Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Housing Unaffordability at the Statistical Local Area Level: New Estimates Using Spatial Microsimulation

This paper examines housing affordability estimates at the SLA level and assesses spatial patterns of households experiencing housing stress. The study covers all SLAs in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT, and there is a particular focus on the spatial distribution of housing unaffordability across the Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney Statistical Divisions. The housing affordability estimates are output from a project to develop and apply spatial microsimulation techniques to generate detailed synthetic small-area data for use as a decision support tool by state and territory governments. As well as reviewing the results and implications of the housing unaffordability estimates, this paper provides a general overview of the scope of the linkage project, and the methodological approaches taken in building the estimates.
Assessing financial impact of maritime ergonomics on company level: a case study

The present paper reports a case study examining a conceptual framework for assessing financial impact of occupational maritime ergonomics in a Swedish shipping company. Specifically, the aim was to study the availability and applicability of suggested determinants for operational performance, routines for estimating the effects of ergonomics and the customer’s (sea transport buyer’s) demands for ergonomics management on the case company. The results show that the determinants and subcategories for operational performance in terms of productivity, efficiency and quality are present and applicable, albeit not measured to any large extent. No routines or specific methods for measuring or estimating cost and effects of ergonomics investments, accidents and operational disturbances were found. Further, the results show that the sea transport buyers increasingly express interest for and place demands related to maritime ergonomics, for instance, through compliance of specific standards and guiding principles linked to maritime ergonomics. It is concluded that in order to support and enable managers’ ability to make well-informed decisions and prioritizations, between investments, ergonomic or other, increased knowledge is needed of the financial effects of ergonomics on company core value processes. There is also a need to develop and implement usable tools to simplify these measuring procedures.
Urban Resilience and the Recovery of New Orleans

Abstract This article considers the recent catastrophe in New Orleans in terms of “urban resilience,” the capacity of a city to rebound from destruction. Based on a variety of historical examples, I argue that urban resilience is largely a function of resilient and resourceful citizens. Hurricane Katrina not only devastated the built environment of New Orleans but, by forcing a massive evacuation of residents, tore apart its social fabric as well. I maintain that plans to rebuild the physical infrastructure of the city must be accompanied by a commitment to rehabilitate its social fabric and communal networks. Only with strong citizen involvement at the grassroots level will the rebuilding of New Orleans yield a robust and inclusive metropolis, rather than a theme-park shadow of its former self.
Company Characteristics and Environmental Policy

This paper investigates the relationship between various firm characteristics and environmental disclosures. Our findings evidence that firms with higher environmental ratings present a statistically significant larger size, belong to more environmentally sensitive industries as compared with firms with lower environmental ratings and disclose environmental information according to GRI guidelines. However, neither profitability nor listing status seems to explain differences in environmental disclosure practices between Greek companies. The most influential variable for explaining firms' variation in environmental ratings is size, followed by GRI reporting and industry membership. This study adds to the international research on environmental disclosure by providing empirical data from a country, Greece, where empirical evidence is still relatively unknown, extending the scope of the current understanding of the environmental reporting practices. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Mosquito Vectors of West Nile Fever in Israel

Abstract West Nile fever (WNF) is endemic in Israel. In 1999, country-wide adult mosquito surveys were initiated and intensified after the 2000 country-wide outbreak of WNF in humans. In 8 consecutive yr, groups of male and female specimens of different species and from different locations were tested for infection with West Nile virus (WNV). Three species made up >87% of the total catch: Culex pipiens L. (52%), with an infection rate (IR) of 0.5; Cx. perexiguus Theobald (20%), with an IR of 2.7; and Aedes caspius Pallas (15%), with an IR of 0.6. The geographical and temporal distribution of WNV-infected mosquitoes was similar but was not parallel to the seasonal abundance of the populations. The seasonal occurrence of human cases is in correlation with the finding of WNV-positive mosquito specimens reaching a peak 1 mo later than the mosquito peak. The relative importance of the mosquito species in the epidemiology of WNF is discussed. Cx. perexiguus is considered the major vector of WNF in Israel.
Fractal basins of escape and the formation of spiral arms in a galactic potential with a bar

We investigate the dynamics in the close vicinity of and within the critical area in a 2D effective galactic potential with a bar of Zotos. We have calculated Poincare surfaces of section and the basins of escape. In both the Poincare surfaces of section and the basins of escape, we find numerical evidence for the existence of a separatrix which hinders orbits from escaping out of the bar region. We present numerical evidence for the similarity between spiral arms of barred spiral galaxies and tidal tails of star clusters.
Consumer World-Mindedness, Social-Mindedness, and Store Image

As advances in communications technology shrink the impact of geographic distance, consumers are likely to become more aware of and familiar with products and services in other parts of the world, as well as global social and ethical issues. Retailers have responded to these trends (termed here “consumer world-mindedness” and “consumer social-mindedness”) by adapting their positioning and product assortment. The authors develop measures of consumer world-mindedness and social-mindedness and examine their relationship to exposure to other cultures and store image using a survey of 191 consumers in the Netherlands. The authors examine images of three types of stores: the Body Shop, fair-trade stores, and a grocery store with an imported food products section. The results confirm that consumers’ exposure to foreign cultures increases consumer world-mindedness and social-mindedness and that both have a significant impact on store image. The authors conclude with a discussion of implications for retail and international marketing management.
Incorporating Intrahousehold Interactions into a Tour-Based Model of Public Transport Use in Car-Negotiating Households

Intrahousehold interactions in travel are fundamental to an understanding of activity travel behavior, as reflected by the substantial percentage of regional travel that is made jointly. The development of travel demand models that incorporate intrahousehold interactions is crucial to a credible analysis of traveler response to policies. A tour-based modeling framework is used to examine intrahousehold interactions in travel mode choice with a focus on public transport use in households having differences in car availability. An important distinction is made between car-sufficient households (in which there are at least as many cars in the household as license holders) and car-negotiating households (households that have fewer cars than license holders). Intrahousehold interactions and temporal–spatial constraints are explicitly represented by different patterns of joint household tours, with home-based tours as the unit of analysis. The empirical analysis is based on a nested logit model that was developed to integrate intrahousehold interactions with tour-based mode choices; Sydney Household Travel Survey data are used. The results show that joint household travel accounts for more than half of weekday home-based tours in Sydney, Australia. The arrangement of joint household tours is shown to depend on household context, situational factors, and social constraints. Mode choice associated with different joint tour patterns is influenced by household and individual characteristics, tour attributes, and transport-related fringe benefits.
Research and Development Productivity and Spillovers: Empirical Evidence at the Firm Level

A variety of methods have been used to investigate the empirical relationship between research and development (R&D) spending and the productivity of firms. The most widely employed frameworks are the production function and the associated productivity framework. In these settings, productivity growth is related to expenditures on R&D, and an attempt is made to estimate statistically the part of productivity growth that can be attributed to R&D activities. This article surveys the expansive body of empirical literature on this subject and finds a large and significant impact of R&D on firm performance on average. However, the estimated returns vary considerably between the different studies due to differences across data samples and econometric models, as well as methodological and conceptual issues. A meta-analysis on the studies surveyed reveals that the estimated rates of return do not significantly differ between countries, whereas the estimated elasticities do. Furthermore, the estimated elasticities are significantly higher in the 1980s and consistently higher in the 1990s compared with the 1970s. Hence, contrary to a widely held belief, we find no convincing evidence of an exhaustion of R&D opportunities in the last two decades. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2005.
The Mutability of Educational Credentials as Hiring Criteria

Although there is no single “overeducation” thesis, most accounts hold that increasingly large numbers of employees have educational credentials beyond those needed for performance on their jobs. Rather than assuming a mismatch between skill levels and atypical credentials, this article asks how employers actually evaluate educational credentials that are higher than those usually associated with a given job. Employers do maintain educational ceilings for positions, but these are usually flexible and established largely by default. Further, some employers are willing to hire apparently overqualified workers because the candidate may eventually be promoted into a position where his or her skills are more fully used. What is usually interpreted as overeducation (the mismatch between proxied worker skills and job demands) may be either a barrier to the culmination of a job-worker match or the temporary underuse of skills.
AN INVESTIGATION OF POST-SECONDARY TEACHER EDUCATORS' PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DEATH EDUCATION

Carlson Jeanna M (Writer) (Last Name) (First) (Initial) An Investigation of Post-Secondary Teacher Educators’ Perceptions and Attitudes (Title) Regarding the Implementation of Death Education Guidance and Counseling Denise Zirkle, Ph.D. May/2003 66 (Graduate Major) (Research Advisor) (Month/Year) (No. of Pages) American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual (Name of Style Manual Used in this Study) There is an abundance of research that discusses the negative effects unresolved grief can have on children’s and adolescents’ psychological, emotional, and behavioral development. In addition, a tremendous amount of research supports the positive effects of death education and the ability of death education to protect against the negative effects of unresolved grief. Yet, previous research indicates that few public schools currently implement death education programs. According to the research, teachers’ lack of training in this area is to be a major contributing factor to the lack of death education implementation in public schools. Consequently, this study focuses on teacher educators’, the individuals responsible for training public school teachers, views of death education. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and perceptions of K-12 teacher educators’ regarding death education. Teacher educators at five selected universities in Wisconsin were sent a survey to obtain their attitudes and perceptions
Public-Private Sector Wage Differentials and Returns to Education in Djibouti

Do public sector workers earn a wage premium in Djibouti and are the returns to education different across the sectors? The authors estimate private and public sector wage earnings using 1996 household survey data, while controlling for selectivity using Heckman's two stage approach. They find that Djiboutian public sector employees earn a wage premium, independent of their personal attributes and human capital endowments, and are more likely to be males and have parents in the public sector. Workers in the public sector earn higher private rates of return to education than do private sector workers with post-secondary schooling. These results raise concerns about current government hiring and wage-setting practices that generate distortions in the labor market and are not efficiently allocating labor and public resources.
Problems Facing Owners and Managers Operating in the Qualifying Industrial Zones in Jordan

This study reveals the major obstacles that both domestic and foreign companies face while working under the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) agreement in Jordan, according to the opinions of owners and managers. To uncover these problems, a questionnaire specially structured for this purpose was administered and distributed to all companies registered and working under the QIZ in three zones (Al Hassan Industrial Estate, Al Karak Industrial Park, and Al Tajamouat Industrial City). The total number of questionnaires distributed was 78. The results were based on the 51 returned questionnaires with full information, which constitute around 65% of the number of distributed questionnaires. Results indicate that respondents have problems in dealing with the Israeli side (either with exporters of raw material and with the procedures of the Israeli government). Also, respondents have problems related to the political instability in the region and how it will affect their work. In addition, respondents face problems with recruiting foreign labors, and securing housing and facilities for them. Finally, they face the problem of getting credit and financing from the local market. Therefore, peace and stability in the region will minimize the problems that face investors when dealing with the Israeli side. To minimize the problem associated with recruiting and hiring foreign labor, as well as, having problems with accommodating them at low costs, companies should be able to have training programs for local workers in order to increase their efficiency and productivity in the fields where they are needed. In addition, the government should issue certain rules and regulations that protect our environment.
Selection of auditor firms by companies in the new issue market

Some empirical evidence on the question of product differentiation in the market for audits is presented. Using agency cost and signalling frameworks we posit that there will be a demand for varying levels of audit quality. Because audit quality is not directly observable to investors we postulate that quality will be proxied by the auditor's brand name reputation. Big Eight auditors are categorized as being high quality producers. Using data on companies newly listing on the New Zealand Stock Exchange we test the derived models of auditor choice. Auditor choice is a dummy variable (0,1) partitioned on the basis of non Big Eight and Big Eight accounting firms. The results provide support for the idea of product differentiation in the market for audits.
Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow surrounding acute (6 to 22 hours) intracerebral hemorrhage

Background: Arterial hypertension is common in the first 24 hours after acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Although increased blood pressure usually declines to baseline values within several days, the appropriate treatment during the acute period has remained controversial. Arguments against treatment of hypertension in patients with acute ICH are based primarily on the concern that reducing arterial blood pressure will reduce cerebral blood flow (CBF). The authors undertook this study to provide further information on the changes in whole-brain and periclot regional CBF that occur with pharmacologic reductions in mean arterial pressure (MAP) in patients with acute ICH. Methods: Fourteen patients with acute supratentorial ICH 1 to 45 mL in size were studied 6 to 22 hours after onset. CBF was measured with PET and 15O-water. After completion of the first CBF measurement, patients were randomized to receive either nicardipine or labetalol to reduce MAP by 15%, and the CBF study was repeated. Results: MAP was lowered by −16.7 ± 5.4% from 143 ± 10 to 119 ± 11 mm Hg. There was no significant change in either global CBF or periclot CBF. Calculation of the 95% CI demonstrated that there is less than a 5% chance that global or periclot CBF fell by more than −2.7 mL 100 g−1 min−1. Conclusion: In patients with small- to medium-sized acute ICH, autoregulation of CBF was preserved with arterial blood pressure reductions in the range studied.
Skill shortages, recruitment and retention in the house building sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how internal and external labour markets operate in the construction sector, associated with different strategies taken by firms in recruiting and retaining particular groups of employees. It draws on research of the house building sector which aims to discover how far firms develop human resource policies, recruitment and retention strategies, and training and development activities in response to skill shortages.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a questionnaire survey of skills shortages, recruitment and retention in house building firms, drawn from databases of social and private housebuilders and a detailed investigation of firms.Findings – The results show worsening skill shortages and hard‐to‐fill vacancies, particularly for site managers and tradespersons. These shortages are especially bad for house building firms, above all those with higher levels of direct employment in the social housing sector. Despite this, firms rely for opera.
Blood and Salivary Oxidative Stress Biomarkers Following an Acute Session of Resistance Exercise in Humans

The aim of the present study was to compare oxidative stress biomarkers determined in blood and saliva before and after acute resistance exercise. 1 week after 1 maximum repetition (1RM) test 11 healthy well-trained males completed a hypertrophy acute session of resistance training including 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of the 1RM, with 90 s rest periods between sets. Venous blood and saliva samples were collected before (pre) and 10 min after (post) the resistance training session. A significant (p<0.05) rise in blood lactate accumulation (pre: 1.6+/-0.4 vs. post: 9.5+/-2.4) was found post-acute resistance training compared with baseline values. Significant increases (p<0.05) in TBARS (42%), AOPP (28%), uric acid (27%) and GSH (14%) were detected post-acute resistance training in relation to pre in blood samples. A significant increase (p<0.05) in uric acid (36%) was found in saliva post-acute resistance training as well as a significant correlation (p<0.05) between uric acid determined in blood and saliva. Statistical analysis did not reveal any other change in the salivary oxidative stress biomarkers. In conclusion, an acute session of resistance exercise induces oxidative stress in plasma of trained men after acute resistance training, which was not found in saliva samples except for uric acid.
Investor Confidence and Returns Following Large One-Day Price Changes

I hypothesize that post-event price behavior following large one-day price shocks is related to pre-event price and firm fundamental characteristics, and that these characteristics proxy for investor confidence. Several behavioral theories suggest how investors form their expectations, and I suggest four investor confidence hypotheses based on these theories. In addition to documenting further evidence of investor overreaction, my findings indicate that investors respond differently to negative price shocks than to positive price shocks. In particular, large price decreases generally drive positive post-event abnormal returns, while large price increases do not drive positive or negative abnormal returns. However, my main finding is that this relationship is altered when pre-event return and firm characteristics are introduced. This suggests that certain pre-event characteristics influence investor confidence, which in turn influences buying and selling decisions and thereby drives post-event returns. However, investor confidence appears to be lessened by a price shock effect.
Age, Transvestism, Bondage, and Concurrent Paraphilic Activities in 117 Fatal Cases of Autoerotic Asphyxia

Autoerotic asphyxia is the practice of self-inducing cerebral anoxia, usually by hanging, strangulation, or suffocation, during masturbation. This study investigated the relationships between: asphyxiators' ages; two paraphilias commonly accompanying autoerotic asphyxia, bondage and transvestism; and various other types of simultaneous sexual behaviour. Subjects were two concurrent series totalling 117 males aged 10–56 who died accidentally during autoerotic asphyxial activities. Data concerning sexual paraphernalia at the scene of death or among the deceased's effects were extracted from coronors' files using standardised protocols. Anal self-stimulation with dildos, etc., and self-observation with mirrors or cameras were correlated with transvestism. Older asphyxiators were more likely to have been simultaneously engaged in bondage or transvestism, suggesting elaboration of the masturbatory ritual over time. The greatest degree of transvestism was associated with intermediate rather than high levels of bondage, suggesting that response competition from bondage may limit asphyxiators' involvement in a third paraphilia like transvestism.
Insights on the Effects of Heat Pretreatment, pH, and Calcium Salts on Isolation of Rare Actinobacteria from Karstic Caves

The phylum Actinobacteria is one of the most ubiquitously present bacterial lineages on Earth. In the present study, we try to explore the diversity of cultivable rare Actinobacteria in Sigangli Cave, Yunnan, China by utilizing a combination of different sample pretreatments and under different culture conditions. Pretreating the samples under different conditions of heat, setting the isolation condition at different pHs, and supplementation of media with different calcium salts were found to be effective for isolation of diverse rare Actinobacteria. During our study, a total of 204 isolates affiliated to 30 genera of phylum Actinobacteria were cultured. Besides the dominant Streptomyces, rare Actinobacteria of the genera Actinocorallia, Actinomadura, Agromyces, Alloactinosynnema, Amycolatopsis, Beutenbergia, Cellulosimicrobium, Gordonia, Isoptericola, Jiangella, Knoellia, Kocuria, Krasilnikoviella, Kribbella, Microbacterium, Micromonospora, Mumia, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Nocardioides, Nocardiopsis, Nonomuraea, Oerskovia, Pseudokineococcus, Pseudonocardia, Rhodococcus, Saccharothrix, Streptosporangium, and Tsukamurella were isolated from these cave samples.