Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accountability and democracy in the new local governance : an evaluation

Accountability and Democracy in the New Local Governance: An Evaluation Michael Stephen Cole This thesis addresses the themes of the democracy and accountability of British local governance, in the context of the modernising agenda, through an evaluation of research in five areas: the role(s) of local councillors; external scrutiny inquiries; consultations; community appraisals; and changes to local boundaries. Key issues in relation to democracy and accountability include the role of external scrutiny in holding the unelected local state accountable to elected representatives; updating the literature on the activities of county councillors; and assessing the limited impact of local authority consultations and community appraisals. In particular, the assessment of consultations suggests a process that is often driven by a public relations focus and that few of those exercises both generate unexpected outcomes and have a substantial impact. In relation to the appraisals, the study suggests greater effectiveness in resolving small-scale problems capable of solution through town or parish local governance or community groups. The research on local boundary changes identifies the role of democratic local representatives in the reviews and the weak lines of downward accountability in respect of the process. This analysis also shows how these boundary changes impact on the way councillors perform certain core activities, including electoral campaigning. In relation to the local government modernisation agenda, the analysis suggests that little progress has been made towards the aim of strengthening the responsiveness of service providers to the wider community and or service users. Similarly, the establishment of scrutiny structures has had a relatively marginal impact on external agencies. While the community representation focus of many councillors is in sympathy with local government modernisation, the Devon study suggests that such attitudes predated this agenda. CONTENTS List of Tables . i Acknowledgements . iii Author's Declaration . iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.
Balanced growth path solutions of a Boltzmann mean field game model for knowledge growth

In this paper we study balanced growth path solutions of a Boltzmann mean field game model proposed by Lucas and Moll [ 15 ] to model knowledge growth in an economy.Agents can either increase their knowledge level by exchanging ideas in learning events or by producing goods with the knowledge they already have.The existence of balanced growth path solutions implies exponential growth of the overall production in time. We prove existence of balanced growth path solutions if the initial distribution of individuals with respect to their knowledge level satisfiesa Pareto-tail condition. Furthermore we give first insights into the existence of such solutions if in addition to production and knowledge exchange theknowledge level evolves by geometric Brownian motion.
Low-Power Forming Free TiO2–x/HfO2–y/TiO2–x-Trilayer RRAM Devices Exhibiting Synaptic Property Characteristics

The insertion of an HfO<sub>2–<italic>y</italic></sub> layer within TiO<sub>2–<italic>x</italic></sub>/HfO<sub>2–<italic>y</italic></sub>/TiO<sub>2–<italic>x</italic></sub> resistive random access memory (RRAM) yields in low set power of 50 nW (10 nA at 5 V), low reset power of 3 nW (1 nA at −3 V), and good cycling variability (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma /\mu < 0.5$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). In addition, under pulse experiments, fast switching time of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1~\mu \text{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, good <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{7}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cycling endurance and retention performance at 150 °C, was demonstrated. The confinement of the switching effect into the HfO<sub>2–<italic>y</italic></sub> film, which has the highest oxygen content and deeper oxygen vacancy energy levels compared with the adjusting two layers of TiO<sub>2–<italic>x</italic></sub> which act as two series resistances, can explain the low switching energy. The gradual modulation of the resistance permits also the manifestation of long-term potentiation synaptic plasticity, induced by the application of a train of pulses with different repetition intervals. A quantitative model was applied in order to reproduce the analog SET/RESET responses of the trilayer configuration and highlight the role of the local distribution of oxygen vacancies. These effects in conjunction with the room temperature fabrication process used and the forming-free nature of the thin films are considered as an optimization route toward high-density RRAM design.
Historical accounts, conversations and contexts

Three years ago, my predecessor’s inaugural editorial in Accounting History Review (Walker 2011) outlined the decision to refocus Accounting, Business and Financial History (ABFH) as Accounting History Review (AHR). At the time, it was judged a bold step with certain scholars interpreting the name change as a narrowing of the journal’s ambit. To the contrary, this refocus has recognised the increasing maturity and vitality of our discipline. The resulting broadening of AHR’s scope has also inspired historical research and writing that push and extend the boundaries of time and space. We have seen the encouraging connection of accounting history with emerging areas of scholarship, and with the intellectual interests of other disciplines and research domains. Three years later, we can reflect on this decision and its impacts with quiet satisfaction and evidence of positive achievement and outcomes. When journal rankings and journal quality (two items that are not, by definition, necessarily synonymous) are highly contested by researchers, university administrators and research funding agencies, AHR has established its disciplinary leadership. I assume the journal editorship, therefore, with gratitude for the heavy lifting undertaken by my predecessor, Professor Stephen Walker. While a new editor brings customary changes in terms of editorial style and sensibilities, nonetheless important continuities remain. Quiet satisfaction cannot translate into complacency. We have yet to achieve a level of maturity in our publishing patterns such that we can sit back and rest on past laurels. AHR will continue to seek out and to privilege historical accounts which inform and are informed by broader historiographical debates and cross-disciplinary engagement. This preferential shift acknowledges that accounting history is no longer a discipline primarily centred inwardly on how accounting’s past demonstrates present-day utility, but a history that looks outwardly into novel directions and into arenas with which accounting interacts, and which presumes without hesitation, accounting’s embeddedness within a multi-faceted institutional and social context. The first months of my editorship have included considerable time to review and re-read past issues of ABFH and AHR, and to take note of trends with respect to prevalent topics, theoretical persuasions and research methodologies. While trends and themes have emerged, dominated, changed and resurfaced over time, clear evidence exists of AHR’s consistency with respect to highquality scholarship that challenges our disciplinary boundaries of what is ‘accounting history’. Indeed, accounting history, especially for those who are not engaged in historical research, conjures up fascination for double-entry ledgers, counting houses and a frequent propensity for historicism. While the divisive debates of the 1990s about the new and old accounting history
A recombinant Salmonella typhimurium vaccine induces local immunity by four different routes of immunization

Immunization of mice with an attenuated Salmonella typhimurium strain (Phopc) carrying a plasmid encoding a hybrid form of the hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBc) induced specific antibody responses against the bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and HBc. Different mucosal routes of immunization, i.e., oral, nasal, rectal, and vaginal, were compared for their ability to induce a systemic as well as a mucosal response at sites proximal or distant to the site of immunization. Anti-LPS and anti-HBc immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies were measured in saliva, in feces, and in genital, bronchial, and intestinal secretions. Specific antibodies in serum and secretions were observed after immunization via all routes; however, the response to LPS was independent of that against HBc. In serum, saliva, and genital and bronchial secretions, high amounts of anti-HBc IgA were obtained by the nasal route of immunization. Vaginal immunization resulted in two different responses in mice: high and low. We observed a correlation between the level of specific immune response and the estrous status of these mice at the time of immunization. Rectal immunization induced high amounts of IgA against HBc and LPS in colonorectal secretions and feces but not at distant sites. These data suggest that S. typhimurium is able to invade different mucosal tissues and induce long-lasting local IgA responses against itself and a carried antigen after a single immunization.
An empirical analysis of changes of the impact of federal budget deficits on stock market returns: evidence from the US economy

We investigate the causality between the real federal budget deficit returns and real stock market returns for the US economy. We divide the overall sample into two sub-samples running from 1968:1 to 1988:3 and from 1988:4 to 2011:3. In contrast to earlier studies, we find a significant positive relationship between real stock market returns and real federal budget deficit returns for both samples. Moreover, we find that the stochastic interrelations between these variables have considerably changed over time.
Inhibit Mechanosensitivity of Primary Afferent Endings

The modulatory effects of baclofen on the sensitivity of peripheral afferent endings to mechanical stimulation were investigated using an in vitro ferret gastroesophageal vagal afferent preparation. Changes in sensitivity of three types of gastroesophageal vagal afferent endings previously categorized as mucosal, tension, and tension–mucosal (TM) receptors according to their mechanoreceptive field characteristics were investigated. Baclofen (30–200 mM) dose dependently reduced responses of mucosal afferents to mucosal stroking with calibrated von Frey hairs (10–1000 mg). This was reversed by the GABAB receptor antagonist SCH50911 (1 mM). TM afferent responses to mucosal stroking (10–1000 mg) were unaffected by baclofen (30–200 mM). However, baclofen (30–200 mM) significantly inhibited the response of 11 of 18 TM afferents to circumferential tension. This was reversed by SCH50911 (1 mM). Baclofen (100 and 200 mM) significantly inhibited the response of all tension receptor afferents to circumferential tension in the lower range (1–3 gm) but not in the higher range (4–7 gm). This inhibition was reversed by SCH50911 (1 mM; n 5 3). This study provides the first direct evidence for the inhibitory modulation of peripheral mechanosensory endings by the G-protein-coupled GABAB receptor. Inhibition was dose-dependent, pharmacologically reversible, and selective to certain aspects of mechanosensitivity. These findings have important relevance to strategies for selective reduction of sensory input to the CNS at a peripheral site.
Curriculum Design, Implementation and Parental Involvement in the Education of the Deafblind: South African Teachers’ Perspectives

This study investigated the perceptions of teachers of deafblind learners on curriculum design, implementation and parental involvement. Three telephonic and two face-to-face interviews were conducted with five female teachers of the deafblind at five special schools in five of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was found out that curricula for the deafblind were not streamlined to the national curriculum and schools designed and awarded their own certificates to enable progression and employment. In addition, unit standards for teaching deafblind learners did not exist in the Umalusi repository. Curricula for the deafblind could be improved if acceptable unit standards with relevant specific outcomes were generated. Training of district team members and teachers on the teaching of the deafblind should be ongoing. Finally, parents of deafblind learners should play an active role in the education of their children, in partnership with teachers. The findings of this study demonstrate that teachers have knowledge and experience that could be used to design curricula for deafblind learners and as well create synergies with both the Department of Basic Education and the parent community. Teachers of the deafblind know their training needs, and expect the Department of Basic Education to develop their skills. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n20p1486
Influence of antiviral therapy in hepatitis C virus-associated cryoglobulinemic MPGN.

BACKGROUND The influence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment on the course of HCV cryoglobulinemic membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is controversial. METHODS Twenty-five patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria, mixed cryoglobulinemia, MPGN proved by renal biopsy, and HCV infection were studied for their response to antiviral treatment. RESULTS After first-line treatment with prednisone, furosemide, or plasmapheresis, antiviral therapy with standard or pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin was introduced in 18 patients. These patients were compared with 7 patients who did not receive antiviral treatment. Mean duration of antiviral treatment was 18 +/- 10 months, with a follow-up of at least 6 months after treatment withdrawal. HCV RNA clearance (sustained virological response) was achieved in 12 of 18 patients. Compared with values before antiviral therapy, a decrease in proteinuria was observed in sustained virological responders at the end of combination therapy, as well as at the end of follow-up (mean, 2.85 +/- 2.2 [SD] versus 1 +/- 1.4 and 0.4 +/- 0.8 g/d, respectively; P < 0.05). In sustained virological responders, cryoglobulin levels at the end of treatment (0.29 +/- 0.4 g/L) and end of follow-up (0.25 +/- 0.4 g/L) were decreased (P < 0.05) compared with pretreatment values (1.38 +/- 2.2 g/L). Conversely, no changes in serum cryoglobulinemia levels were observed in nonresponders or controls. Serum creatinine levels remained stable in the 18 patients with antiviral therapy, regardless of response to treatment. CONCLUSION Anti-HCV treatment improved HCV-associated cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis.
Portfolio Selection in a Dynamic and Uncertain World

This article examines the kind of performance obtainable from a portfolio when the Sharpe diagonal model is used to make the selection decisions over a period of time. ' The word "dynamic" in the title means that we are looking at stocks whose prospects and returns are continually changing through time, causing us to make changes in the portfolio. The article is based on a simulation study. We have assumed a plausible (if somewhat simplified) structure for a population of stocks, and random numbers are used to generate typical returns that might result from this structure. For each set of returns we also use random numbers to produce a set of forecasts of these returns. The forecasts are subject to considerable forecasting errors, hence the reference to the "uncertain world" referred to in our title. The Sharpe diagonal model is used to make changes in the portfolio on the basis of these forecasts. Our simulations make annual forecasts of the stocks and annual changes in a portfolio which is held over an eight-year period, starting from an all cash position and thereafter being fully invested in stock. We assume that there arel transaction costs amounting to five per cent. Each of these eight-year simulations is repeated 100 times, using different random numbers. We calculate the average value and the standard deviation of the portfolio's eight-year wealth ratio as measures of its performance. Many topics can be studied using this type of simulation model. The chief ones we considered here are the following: 1. The relationship of portfolio performance to forecasting ability.
United States Direct Investment in Japan: Trends and Prospects

Virtually every relevant measure, both macroeconomic and microeconomic, reveals the low levels of United States foreign direct investment in Japan. Many critics blame American companies and point to their alleged inadequate efforts to penetrate Japan's markets. This article argues that Japanese restrictions have played a more important role. Restrictions imposed by the Japanese government have eased in recent years, but today numerous barriers stem from Japanese business. The experiences of two notable American "success stories" in Japan, Toys 'R' Us and Merck, illustrate many of the obstacles that today confront even the most determined American companies.
Rent Seeking and International Commodity Agreements: The Case of Coffee

Although quotas are known to create opportunities for rent seeking, such effects have not been examined in the context of international commodity agreements. We hypothesize that export quotas imposed by the International Coffee Agreement (ICA), by creating quota rents in coffee-exporting countries, encourage directly unproductive (DUP) behavior by domestic groups seeking to capture such rents. ' Such behavior can cause substantial economic waste and undesirably alter income distribution. The allocational and distributional effects of even moderate rent-seeking behavior could be sufficient to transform a coffee-exporting country's expected welfare gain from ICA quotas into a welfare loss. An understanding of these effects and a measure of their magnitude is crucial to any evaluation of the ICA. The classic analyses of international commodity agreements have focused on how such agreements affect the commodity terms of trade and export revenue instability.2 Surprisingly little work exists on the welfare effects of commodity agreements within exporting countries, particularly on the income-distribution effects or DUP activity the agreements might engender.3 The papers by G. McMahon and H. Dick and colleagues are partial exceptions.4 McMahon shows that Kenya's response to ICA quotas (the government banned new coffee plantings in an effort to control output) was inefficient and had regressive income effects. Dick and colleagues compare the effects of buffer stocks and export quotas on a domestic economy using a general equilibrium model and find that quotas are better because they shift resources from
Understanding the Differences Between Vendor Types in Local Governance

It is commonly posited that for-profit, nonprofit, and other government vendors have fundamental differences, which make one or the other the superior choice depending on the circumstances of service delivery. Past research, focusing on service and market characteristics, finds support for this proposition. In this article, we investigate not only the typical theoretical expectations regarding vendor traits, service characteristics, and market conditions associated with the sectors, but also the presumed trustworthiness and management practices that are argued to differentiate them in an effort to better understand the roles played by each in local government contracting. Our findings indicate that as expected, nonprofits are most commonly employed when dealing with hard to define, “soft” services with weak markets. However, contrary to expectations, nonprofits are not generally considered more trustworthy than for-profits and are not managed more “loosely” (i.e., more ambiguous contracts, more discretion exercised in sanctioning) than their for-profit peers. Rather, public vendors seem to be the most trusted and are managed less rigidly than contractors from the other sectors.
Monetary Policy Shocks and the Role of House Prices Across European Countries

Housing systems, as a major sector of industrialised economies, might have profound effects on the transmission mechanism of a monetary shock. Despite a progressive convergence, however, EU countries still differ significantly in their housing and credit market institutions. This paper provides a theoretical discussion of the "housing market" channels of the monetary transmission mechanism (MTM) and offers some evidence on institutional differences across EU countries. Using recursive and semi-structural VARs, we identify monetary policy shocks and assess their effects on residential prices in eight European countries over the EMS period. Results show a different degree of sensitivity of house prices, partly consistent with the institutional features of the European housing systems. We then investigate the importance of these policy-induced changes in house prices in transmitting monetary shocks to the private consumption. In some countries, results provide some support for the view that house price channel may be an important source of MTM to consumption.
Negligent Hiring: The Emerging Contributor to Workplace Violence in the Public Sector

In this era when workplaces have become “battle zones,” negligent hiring is emerging as a contributing source of employer liability for violence. Public employers have been found liable for violent acts of employees both within and outside their normal scope of employment. The authors analyze negligent hiring doctrine from a human resource management perspective, considering what the U.S. courts are saying and how employer liability can occur. Public employers can develop sound background-checking policies and practices that could both reduce workplace violence and minimize resultant negligent hiring lawsuits.
Resources, Values and Development. Amartya Sen, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1984, 547 pages

partly on the "Chicago position" which I have already discussed. Allied to this is an obsession with "prediction" even without understanding, and at the beginning at least, a touching faith in time series econometrics. As I have remarked elsewhere, if indeed the econometric models proposed passed all statistical tests with flying colors then that would be the beginning and not the end of a research program, for we would have no understanding of the reasons for this success. One representative consumer/worker, one representative firm, one good and log-linearity wherever the gaze wanders, are the building blocks. How does it come about that this suffices for success? As it is we, of course, need not worry about that question. After all this one must admit, even though some of one's best friends are macroeconomists, that there is something in the nature of this sort of inquiry which leads people to take shortcuts, make exaggerated claims, and attach far too much significance to prediction at the expense of understanding. Quite elementary propositions such as the possible neutrality of equilibrium to fully anticipated inflation (see Wicksell) are blown up into ominous-sounding warnings about tradeoffs when it is hard to see why anyone should want to bring about more employment than the equilibrium amount. Similarly, Keynesian accounting identities are frequently employed on their own for policy recommendations. In short, macroeconomics has yet to come of age. The closeness of macroeconomics to policy problems makes them often impatient of the abstractions of the theorist. Their finger is always on the trigger. The result has been surveyed by Klamer; I believe he is wrong to draw methodological lessons from it.