Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rhetoric of ‘Buy Irish Food’ campaigns: speaking to consumer values to valorise the ‘local’ and exclude ‘others’?

Drives to (re-)localise the system of food provisioning have arisen and proliferated in recent times, chiefly in response to the negative consequences of the prevailing global food system. Due to this, but also since Ireland has begun to experience economic difficulties, many ‘Buy Irish Food’ campaigns have emerged and although not a new phenomenon, their recent (re-)emergence and abundance are notable. Drawing on discourses of sustainability, sustainable consumption and geographical scales, this paper aims to critically analyse the nature of these campaigns and the persuasive arguments upon which these promotions are based. Following a review of the literature on values of consumers in Ireland towards Irish and local food, a thematic analysis is employed to determine the key rhetorical discourses which are common to three case study ‘Buy Irish Food’ campaigns. The research revealed instances of conflating ‘Irish’ and ‘local’ by consumers and more commonly by those involved in the promotion of Irish food, in addition to a reliance on local food rhetoric and spatial valorisation to the detriment of ‘others’. Drawing on these findings, the paper concludes by proffering a future research agenda, which highlights the need to investigate the effects of such exclusions as well as a need for comparative research to potentially consider the Irish case study in the context of patriotic purchasing rhetoric from places considered to be geographically similar to Ireland.
Mortality in Ireland at Advanced Ages, 1950-2006: Part 1: Crude Rates

ABSTRACT We examine the data and techniques underlying the estimation of mortality rates at older ages in Ireland since 1950. Previous attempts to elucidate the level and trends in mortality at advanced ages in Ireland have been frustrated by significant non-random biases arising from age exaggeration and age heaping, together with a lack of correspondence, growing with increasing age, between the exposed-to-risk estimated from census data and the death count from registration data. Applying the method of extinct generations, we re-estimate crude mortality rates and report the somewhat unexpected result that mortality rates were lower, and did not increase as steeply with age, than those recorded in the official Irish Life Tables. The reestimated crude rates show, for both sexes, a very slight decrease in mortality rates between the 1950s and 1980s up to age 90 years, with no improvement discernible at older ages. Improvements at advanced ages in Ireland have lagged behind those in England and Wales and other developed countries over the same period. The companion paper, Mortality in Ireland at Advanced Ages, 1950–2006: Part 2: Graduated Rates, Whelan (2009), graduates the crude rates and extends the method of extinct generations to estimate mortality rates of more recent, still surviving, generations.
Volatility Spillovers between the Equity Market and Foreign Exchange Market in South Africa in the 1995-2010 Period

This paper attempts to assess the extent of volatility spillovers between the equity market and the foreign exchange market in South Africa. Multistep family of the General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity models are used for this end, whereby volatility shocks obtained from the mean equation estimation in each market are included in the conditional volatility of the other market, respectively. The paper selects the appropriate volatility models for each market following criteria such as covariance stationarity, persistence in variance and leverage effects. The finding of the paper indicates that there is a unidirectional relationship in terms of volatility spillovers from the equity market to the foreign exchange market. The paper supports the view that the extent of foreign participation in the South African equity market possibly contributes to this phenomenon.
Age and Crime

The relationship between age and crime is one of the oldest known in the criminological literature. This entry describes research on what is known as the “age–crime curve,” first by reviewing recent data, then discussing historical and theoretical work. The entry then discusses policy implications of the age and crime research. These implications differ according to whether one views the relationship between age and crime as a biological “invariant” phenomenon, or as one that can be explained at least partially by social factors. Both social and biological factors likely influence the age–crime curve, and policy should be developed accordingly. Keywords: adolescence; age; desistance; developmental; life course
Trends in the Intergenerational Elasticity of Family Income in the United States

This paper asks whether the degree to which our incomes resemble our parents incomes has changed over time. After comparing various methods of correcting for differences in the ages at which successive birth cohorts are observed, and correcting for sample attrition, I find no evidence of a linear trend in the intergenerational elasticity of family income for those born into the Panel Study of Income Dynamics between 1952 and 1975 and observed as adults between 1977 and 2000.
COMBINING NON-MARKET VALUATION AND INPUT–OUTPUT ANALYSIS FOR COMMUNITY TOURISM PLANNING: OPEN SPACE AND WATER QUALITY VALUES IN COLORADO, USA

We use a combination of non-market valuation and input–output approaches to inform community scale planning for natural-resource based tourism development in rural Colorado. Contingent behavior and trip expenditure information are used in conjunction with IMPLAN input–output software to simulate the likely regional economic effects of changes in local environmental attributes. Visitor surveys reveal sensitivity to the amount of ranch open space and local water quality resulting in discernable regional economic effects should these valuable dimensions of the local environment change. The likely total, direct, indirect, and induced effects and implications on local residents and tourists of a sales tax, mill levy, and hotel occupancy (‘bed’) tax to preserve ranch open space and maintain local water quality are simulated. The losses offset from maintaining environmental quality are found to significantly outweigh the regional impacts of any of the tax policies.
“This Country Is Not Woman-Friendly or Child-Friendly”: Talking About the Challenge of Moving from Welfare-to-Work

ABSTRACT Through the use of focus groups, this paper examines how former welfare recipients living in public housing in New York City adapted to the policy changes caused by welfare reform, how they experienced their transition to the “world of work” and how this affected their perceptions about their quality of life and their personal and familial relationships. The primary theme that emerged from the focus group sessions was the difficulties reconciling parenthood with employment. A second theme was that many participants felt discouraged and frustrated with the paths available to them in the labor market. Labor market conditions in New York City only exacerbated participants' difficulties maintaining employment and supporting a family, heightening the tensions between parenthood and paid employment. Their frustrations with the paid labor market fed back into the primary theme of the difficulties reconciling parenthood with employment because the paid labor market did not offer them well-paying part-time work or flexible schedules to help the participants meet their parental responsibilities. The third theme was that self-esteem improved greatly with employment. Here, the analysis brings to light the effects of the tension between paid employment and care giving on self-esteem and the relative lack of value that society places on caring labor.
A model of neurocognitive function in spina bifida over the life span

Spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), a neural tube defect that is the product of a complex pattern of gene-environment interactions, is associated with naturally occurring, systematic variability in the neural phenotype and in environmental factors that lead to systematic variability in the cognitive phenotype. We characterize the basis for variability in the cognitive phenotype of children with SBM with reference to a model of key biological, cognitive, and environmental events unfolding over the course of development from infancy to middle age. The cognitive phenotype is not domain-specific, but represents manifestations of unobservable constructs involving associative and assembled processing, the latter directly reflecting the impact of the neural phenotype on core deficits involving movement, timing, and attention orienting. The expression of the cognitive phenotype is variable, being moderated by features of the neural phenotype involving secondary CNS insults (such as hydrocephalus) that impair assembled processing, as well as by environmental factors (such as poverty, parenting, and education) that impair associative processing. The preservation of strengths in associative processing depends in part on the severity of the CNS deficits in SBM and the impact of the environment. (JINS, 2006, 12, 285–296.)
Targeting TBK1 Inhibits Migration and Resistance to MEK Inhibitors in Mutant NRAS Melanoma

Melanoma is a devastating form of skin cancer with limited therapeutic options. Fifteen to 20% of patients with melanoma have an activating mutation in the GTPase, NRAS. The major downstream effectors of RAS are RAFs (ARAF, BRAF, and CRAF), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the Ral guanine exchange factors (RalGEF). TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is an atypical IκB kinase family member that acts downstream of RalGEFs. Whereas many studies have analyzed RAF and PI3K signaling in mutant NRAS melanoma, the role of RalGEF/Ral is understudied and TBK1 has not been examined. To address this, TBK1 was modulated with knockdown approaches and targeted therapies to determine the role of TBK1 in motility, apoptosis, and signaling. In melanoma, NRAS overexpression increased TBK1 phosphorylation. TBK1 depletion inhibited migration and invasion, whereas its constitutive overexpression led to an increase in invasion. In three-dimensional systems that mimic the dermal microenvironment, TBK1 depletion or inhibition cooperated with MEK inhibitors to promote apoptosis, particularly in the context of MEK-insensitive mutant NRAS. This effect was absent in melanoma cells that are wild-type for NRAS. These results suggest the utility of TBK1 inhibitors as part of a treatment regimen for patients with mutant NRAS melanoma, for whom there are no current effective therapies. Implications: TBK1 promotes the malignant properties of NRAS-mutant melanoma and its targeting, in combination with MEK, promotes apoptosis, thus providing a potential novel targeted therapeutic option. Mol Cancer Res; 12(10); 1509–19. ©2014 AACR.
Spillovers and absorptive capacity in the decision to innovate of Spanish firms: the role of human capital

This paper investigates whether the existence of knowledge spillovers and the capacity of firms to assimilate them, which we relate with R&D intensity and some human resource management practices, are associated with the decision to innovate of Spanish firms. In order to do this, we employ data from the ‘Central de Balances’ database, which covers both manufacturing and services firms during the period 2003–2007, and use an estimator proposed by Wooldridge [2005. Simple solutions to the initial conditions problem in dynamic nonlinear panel data models with unobserved heterogeneity. Journal of Applied Econometrics 20, no. 1: 39–54] for dynamic random effects discrete choice models. The empirical exercise provides evidence on the positive link between spillovers and the innovative behaviour of companies, not just for the knowledge generated in the same industry, but also for that generated in the same region or by the public sector. Moreover, this link is stronger for those firms with a higher capacity to absorb those spillovers. This ability not only works through firms’ R&D capabilities, but also through factors such as the quality of the labour force, the share of temporary employment and the amount of resources spent in training. In addition to these factors, we find that innovation performance exhibits a high degree of inertia. Further, some other observed firm characteristics, such as size, sales growth, export behaviour, sector capital intensity or financial structure variables, are also found to be relevant determinants of the likelihood of innovation.
[Relationship of socioeconomic factors with medical utilization for lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic hyperplasia in a South Korean community].

OBJECTIVES We wanted to evaluate the medical underutilization for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among Korean elderly men and we wanted to determine their associated factors. METHODS This study was conducted on 239 men with LUTS and 116 men with BPH who were compatible with the diagnostic criteria from a total of 641 participants. These participants were over 50 years old and they were randomly chosen in a community-based study for estimating the prevalence of BPH. Using a self-reported questionnaire, we surveyed the sociodemographics, health status, quality of life, lower urinary tract symptoms, medical utilization and reasons for not seeking treatment. RESULTS Only 27.6% of the men with LUTS and 31.0% of the men with BPH reported having visited a doctor for urinary symptoms. The reasons for not visiting a doctor were, in order of responses from the group with LUTS: 'considered the symptoms as a part of the normal ageing process', 'not enough time to visit a doctor', 'financial difficulty' and 'the symptoms were not severe or bothersome'. Regarding BPH, the responses were the same as those of the group with LUTS however, 'financial difficulty' placed second. Among the men with experience of visiting a doctor for urinary symptoms, 33.3% of those with LUTS and 28.1% of those with BPH were not treated. The most common reason in both groups was 'the symptoms were not severe to be treated'. On a multiple logistic regression analysis, the larger size household (odds ratio (OR) 3.03, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 1.40-6.54) and an unsatisfactory quality of life related with urinary symptoms (OR 2.98, 95% CI = 1.23-7.21) were associated with medical utilization in the group of LUTS. For BPH, the current employment status was related with the medical utilization (OR 2.80, 95% CI = 1.10-7.11), in addition to the larger size household (OR 3.24, 95% CI = 1.14-9.21). CONCLUSIONS Many men with urinary symptoms do not visit a doctor. This medical underutilization for people with LUTS and BPH may be associated with economic status in Korea.
AGENCY CONFLICT AND CORPORATE STRATEGY: THE EFFECT OF DIVESTMENT ON CORPORATE VALUE

Among the various stakeholders of a firm, senior managers are the most likely targets for private and public political pressures. Other stakeholder groups are less visible and may be perceived as less influential in corporate strategy formulation and implementation. In some situations, consequently, senior executives may adopt corporate strategies in response to political pressures even if these strategies may be costly to shareholders. In this study, a special case is examined: the effect of divestment of South African business units on firm value. Using data from 1984 through 1990, we examine the impact that announcements of divestments have upon the stock return behavior of publicly traded firms. Our results indicate that significant and negative excess returns accrue to shares of companies announcing divestments of South African operations. These results are supportive of the premise that noneconomic pressures may influence managerial strategies rather than value‐enhancement goals. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Update on Anti-IgE Therapy in Pediatric Respiratory Diseases

Anti-IgE treatment represents a major breakthrough in the therapeutic management of severe allergic asthma. Omalizumab is the unique biologic treatment registered for asthma therapy in children. The clinical efficacy and safety of omalizumab treatment in the pediatric population has been extensively documented in specific trials and consistently expanded from real-life studies. In addition, new experimental evidence suggests that omalizumab may also interfere with the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying airway remodeling. Novel investigational anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies with improved pharmacodynamic properties are in the pipeline, potentially offering alternative mechanisms of modulating IgE pathway. The aim of this review is to update current knowledge on anti-IgE therapy in pediatric respiratory diseases.
INVESTMENT, REPROCUREMENT AND FRANCHISE CONTRACT LENGTH IN THE BRITISH RAILWAY INDUSTRY*

This Paper studies the interaction between repeated auctions of rail franchises of different lengths, uncertainty, and incentives for investment in rolling stock, following the privatization of British Rail. Theoretical predictions are tested empirically using a unique panel of data. Theory suggests that short franchise lengths reduce incentives to invest in specific assets. Our empirical results suggest that competition and strategic behaviour at the re-procurement stage can create incentives for delayed investment. Investing just before the end of the franchise enhances the incumbent’s probability of having the contract re-awarded and provides it with a first-mover advantage, while raising the entry cost for other potential bidders.
The dynamics of regional and global multinationals, 1999-2008

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze regional versus global activities of large firms. We assemble longitudinal data over the 1999-2008 period. Design/methodology/approach – Sales and assets data for the Fortune 500 firms from 1999-2008 were compiled from annual reports of the firms, by triad region. The definition of the triad regions is based on international accounting standards. The classifications of firms are based upon the new metric of regional-to-total sales rather than the traditional metric of foreign-to-total sales. Findings – In an extension of the original study of Rugman and Verbeke (2004), no trend toward globalization is found, as nearly 80 per cent of the world’s largest firms are classified as home-region oriented, and only 4 per cent are classified as global. Only a few firms change classifications over the ten-year period. Overall, the world’s largest firms average 70 per cent of their sales and 72 per cent of their assets in their home region of the triad. Originality/value – This pa.
Evolution under domestication: ongoing artificial selection and divergence of wild and managed Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) populations in the Tehuacan Valley, Mexico.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The Tehuacán Valley in Mexico is a principal area of plant domestication in Mesoamerica. There, artificial selection is currently practised on nearly 120 native plant species with coexisting wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations, providing an excellent setting for studying ongoing mechanisms of evolution under domestication. One of these species is the columnar cactus Stenocereus pruinosus, in which we studied how artificial selection is operating through traditional management and whether it has determined morphological and genetic divergence between wild and managed populations. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 households of three villages to investigate motives and mechanisms of artificial selection. Management effects were studied by comparing variation patterns of 14 morphological characters and population genetics (four microsatellite loci) of 264 plants from nine wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations. KEY RESULTS Variation in fruit characters was recognized by most people, and was the principal target of artificial selection directed to favour larger and sweeter fruits with thinner or thicker peel, fewer spines and pulp colours other than red. Artificial selection operates in agroforestry systems favouring abundance (through not felling plants and planting branches) of the preferred phenotypes, and acts more intensely in household gardens. Significant morphological divergence between wild and managed populations was observed in fruit characters and plant vigour. On average, genetic diversity in silvicultural populations (H(E) = 0.743) was higher than in wild (H(E) = 0.726) and cultivated (H(E) = 0.700) populations. Most of the genetic variation (90.58 %) occurred within populations. High gene flow (Nm(FST) > 2) was identified among almost all populations studied, but was slightly limited by mountains among wild populations, and by artificial selection among wild and managed populations. CONCLUSIONS Traditional management of S. pruinosus involves artificial selection, which, despite the high levels of gene flow, has promoted morphological divergence and moderate genetic structure between wild and managed populations, while conserving genetic diversity.
REMODELING DYNAMICS OF BONE SUPPORTING RIGIDLY FIXED TITANIUM IMPLANTS: A HISTOMORPHOMETRIC COMPARISON IN FOUR SPECIES INCLUDING HUMANS

The long-term maintenance of a rigid bone-implant interface (osseointegration) is the clinical goal of most dental implant systems, although the biological mechanism for retaining a foreign object in living bone is unclear. Little data are available on the physiological turnover (remodeling) of the supporting osseous tissue. The objective of this study was to histomorphometrically assess bone remodeling surrounding rigidly integrated titanium implants in multiple species. Implants, in place from 6 months to 5 years, were recovered from human, monkey, dog, and rabbit subjects. With the use of stereological point-hit and linear-intercept methods, indices of bone formation and resorption were determined. Remarkably similar patterns emerged among all investigated species. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a 3 to 9 fold increase in remodeling within 1 mm of the bone-implant interface (P<0.001; data expressed as percent turnover/month, mean ± SEM for n = 3–11). All morphometric indices (percent new bone, percent fluorochrome-labeled bone, percent resorption space) showed similar trends. These data suggest that the physiological mechanism for maintaining rigid osseous integration (osseointegration) is a sustained elevation of remodeling adjacent to the bone-implant interface. (Implant Dent 1995;4:235–243)
Transformation of Hamster Embryo Cells and Tumor Induction in Newborn Hamsters by Simian Adenovirus SV11

Simian adenovirus, SV11, readily transformed hamster embryo cell cultures in vitro and produced tumors in vivo when inoculated into newborn hamsters. Foci consisting of small, loosely attached, rounded cells could be seen as early as 7 days postinoculation. Many of these cells contained several nuclei or the nucleus was multilobed. The cells grew without extensive cell to cell contact or formed small chains or clusters when passaged in vitro. This pattern of cell morphology and growth has not been reported with other simian or human adenovirus-transformed cells. Linearity of foci formation with virus dilution was observed when the virus multiplicity was less than 3 plaque-forming units (PFU)/cell. The PFU to focus-forming units ratio for SV11 was found to be 2 × 104 to 4 × 104, which is approximately 5- to 10-fold and 50- to 100-fold lower than those reported for simian adenovirus, SA7, and human adenovirus type 12, respectively. Cells transformed by SV11: (i) produced tumors when inoculated into young hamsters, (ii) contained tumor antigen which reacts with serum obtained from hamsters bearing SV11 passaged tumors, and (iii) could be propagated in vitro through an indefinite number of generations.