Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preventing War and Providing the Peace?

I explore whether international organizations (IOs) promote peaceful conflict management. Using territorial claims data, I find that organizations with interventionist capabilities encourage disputing members to attempt peaceful conflict resolution. Then, to more fully uncover the causal relationship between IOs and conflict management, I investigate the influence of IOs on bilateral dispute settlement separately from third party settlement.The analyses reveal that institutions do not promote bilateral negotiations between members, indicating that the socialization and trust-building capabilities of IOs are limited. However, institutions foster multilateral talks, demonstrating that IOs broker bargaining with third party diplomatic intervention.
An exploration of crisis experience and training as they relate to transformational leadership and rhetorical sensitivity among U.S. public health officials

Major recent crises such as the Anthrax attack of 2001, SARS in 2003, and Hurricane Katrina have focused attention on the role of the public health leader in crisis response, including the communication role. This research study investigated the relationships between past crisis experience, leader training and education, and crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) training among public health leaders in the United States and their levels of transformational leadership and rhetorical sensitivity. Using a quantitative descriptive methodology, the research study identified relationships and analyzed whether crisis leadership experience, CERC training, and leadership training influenced leadership style and levels of rhetorical sensitivity public health leaders. Study participants were recruited from among persons in current public health leadership roles and the 351 respondents closely matched by demographics the population of interest. Data was collected electronically with participants self-reporting using six questionnaires: 4 descriptive questionnaires (i.e., researcher developed Profile of U.S. Health Department Leaders Questionnaire, Leader Training and Education Questionnaire, Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Questionnaire, and Crisis Experience Questionnaire) and two standardized scales (i.e., Leadership Behavior Questionnaire [Sashkin, 1996] and Rhetorical Sensitivity Scale II (Hart, Carlson, & Eadie, 1980]). Through SPSS, data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation for relationships, unless noted. The results indicated lower levels of transformational leadership and rhetorical sensitivity among the average public health leader in the study group than for leaders of other helping professions used for comparison. The results found a positive relationship between crisis experience and effective communication but no relationship between crisis experience and transformational leader behavior. In addition, there was no increase in rhetorical sensitivity among participants who had attended crisis and emergency-risk communication training. Recommendations included further exploration of rhetorical sensitivity and transformational leadership in the context of a crisis and developing tailored crisis leadership and communication training for public health leaders.
Work Processes, Role Conflict, and Role Overload

This study examined five sets of work process variables with respect to their relationship with role conflict and role overload among samples of public sector nurses and engineers. The findings suggest that managerial strategies appropriate for minimizing role conflict are not necessarily appropriate for minimizing role overload. The findings also suggest that, in the context of public sector employment, some work process predictors of role conflict and overload may be similar across professions. Finally, in contrast with some of the assumptions of recent job design theory, the findings indicate that for public sector professionals, managerial strategies that reflect professional ethos may not reduce role conflict and role overload.
"Whistle Blowing" Regulation and Accounting Standards Enforcement in Germany and Europe--An Economic Perspective

Many countries regard whistle blowing by employees as a way to assure ethical conduct of firms and as a result various statutory rules have been enacted in order to fortify that behavior, such as the two provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) enacted in the US. The article takes a neo-institutional economics perspective on the phenomenon of whistle blowing and analyzes in what sense a statutory fortification is indeed legitimate. Contrasting, sophisticated regulatory models of the US, the UK and Germany are critically discussed, and an appropriate statutory approach is suggested that utilizes whistle blowing particularly to enhance the regulation of accounting standards enforcement in Germany and Europe.
A queueing model of activities in an intensive care unit

Activities in an intensive care unit (ICU) at a major teaching hospital are modelled by means of a queue-theoretic approach. Using data supplied by the ICU relating to the admissions process, the bed availability and the length of stay of patients, it was possible to fit theoretical distributions to the observed ‘arrival’ and ‘service’ distributions. Queueing equations relevant to a multi-channel system having random arrivals and hyper-exponential service times for each channel are set up, and solved iteratively. Results obtained match well with observations, and the model is then utilised to investigate several ‘what if? ’ scenarios. Reference is made to a simulation model developed in conjunction with the queueing model.
Correlation of 2-Hour and 4-Hour Urinary Proteins with 24-Hours Proteinuria in Hospitalized Patients with Preeclampsia

Objective: To determine whether 2-hour and 4-hour urinary proteins correlate with 24-hour proteinuria in patients with preeclampsia. Study design: Protein estimation was done from 2-hour, 4-hour, and 24-hour urine samples in 50 women with preeclampsia and the results were compared. Results: Statistical analysis demonstrated no significant difference in the mean protein excretion when comparing the 2-hour values with the 24-hour and further comparing 4-hour values with the 24-hour value. The values of 2-hour and 4-hour urine proteins in total volume (TV) correlated well with 24-hour value for mild & severe disease (p < 0.001). Amount of the protein excretion in 2-hour and 4-hour samples predicted mild preeclampsia with positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 80%. NPV of both the samples for severe preeclampsia was 100%. Conclusion: 2-hour and 4-hour proteinuria can be used for initial assessment of preeclampsia thereby avoiding the inconvenience and delay in treatment.
Green Advertising: Salvation or Oxymoron?

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature of green advertising, thus demonstrating that the concept is far more complex than the extant marketing literature suggests. Green is characterized here as a two dimensional concept with political (reformism to radicalism) and human positional (anthropocentric to ecocentric) dimensions. It is argued here that there are at least five different types of green, including environmentalism, conservationism, human welfare ecology, preservationism, and ecologism. To understand the greenness of an advertisement, it is useful to position it within this framework; and each type suggests a different human position with respect to nature and a different political orientation. The proposed framework is useful for defining terms such as “green,” “environmental,” and “ecological” which are often used interchangeably in the marketing and advertising literature.
Control of linear time-invariant plants with compensation of measurement noises and disturbances

In the paper the algorithm with compensation of parametric uncertainties, external disturbances and measurement noises for linear time-invariant plants is proposed. It is assumed, that the dimension of the noise can be equal to the state vector dimension and the disturbance can be presented in any equation of the plant model. Analytical condition for algorithm feasibility is proposed. The simulations show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
A scalable hardware/software co-design for elliptic curve cryptography on PicoBlaze microcontroller

In this paper, we investigate the potential of a hardware/software co-design methodology to realize a low resources scalable elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) processor over binary finite fields GF(2m) on an FPGA platform. The software is hosted on a free-soft-core processor from Xilinx FPGA (PicoBlaze); while two novel arithmetic circuits serve as the hardware environment to perform multi-precision arithmetic and scalable reduction. The proposed design is capable to work over a suite of curves recommended by NIST, namely, m= 163, 233, 283, 409, 571 without reconfiguring either the software or hardware. The proposed architecture is parameterized for data widths 8, 16, 32 bit to evaluate performance versus area trade-offs. The implementation of the scalable ECC processor consumes only 452 (58 %) and 559 (72%) slices of the lowest cost chips from Xilinx Spartan III namely XC3S50 for 8 and 16-bits data paths, and 1127 (60%) slices for 32-bit data path on Spartan III XC3S200. Such design developed on FPGA is ideal for System-on-Chip (SOC) integration or can operate as a standalone processor for low-resource applications requiring strong security.
From Dr Seuss to Pokemon: A case study of three ten-year old boys' alternate literacy interests

Since the mid nineties escalating media attention has placed boys on centre stage for under achieving, focusing on their comparatively low results vis-à-vis girls. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training routinely reports statistics to support the perception that boys’ are not achieving as well as they should. This problem is not unique to Australia. Most western democracies report similar concerns.
A phenomenological study of the emergence of leadership among female secondary school principals in Nigeria

The number of women engaged in the teaching profession continues to increase over the years. However, only minimal numbers of female teachers achieve leadership positions in those schools as educational administration is still seen as a masculine occupation. The reasons for the low representation of women might be link to gender stereotypes based on culture. Despite those obstacles, several women have realized the prestigious administrative positions. A phenomenological approach was deployed in order to allow the research participants to tell the stories of their daily lived experiences as principals, and leaders. An indepth, face-to-face, semi-structured interview of 16 female secondary school principals was conducted using a question guide. Six themes emerged from the interviews: educational background and early influences, cultural imperatives of leadership, leadership duties, gender and leadership, scope of influence and power, and relationship with colleagues and students. The findings indicated that the majority of the female principals came from a linage of educators which shaped their love for the classroom; and gender did not hinder female access to education in Nigeria. Further, female principals were performing leadership duties including: planning, changing initiation, and executing goals with the aim of influencing students and teachers. Additionally, female principals exercised influence and power within the school, even at the Board of Governor‘s level. On a metaphoric level, the ―inheritance‖ metaphor conferred a status of eligibility on the female principals, while the ―professional‖ metaphor is akin to transactional style of leadership. The ―put-my-foot-down‖ metaphor related to the influence and power the female principals wielded in the schools. However, in view of the traditional male dominance and gender limitations, the challenges for women remain. The findings of this study will be beneficial in terms of career growth and the concept of leadership to young female teachers, other female professionals, as well as the society.
Diesel exhaust exposure and nasal response to attenuated influenza in normal and allergic volunteers.

RATIONALE Diesel exhaust enhances allergic inflammation, and pollutants are associated with heightened susceptibility to viral respiratory infections. The effects of combined diesel and virus exposure in humans are unknown. OBJECTIVES Test whether acute exposure to diesel modifies inflammatory responses to influenza virus in normal humans and those with allergies. METHODS We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of nasal responses to live attenuated influenza virus in normal volunteers and those with allergic rhinitis exposed to diesel (100 μg/m(3)) or clean air for 2 hours, followed by standard dose of virus and serial nasal lavages. Endpoints were inflammatory mediators (ELISA) and virus quantity (quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction). To test for exposure effect, we used multiple regression with exposure group (diesel vs. air) as the main explanatory variable and allergic status as an additional factor. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Baseline levels of mediators did not differ among groups. For most postvirus nasal cytokine responses, there was no significant diesel effect, and no significant interaction with allergy. However, diesel was associated with significantly increased IFN-γ responses (P = 0.02), with no interaction with allergy in the regression model. Eotaxin-1 (P = 0.01), eosinophil cationic protein (P < 0.01), and influenza RNA sequences in nasal cells (P = 0.03) were significantly increased with diesel exposure, linked to allergy. CONCLUSIONS Short-term exposure to diesel exhaust leads to increased eosinophil activation and increased virus quantity after virus inoculation in those with allergic rhinitis. This is consistent with previous literature suggesting a diesel "adjuvant" effect promoting allergic inflammation, and our data further suggest this change may be associated with reduced virus clearance.Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT00617110).
Ecotourism

This research revisits an ecotourism-related article published in the early days of the Journal of Vacation Marketing. That study found its test population, Singaporean youth, to be generally disinterested ecotourism consumers. This replication, done a generation later, had findings consistent with the earlier work. However, by adding a second sample of Singaporean adults to the current study, the conclusion was reached that the purchase of ecotourism vacation products is likely more related to consumer life cycle than cohort. The findings apply to Singapore but can be considered for ecotourism providers and marketers wherever the product is promoted.
Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography # 14 . 18 Do spinoff dynamics or agglomeration externalities drive industry clustering ? A reappraisal of Steven Klepper ’ s work

Klepper’s theory of industry clustering based on organizational reproduction and inheritance through spinoffs challenged the Marshallian view on industry clustering. The paper provides an assessment of Klepper’s theoretical and empirical work on industry clustering. We explore how ‘new’ his spinoff theory on industry clustering was, and we investigate the impact of Klepper’s theory on the economic geography community. Klepper’s work has inspired especially very recent literature on regional branching that argues that new industries grow out of and recombine capabilities from local related industries. Finally, the paper discusses what questions on industry location are still left open or in need of more evidence in the context of Klepper’s theory.
Three-Dimensional Shoulder Kinematics to Complete Activities of Daily Living

Rundquist PJ, Obrecht C, Woodruff L: Three-dimensional shoulder kinematics to complete activities of daily living. Objective:To describe the contributions of glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joints in performing combing hair, feeding, reaching overhead, washing the back, and washing the contralateral axilla. Design:A three-dimensional electromagnetic motion capture system was used to collect humerus, scapula, and trunk kinematic data during activities of daily living completion. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the primary humerothoracic motion. Forward multiple regression analyses explained the variation accounted for by glenohumeral and scapulothoracic motions. Results:The mean internal rotation to accomplish back washing was 85 (standard deviation 24) degrees glenohumeral internal rotation contributed. The mean humerothoracic elevation ranged between 46 (standard deviation 12) degrees for washing the contralateral axilla and 119 (standard deviation 10) degrees for hair combing. Glenohumeral abduction, scapular anterior tipping, and scapular upward rotation contributed to completing feeding, hair combing, reaching overhead, and washing the contralateral axilla. Glenohumeral flexion contributed to completing feeding, reaching overhead, and washing the contralateral axilla. Scapular internal rotation contributed to completing feeding. Conclusions:Glenohumeral abduction and scapulothoracic upward rotation were necessary to accomplish feeding, combing hair, reaching overhead, and washing the contralateral axilla. Glenohumeral internal rotation was necessary to accomplish back washing. Interventions addressing glenohumeral and scapulothoracic motions in patients who are having difficulty in completing activities of daily livings may prove beneficial.
What is wrong with aggregate production functions. On Temple’s ‘aggregate production functions and growth economics’

In an article in the 2006 volume of this journal, Jonathan Temple presented a defence of the use of the aggregate production function in growth theory in the light of various criticisms that have been levelled at it. These criticisms include the Cambridge Capital Theory Controversies, various aggregation problems, and the problems posed by the use of value data and the underlying accounting identity. We show that Temple has underestimated the seriousness of these criticisms, especially the last one, which vitiates the concept of the aggregate production function. Because of the identity, estimates of putative aggregate production functions, such as the aggregate elasticity of substitution, cannot be interpreted as reflecting the underlying technology, and hence the use of the aggregate production function is extremely problematical.
Fickle Consumers, Durable Goods, and Business Cycles

Abstract This paper develops a three sector dynamic general equilibrium model with the specific aim of evaluating the role of consumer durables in the generation and propagation of business cycles. The model displays indeterminacy at commonly considered realistic parameter restrictions and basically constant returns to scale. If calibrated at modest increasing returns to scale, the sunspots driven model version produces a close match to moments of aggregate U.S. data.Journal of Economic LiteratureClassification Numbers: E00, E32.
A Flexible Evaluative Framework for Order Picking Systems

This paper develops a novel framework to evaluate the integral performance of order picking systems with different combinations of storage and order picking policies. The warehousing literature on order picking mostly considers minimizing either elapsed time or distance as the sole objective, whereas warehouse managers in a supply chain have to look beyond single‐dimensional performance and consider trade‐offs among different criteria. Thus managers still need a unified and efficient framework to select a portfolio of appropriate order picking policies from a multi‐criteria and contextual perspective. Our framework—combining data envelopment analysis, ranking and selection, and multiple comparisons—provides an efficient methodology to simultaneously analyze several interrelated problems in order picking systems with multiple performance attributes, such as service levels and operational costs. We demonstrate our approach through comprehensive evaluations of order picking policies in three low‐level, picker‐to‐parts rectangular warehouses facing demand variations.
Growth and Income Distribution: Essays in Economic Theory

Preface Part I. A Mathematical Formulation of the Ricardian System: 1. Theory of value 2. Theory of distribution 3. Theory of economic growth 4. 'Natural' equilibrium in a two-commodity system 5. Some characteristics of the Ricardian system 6. The market solutions and the attainment of the 'natural' equilibrium 7. The equilibrium of the stationary state 8. The process of economic growth 9. Multi-commodity production 10. Concluding remarks Appendix - existence and uniqueness of stable solutions Part II. The Economics of Effective Demand: 1. Malthus on effective demand 2. The principle of effective demand 3. Theories of under-consumption (And over-production) 4. J. M. Keynes' 'general theory' of employment 5. The principle of effective demand in a different context 6. Ricardian features of effective demand in a different context. 7. Anti-Keynesian features of some 'Keynesian' literature 8. The principle of acceleration 9. Final remarks Appendix - the 'lagged' multiplier Part III. Cyclical Fluctuations and Economic Growth: 1. The model 2. A graphical device 3. The dynamics of income 4. The dynamics of the stock of capital 5. Interrelations between the dynamics of capital 6. The various interpretation of the endogenous dynamics of an economic system 7. Possibility of a steady growth 8. The difficulties of providing a theory which may explain both cycles and growth 9. A more flexible use of macro-economic models 10. A reinterpretation of the complex dynamics of a modern economic system Mathematical appendix Part IV. From Classical to Keynesian Economic Dynamics: 1. Pre-Malthusian Views on Population 2. Malthus' Principle of population 3. The 'law of diminishing returns' 4. Population growth and technical progress 5. Long-run equilibrium conditions - Domanr's contribution 6. The 'natural rate of growth - Harrod's contribution 7. New answer to an old Ricardian problem 8. Kaldor's theory of income distribution 9. Concluding remarks Part V. Rate of Profit and Income Distribution in relation to the Rate of Economic Growth: 1. A post-Keynesian theory of income distribution and the rate of profit 2. A correction 3. Reformulating the model 4. Rate and share of profits in relation to the rate of growth 5. A fundamental relation between profits and savings 6. Implications 7. The conditions of stability 8. The case of a socialist system 9. Models and reality Part VI. The Rate of Profit in and Expanding Economy: 1. Harrod-Domar's dilemma 2. The 'Cambridge equation' 3. The marginal productivity alternative 4. Extreme assumptions and general results 5. A first approximation synthesis 6. Irrelevance of the workers' savings required for the disappearance of the capitalists 9. Capital-output ratio and rate of profit 10. The case of a highly flexible capital-output ratio 11. Conclusions for the general case 12. Rate of interest and rate of profit 13. Many groups of savers 14. Further extensions 15. A socialist economy 16. The rate of profit in an expanding economy References Index.