Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global Bang for the Buck: Cutting Black Carbon and Methane Benefits Both Health and Climate

Black carbon and methane have both been implicated in climate change. They also pose more direct human health threats, with black carbon constituting one component of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and methane acting as a precursor of ground-level ozone. An international team of researchers analyzed 14 control measures for human-caused emissions of black carbon and methane to investigate health benefits that might occur in tandem with actions to help mitigate climate change in the next 20–40 years [EHP 120(6):831–839; Anenberg et al.]. Black carbon and methane are attractive climate-change mitigation targets because they are relatively short-lived in the atmosphere compared with carbon dioxide, with emission restrictions leading to fairly rapid benefits. Some of the primary sources of methane are fossil-fuel extraction, landfills, livestock, rice production, and wastewater treatment. Among major sources of black carbon are many types of incomplete combustion, including that tied to transportation, industry, housing, and burning of biomass. The 14 measures target sources such as fossil-fuel operations, vehicle emissions, landfill gas, sewage, agriculture, brick kilns, and biomass-fueled cook stoves. Using published emissions scenarios as a basis for their calculations, the investigators estimate that if all 14 measures were fully implemented by 2030, average global population-weighted surface concentrations of PM2.5 could be reduced by 23–34% and ozone could drop 7–17% within the same period. That could prevent anywhere from 640,000 to 4,900,000 premature deaths annually, or about 1–7% of all deaths estimated to occur with the projected global population of 8.4 billion. The estimated health benefits would be due almost entirely to the black carbon control measures—with their attendant reductions in PM2.5, organic carbon, and non-methane ozone precursors—and would occur mostly in Asia and portions of Africa. Climate-change mitigation effects could have their own health benefits, although the authors didn’t attempt to calculate these. The authors accounted for just outdoor exposures from biomass-fueled cook stoves, not the well-documented health benefits of avoided indoor exposures; adding that information with a geographically appropriate distribution likely would substantially increase the number of avoided premature deaths. The researchers used two atmospheric models, each of which predicted substantially different air-quality responses to the 14 measures and incorporated a wide range of data from numerous epidemiological studies as factors in their equations. Uncertainties and variations in the models and data suggest the number of averted premature deaths could be substantially higher or lower. The researchers didn’t address the difficulties or costs of implementing the 14 measures but did note that some related efforts are already under way on many continents, including adoption of European vehicle-emission standards and reductions in cook-stove emissions in some developing countries.
Micro-States, Autonomous Regions and the European Union

was agreed some financial compensation is likely to be requested. If parity in health, education and security expenditure is sought on a per capita basis for the north and the south, this will necessitate a fiscal transfer from Greek to Turkish Cypriots. As families are larger in the north, the cost of education may prove to be higher. If greater security is demanded by the minority community, epecially if the divide between the two parts of the island is removed, this will also have
When lobbying backfires: balancing lobby efforts with insights from stakeholder theory

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve upon lobby theory by learning from a failed lobby campaign in which the lobbyist managed to annoy and anger key constituencies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a qualitative case study, conducted on attempts made by the Norwegian oil industry in 2002‐2004 to achieve a tax amendment. Qualitative interviews were carried out with oil industry representatives, two former ministers, political advisers, and members of parliament, and with journalists who had followed the campaign.Findings – The main argument being put forward in this paper is that lobbyists should use insights from stakeholder theory.Research limitations/implications – The paper is a single‐case study and it is difficult to generalise its findings. This invites more research.Practical implications – The paper combines lobby theory with an approach suggested by stakeholder theory which might temper single‐minded advocacy that is too preoccupied with getting immediate political results, .
THE RESPONSE OF STATUTORY FINANCIAL AUDITORS IN THE UK TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: A DESCRIPTIVE AND EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY

Abstract This paper explores the reaction of UK financial auditors to the growth of society's environmental awareness and attendant legislative pressures. The developing regulatory framework of auditing is briefly reviewed from an environmental perspective but the main contribution of the paper is to report the results of a series of interviews with a range of audit practitioners. The aim of the interviews was to explore: how, if at all, the conduct of the audit is changing (or, in the opinion of those interviewed, should change) in the light of environmental concerns: whether more training and guidance from professional bodies is sought; and views on regulation. Interviewees' experiences and their views of the impact of increasing environmental awareness and regulation on the statutory audit are reported and discussed. In addition, their views concerning a possible widening of their attestation role to encompass environmental reports are explored.
Opening up Europe: next steps in politicisation research

Abstract In this commentary, an outside perspective, mainly informed by International Relations (IR) and Political Theory (PT), is taken. From there, three issues are identified that point to the next steps in extending the research programme on politicisation. First, it is argued that an exclusive focus on public media might be too narrow in scope, as important features of politicisation are not taken into account. Second, it is highlighted that chances are missed by placing exclusive focus on the EU, and again an opening up by comparing findings from the study of the EU with developments on other political levels is argued for. Third, the emerging focus on the consequences of politicisation is to be applauded from an opening-up perspective.
Do Current Account Forecasters Herd? Evidence from the Euro Area and the G7 Countries

We use data from the Consensus Economics Forecast Poll to analyze how current account forecasters form expectations. Our results suggest that forecasts do not satisfy traditional unbiasedness and orthogonality criteria for forecast rationality. In addition, we find anti-herding behavior among forecasters for the euro area and G7 countries. We also show that the cross-sectional heterogeneity in anti-herding is associated with cross-sectional heterogeneity in forecast accuracy. More specifically, we find some evidence indicating that forecasters who tend to herd provide more accurate forecasts than their colleagues who follow an anti-herding strategy.
Capital Flows, Institutions, and Financial Fragility

This paper studies how international capital flows are transmitted from the banking sector to the real sector in a bank-based open economy. The analysis centers on the role of institutions and domestic policies in reducing moral hazard problems and on determining the net benefit of international capital flows to a country. We develop a model that incorporates market imperfections (e.g., moral hazard problems) at the bank, corporate and international levels. The three layers of problems and international capital flows reinforce one another to amplify the boom-bust cycle. We calibrate the model using data from Thailand because Thailand experienced a financial crisis in 1997-1998 and subsequently undertook major policy reforms specifically designed to strengthen its financial institutions and system. The results from the estimation suggest that institutional reforms can be successful at alleviating some moral hazard problems. Specifically, improvements in banking supervision and foreign investors’ risk estimation substantially reduces bailout costs and output losses. In contrast, austerity measures hurt, rather than help, the economy since the cost from the overall output decline outweighs the benefit from the lower bailout costs. These findings provide specific recommendations to policy makers considering financial reforms in the wake of the recent global debt crisis.
Testing Strength and Power in Soccer Players: The Application of Conventional and Traditional Methods of Assessment

Abstract Paul, DJ and Nassis, GP. Testing strength and power in soccer players: The application of conventional and traditional methods of assessment. J Strength Cond Res 29(6): 1748–1758, 2015—Soccer is a highly complex sport influenced by many physical, psychological, tactical, and technical factors. In terms of basic physical components, strength and power are considered requisites for many important actions such as tackling, jumping, and shooting. Hence, assessment of strength and power is commonly performed within a soccer club's test battery. The objective is to use valid, reliable, and sensitive measures that allow for trustworthy analysis of the physical characteristics of players. Before any credence can be placed in test results, test's validity, reliability, and sensitivity needs to be established. This will allow practitioners to make informed decisions about test selection. This review examines the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of different strength and power assessments in soccer. The suitability of conventional and functional tests is detailed and the strengths and weaknesses of isokinetic dynamometry, hand-held dynamometry (HHD), repetition maximum, and power testing are also addressed. Generally, the tests considered in this review provide moderate to high reliability in soccer players of different training level. Similarly, the consensus demonstrates test methods to be sensitive to training interventions. In comparison, test validity seems less established. Isokinetic dynamometry has often been recognized as a gold standard measure of testing strength. Other methods of assessment are emerging as viable options (e.g., HHD), likely due to functionality and suitability of testing. Given the demands within a soccer club setting, practitioners should endeavor to use testing procedures that are informative yet not time consuming or labor intensive. By providing this, practitioners may have the option to perform more regular monitoring throughout the season rather than a limited number of specific time periods.
Recursive Macroeconomic Theory

Recursive methods offer a powerful approach in dynamic macroeconomics. This book contains both an introduction to recursive tools, including standard applications such as asset pricing, and advanced material, including analyses of reputational mechanisms and contract design. The tools are presented with enough technical sophistication to get the reader started working on practical problems. When numerical simulations are called for, the book provides suggestions for how to proceed, as well as references for further reading. The applications cover many substantive issues in macroeconomics, such as equilibrium asset prices, market incompleteness, wealth distribution, fiscal-monetary theories of inflation, government debt, optimal labour and capital taxation, time consistency and credible government policies, optimal social insurance, economic growth and labour market dynamics.
Internet of Things based Expert System for Smart Agriculture

Agriculture sector is evolving with the advent of the information and communication technology. Efforts are being made to enhance the productivity and reduce losses by using the state of the art technology and equipment. As most of the farmers are unaware of the technology and latest practices, many expert systems have been developed in the world to facilitate the farmers. However, these expert systems rely on the stored knowledge base. We propose an expert system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) that will use the input data collected in real time. It will help to take proactive and preventive actions to minimize the losses due to diseases and insects/pests.
The political determinants of fiscal policies in the states of India: An empirical investigation

Abstract Using data from the 14 major states of India, we investigate whether state governments' fiscal policy choices are tempered by political considerations. Our principal findings are twofold. First, we show that certain fiscal policies experience electoral cycles: state governments raise less commodity tax revenue, spend less on the current account, and incur larger capital account developmental expenditures in election years than in all other years. Second, we show that coalition state governments raise less own non-tax revenues and spend less on the current account than state governments that are more cohesive in composition. In sum, the dispersion of political power affects government size.
The Effect of Dark Condition on the Fecundity and Development Time of Drosophila melanogaster, Strains of Wild Type, White, and Ebony for Several Generations

Daily light condition change is believed to disrupt the synchronization of circadian time, and it has been reported to affect a number of determinant characters related to fitness of Drosophila melanogaster. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of dark condition on fecundity and development time of D. melanogaster strains of wild type, white, and ebony for several generations. Fecundity and development time of D. melanogaster in dark conditions (DD) and normal light conditions (12:12h/LD) were recorded. The results showed that D. melanogaster treated in DD conditions had lower fecundity (18.19%), and faster development time (2.61%) compared to that in LD conditions. The results of the comparison among the strains also showed that the wild type strain had higher fecundity and faster development time than the white and ebony strains. Fecundity of white and ebony strains decreased 17.45% and 20.31% respectively; while the development time of white and ebony strains became slower 6.49% and 4.87% respectively than that of the wild type strain. The interaction between light conditions and generation and the interaction between light, strains, and generation also affected fecundity and development time. Fecundity of white and ebony strain was lower in DD conditions in generations 1 and increased by 226% and 112% respectively in the 2nd generation. The fecundity of these strains in DD conditions in the 3rd generation was not significantly different; while fecundity of wild type strain did not differ significantly either on the light conditions or between the different generations. On the other hand, wild type strain development time was faster in DD conditions in generation 1 and became slower and significantly different in the 3rd generation (slower 27.92% than that of generation 1). The development time of white and ebony strains across generations in DD conditions was not significantly different. This suggests that factors such as the condition of light and generation had more effect on the fecundity of both mutant strains than on wild type strains. Conversely, these two factors had more effect on the development time of wild type strain than that of the two mutant strains.
Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a family booklet on comfort care in dementia: sensitive topics revised before implementation

Introduction Families of patients with dementia may need support in difficult end-of-life decision making. Such guidance may be culturally sensitive. Methods To support families in Canada, a booklet was developed to aid decision making on palliative care issues. For reasons of cost effectiveness and promising effects, we prepared for its implementation in Italy, the Netherlands and Japan. Local teams translated and adapted the booklet to local ethical, legal and medical standards where needed, retaining guidance on palliative care. Using qualitative content analyses, we grouped and compared adaptations to understand culturally sensitive aspects. Results Three themes emerged: (1) relationships among patient, physician and other professionals—the authority of the physician was more explicit in adapted versions; (2) patient rights and family position—adding detail about local regulations; and (3) typology of treatments and decisions. Considerations underlying palliative care decisions were detailed (Dutch and Italian versions), and the Japanese version frequently referred to professional and legal standards, and life-prolongation was a competing goal. Text on artificial feeding or fluids and euthanasia was revised extensively. Conclusions Providing artificial feeding and fluids and discussing euthanasia may be particularly sensitive topics, and guidance on these subjects needs careful consideration of ethical aspects and possible adaptations to local standards and practice. The findings may promote cross-national debate on sensitive, core issues regarding end-of-life care in dementia.
The Comparative Efficiency Performance of Small and Large US Commercial Banks in the Pre- and Post-Deregulation Eras

The purposes of this paper are twofold: first, to employ a flexible non-parametric approach to contrast the productive efficiency of a sample of small and large banks in order to examine the relationship between size and productive performance in the banking industry. Second, to investigate whether the relative efficiency performance of small and large banks has changed following the changes in the banking environment in the 1980s and to contrast the rate of technological change achieved by these two groups of banks over this time period. The findings based on group-specific frontiers suggest that in the pre-deregulation environment small banks were more efficient than the large banks while in the deregulated environment small and large banks were equally efficient. Moreover, the dispersion in the efficiency measures of the small banks is found to have increased substantially while that of the large banks changed little over the sample period.
Deterrent Aspects of No-Fault Automobile Insurance: Some Empirical Findings

Will no-fault automobile insurance lead to a deterioration of driver attitudes, to a weakening of police enforcement efforts and to a tragic increase in deaths and injuries? Proponents of no-fault insurance argue no; opponents argue yes; and some analysts argue that automobile insurance, regardless of type, is unrelated to driving behavior. In this study, the authors analyze the driving behavior consequences of no-fault automobile insurance by formulating a model of traffic fatality rates and estimating the parameters of this model using cross-sectional state data for the years 1975, 1976 and 1977. The model explains approximately 60 percent of the state to state variation in fatality rates. Generally, state characteristics and driving environment variables are related to fatality rates as hypothesized. In addition, the results indicate that fears of a dramatic escalation of fatal accidents because of no-fault insurance are unfounded. Even on a theoretical basis such fears have weak underpinnings. On an empirical basis, they appear to have no foundation whatsoever.
The evolution of policy attitudes in France

The theory of issue evolution predicts that the dimensional space of party competition is simple. We contrast this prediction with the expectation that a complicated multi-party system, such as the one in France, produces a more complicated dimensional structure. To test this claim, we examine the longitudinal structure of the policy preferences that underlie public opinion in France. Using surveys of preferences as a basic data source, we are able to extract two latent dimensions that almost fully explain the reported preferences. Both dimensions are defined by the left–right structure of the French party system. Whereas one is the traditional socioeconomic domain, the other comprises a wide array of new cultural issues. The orthogonal solution, however, does not produce the expected socioeconomic and cultural dimensions. Thus we impose our prior belief in the socioeconomic and cultural content and rotate the two dimensions independently to maximize fit with the two prior dimensions. We show that the same two-dimensional structure is also present in cross-sectional data, and can be used to position parties in the two-dimensional space. Moreover, we find that the two dimensions are closely connected, despite their completely different content. The explanation, which arises from the theory of issue evolution, is that the meaning of left–right is dynamic as well as elastic and incorporates new issues as they arise.
Postmenopausal females and the link between oral bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw: A clinical review

Purpose: To increase awareness for nurse practitioners (NPs) of new information concerning the plausible link between the oral bisphosphonate drug classification and necrosis in the jaw. Data sources: Selected research and clinical articles. In addition, several peer‐reviewed, refereed medical and dental journals were consulted. Conclusions: Oral bisphosphonates are commonly prescribed by NPs for postmenopausal females with the diagnosis of osteoporosis to arrest bone loss and preserve bone density. Recent reports have shown a link between these medications and osteonecrosis of the jaw, which is a complication resulting in necrotic bone inside the mouth. Implications for practice: NPs must be able to determine early warning signs of osteonecrosis to ensure prompt referral to a dental specialist in order to prevent irreversible sequelae. Because of the aging population, osteoporosis is predicted to increase; therefore, treatment with these drugs and the side effects that go along with them will most likely also increase.
Viral Transport of DNA Damage That Mimics a Stalled Replication Fork

ABSTRACT Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) infection incites cells to arrest with 4N DNA content or die if the p53 pathway is defective. This arrest depends on AAV2 DNA, which is single stranded with inverted terminal repeats that serve as primers during viral DNA replication. Here, we show that AAV2 DNA triggers damage signaling that resembles the response to an aberrant cellular DNA replication fork. UV treatment of AAV2 enhances the G2 arrest by generating intrastrand DNA cross-links which persist in infected cells, disrupting viral DNA replication and maintaining the viral DNA in the single-stranded form. In cells, such DNA accumulates into nuclear foci with a signaling apparatus that involves DNA polymerase delta, ATR, TopBP1, RPA, and the Rad9/Rad1/Hus1 complex but not ATM or NBS1. Focus formation and damage signaling strictly depend on ATR and Chk1 functions. Activation of the Chk1 effector kinase leads to the virus-induced G2 arrest. AAV2 provides a novel way to study the cellular response to abnormal DNA replication without damaging cellular DNA. By using the AAV2 system, we show that in human cells activation of phosphorylation of Chk1 depends on TopBP1 and that it is a prerequisite for the appearance of DNA damage foci.