Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive capacity and regional water governance in north-western Germany

Successful adaptation to climate change requires flexible adaptation strategies which consider regional ecological, economic and social circumstances. Coastal zones are considered to be significantly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The projected impacts of climate change in the metropolitan region of Bremen–Oldenburg, Germany (a coastal area), are, for example, rising sea level, salt water intrusion, temporary groundwater scarcity in the summer and increased (heavy) rainfalls. This paper uses an existing framework, the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (ACW), complemented by two additional dimensions: adaptation motivation and adaptation belief. The objectives were first, to assess the adaptive capacity of water governance in the study region, and second, to show how the ACW can be used as an approach and a communication tool with stakeholders to identify strengths and weaknesses. Based on this, a further objective was to discover what lessons and recommendations can be drawn that could help water experts and stakeholders in the future. The results show a high adaptive capacity and that the addition of the psychological dimensions was valuable. However, it is important to look closely at each dimension assessed by the ACW. The key recommendations are: to improve public participation; to ensure better coordination; to raise awareness; and to reduce the lack of political will to overcome adaptation barriers.
Comparing sensory experience in bitter taste perception of phenylthiocarbamide within and between human twins and singletons: intrapair differences in thresholds and genetic variance estimates.

BACKGROUND Quantitative genetic studies revealed that not all of the phenotypic variance in PTC taste perception is heritable. AIM To study quantitative variations in PTC tasting ability in twins and to estimate heritability of PTC taste perception on the taste of twin data on males and females sexes separately. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The data for PTC taste sensitivity following the classic method of Harris & Kalmus (1949) were collected on a sample of 141 twin pairs (66 MZ and 75 DZ) and 275 singletons (128 males and 147 females) from Chandigarh, India. Genetic analyses were performed following Christian (1979), Donner (1986) and Sham (1998). RESULTS Frequency of non-tasters was similar in twins (33 %) and singletons (32 %), but significant sex differences were observed. No differences were found between zygosities for mean thresholds. Similarly, no evidence of variance heterogeneity and environmental covariance was seen between zygosities. Since no basic assumption of the twin method was found violated, within-pair estimates of genetic variance would be unbiased. These estimates were highly significant in both males and females. However, dominance and additive components of genetic variance were found to differ between sexes. CONCLUSION PTC thresholds do not seem to be significantly affected by environmental factors as no variance inequality was observed between twin zygosities. Intensity of bitterness (scalar dimensions) of PTC is a separate trait having no commonality with the genetic basis of recognition threshold for PTC tasting ability. The receptors recognizing bitter taste are different from the receptors determining intensity of taste. The absolute difference between co-twins in PTC thresholds can be used as a simple tool in the twin zygosity diagnosis. The results show that none of the MZ co-twins had manifested difference of more than 3 in their PTC threshold.
Who Trades with Whom? Exploring the Links between Firms' International Activities, Skills, and Wages

Using firm-level data on the Italian manufacturing industry, we examine how trade activities are related to workforce composition and wages. We contribute to empirical research on these issues in three ways. First, we provide new evidence that is consistent with multi-attribute models on firm heterogeneity and trade. We show that even after controlling for various company characteristics, including size and capital intensity, exporters still pay higher wages and employ more skilled workers than nonexporters. Second, we consider engagement in international transactions, either by means of exports, imports, or a combination of the two. We show that failing to control for importing activities may bias upward export premia. Third, we look at how the wage and the employment structures of trading firms change with the country of destination and origin of trade flows. We find that wage and skill premia are influenced by the characteristics of partner countries.
Economic outcomes of exenatide vs liraglutide in type 2 diabetes patients in the United States: results from a retrospective claims database analysis

Abstract Objective: The safety and efficacy of the GLP-1 receptor agonists exenatide BID (exenatide) and liraglutide for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been established in clinical trials. Effective treatments may lower overall treatment costs. This study examined cost offsets and medication adherence for exenatide vs liraglutide in a large, managed care population in the US. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis comprising adult patients with T2DM who initiated exenatide or liraglutide between 1/1/2010 and 6/30/2010 and had 6 months pre-index and post-index continuous eligibility. Patients were propensity score-matched to controls for baseline differences. Medication adherence was measured by proportion of days covered (PDC). Paired t-test and McNemar’s test were used to compare outcomes. Results: Matched exenatide and liraglutide cohorts (n = 1347 pairs) had similar average total 6-month follow-up costs ($6688 vs $7346). However, exenatide patients had significantly lower mean pharmacy costs ($2925 vs $3272, p < 0.001). Among liraglutide patients, patients receiving the 1.8 mg dose had significantly higher average total costs compared to those receiving the 1.2 mg dose ($8031 vs $6536, p = 0.026), with higher mean pharmacy costs in the 1.8 mg cohort ($3935 vs $3146, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in inpatient or outpatient costs or medication adherence between groups (mean PDC: exenatide 56% vs liraglutide 57%, p = 0.088). Limitations: The study assumed that all information needed for case classification and matching of cohorts was present and not differential across cohorts. The study did not control for covariates that were unavailable, such as HbA1c and duration of diabetes. Conclusions: Patients initiating exenatide vs liraglutide for T2DM had similar medication adherence and total healthcare costs; however, exenatide patients had significantly lower total pharmacy costs. Patients prescribed 1.8 mg liraglutide had significantly higher costs compared to those on 1.2 mg.
Institutional constraints and SME growth in post-communist Albania

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate business growth in post-communist Albania using an institutional perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes an institutional perspective, which emphasises the role of institutional change in enabling/constraining business growth whilst allowing for entrepreneurial objectives and motivations to be taken into account. The analysis is based on firm-level data collected through a survey questionnaire in April-July 2004. The paper uses principal components analysis and a regression model to explain the factors that determine the pace of business growth of small firms. Findings – The analysis offers important insights into the nature of entrepreneurship in a post-communist setting. The age of the firm, the age, education, qualifications and work orientation of the entrepreneur, insufficient information and corruption, explain the differential growth of firms. Older entrepreneurs grow faster suggesting unfulfilled aspirations during communism as well as their access to wider professional, social and possibly also political connections. The positive effect of corruption on business growth suggests that an ability to cope with a corrupt environment has been a necessary entrepreneurial skill during a period of chaotic change in social and formal institutions that has characterized transition in Albania. Originality/value – This research can be of special interest to studies of entrepreneurship in institutional transformation contexts, and it contributes especially to the accumulation of knowledge on transition economies by looking at the little researched case of post communist Albania.
Marked gender difference in plasma total homocysteine concentrations in indian adults with low vitamin B₁₂.

CONTEXT Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is higher in men than women. OBJECTIVE To explore the gender differences in tHcy in relation to determinants of one-carbon metabolism in Indian people with low B₁₂ and adequate folate. SETTING The study took place in rural and urban areas of Pune, India. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS Participants were 441 men from the cross-sectional Coronary Risk of Insulin Sensitivity in Indian Subjects study (CRISIS) and premenopausal wives of 146 men (median ages 38 and 34 years, respectively). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Gender difference in fasting tHcy in relation to plasma albumin and creatinine concentrations, lifestyle factors, diet and lean mass, plasma B₁₂ and red cell folate (RCF) was assessed. RESULTS Prevalence of high tHcy (> 15 µmol/L, median 14.4 µM) was 40 %, low B12 (< 150 pmol/L, 114 pmol/L) 66 %, and low RCF (< 283 nmol/L, 525 nmol/L) 8 %. Men had higher (1.8x) plasma tHcy concentrations (16.2 µmol/L) than women (9.5 µmol/L). Only 50 % of the gender difference was explained by age, lean mass, B₁₂, and RCF. The difference remained after controlling for other explanatory variables. Women with a tHcy of 9.3 µM had the same B₁₂ concentration (129 pmol/L) as men with a tHcy of 15 µM; and for a tHcy of 10.0 µmol/L women had the same RCF concentration (533 nmol/L) as men with a tHcy of 15 µmol/L. CONCLUSIONS Adult Indian women have markedly lower tHcy concentrations compared to men. This suggests a lower threshold for supplementation to improve reproductive and cardiovascular outcomes.
The Comparative Effect of Process and Outcome Accountability in Enhancing Professional Scepticism

type="main" xml:id="acfi12084-abs-0001"> Responding to concerns about insufficient professional scepticism in audits (e.g. PCAOB, , ; ASIC, ), we investigate the effect of process and outcome accountability in enhancing the level of professional scepticism and the differences in effects across audit experience levels. In our experiment, we manipulate the type of accountability (outcome versus process) for both novice auditors and audit seniors. We examine the effect on four measures of professional scepticism and find that auditors show greater levels of professional scepticism when they are expected to justify their judgment process, rather than their final judgments. Our results also show that the professional scepticism of novice auditors improves to a greater extent than that of more experienced auditors (audit seniors) under process accountability.
Towards The Development Of A ComprehensiveSystematic Quantification Of The Costs AndBenefits Of Property Level Flood Risk Adaptation

Research in the UK, has shown that one of the reasons that people may not take action to guard against potential flood damage to their properties is that they lack first-hand information on the costs and benefits of available mitigation measures. From these perspective, fundamental issues of both universal and constraint uncertainties in property-level flood adaptation cost benefit analysis are discussed. Individuals who have direct knowledge of the potential flood risks that they are exposed to and subsequently have information on the costs and benefits of adapting their properties to flood risks, would be more likely to take action, and thus more inclined to undertake mitigation measures. The application of the concept of cost benefit analysis to flood mitigation measures at household levels has inherent uncertainties. A major exclusion in the past from flood mitigation cost benefit analyses has been the intangible impacts of flooding upon households, and this represents a form of systemic uncertainty. Research has shown that intangible impacts are both large and more important to affected households than are the tangible impacts; therefore quantification of the intangible impacts of flooding, for the purpose of developing a comprehensive cost benefit analysis model, is of a paramount importance in assessing the full impact of flooding on households, and hence currently represent a form of systematic uncertainty. The challenge of this research is how to quantify intangible impact/losses in the context of the cost benefit analysis approach. Flood Recovery Innovation and Response III 221 www.witpress. com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 159, © 201 WIT Press 2 doi:10.2495/FRIAR120181 homeowners living in flood risk areas in the UK to make an informed decision on investment in flood mitigating measures.
New insight into foregut functions of xenobiotic detoxification in the cockroach Periplaneta americana

The physiological functions of insect foregut, especially in xenobiotic detoxification, are scarcely reported because of unimportance in appearance and insufficient molecular information. The cockroach Periplaneta americana, an entomological model organism, provides perfect material to study physiological functions of foregut tissue due to its architectural feature. Through Illumina sequencing of foregut tissue from P. americana individuals (control) or insects treated with cycloxaprid, as a novel neonicotinoid insecticide, 54 193 166 clean reads were obtained and further assembled into 53 853 unigenes with an average length of 366 bp. Furthermore, the number of unigenes involved in xenobiotic detoxification was analyzed, mainly including 70 cytochrome P450s, 12 glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs), seven carboxylesterases (CarEs) and seven adenosine triphosphate‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Compared to control, the expression of 22 xenobiotic detoxification unigenes was up‐regulated after cycloxaprid application, mainly containing 18 P450s, one GST, two CarEs and one ABC adenosine triphosphate transporter, indicating that the oxidation‐reduction was the major reactive process to cycloxaprid application. Through quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis, the expression of selected unigenes (six P450s, one GST and one CarE) was up‐regulated at least two‐fold following cycloxaprid treatment, and was generally in agreement with transcriptome data. Compared to the previous midgut transcriptome of P. americana, it looks like the expressive abundance of the xenobiotic detoxification unigenes might be important factors to the detoxifying functional differences between foregut and midgut. In conclusion, insect foregut would also play important roles in the physiological processes related to xenobiotic detoxification.
Vestibular Neurolabyrinthitis

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate prospectively, in a group of patients affected by vestibular neurolabyrinthitis (VN), a diagnostic protocol including cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (C-VEMPs), ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (O-VEMPs), and the video head impulse test (vHIT). Methods: The diagnosis of VN was based on the patient’s clinical history, an absence of associated auditory or neurologic symptoms, and a neuro-otological examination with an evaluation of lateral semicircular canal function by use of the Fitzgerald-Hallpike caloric vestibular test and the ice test. Results: In our series, 55% of the cases were superior and inferior VN, 40% were superior VN, and 5% were inferior VN. These cases, however, comprised different degrees of vestibular involvement, as the individual vestibular end organs have different prognoses. Four patients had only deficits of the horizontal and superior semicircular canals or their ampullary nerves. Conclusions: The implementation of C-VEMPs, O-VEMPs, and the vHIT in a vestibular diagnostic protocol has made it possible to observe patients with ampullary VN in a way that has not been feasible with other types of vestibular examinations. The age of the patient seems to have some impact on recovery from VN. When recovery occurs in the utricular and saccular nerves first and in the ampullary nerves subsequently, it may be reasonable to expect a more favorable outcome.
Estimation methods in portfolio selection and the effectiveness of short sales restrictions: UK evidence

Forecasting the mean returns vector and the covariance matrix is a key feature in implementing portfolio theory. The performance of the Bayes-Stein method for forecasting these parameters for use in the Markowitz model with and without short sales was compared with that of seven other estimation methods, and three alternative portfolio selection techniques. This paper represents the first large scale empirical investigation of the usefulness of the Bayes-Stein approach using historical data. This data was drawn from the London Stock Exchange. In contrast to earlier studies, the relative performance of Bayes-Stein was mixed. While it produced reasonable estimates of the mean returns vector, there were superior methods, e.g., overall mean, for estimating the covariance matrix when short sales were permitted. When short sales were prohibited, actual portfolio performance was clearly improved, although there was little to choose between the various estimation methods.
Group Dynamics and Resource Availability of a Long-Term Volunteer Water-Monitoring Program

Alabama Water Watch is a statewide, citizen volunteer water quality monitoring program with participation of 235 groups over a 14-year period (1993–2006). A variety of social and geographical resources strongly influenced the distribution, characteristics, and longevity of groups. Group location and sampling effort in each of 67 counties had significant correlation with population, income, and education. Water-monitoring groups were concentrated in the northeast quadrant of the state (where 60% of lake acreage occurs) and in the coastal southwest region, with virtually no groups in areas of persistent poverty. Though it has been demonstrated that volunteer water-monitoring programs can collect scientifically valid data that make significant contributions to natural resource management, such programs favor well-organized and educated groups with discretionary time and wealth. Different approaches are needed to make inroads into resource-limited areas, such as alternative environmental awareness programs, and partnerships with organizations that focus on community development and livelihoods.
Geriatric care: ways and means of providing comfort.

Objective: To know the ways and means of comfort perceived by the older adults hospitalized in a medical service. Method: Ethnographic study with a qualitative approach. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 older adults and participant observation of care situations. Results: The ways and means of providing comfort are centered on strategies for promoting care mobilized by nurses and recognized by patients(clarifying/informing, positive interaction/communication, music therapy, touch, smile, unconditional presence, empathy/proximity relationship, integrating the older adult or the family as partner in the care, relief of discomfort through massage/mobilization/therapy) and on particular moments of comfort (the first contact, the moment of personal hygiene, and the visit of the family), which constitute the foundation of care/comfort. Final considerations: Geriatric care is built on the relationship that is established and complete with meaning, and is based on the meeting/interaction between the actors under the influence of the context in which they are inserted. The different ways and means of providing comfort aim to facilitate/increase care, relieve discomfort and/or invest in potential comfort. Objetivo: Conhecer os modos e formas de confortar percecionadas pelos idosos hospitalizados num serviço de medicina. Método: Estudo etnográfico com abordagem qualitativa. Realizamos entrevistas semiestruturadas com 22 doentes idosos e observação participante nas situações de cuidados. Resultados: Os modos e formas de confortar centram-se em estratégias promotoras de conforto mobilizadas pelo enfermeiro e reconhecidas pelos doentes (informação/esclarecimento, interação/comunicação positiva, toque, sorriso, presença incondicional, integração do idoso/família nos cuidados e o alívio de desconfortos através da massagem/mobilização/terapêutica) e em momentos particulares de conforto (contato inaugural, visita da família., cuidados de higiene e arranjo pessoal), que se constituem como alicerces do cuidar/cuidado confortador. Considerações finais: O cuidado geriátrico edifica-se na relação que se desenvolve, atribuída de sentido, e assenta-se num encontro/interação entre os atores sob influência do contexto em que está inserido. Os diferentes modos e formas de confortar objetivam facilitar/aumentar o conforto, aliviar o desconforto e/ou investir no conforto potencial.
Prediction of stock price movement based on daily high prices

Prediction of stock close price movements has attracted a lot of research interest. Using machine learning techniques, especially statistical classifiers, for day ahead forecasting of the movement of daily close prices of a broad range of several hundreds of liquid stocks is generally not very successful. We suspect that one of the reasons for failure is the relatively high volatility of prices in the last minutes before the market closes. There have been some attempts to use less volatile daily high prices instead, but the studies concentrated only on a specific non-statistical machine learning approach on a small number of specific securities. We show that incorporating statistical classifiers for day ahead daily high price movement predictions in to some simple portfolio management techniques significantly increases their performance. Tests performed on S&P 500 stocks show that such a strategy is robust, i.e. the difference in reliability for different stocks does not vary significantly, and that such a strategy greatly outperforms the S&P 500 index and several other benchmarks while increasing the risk only by a small amount.
Risk Attitude, Planting Conditions and the Value of Seasonal Forecasts to a Dryland Wheat Grower

The value of a seasonal forecasting system based on phases of the Southern Oscillation was estimated for a representative dryland wheat grower in the vicinity of Goondiwindi. In particular the effects on this estimate of risk attitude and planting conditions were examined. A recursive stochastic programming approach was used to identify the grower's utility-maximising action set in the event of each of the climate patterns over the period 1894-1991 recurring in the imminent season. The approach was repeated with and without use of the forecasts. The choices examined were, at planting, nitrogen application rate and cultivar and, later in the season, choices of proceeding with or abandoning each wheat activity. The value of the forecasting system was estimated as the maximum amount the grower could afford to pay for its use without expected utility being lowered relative to its non-use.