Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate change, equity and the relevance of European ‘effort-sharing’ for global mitigation efforts

The question of equity in international agreements has a wide variety of interpretations and embraces a number of competing principles. The European Union (EU) effort-sharing arrangement for 2013–2020 collaborative greenhouse gas emissions reductions and renewable energy growth is explored for two underlying principles: solidarity and capability. The concepts and mechanisms of the EU effort-sharing arrangement are examined, with particular attention to how well issues of equity are addressed. The EU approach is then considered for its potential application to other country groupings to ascertain whether, and under what specific conditions, it could be adapted. Based on some features of the EU effort-sharing arrangements, a policy process for determining effort-sharing for mitigation is proposed, which allows for specific national circumstances and varying emphases of solidarity and capability.
Disposable skin staplers for closure of linear gastrointestinal incisions in dogs

OBJECTIVE To report the clinical features and outcomes of linear gastrointestinal incisions closed with skin staples in dogs. STUDY DESIGN Historical cohort study. ANIMALS 333 client-owned dogs. METHODS Medical records from 1 private referral hospital were searched for dogs that underwent gastrointestinal surgery between November 1999 and October 2015. Cases were included if skin staplers were used to close linear gastrointestinal incisions. Information regarding preoperative, surgical, and postoperative factors was collected. RESULTS Complications were diagnosed in 8 of 245 (3.27%) dogs, including 3 of 245 (1.22%) dogs that died or were euthanized, 3 of 245 (1.22%) dogs with incisional dehiscence, and 2 of 245 (0.81%) dogs with attachment of a linear foreign body to the staples at the intestinal lumen. Dehiscence was noted at the enterotomy sites in 3 dogs at a mean time of 44 hours after surgery (SD ± 6.93). Two dogs presented with another linear foreign body that was attached to the staples in the intestinal lumen at postoperative days 24 and 42. The risk factors associated with incisional dehiscence included multiple gastrointestinal incisions performed in 1 surgery (χ2 , P < .001) and the presence of a linear foreign body (χ2 , P = .02253). No associations were detected between dogs' age, sex, weight, surgery time, indication for surgical intervention, surgery location in the gastrointestinal tract, or surgeon experience and incisional dehiscence. CONCLUSION Skin staplers provide safe and effective closure of gastrotomies, enterotomies, and colonotomies in dogs. This method is reliable, efficient, and affordable in the hands of veterinary surgeons with varying skill levels.
High performance work practices and firm performance: evidence from the pharmaceutical industry in China

The current study analyzed the relationship of high performance work practices and firm performance in a sample of pharmaceutical companies in China. We found that the human resource management index composed of high performance work practices such as extensive training, participation, detailed job definition, result-oriented performance appraisal, internal career opportunities, and profit sharing as reported by the human resource or finance managers was significantly related to firm's market performance as evaluated by the firm's general managers or marketing directors. Results also showed that the positive effect of the HRM index on firm's performance was influence by innovation strategy in negative direction. Results extend our knowledge about strategic human resource management theory and suggest the need for further studies to identify other contingencies that may attenuate the universalistic nature of these valued practices.
Price Regulation and Accounting Choice

This paper empirically investigates the interplay of price regulation on the product market and accounting choices. Specifically, we analyze the impact of regulated prices in the German utility sector on the decision to adopt a new accounting regulation one year in advance of the otherwise mandated adoption. This article finds that regulated firms are more likely than non-regulated firms to adopt the new accounting regulation early, thereby achieving higher regulated revenues. Manually analyzing financial statements, we are able to estimate the increase in firm-specific allowed revenues for the regulation period of 2013-2017. This article contributes to the literature by shedding light on the link of industry-specific product market regulation and managers’ accounting choices.
The historical origins of Indian poverty

The Indian subcontinent is today the poorest area in the world. Its living standard is wretched, both through Western eyes, and from the perspective of most other developing countries. But in the sixteenth century, India was considered wealthy by Europeans. This paper attempts to analyse the reasons for the decline in India’s relative economic status from the time of the Moghuls up to independence. Such an exercise is essential in order to make a valid assessment of the tasks and performance of economic policy in India and Pakistan since independence. It may also contribute to the economic analysis of colonialism. The author examines briefly the nature of the Moghul economy before analysing the main ways in which British rule promoted or retarded economic growth.
An experimental displacement and over 50 years of tag-recoveries show that monarch butterflies are not true navigators

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) breeding in eastern North America are famous for their annual fall migration to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. However, the mechanisms they use to successfully reach these sites remain poorly understood. Here, we test whether monarchs are true navigators who can determine their location relative to their final destination using both a “compass” and a “map”. Using flight simulators, we recorded the orientation of wild-caught monarchs in southwestern Ontario and found that individuals generally flew in a southwest direction toward the wintering grounds. When displaced 2,500 km to the west, the same individuals continued to fly in a general southwest direction, suggesting that monarchs use a simple vector-navigation strategy (i.e., use a specific compass bearing without compensating for displacement). Using over 5 decades of field data, we also show that the directional concentration and the angular SD of recoveries from tagged monarchs largely conformed to two mathematical models describing the directional distribution of migrants expected under a vector-navigation strategy. A third analysis of tagged recoveries shows that the increasing directionality of migration from north to south is largely because of the presence of geographic barriers that guide individuals toward overwintering sites. Our work suggests that monarchs breeding in eastern North America likely combine simple orientation mechanisms with geographic features that funnel them toward Mexican overwintering sites, a remarkable achievement considering that these butterflies weigh less than a gram and travel thousands of kilometers to a site they have never seen.
Conflict in the Preceptorship or Field Experience: A Rippling Tide of Silence

A major component of the educative process in the professional disciplines is the field education/preceptorship experience in which students are afforded opportunities to develop professional competence under the tutelage of a practising professional and/or a university instructor. During this time students are exposed to competing discourses about what it means to think and act as nurses, teachers, doctors and social workers. Frequently, field teaching is characterized by conflictual situations involving students, field instructors and university faculty. Such conflict is poorly understood as indicated by the lack of literature available in the professional disciplines. The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of conflict within the context of field teaching in professional education. Pivotal to this study was the issue of making sense of the conflict that prospective nurses, teachers, social workers and doctors experience in professional education within the practice realm and how such discourses shape their professional identities, practices and ultimate social values. At issue is the social construction of meaning that takes place within professional education. This study was conducted from the perspective of four professional programs including education, medicine, nursing and social work. The researchers focused on the final year of each program at a time when students were engaged in a major field / preceptorship experience in hospitals, schools, communities and social agencies. The experiences derived from the nursing data are presented in this paper.
Structural Change and the Politics of Dualization

Poverty, increased inequality, and social exclusion are back on the political agenda in Western Europe, not only as a consequence of the Great Recession of 2008, but also because of a seemingly structural trend towards increased inequality in advanced industrial societies that has persisted since the 1970s. How can we explain this increase in inequalities? Policies in labor markets, social policy, and political representation are strongly linked in the creation, widening, and deepening of insider-outsider divides—a process known as dualization. While it is certainly not the only driver of increasing inequality, the encompassing nature of its development across multiple domains makes dualization one of the most important current trends affecting developed societies. However, the extent and forms of dualization vary greatly across countries. The comparative perspective of this book provides insights into why Nordic countries witness lower levels of insider-outsider divides, whereas in continental, liberal and southern welfare states, they are more likely to constitute a core characteristic of the political economy. Most importantly, the comparisons presented in this book point to the crucial importance of politics and political choice in driving and shaping the social outcomes of deindustrialization. While increased structural labor market divides can be found across all countries, governments have a strong responsibility in shaping the distributive consequences of these labor market changes. Insider-outsider divides are not a straightforward consequence of deindustrialization, but rather the result of political choice.
Efficacy of palliative low-dose involved-field radiation therapy in advanced lymphoma: a phase II study.

PURPOSE To confirm the efficacy of low-dose involved-field radiation therapy (LD-IFRT) as palliative treatment in patients symptomatic from advanced lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 36 patients (47 sites), received 4 Gy in 2 fractions to the lymphoma with a 1.5-2-cm margin. Pathology subtypes included 29 (62%) sites with indolent lymphoma and 18 (36%) sites with aggressive lymphoma histology. Bulky disease was seen in 22 (48%) sites and, of these, 6 sites had disease > 10 cm. A median of 3 previous chemotherapy regimens (range, 0 to 9 regimens) preceded LD-IFRT. The primary endpoint of the study was in-field lymphoma control. Patients completed the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 quality of life (QOL) questionnaire before RT and at 3-4 weeks after treatment. RESULTS The overall response rate (RR) at 1-3 months after the RT was 75%. A complete remission (CR) was observed in 13 patients (36%) lasting up to a maximum of 31.3 months and ongoing at analysis. A partial remission (PR) was achieved in 14 patients (39%) lasting up to 10 months. The response rate for non-diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) sites was 86%, while it was 50% for sites with DLBCL histology. Median time to local progression for the entire group was 15 months. There was no statistical difference between the QOL before and after LD-IFRT. CONCLUSION LD-IFRT is an effective and easy treatment for patients with advanced lymphoma that can be repeated at previously irradiated sites, a particularly useful attribute because of the relapsing nature, especially of advanced follicular subtypes.
HRM Professional Role Tensions: Perceptions and Responses of the Top Management Team

The aims of the research are to explore evidence of professional human resource management (HRM) role tensions, the factors that affect HRM role tension, and to consider the impact on management perceptions when role tensions exist. Using a qualitative approach, 25 interviews were conducted in Australia with senior HRM personnel, top management team (TMT) executives, and a management consultant. Findings reveal that the failure of the HRM profession to attract people with a business focus increases HRM role tensions. Respondents report that tensions were reduced when aspects of the HRM role were devolved or outsourced, there was an acceptance of a changed psychological contract, and clearer attempts were made to communicate an agreed-upon strategic focus for HRM. HRM role bias led to a reduced willingness among TMT members to respect, and communicate with, HRM professionals. The implications of the negative outcomes of HR role tensions are discussed with reference to the power of the HRM function. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stakeholder Influence Strategies: The Roles of Structural and Demographic Determinants

Using Frooman’s typology of stakeholder influence strategies, this research examines the strategies that stakeholders select to exert influence on a firm. Using an experimental approach, the responses of actual environmental leaders to a series of hypothetical vignettes were examined. The results of the experiment suggest how both structural and demographic variables can act as determinants of strategy choice along with how these two types of variables may both complement and inhibit one another. Specifically, the results suggest that repertoires of strategies play a critical role in stakeholder behavior. Demographic variables appear to define the repertoires of strategies the stakeholder will typically choose among, whereas structural variables further refine choice from within that repertoire.
IN VITRO AND IN SILICO EVALUATION OF XANTHINE OXIDASE INHIBITORY ACTIVITY OF QUERCETIN CONTAINED IN SONCHUS ARVENSIS LEAF EXTRACT

Objective : The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibiting effects of quercetin contained in Sonchusarvensis leaf extract on the activity of xanthine oxidase, an essential enzyme for uric acid synthesis. Methods: Activity test was conducted in vitro by measuring the activity of xanthine oxidase using UV spectrophotometry and in silico by determining the interaction of quercetin and allopurinol (as comparation drug) with xanthine oxidase enzyme in terms of hydrogen bonds and binding free energy. Docking simulations were performed by Autodock4.2 package. Results: The active fraction, using the solvent n-hexane, ethyl acetate and water, tested the inhibitory activity of the xanthine oxidase enzyme in vitro obtained respectively IC 50 of 263.19, 16.20 and 141.80 μg/ml. Isolates with highest activity identified as quercetin. The xanthine oxidase enzyme inhibitory activity insilico by molecular docking showed quercetin has free energy binding ˗7.71 kcal/mol, more negative than that of allopurinol ˗5.63 kcal/mol. Conclusion: This shows the affinity of quercetin stronger than that of allopurinol; so that it can be predicted that quercetin was more potential to inhibit xanthine oxidase enzyme activity. Thus the extract of the S. arvensis leaves containing the active compound quercetin was a potential use as antihyperuricemia.
The Short and Long-Term Effect of Weight-Bearing Mobilization-With-Movement (MWM) and Automobilization- MWM Techniques on Pain and Functional Status in Patients with Hip Osteoarthritis

Background: There is limited evidence to support the therapeutic effect of Manual Therapy on Hip Osteoarthritis (HOA) patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether implementation of weight-bearing mobilization-with-movement (MWM) and auto-mobilization had a significant improvement in pain and functionality after a series of sessions. Methods: Forty patients 50-80 years of age, with HOA, were randomly assigned into two groups. Patients in the treatment group received MWM in standing position and auto-MWM for two weeks, while control patients received a Sham form of MWM. Pain and functionality were measured at baseline, post-treatment and three months’ follow-up, using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). Mixed ANOVA was used to examine possible differences between treatment phases and between groups, but also interactions among Group and
The Labour Market Regimes in the Nordic Countries: A Comparative Analysis

The aim of the article is to discuss the differences between the labour market regimes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland in a historical perspective. The foundations of the regimes were laid more than 100 years ago. Differences in labour market institutions and practices are in fact substantial, particularly as regards the role of the state in collective bargaining and conflict resolution, but also in connection with incomes policy. While the state for a long time has played a significant role in Denmark and Norway, mainly concerning conflict resolution, and in Finland since the 1960s in the form of comprehensive incomes policy agreements, a doctrine of freedom of the labour market from state intervention has dominated in Sweden. These divergences can to a great extent be explained by differences in the democratization process and the organizational structure, particularly in the trade unions, which reflect different timing and structure in the process of industrialization. ‘Path dependency’ has been strong in the North. The main elements of the four national labour market regimes are still there, such as trade union fragmentation and strong instruments for conflict resolution in Denmark and Norway, relatively advanced social partner responsibility for bargaining outcomes and conflict resolution in Sweden (although sometimes against the background of threats of state intervention), and almost continuous tripartite consultation in Finland as a stabilizing element in a much more turbulent political environment than in the neighbouring countries. There are no clear tendencies towards convergence between the Nordic labour market regimes.
Agroclimatic potential across central Siberia in an altered twenty-first century

Humans have traditionally cultivated steppe and forest-steppe on fertile soils for agriculture. Forests are predicted to shift northwards in a warmer climate and are likely to be replaced by forest-steppe and steppe ecosystems. We analyzed potential climate change impacts on agriculture in south-central Siberia believing that agriculture in traditionally cold Siberia may benefit from warming. Simple models determining crop range and regression models determining crop yields were constructed and applied to climate change scenarios for various time frames: pre-1960, 1960–90 and 1990–2010 using historic data and data taken from 2020 and 2080 HadCM3 B1 and A2 scenarios. From 50 to 85% of central Siberia is predicted to be climatically suitable for agriculture by the end of the century, and only soil potential would limit crop advance and expansion to the north. Crop production could increase twofold. Future Siberian climatic resources could provide the potential for a great variety of crops to grow that previously did not exist on these lands. Traditional Siberian crops could gradually shift as far as 500 km northwards (about 50–70 km/decade) within suitable soil conditions, and new crops nonexistent today may be introduced in the dry south that would necessitate irrigation. Agriculture in central Siberia would likely benefit from climate warming. Adaptation measures would sustain and promote food security in a warmer Siberia.
Announcements, Inflation Targeting and Central Bank Incentives

This paper studies the incentives a central bank faces in announcing inflation targets when the central bank has private information about the economy and the public is uncertain about the central bank's preferences. Targeting rules in the absence of announcements reduce the inflationary bias of discretionary policy but they distort the central bank's response to private information about the economy. This distortion is eliminated when the central bank is allowed to announce the inflation target. Announcements also affect credibility, although the way they do so depends on the exact definition of credibility that is employed. Copyright 1999 by The London School of Economics and Political Science
Reporting on the state of infrastructure by local government

The Australian accounting profession has advocated that infrastructure should be accounted for by reporting it at current written down replacement values, on the basis that these financial disclosures would provide relevant information to stakeholders. While local councils are required to apply the profession’s asset valuation and accrual standards in preparing general purpose financial reports, the State of New South Wales has gone further by requiring local councils to also present information about the physical condition of infrastructure, together with estimates of the cost of bringing that infrastructure to a satisfactory condition, and the annual costs of maintaining infrastructure at that standard thereafter. This paper examines how this information was reported for 1995‐96. Analysis of reporting practices suggest that while there are some anomalies and uncertainties surrounding the rating of physical condition and the concept of “satisfactory condition”, the disclosures provided by NSW local government are more informative and arguably more relevant to external stakeholders and those responsible for asset management in local government than the information currently prescribed by accounting standards.
Modeling web-based information seeking by users who are blind

Purpose. This article describes website information seeking strategies used by users who are blind and compares those with sighted users. It outlines how assistive technologies and website design can aid users who are blind while information seeking. Method. People who are blind and sighted are tested using an assessment tool and performing several tasks on websites. The times and keystrokes are recorded for all tasks as well as commands used and spatial questioning. Results. Participants who are blind used keyword-based search strategies as their primary tool to seek information. Sighted users also used keyword search techniques if they were unable to find the information using a visual scan of the home page of a website. A proposed model based on the present study for information seeking is described. Conclusions. Keywords are important in the strategies used by both groups of participants and providing these common and consistent keywords in locations that are accessible to the users may be useful for efficient information searching. The observations suggest that there may be a difference in how users search a website that is familiar compared to one that is unfamiliar.