Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological Modernisation as a Framework for Sustainable Development: A Case Study in Sweden

Sweden has long been an acknowledged leader in Europe in terms of its commitment to environmental protection linked with ecologically based technological innovation, and to social democratisation and high levels of welfare provision. Following the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, Agenda 21 was received warmly as codifying an existing determination to pursue development which may be sustainable. However, over the last decade the economy has come under increasing pressure from globalisation and social change. Although the environmental agenda remains strong, a schism seems to be developing with key socioeconomic drivers. The Swedish government has responded with a policy framework of ecological modernisation, through which it hopes to regain the high ground economically, environmentally, and socially. We report on a study for the Swedish Research Councils in which we explore aspects of this national policy framework, and how it is being interpreted in selected projects in Sweden's three major cities and two case-study towns. We examine tensions in integration and implementation; and argue that Swedish norms may favour an unduly ‘expert’ and even ‘technocorporatist’ view of sustainable development which its current ecological modernisation programme does little to address. We discuss the cultural and institutional change which may be required if the current conception of ecological modernisation is to deliver development which is sustainable.
Acculturative Stress and Specific Coping Strategies among Immigrant and Later Generation College Students

Acculturative stress and specific coping strategies were assessed in a group of 214 multicultural college undergraduates of both sexes who were divided into four generational status groups: early immigrants (immigrated before 12 years of age) and late immigrants (immigrated after age 12), second-generation and third-generation. Also explored was the relationship of acculturative stress to self-esteem, locus of control and loyalty to American culture. The self-administered questionnaire contained the short version of the Padilla SAFE Acculturative Stress Measure, a loyalty toward American culture scale, Rotter's Internal/External Locus of Control scale, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Findings revealed that late immigrant students experienced greater acculturative stress than the other groups. Also, late immigrants coped with stress more frequently by taking a direct, planned action (individualistic) approach, while secondand third-generation groups more often coped by talking to others about the problem (social network). Early immigrants employed both coping strategies.
Pyrene Molecular Orbital Shuffle-Controlling Excited State and Redox Properties by Changing the Nature of the Frontier Orbitals.

We show that by judicious choice of substituents at the 2- and 7-positions of pyrene, the frontier orbital order of pyrene can be modified, giving enhanced control over the nature and properties of the photoexcited states and the redox potentials. Specifically, we introduced a julolidine-like moiety and Bmes2 (mes=2,4,6-Me3 C6 H2 ) as very strong donor (D) and acceptor (A), respectively, giving 2,7-D-π-D- and unsymmetric 2,7-D-π-A-pyrene derivatives, in which the donor destabilizes the HOMO-1 and the acceptor stabilizes the LUMO+1 of the pyrene core. Consequently, for 2,7-substituted pyrene derivatives, unusual properties are obtained. For example, very large bathochromic shifts were observed for all of our compounds, and unprecedented green light emission occurs for the D/D system. In addition, very high radiative rate constants in solution and in the solid state were recorded for the D-π-D- and D-π-A-substituted compounds. All compounds show reversible one-electron oxidations, and Jul2 Pyr exhibits a second oxidation, with the largest potential splitting (ΔE=440 mV) thus far reported for 2,7-substituted pyrenes. Spectroelectrochemical measurements confirm an unexpectedly strong coupling between the 2,7-substituents in our pyrene derivatives.
Postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy and the risk of Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have examined the relation between postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD). The findings have been inconsistent, since some studies have been interpreted as showing a protective effect while others have reported no effect. OBJECTIVE To determine whether exposure to ERT is associated with a reduced risk of AD. DESIGN Population-based nested case-control study. SETTING The United Kingdom-based General Practice Research Database. PATIENTS The base cohort consisted of women who were recipients of ERT (n = 112 481) and a similar cohort of women who did not use estrogens (n = 108 925). The 2 cohorts were restricted to women born on or before January 1, 1950. From the 2 cohorts, we identified and verified 59 newly diagnosed cases of AD and 221 matched control subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Prior and current use of ERT in cases compared with controls. RESULTS Among the 59 newly diagnosed cases of AD, 15 (25%) were current estrogen users, while among the controls, 53 (24%) were current users. The adjusted odds ratio comparing all current estrogen recipients with nonrecipients was 1.18 (95% confidence interval, 0.59-2.37). In estrogen users who took the drug for 5 years or longer compared with nonusers, the odds ratio was 1.05 (95% confidence interval, 0.32-3.44). Odds ratios were similar for estrogen recipients who received estrogens alone and recipients who received combined estrogen-progestin treatment. CONCLUSION The use of ERT in women after the onset of menopause was not associated with a reduced risk of developing AD.
Buyer-Supplier Collaboration in Product Development Projects

Previous research on supplier involvement in product development projects has produced contradictory results, with some studies showing a positive relationship, others no relationship, and still others a negative relationship between supplier involvement and project performance. Drawing on data from 124 managers, project leaders, buyer members, and supplier members pertaining to 28 product development projects, the authors find that buyer-supplier collaboration positively relates to product quality, adherence to product cost targets, adherence to development budgets, and adherence to development schedules. Furthermore, their analyses show that communication frequency and intensity has a curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) relationship with project development budget and product cost.
Association of white blood cell subfraction concentration with fitness and fatness

Objective To examine the association between fitness, BMI, and neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, basophil, and eosinophil concentrations in apparently healthy, non-smoking men. Design Cross-sectional study of 452 men from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study examining the resting concentration of white blood cell subfractions across fitness (maximal METs during a treadmill exercise test) and fatness (BMI) categories after adjusting for age. Results Fitness was inversely associated with all WBC subfraction concentrations. After further adjustment for BMI, only total WBC, neutrophil, and basophil concentrations remained significantly associated with fitness. BMI was directly associated with total WBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and basophil concentrations and, when fitness was added to the model, only monocytes lost significance. Conclusion Fitness (inversely) and fatness (directly) are associated with WBC subfraction populations.
Preclinical Studies in Normal Canine Prostate of a Novel Palladium-Bacteriopheophorbide (WST09) Photosensitizer for Photodynamic Therapy of Prostate Cancer¶

Abstract Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses light to activate a photosensitizer to achieve localized tumor control. In this study, PDT mediated by a second-generation photosensitizer, palladium-bacteriopheophorbide WST09 (Tookad) was investigated as an alternative therapy for prostate cancer. Normal canine prostate was used as the animal model. PDT was performed by irradiating the surgically exposed prostate superficially or interstitially at 763 nm to different total fluences (100 or 200 J/cm2; 50, 100 or 200 J/cm) at 5 or 15 min after intravenous administration of the drug (2 mg/kg). Areas on the bladder and colon were also irradiated. The local light fluence rate and temperature were monitored by interstitial probes in the prostate. All animals recovered well, without urethral complications. During the 1 week to 3 month posttreatment period, the prostates were harvested for histopathological examination. The PDT-induced lesions showed uniform hemorrhagic necrosis and atrophy, were well delineated from the adjacent normal tissue and increased linearly in diameter with the logarithm of the delivered light fluence. A maximum PDT-induced lesion size of over 3 cm diameter could be achieved with a single interstitial treatment. There was no damage to the bladder or rectum caused by scattered light from the prostate. The bladder and rectum were also directly irradiated with PDT. At 80 J/cm2, a full-depth necrosis was observed but resulted in no perforation. At 40 J/cm2, PDT produced minimal damage to the bladder or rectum. On the basis of optical dosimetry, we have estimated that 20 J/cm2 is the fluence required to produce prostatic necrosis. Thus, the normal structure adjacent to the prostate can be safely preserved with careful dosimetry. At therapeutic PDT levels, there was no structural or functional urethral damage even when the urethra was within the treated region. Hence, Tookad-PDT appears to be a promising candidate for prostate ablation in patients with recurrent, or possibly even primary, prostate cancer.
Conflict in remarriages

This paper uses interview data from a study of 232 remarried and 102 first married couples to test hypotheses about the sources and consequences of conflict in remarriages. The hypotheses are suggested by an analysis of the sources of difficulty in families having prior marriage children. Support was found for hypothese predicting elevated conflict over financial issues, child rearing, and presence of husband's prior marriage children. The hypotheses that remarried husbands would give in more often than those first married, when there was a spousal disagreement, was also substantiated.
The Psychometric Properties of a Translated Version of the Survey Work-Home Interaction — Nijmegen (SWING) Instrument

In this study we examined (1) the construct validity, construct equivalence, and reliability of two translations of the Survey Work-Home Interaction — Nijmegen (SWING); (2) the prevalence of work-home interaction; and (3) validity evidence based on relations with theoretically relevant external variables (i.e. job characteristics and indicators of well-being). The SWING questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire were translated into Afrikaans and Setswana and were administered, together with the original English version, among a cross-sectional sample of 685 members of the South African Police Service in North West Province. Structural equation modelling showed that a four-factor model, distinguishing between the direction (work-to-home vs. home-to-work) and the quality (positive vs. negative) of interaction, fitted the data best. The SWING was equivalent and reliable for the three language groups and relevant sub-groups. Participants reported more negative work-home interaction (WHI) than negative home-work interaction (HWI), and more positive HWI than positive WHI. Validity evidence was also provided based on the relations with external variables. In general, high levels of negative WHI were associated with job demands and a lack of job resources, while high levels of positive WHI were associated with lower demands and more job resources. Evidence was also provided for the relations between the SWING scales and four indicators of well-being (i.e. exhaustion, cynicism, professional efficacy and engagement). It is concluded that the SWING is a reliable and valid instrument to measure work-home interaction in South Africa.
Optimal Fiscal Policy in Overlapping Generations Models

This paper analyzes the optimal fiscal policy in overlapping generation economies with production where agents live I periods. The primal approach is used to characterize the optimal taxes in steady state and along the transition path to some steady state. The basic idea is to transform the government problem of choosing the optimal taxes, into a simple programming problem of choosing allocations subject to some constraints. The key findings is that if the set of taxes is complete and the utility is homothetic and separable, then capital taxes are zero along the transition path to the steady state after two periods. This result is an equivalent version of Chamley (1986) with overlapping generations. With additional assumptions in the discount factor and endowment of efficiency units, it can be shown that non-separable utility functions satisfy the zero capital taxes result in steady state, but not during the transition path. This is due to the fact that from the government point of view, under this assumptions, the overlapping generation economy is equivalent to an infinitely lived economy.
Ral and Phospholipase D2-Dependent Pathway for Constitutive Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Endocytosis

G-protein-coupled receptors play a central role in the regulation of neuronal cell communication. Class 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) mGluR1a and mGluR5a, which are coupled with the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides, are essential for modulating excitatory neurotransmission at glutamatergic synapses. These receptors are constitutively internalized in heterologous cell cultures, neuronal cultures, and intact neuronal tissues. We show here that the small GTP-binding protein Ral, its guanine nucleotide exchange factor RalGDS (Ral GDP dissociation stimulator), and phospholipase D2 (PLD2) are constitutively associated with class 1 mGluRs and regulate constitutive mGluR endocytosis. Moreover, both Ral and PLD2 are colocalized with mGluRs in endocytic vesicles in both human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells and neurons. Ral and PLD2 activity is required for the internalization of class 1 mGluRs but is not required for the internalization of the β2-adrenergic receptor. Constitutive class 1 mGluR internalization is not dependent on the downstream Ral effector proteins Ral-binding protein 1 and PLD1 or either ADP-ribosylation factors ARF1 or ARF6. The treatment of HEK 293 cells and neurons with small interfering RNA both downregulates PLD2 expression and blocks mGluR1a and mGluR5a endocytosis. The constitutive internalization of mGluR1a and mGluR5a is also attenuated by the treatment of cells with 1-butanol to prevent PLD2-mediated phosphatidic acid formation. We propose that the formation of a mGluR-scaffolded RalGDS/Ral/PLD2 protein complex provides a novel alternative mechanism to β-arrestins for the constitutive endocytosis of class 1 mGluRs.
Towards Prioritizing Architecture Technical Debt: Information Needs of Architects and Product Owners

Architectural Technical Debt is a metaphor for representing sub-optimal architectural solutions that might cause an interest, in terms of effort or quality, to be paid by the organization in the long run. Such metaphor has been regarded as useful for communicating risks of suboptimal solutions between technical and non-technical stakeholders. However, it's fundamental to understand the information needs of the involved stakeholders in order to produce technical debt measurements that would allow proper communication and informed prioritization. We have investigated, through a combination of interviews, observations and a survey, what key information is needed by agile product owners and software architects in order to prioritize the refactoring of risky architectural technical debt items with respect to feature development.
The effect of heavy strength training on muscle mass and physical performance in elite cross country skiers

Aim: To investigate the effect of supplementing high‐volume endurance training with heavy strength training on muscle adaptations and physical performance in elite cross country skiers. Eleven male (18–26 years) and eight female (18–27 years) were assigned to either a strength group (STR) (n=9) or a control group (CON) (n=10). STR performed strength training twice a week for 12 weeks in addition to their normal endurance training. STR improved 1 repetition maximum (RM) for seated pull‐down and half squat (19±2% and 12±2%, respectively), while no change was observed in CON. Cross‐sectional area (CSA) increased in m. triceps brachii for both STR and CON, while there was no change in the m. quadriceps CSA. VO2max during skate‐rollerskiing increased in STR (7±1%), while VO2max during running was unchanged. No change was observed in energy consumption during rollerskiing at submaximal intensities. Double‐poling performance improved more for STR than for CON. Both groups showed a similar improvement in rollerski time‐trial performance. In conclusion, 12 weeks of supplemental heavy strength training improved the strength in leg and upper body muscles, but had little effect on the muscle CSA in thigh muscles. The supplemental strength training improved both VO2max during skate‐rollerskiing and double‐poling performance.
A Game-Theoretic Framework for Optimum Decision Fusion in the Presence of Byzantines

Optimum decision fusion in the presence of malicious nodes - often referred to as Byzantines - is hindered by the necessity of exactly knowing the statistical behavior of Byzantines. In this paper, we focus on a simple, yet widely adopted, setup in which a fusion center (FC) is asked to make a binary decision about a sequence of system states by relying on the possibly corrupted decisions provided by local nodes. We propose a game-theoretic framework, which permits to exploit the superior performance provided by optimum decision fusion, while limiting the amount of a priori knowledge required. We use numerical simulations to derive the optimum behavior of the FC and the Byzantines in a game-theoretic sense, and to evaluate the achievable performance at the equilibrium point of the game. We analyze several different setups, showing that in all cases, the proposed solution permits to improve the accuracy of data fusion. We also show that, in some cases, it is preferable for the Byzantines to minimize the mutual information between the status of the observed system and the reports submitted to the FC, rather than always flipping the decision made by the local nodes.
Children's conceptions of air pressure: exploring the nature of conceptual change

Children's responses to a series of air pressure activities were tracked in detail during group discussion and interview, and again in interview six months later. Results for different age cohorts have yielded insights into age‐related knowledge components framing children's conceptions of air pressure phenomena. Case studies of individuals have been constructed to explore the way conceptions change over time, and the difficulties presented by the concept of atmospheric pressure. These are used to evaluate different structural theories of conceptual change. The findings point to the complexity of children's conceptions, the stability and extension over time of productive conceptions, and the critical role of contextual features of phenomena in the conceptual change process. Although structural aspects of changes in concepts related to air pressure are identified, the difficulty of accessing the atmospheric pressure conception is argued to have more to do with presupposition based in perceptual features of.
Astrophysical limits on quantum gravity motivated birefringence

We obtain observational upper bounds on a class of quantum gravity related birefringence effects, by analyzing the presence of linear polarization in the optical and ultraviolet spectrum of some distant sources. In the notation of Gambini and Pullin we find $\ensuremath{\chi}l5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}. $
Stakeholder Dialogue and Organisational Learning: Changing Relationships between Companies and NGOs

This article presents a critical examination of the process of stakeholder dialogue in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) field. It utilises data from a three-year research project into stakeholder dialogue processes to discuss three central themes: first, what is meant by the term dialogue, both from a theoretical perspective and from its practical application within CSR' second, the challenges of creating effective dialogue' and third, measuring and assessing the potential outcomes of dialogue. In providing a critical overview of these themes, the article examines the nature of organisational learning through stakeholder engagement and dialogue. It questions the motives behind engagement in dialogue and highlights some of the potential challenges for organisational learning posed by opting for a stakeholder dialogue approach. It argues that organisations engaging in stakeholder dialogue must have a clear understanding of the implications of undertaking a dialogue process and have a long-term perspective regarding the outcomes and learning likely to emerge from it. While stakeholder dialogue may produce significant results, it is argued, many of these may be difficult to quantify on a short-term basis.
Determining the applicability of feminist theories by examining the mediation and moderation effects on non‐economic performance in Lao micro, small, and medium‐sized enterprises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of social feminist theory (SFT) and liberal feminist theory (LFT) to Lao micro, small, and medium‐sized enterprises (MSMEs) based on the results of mediation and moderation effects of the gender of entrepreneurs.Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 200 MSMEs. Analysis is based, first, on factor analysis to extract important factors and, second, multiple linear regression is used to empirically validate the feminist theories by examining the mediation effects and moderation effects regarding gender of entrepreneurs.Findings – The findings showed that not all feminist‐related factors mediate the relationship between gender and non‐economic performance whereas the gender of entrepreneurs moderates personal, social network, and skills factors and non‐economic performance but not family factor. Lastly, the compilation of the mediation and moderation results revealed that SFT is more applicable than LFT to Lao MSMEs.Researc.
Molecular cytogenetic analysis of Aegilops cylindrica host.

The genomic constitution of Aegilops cylindrica Host (2n = 4x = 28, DcDcCcCc) was analyzed by C-banding, genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the DNA clones pSc119, pAs1, pTa71, and pTA794. The C-banding patterns of the Dc- and Cc-genome chromosomes of Ae. cylindrica are similar to those of D-and C-genome chromosomes of the diploid progenitor species Ae. tauschii Coss. and Ae. caudata L. , respectively. These similarities permitted the genome allocation and identification of the homoeologous relationships of the Ae. cylindrica chromosomes. FISH analysis detected one major 18S-5.8S-25S rDNA locus in the short arm of chromosome 1Cc. Minor 18S-5.8S-25S rDNA loci were mapped in the short arms of 5Dc and 5Cc. 5S rDNA loci were identified in the short arm of chromosomes 1Cc, 5Dc, 5Cc, and 1Dc. GISH analysis detected intergenomic translocation in three of the five Ae. cylindrica accessions. The breakpoints in all translocations were non-centromeric with similar-sized segment exchanges.