Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental Concern and Knowledge of Ecotourism among Three Groups of Swedish Tourists

The present study is aimed at investigating whether eco-tourists are more ecologically oriented than nature tourists and city tourists. In questionnaire surveys, in line with the hypotheses, the ecotourists expressed more general environmental beliefs than the nature tourists, who, in turn, had more pro-environmental beliefs than the city tourists. Similar results were found in the attitudes the three groups of tourists had toward the impacts of tourism on local people. The eco-tourists and the nature tourists also reported a more pro-environmental behavior than the city tourists. The ecotourists and nature tourists, did not, however, differ in this respect. In all three groups, knowledge about ecotourism was limited and mainly associated with ecologically sound tourism. The application of Stern and colleagues’ schematic causal model of environmental concern proved to be useful, and implications for the tourism industry can be derived.
The Historical Equity Risk Premium in Australia: Post‐GFC and 128 Years of Data

We present an updated set of estimates of the historical equity risk premium in Australia covering the 128 calendar years from January 1883 to December 2010. Relative to bonds (bills), the observed equity premium has averaged 6.1 per cent (6.5 per cent) p.a. over this period, and we report a similar number for later periods of relatively good quality data. We also provide estimates that incorporate an adjustment for distributed imputation credits and include the annual time series of data relating to each of the underlying components – stock, bill and bond returns and inflation.
‘A travel cost analysis of the value of Carnarvon Gorge National Park for recreational use’: comment

Beal (1995) has estimated the consumer surplus for use value of visits to the Carnarvon Gorge National Park at A$2.4 million per year, or at a capital value of A$40 million assuming a real rate of discount of 6 per cent per year. The purpose of this article is to point out that there are two sources of error which make this estimate at least four times too large. The ¢rst and most signi¢cant error in Beal (1995) is made in the last stage of the calculations. On p. 302 the inverse demand equations for camper and non-camper visitors are given as:
An analysis of the spillover effects of exchange-traded funds

This article used the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity-Autoregressive Moving Average (GARCH-ARMA) and the exponentially Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity-Autoregressive Moving Average (EGARCH-ARMA) models to study the impact of the spillover and the leverage effects on returns and volatilities of stock index and Exchange Trade Fund (ETF) for developed and emerging markets. Previous unexpected returns for developed and emerging markets which have an opposite influence pattern on ETFs’ returns were identified. The spillover effects from returns are excellent for Hong Kong, followed by Singapore. Meanwhile, Taiwan's stock index return was recorded to have a strong negative impact on ETF return. Notably, this article shows that the spillover effects on stock index and ETF volatilities existed with bilateral influences. Despite a strong positive asymmetric volatility effect in Korea's ETF market, the leverage effect appears to play important roles in the explanation of both stock index and ETF returns.
Regulation of Insulin Secretion in Relation to Nitric Oxide, Carbon Monoxide and Acid alpha-Glucoside Hydrolase Activities

The main stimulus for insulin secretion is elevated blood glucose levels. In this thesis the aim was to study less well-known systems involved in the complex regulation of glucose-stimulated insulin release, emphasizing the role of the lysosomal/vacuolar system and the associated glycogenolytic acid alpha-glucoside hydrolases, but also the HO-CO and NOS-NO systems. We performed studies both in healthy and diabetic animals. We show that the acid alpha-glucoside hydrolases are dependent on Ca2+ and the activities of these enzymes seems to be coupled to Ca2+-glucose-stimulated insulin release. The effect of Ca2+ is probably elicited through activation of the acidic organelles and not on the enzymes themselves. We also show that the acid alpha-glucoside hydrolases are dependent on the NOS-NO-system and the HO-CO system, where NO inhibits and NOS inhibition amplifies the acid alpha-glucoside hydrolase activities, while CO in contrast stimulates the acid alpha-glucoside hydrolases and glucose-stimulated insulin release in parallel. In the diabetic GK rat we found several abnormalities that could, at least in part, explain the impaired response to glucose seen in this diabetic animal model. We show that the GK rat has a dysfunctional lysosomal/vacuolar system in the islets of Langerhans, and this seems to prevent the normal function of the glucose-stimulated acid alpha-glucoside hydrolase signalling pathway and insulin release. The GK islets expressed inducible NOS (iNOS) and displayed a marked iNOS activity when incubated at low and high glucose, and NOS inhibition resulted in an amplification of glucose-stimulated insulin release. The HO-CO system on the other hand was suppressed, HO-2 expressed and CO production being decreased. Interestingly, the GK islets expressed inducible HO (HO-1) in islets isolated "ex vivo". The GK islets displayed a decreased glucose-stimulated CO production when incubated in vitro, in parallel with impaired glucose-stimulated insulin release. In conclusion the results suggest that NO and CO have interacting roles on glucose-stimulated insulin release, and that this regulation is, at least partly, transduced through the activity of the lysosomal/vacuolar system and the associated acid alpha-glucoside hydrolases and cGMP, but also through a direct effect on the cAMP system. NO acts inhibitory and CO stimulatory. In the GK rat we found abnormalities in the lysosomal/vacuolar system, as well as in the HO-CO and NOS-NO systems, and these findings might contribute to the understanding of the impaired insulin response to glucose seen in type 2 diabetes. (Less)
Perceptual Overestimation of Rising Intensity: Is Stimulus Continuity Necessary?

A “perceptual bias for rising intensity” (Neuhoff 1998, Nature 395 123–124) is not dependent on the continuous change of a dynamic, looming sound source. Thirty participants were presented with pairs of 500 ms steady-state sounds corresponding to onset and offset levels of previously used dynamic increasing- and decreasing-intensity stimuli. Independent variables, intensity-change direction (increasing, decreasing), intensity region (high: 70–90 dB SPL, low: 50–70 dB SPL), interstimulus interval (ISI) (0 s, 1.8 s, 3.6 s), and timbre (vowel, violin) were manipulated as a fully within-subjects design. The dependent variable was perceived loudness change between each stimulus item in a pair. It was hypothesised that (i) noncontinuous increases of intensity are overestimated in loudness change, relative to decreases, in both low-intensity and high-intensity regions; and (ii) perceptual overestimation does not occur when end-levels are balanced. The hypotheses were partially supported. At the high-intensity region, increasing stimuli were perceived to change more in loudness than decreasing-intensity stimuli. At the low-intensity region and under balanced end-level conditions, decreasing-intensity stimuli were perceived to change more in loudness than increasing-intensity stimuli. A significant direction × region interaction varied as a function of ISI. Methodological, sensory, and cognitive explanations for overestimation in certain circumstances are discussed.
Effect of ownership concentration on capital structure: evidence from the MENA region

Purpose - – This paper aims to document how does ownership concentration, a proxy for agency conflicts, affect capital structure of firms in emerging markets. Agency relationship between insiders and outsiders has the potential to influence corporate decision-making which, in turn, impacts firm characteristics such as leverage. Design/methodology/approach - – This paper uses pooled regression analysis to document the effect of ownership concentration on capital structure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain), during the period between 2005 and 2009. Findings - – The authors show that ownership concentration negatively affects capital structure. The results also show that for a given level of ownership concentration, the proportion of debt in capital structure goes up as information asymmetries decrease. Finally, the results show that for a given ownership concentration, it is the growth firms with low information asymmetries that have a higher proportion of debt in capital structure. Research limitations/implications - – The authors argue that information asymmetries associated with ownership concentration minimize the ability of firms to raise debt, thereby resulting in a negative relationship between ownership concentration and capital structure. Furthermore, reluctance on the part of controlling shareholders to accumulate excess leverage to minimize non-diversifiable risk also negatively influences capital structure. Originality/value - – Most of the prior studies on the relationship between ownership concentration and capital structure have been conducted in relatively more developed markets. An important market that has failed to attract attention regarding this issue is the MENA. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by documenting the relationship between the two in the MENA region.
The Trade-Off between Intra- and Intergenerational Equity in Climate Policy: Can Carbon Leakage Be Justified?

This paper focuses on two equity aspects of climate policy, intra- and intergenerational equity, and analyzes the implications of equity preferences on climate policy, and on the production and consumption patterns in rich and poor countries. We develop a dynamic two-region model, in which each region suffers from local pollution and global warming, but also has an inequality aversion over current consumption allocations. Inequality aversion over consumption lifts the consumption path of the poor region, while it lowers the consumption path of the rich region, which must take a greater share of the climate burden. Therefore, a high abatement in the rich region is met by more pollution in the poor region, thus justifying carbon leakages. Moreover, the poor region may even be allowed to increase emissions relative to business as usual under the optimal climate policy. These effects are reinforced when introducing transfers between the regions. However, loans to poor countries to reduce inequality may result in a debt crisis, and debt remittance may be part of the optimal climate policy.
Agricultural extension: Building capacity and resilience in rural industries and communities

Abstract This paper contributes to an improved understanding of contemporary agricultural extension. Specifically, it considers how extension can add to capacity and resilience of Australian rural industries and their associated communities. It provides perspectives and examples on how extension, capacity-building and resilience are conceptually linked and includes an extension program in the the Tasmanian sheep industry as a supporting case study. Commenced in 2003 the 8×5 Wool Profit Program, now SheepConnect-Tasmania, was funded by Australian Wool Innovation, and the findings of an independent external review, together with supporting documentation from agencies closely linked to the extension program are presented. This study confirms rural extension services can function in capacity-building roles in communities that far exceed simply achieving changes in on-farm agricultural production or natural resource management practices. Extension agents are investments that add value and capacity to the communities that rely on them, providing vital accessible skills to stakeholders negotiating challenging circumstances. Retention of core agricultural extension capacity and expertise at regional levels should therefore be a strategic objective for rural community stakeholders, and industry and government policy makers.
Risk Behaviors and HIV Incidence Among Repeat Testers at Publicly Funded HIV Testing Sites in San Francisco

Objective: More than 25% of HIV tests are for individuals who have previously been tested. To characterize repeat testers, we 1) estimated the seroincidence of HIV infection, stratified by risk behavior, and examined the association between 2) testing rates and risk level and 3) repeat testing and tester characteristics. Methods: Records from HIV counseling and testing (C&T) sites were reviewed. Seroincidence was estimated by linking results of current test with date of last reported HIV negative test. A risk hierarchy of behaviors was created. Repeat testing rates were calculated for each risk level strata. Multivariate models explored the association of repeat testing with tester characteristics. Results: The HIV seroincidence among repeaters was 1.3 per 100 person‐years (range 0.7‐7.0 per 100 person‐years). The high‐risk level subject had a repeater rate of 92%, with 5.3 tests/person and was more likely (odds ratio = 4.96, 95% confidence interval 3.8‐6.5) to have tested two or more times, compared with those in the low risk group. Conclusion: The highest users of repeat testing are those who are practicing the highest risk behaviors and have the highest incidence of HIV. This suggests that prevention messages should be modified to more explicitly address the behaviors that are putting individuals at high risk for HIV.
Financial integration, regulation and competitiveness in Middle East and North Africa countries

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to examine is to the link between stock markets and economic growth in advanced and emerging economies in the Middle East and North Africa (mena) region. Design/methodology/approach - Indices measuring the degree of financial openness and market development are constructed and used to perform various Granger causality tests to identify predictors of current growth rates. Findings - It is found that the link exists only in the group of high income countries but this relationship is rather weak for the low income MENA economies. Privatization alone, although necessary, is not enough to spur economic growth. The establishment of sound institutions and well-defined regulatory policies are needed to protect investors’ rights and entice them to invest in real and financial assets in the MENA region. Originality/value - The paper offers insights into financial integration, regulation and competitiveness in MENA countries.
Changes in cyclic nucleotide metabolism in aorta and heart of neurogenically hypertensive rats: possible trigger mechanism of hypertension.

Changes in cyclic nucleotide metabolism similar to those characteristic of the chronic forms of hypertension were observed in an acute neurogenic form of hypertension in rats produced by electrolytic lesions of the nucleus tractus solitarii. These changes that were evident 2 hr after the lesions were made included decreased cyclic AMP levels in the heart, increased cGMP:cAMP ratio, cAMP phosphodiesterase (3':5'-cAMP 5'-nucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.17) and guanylyl cyclase (GTP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6. 1.2) activities in the aorta and decreased snesitivity of adenylyl cyclase (ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6. 1.1) in both the aorta and heart to stimulation by the beta-adrenergic stimulant isoproterenol. These changes appear to depend on catecholamine release and are not due to mechanical distortion secondary to the increased arterial pressure. These studies provide biochemical support to the concept that the sympathetic nervous system may play a critical role in the initiation of the hypertensive syndrome and that chronic hypertension could result from the fixation of the biochemical effects of increased sympathetic activity.
Issues in mHealth: Findings From Key Informant Interviews

Background mHealth is enjoying considerable interest and private investment in the United States. A small but growing body of evidence indicates some promise in supporting healthy behavior change and self-management of long-term conditions. The unique benefits mobile phones bring to health initiatives, such as direct access to health information regardless of time or location, may create specific issues for the implementation of such initiatives. Other issues may be shared with general health information technology developments. Objective To determine the important issues facing the implementation of mHealth from the perspective of those within the US health system and those working in mHealth in the United States. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with 27 key informants from across the health and mHealth sectors in the United States. Interviewees were approached directly following an environmental scan of mHealth in the United States or recommendation by those working in mHealth. Results The most common issues were privacy and data security, funding, a lack of good examples of the efficacy and cost effectiveness of mHealth in practice, and the need for more high-quality research. The issues are outlined and categorized according to the environment within which they predominantly occur: policy and regulatory environments; the wireless industry; the health system; existing mHealth practice; and research. Conclusions Many of these issues could be addressed by making the most of the current US health reform environment, developing a strategic and coordinated approach, and seeking to improve mHealth practice.
Shy of the Character Limit: "Twitter Mood Predicts the Stock Market" Revisited

In the 2011 article “Twitter Mood Predicts the Stock Market” by Johan Bollen, Huina Mao, and Xiaojun Zeng, published in Journal of Computational Science, the authors estimated a proprietary measure of Twitter ‘calm’-ness and found that this measure Granger-caused increases in the Dow Jones Industrial Average from February 28, 2008 to November 3, 2008. The paper and related work has attracted attention by journalists, finance practitioners, and academics. In just six years the paper accumulated 2,514 Google Scholar citations and 678 Web of Science citations (as of April 24, 2017). We subject the paper to thoroughgoing scrutiny, including an attempt to replicate the findings in-sample. Using the authors’ subsampling technique, we replicate their sample window (less the since-deleted and hence unavailable tweets) and extend it backwards to include 2007. Constructing multiple measures of Twitter mood using word-count methods and standard sentiment analysis tools, we are unable to reproduce the p-value pattern that they found. We find evidence of a statistically significant Twitter mood effect in their subsample, but not in the backwards extended sample, a result consistent with data snooping. We find no evidence that our measures of Twitter mood aid in predicting the stock market out of sample. Congruously, the hedge fund set up in late 2010 to implement the Twitter mood strategy, Derwent Capital Markets, failed and closed in early 2012.
Internal Controls in Family-Owned Firms

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between family ownership and material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting. Recent Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulation and mandatory disclosure of family relations among block shareholders and directors in Israel offer an ultimate setting for exploring this relationship. The findings reveal that (i) family ownership is significantly associated with less material weaknesses in internal controls, (ii) material weaknesses in internal controls are associated with lower earnings quality in family-owned firms than in non-family-owned firms, and (iii) investors find weaknesses in internal controls to be more serious in their potential to lessen future performance in family-owned firms than in non-family-owned firms. The contribution of the study is threefold. First, the findings expand our understanding of how ownership structure influences financial reporting procedures. Second, they suggest that family-owned firms use internal controls as a mechanism to enhance earnings quality. Third, they extend the literature on the implications of the SOX legislation by highlighting the joint effect of family ownership and effective internal controls in achieving high-quality financial reports.
Modeling Optimal Economic Dispatch and System Effects in Natural Gas Networks

In this paper we present a modeling framework for analyzing natural gas markets, taking into account the specific technological issues of gas transportation. We model the optimal dispatch of supply and demand in natural gas networks, with different objective functions, i.e., maximization of flow, and different economic surpluses. The models take into account the physical structure of the transportation networks, and examine the implications it has for economic analysis. More specifically, pressure constraints create system effects, and thus, changes in one part of the system may require significant changes elsewhere. The proposed network flow model for natural gas takes into account pressure drops and system effects when representing network flows. Pressure drops and pipeline flows are modeled by the Weymouth equation. A linearization of the Weymouth equation makes economic analyses computationally feasible even for large networks. However, in this paper, the importance of combining economics with a model for pressure drops and system effects is illustrated by small numerical examples.
Mutants defective in secretory/vacuolar pathways in the EUROFAN collection of yeast disruptants

We have screened the EUROFAN (European Functional Analysis Network) deletion strain collection for yeast mutants defective in secretory/vacuolar pathways and/or associated biochemical modifications. We used systematic Western immunoblotting to analyse the electrophoretic pattern of several markers of the secretory/vacuolar pathways, the soluble α‐factor, the periplasmic glycoprotein invertase, the plasma membrane GPI‐anchored protein Gas1p, and two vacuolar proteins, the soluble carboxypeptidase Y and the membrane‐bound alkaline phosphatase, which are targeted to the vacuole by different pathways. We also used colony immunoblotting to monitor the secretion of carboxypeptidase Y into the medium, to identify disruptants impaired in vacuolar targeting. We identified 25 mutants among the 631 deletion strains. Nine of these mutants were disrupted in genes identified in recent years on the basis of their involvement in trafficking (VPS53, VAC7, VAM6, APM3, SYS1), or glycosylation (ALG12, ALG9, OST4, ROT2). Three of these genes were identified on the basis of trafficking defects by ourselves and others within the EUROFAN project (TLG2, RCY1, MON2). The deletion of ERV29, which encodes a COPII vesicle protein, impaired carboxypeptidase Y trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus. We also identified eight unknown ORFs, the deletion of which reduced Golgi glycosylation or impaired the Golgi to vacuole trafficking of carboxypeptidase Y. YJR044c, which we identified as a new VPS gene, encodes a protein with numerous homologues of unknown function in sequence databases. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.