking between countries and across time. It concludes with a POP (Politically Optimal Policy), having flexibility between multiple and shifting policy goals rather than fixing on a single target, monetary or non-monetary.
Forecast evaluation with Stata

Forecasters are expected to provide evaluations of their forecasts along with their forecasts. The forecast assessments demonstrate comparative, adequate, or optimal accuracy by common forecasting criteria to provide acceptable credence in the forecasts. To assist the Stata user in this process, Robert Yaffee has written Stata programs to evaluate ARIMA and GARCH models. He explains how these assessment programs are applied to one-step-ahead and dynamic forecasts, ex post and ex ante forecasts, conditional and unconditional forecasts, as well as combinations of forecasts. In his presentation, he will also demonstrate how assessment can be applied to rolling origin forecasts of time-series models.
Dynamic Linkages Between Tokyo and Osaka Rice Futures Markets in Prewar Japan

In this study, we examine how the rice futures market in prewar Japan evolved in light of changes in market efficiency over time. Using a non-Bayesian time-varying VAR model, we compute the time-varying degree of market efficiency of the rice futures exchanges in Tokyo and Osaka. Then, we demonstrate that the markets experienced three periods of significantly low market efficiency during government interventions: first, in 1890 in Osaka; second, in the early 1900s in Tokyo; and third, in the early 1920s in both Tokyo and Osaka.
The Philippine Economy and Poverty During the Global Economic Crisis

Anecdotal evidence permeates accounts on the impact of the global economic crisis (GEC) on Philippine poverty. This study systematically assesses the evidence and recent data. It adopts a somewhat eclectic approach, applying regression and decomposition techniques to trace the GEC impact on GDP and its major components, constructing panel data from nationally representative household surveys to trace the changes in household welfare during the crisis, and combining national income accounts and household survey data to simulate the differential effects of the crisis across population groups and social divides. Empirical findings suggest that although the Philippine economy did not slide to recession during the GEC, the impact of the crisis on the economy and poverty across population groups was nonetheless severe -- and may linger for many years to come.
Migration and Community Formation under Conditions of Globalization

This article sets out to rethink the dynamics of the migratory process under conditions of globalization. Two main models of migration and incorporation dominated academic and policy approaches in the late twentieth century: first, the settler model, according to which immigrants gradually integrated into economic and social relations, re-united or formed families and eventually became assimilated into the host society (sometimes over two or three generations); second, the temporary migration model, according to which migrant workers stayed in the host country for a limited period, and maintained their affiliation with their country of origin. Globalization, defined as a proliferation of cross-border flows and transnational networks, has changed the context for migration. New technologies of communication and transport allow frequent and multi-directional flows of people, ideas and cultural symbols. The erosion of nation-state sovereignty and autonomy weakens systems of border-control and migrant assimilation. The result is the transformation of the material and cultural practices associated with migration and community formation, and the blurring of boundaries between different categories of migrants. These trends will be illustrated through case-studies of a number of Asian and European immigration countries. It is important to re-think our understanding of the migratory process, to understand new forms of mobility and incorporation, particularly the emergence of transnational communities, multiple identities and multi-layered citizenship.
European Integration, Intergovernmental Bargaining, and Convergence of Party Programmes

Over the past 50 years, the European Union (EU) has dramatically increased its policy-making power. However, there remains considerable variation over time as well as across policy areas in the relative power of the EU and the member states. The variation is likely to influence EU-wide bargaining. Following the logic of bargaining games with domestically constrained actors, or two-level games, the changes in the bargaining environment may also influence party competition within the member states of the European Union. Using manifesto data for 1951–2001, this article examines convergence of party programmes across Western Europe. It is shown that European integration has increasingly constrained the range of policy platforms. Moreover, we generally find a stronger effect if and when countries are actually members of the EU. European integration bolsters programmatic convergence of Euro-friendly as well as Eurosceptic parties. However, European integration particularly influences the convergence of Eurosceptic parties in EU member states.
Events that Shook the Market

Tick data on the S&P 500 futures contract and newswire searches are used to match events to large five minute stock price changes. 58 events that led to large stock price changes are identified between 1982 and 1999, 41 of which are directly or indirectly related to monetary policy. Many large five minute stock price changes have no events associated with them.
Forecasting the Demand for Tourism in China by Applying the Skew-t Distribution Model

This study investigates the demand for tourism in China using ARMA models with a normal distribution and with a skew-t distribution (referred to as ARMA-N and ARMA-skew-t distribution models). The empirical sample was selected with a view to discussing and comparing the ability of these models to accurately forecast the out-of-sample demand for tourism in China. The results indicate that the ARMA-skew-t distribution model is superior to the ARMA-N model in terms of forecasting the demand for tourism in China from the five countries considered in the study, based on mean squared errors (MSE) and mean absolute errors (MAE) tests. The Diebold-Mariano (DM) test further confirms that in all cases the ARMA-skew-t distribution model is more accurate in forecasting tourism demand in China than the ARMA-N model. These findings demonstrate the significant impact of both skewness and tail-thickness on the conditional distribution of returns.
Consumer ethnocentrism: an integrative review of its antecedents and consequences

Purpose – To provide an integrative review of the antecedents and consequences of consumer ethnocentrism (CET). Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive review of works on CET to date is put forward. An integrative framework and a detailed summary table are provided.Findings – Four categories of antecedents, namely, socio‐psychological, political, economic and demographic are gathered from the literature. Direct consequences and indirect consequences through relevant mediators and moderators are identified. Future research directions are offered.Practical implications – The compendium of antecedents and consequences of CET can be used by international marketing managers for their segmentation and target marketing strategies.Originality/value – As new vistas emerge for furthering international trade in goods and services, this paper provides a timely review and an integrative framework of existing research on CET, its antecedents and consequences. This paper contributes to the marketing discipline both.
Rapid kinetic studies of electron transfer in the three isoforms of nitric oxide synthase.

The nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) consist of a flavin-containing reductase domain, linked to a heme-containing oxygenase domain, by a calmodulin (CaM) binding sequence. The flavin-containing reductase domains of the NOS isoforms possess close sequence homology to NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR). Additionally, the oxygenase domains catalyze monooxygenation of L-arginine through a cytochrome P450-like cysteine thiolate-liganded heme bound in the active site. With these considerations in mind, we conducted studies in an attempt to gain insight into the intermediates involved in flavoprotein-to-heme electron transfer in the NOSs. Static, steady-state, and stopped-flow kinetic studies indicated that nNOS must be reduced to a more than one-electron-reduced intermediate before efficient electron transfer can occur. Therefore, the possibility exists that the oxygenase domains of the NOS isoforms may receive their electrons from the reductase domains by a mechanism resembling the CPR-P450 interaction. Furthermore, the rate-limiting step in electron transfer appears to be the transfer of electrons from the flavoprotein to the oxygenase domain facilitated by the binding of CaM at increased intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations. Thus, modulation of electron transfer rates appears to be regulated at the level of the flavoprotein domains of the NOS isoforms.
Churches as Societal Veto Players: Religious Influence in Actor-Centred Theories of Policy-Making

The article argues that the study of western democracies benefits from a conceptualisation of Christian churches as societal veto players characterised by three features: their power, which depends on their potential for mobilisation; their preferences, which can be deduced from churches' official statements and which are often outside the political spectrum; and their coherence, which determines the size of their indifference curve. Conceptualised as societal veto players, churches can be included in actor-centred theories of policy-making. Particular attention should be paid to veto points, church–state relations and religious parties, as these are the features of the political system that affect churches' behaviours. A comparative study of churches' roles in stem-cell policies illustrates the use of the concept. The study shows that the Catholic Church is a ‘stronger’ veto player than protestant churches, but that this stronger role can have paradoxical effects on the resulting policies and the policy process.
Differential expression of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes in the rat ventrolateral medulla

Adrenergic (C1) neurons located in the rostral ventrolateral medulla are considered a key component in the control of arterial blood pressure. Classically, C1 cells have been identified by their immunoreactivity for the catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and/or phenylethanolamine N‐methyltransferase (PNMT). However, no studies have simultaneously demonstrated the expression of aromatic L‐amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) and dopamine β‐hydroxylase (DBH) in these neurons. We examined the expression and colocalization of all four enzymes in the rat ventrolateral medulla using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) analysis. Retrograde tracer injected into thoracic spinal segments T2–T4 was used to identify bulbospinal neurons. Using fluorescence and confocal microscopy, most cells of the C1 group were shown to be double or triple labeled with TH, DBH, and PNMT, whereas only 65–78% were immunoreactive for AADC. Cells that lacked detectable immunoreactivity for AADC were located in the rostral C1 region, and approximately 50% were spinally projecting. Some cells in this area lacked DBH immunoreactivity (6.5–8.3%) but were positive for TH and/or PNMT. Small numbers of cells were immunoreactive for only one of the four enzymes. Numerous fibres that were immunoreactive for DBH but not for TH or PNMT were noted in the rostral C1 region. Single‐cell RT‐PCR analysis conducted on spinally projecting C1 neurons indicated that only 76.5% of cells that contained mRNA for TH, DBH, and PNMT contained detectable message for AADC. These experiments suggest that a proportion of C1 cells may not express all of the enzymes necessary for adrenaline synthesis. J. Comp. Neurol. 432:20–34, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of precipitation type, intensity, and spatial distribution in source water quality after wildfire

Storms following wildfires are known to impair drinking water supplies in the southwestern United States, yet our understanding of the role of precipitation in post-wildfire water quality is far from complete. We quantitatively assessed water-quality impacts of different hydrologic events in the Colorado Front Range and found that for a three-year period, substantial hydrologic and geochemical responses downstream of a burned area were primarily driven by convective storms with a 30 min rainfall intensity >10 mm h−1. These storms, which typically occur several times each year in July–September, are often small in area, short-lived, and highly variable in intensity and geographic distribution. Thus, a rain gage network with high temporal resolution and spatial density, together with high-resolution stream sampling, are required to adequately characterize post-wildfire responses. We measured total suspended sediment, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrate, and manganese concentrations that were 10–156 times higher downstream of a burned area compared to upstream during relatively common (50% annual exceedance probability) rainstorms, and water quality was sufficiently impaired to pose water-treatment concerns. Short-term water-quality impairment was driven primarily by increased surface runoff during higher intensity convective storms that caused erosion in the burned area and transport of sediment and chemical constituents to streams. Annual sediment yields downstream of the burned area were controlled by storm events and subsequent remobilization, whereas DOC yields were closely linked to annual runoff and thus were more dependent on interannual variation in spring runoff. Nitrate yields were highest in the third year post-wildfire. Results from this study quantitatively demonstrate that water quality can be altered for several years after wildfire. Because the southwestern US is prone to wildfires and high-intensity rain storms, the role of storms in post-wildfire water-quality impacts must be considered when assessing water-quality vulnerability.
Mechanisms underlying air aspiration in patients undergoing left atrial catheterization

Background: Air embolism in patients undergoing percutaneous interventions requiring access to the left atrium (LA) represents a potentially fatal complication. Here we tested if a decline in LA pressures following sedation represents an important mechanistic link underlying air intrusion into the LA. Methods and Results: Left atrial pressures were measured in 26 consecutive patients (49 ± 14 years; 27% male), who underwent percutaneous atrial septal occlusion for persistent foramen ovale or secundum atrial septal defects. Patients either received sedation by propofol allowing for guidance by transesophageal echocardiography (n = 13) or underwent occluder implantation without sedation and under fluoroscopic control only (n = 13). Whereas mean exspiratory LA pressures remained unchanged in either group, sedation provoked a marked decline in the mean inspiratory LA pressure as compared to non‐sedated patients (Δp 6.9 ± 8.6 mm Hg vs. 0.1 ± 1.2 mm Hg in nonsedated patients, P < 0.001). Ex vivo experiments evaluating the air‐tightness of different sheaths in response to negative pressures revealed air aspiration at –13.4 ± 1.2 mm Hg of suction in all cases, once a guide wire was inserted. Conclusions: Negative LA pressures in conjunction with air‐leaking sheaths are identified as potentially important factors for air intrusion into the LA with the patient's sedation being a primary risk factor to lower LA pressure levels. The results advocate close monitoring of LA pressures during intervention, prevention of airway collapse and protection of LA sheaths from communication with the atmosphere, during procedures under sedation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
De qué depende la satisfacción subjetiva de los colombianos

Este trabajo analiza los determinantes de los niveles de satisfaccion de los colombianos, en particular el grado de conformidad de los hogares y su relacion con un conjunto de variables demograficas, sociales y economicas. Algunos de los resultados son similares a los de otros paises con diversos grados de desarrollo.
Risk of complications and 30-day mortality after laparoscopic and open appendectomy in a Danish region, 1998-2007; a population-based study of 18,426 patients.

UNLABELLED Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency, but population-based data on the risk of complications after laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) and open appendectomy (OA) are scarce. THE AIM OF THE STUDY To describe the risk of complications and mortality after appendectomy for acute appendicitis during a 10-year period, and to compare outcomes after LA and OA. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using population-based registry data, we conducted a historical cohort study in a Danish region (population 2,000,000) including all patients who underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis during the period of 1998-2007. We used logistic regression to compare the risk of complications and 30-day mortality between LA and OA, adjusting for gender, age, severity of appendicitis, time of surgery, and calendar year. Analyses were stratified for severity of appendicitis and time period. RESULTS We included 18,426 patients. From 1998 to 2007 the use of LA rose from 12% to 61%, while the risk of surgically-treated complications fell from 5.7% to 3.2%, the risk of intra-abdominal infections fell from 2.4% to 1.1% and 30-day mortality fell from 0.30% to 0.23%. LA was associated with a lower risk of surgically-treated complications (adjusted odds ratio for LA vs. OA=0.70 (95% CI, 0.57-0.85), intraabdominal infections (OR=0.74 [95% CI, 0.55-0.99]) and mortality (OR=0.48 [95% CI, 0.18-1.30]). LA was safer than OA for simple and complicated appendicitis throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS Risk of complications and 30-day mortality decreased in Denmark between 1998 and 2007 concurrently with implementation of LA. The risk of complications was lower after LA than after OA.
Convergence behavior of the first-order time-delay digital tanlock loop

Convergence behavior of the previously proposed time-delay digital tanlock loop (TDTL) is analyzed. The approach is built on the actual number of steps required for the convergence of the phase error to its steady-state value. Unlike the first-order conventional digital tanlock loop (CDTL), the Lipschitz bound of TDTL is not a tight limit for the actual convergence time, especially for higher values of the absolute difference between the initial and the steady-state phase errors. For a frequency step input, the first-order TDTL locks faster than CDTL under suitable arrangement of the loop parameters.
Subsidiarity or subterfuge? Resolving the future of local government in the Australian federal system

During Australia’s centenary of federation (2001), the author, Local Government Association of Queensland and Courier–Mail newspaper surveyed 1,264 Queenslanders for their attitudes to future constitutional change, including a sample of 259 local government opinion leaders from across the state. The results of this pilot suggest ongoing political, functional and theoretical challenges surrounding the position of local government in Australia. Only 22 percent of local government respondents indicated a preference for the federal system to remain the same in another 100 years, against 70+ percent preferring significant structural change (50 percent seeking regional governments that replace the states). This higher–than–expected interest in change suggests that ongoing national reviews of the position of local government will need to reconsider federalism’s values and structures from first principles, including engagement by Commonwealth and states alike with the principle of ‘subsidiarity’, if they are to deliver any long–term gains.
SRI Funds: Does More Social Mean Less Financial Performance?

Due to the diversity amongst SRI funds it is too simplistic to divide the mutual fund universe in two blocks of SRI (socially responsible investment) funds and conventional funds. Therefore, we use a unique rating of UK SRI funds, which takes into account the screening criteria as well as the rigorousness of their application. In order to analyse the relationship between social and financial performance we use the 3-level-Carhart model. The underlying sample consists of 50 UK SRI funds whose returns between July 1998 and July 2010 are analysed. The results show that the portfolios with the highest social ratings underperform significantly, whilst the portfolios with the lowest social ratings do not significantly underperform the market benchmark. However, the analyses do not reveal a clear linear pattern. Therefore, more social performance does not automatically mean less financial performance.
REMITTANCES AND GROWTH IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: EVIDENCE FROM A PANEL CAUSALITY TEST

This paper examines the causality between remittances and economic growth in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. We employ the panel Granger causality testing approach that is based on seemingly unrelated regressions systems and Wald tests with country-specific bootstrap critical values. Using annual data over the period 1980-2007 for 20 SSA countries, we find that in any SSA country, there is no causality between remittances and growth. An explanation of why remittances do not increase growth in SSA countries is given by the causality test that shows that remittances do not increase physical capital investment.