Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of hotels’ environmental performance: Evidence from the hotel industry in Accra, Ghana

This study explores the factors that account for the environmental performance of hotels in the special context of a developing country, Ghana. It also examined the socio-demographic characteristics of managers and organizational characteristics that determine the environmental performance of Ghanaian hotels. A stratified random sampling method was employed to survey 200 hotel managers from different categories of hotels in Accra. Ninety-four per cent were independent, and Ghanaian-owned. Sixty-seven per cent had fewer than 20 rooms; only 45 had more than 100 rooms. Only 11.6% were affiliated to foreign multinational companies in any way. Six key factors that accounted for the environmental performance were extracted from a factor analysis. They included, in order of most practised, the environmental education and training for staff, measures to support for the host community, conservation project support, compliance with environmental regulations, waste management, and voluntary programmes. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that larger size and better class of hotels, as well as those with membership of the national hotel trade association, had better environmental performance as did hotels with better paid managers. Affiliation to foreign multinational chains did not predict better performance. A series of suggestions are made to improve the environmental performance of Ghana's hotels.
The principal and school bullying: An examination of the administrator's ability to positively impact the culture of bullying in a school

School bullying is a topic that has received a great deal of attention over the last several years. School personnel have been inundated with law, policy, and public outcry about this serious issue. Administrators have at times been overwhelmed by the conversation surrounding school bullying. Even though their stories are seldom heard, there are many schools that are experiencing great success in the area of bully prevention. There is a pressing need for administrators to hear those stories and understand how they can make a difference. As such, this qualitative study examined how the principal can positively impact the culture of bullying in a school. A case study approach of three exemplar schools was used for this study. The principal along with three additional staff leaders from each school were interviewed. Observations at each school were also conducted. The data were used to create a story about each school and the role the principal plays in positively shaping the culture around bullying at that school. The findings of this study reveal that the principal is influenced in his or her approach to bullying by a variety of factors including prior experiences, preexisting attitudes and perceptions, and legal guidelines. As such, the effective principal purposefully engages existing attitudes and perceptions and assumes the responsibility of influencing those attitudes and perceptions by leading on the issue of bullying. This study reveals that leading involves both communication and actions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of the principal in establishing positive school culture.
Determinants of environmentally responsible behaviours for greenhouse gas reduction

Canadian household consumption and driving behaviours are responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced across Canada. This paper examines and characterizes two sets of consumer behaviours, indoor GHG reduction behaviours and automobile GHG emissions, using data from a 2006 telephone survey of a representative random sample of 1002 Canadian households with cars. Two statistical models are used to analyse the impact of four groups of variables (environmental attitudes, policy opinions, automobile-related indices and socio-demographics) on GHG reduction at the household level. Results were obtained using ordered probit and Ordinary Least Squares regressions. Indoor GHG reduction behaviours were not correlated with automobile GHG emissions. Dominant factors increasing consumer GHG reduction behaviours both indoors and on the road were sense of personal responsibility and previous environmental activism. Canadians who least actively participate in GHG reduction activities were more likely to be living in the Prairie provinces and to be male.
Consumer confidence announcements: do they matter?

This paper examines the response of financial markets to consumer confidence announcements during 1980–93. Several hypotheses are tested to examine the impact of consumer confidence announcements on the conditional mean and the conditional volatility of stock, bond and foreign exchange prices. Despite a plethora of causal empiricism in the popular press, consumer confidence appears to influence only the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and not bond or other stock indexes. However, changes in the consumer confidence index are found to have asymmetric effects on the dollar exchange rates of five major currencies. Finally, we find that the impact of the consumer confidence index on the conditional volatility is not uniform across five major currencies.
Mechanisms of Synergy Between Alcohol and Hepatitis C Virus

Background Since the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), extensive literature has emerged on alcohol and HCV interaction. Goal To understand the impact of alcohol and HCV infection on the severity of liver disease and the mechanisms of interaction between the two. Study Of 1269 articles (1991 to 2006) searched through MEDLINE and cited cross references, 133 were thoroughly reviewed to assess: (a) prevalence of combined alcohol use and HCV, (b) severity of liver disease (c) treatment response, and (d) mechanisms of interaction between HCV and alcohol. Data on study design, patient demographics, diagnostic tests used, and study outcomes were extracted for critical analysis. Results Prevalence of HCV is 3-fold to 30-fold higher in alcoholics compared with the general population. Patients with HCV infection and alcohol abuse develop more severe fibrosis with higher rate of cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer compared with nondrinkers. Increased oxidative stress seems to be the dominant mechanism for this synergism between alcohol and the HCV. Abstinence is the key to the management of liver disease due to HCV and alcohol. Data have shown that lower response rates to interferon in alcoholics with HCV infection are likely due to noncompliance. Conclusions Alcoholics with HCV infection have more severe liver disease compared with nondrinkers. Patients should be encouraged to enroll in rehabilitation programs so as to improve treatment adherence and response.
Efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid in association with &agr;‐interferon for chronic hepatitis C in &agr;‐interferon non‐responder patients

Background The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of combined treatment with &agr;‐interferon (&agr;‐IFN) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on liver function tests and serum HCV‐RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C who had not responded to &agr;‐IFN alone. Methods One hundred and three patients (60 men, 43 women, mean age 49 ± 1.3 years) who had not responded (both HCV‐RNA positive and increased serum ALT levels) to 4 consecutive months of treatment with &agr;‐IFN (3 MU three times weekly) were randomly assigned to receive UDCA (IFN‐UDCA, 53 patients, 600 mg/day) in addition to the same &agr;‐IFN dose, or to continue &agr;‐IFN alone (IFN‐controls, 50 patients). After stopping &agr;‐IFN, patients who had received UDCA continued to receive UDCA for an additional 6‐month period. The two groups were comparable for sex, basal ALT, basal &ggr;GT, genotype distribution and liver histology, while mean age was lower in controls (53 ± 1.8 vs 46 ± 1.8 years; P < 0.01). Results Twenty (38%) out of 53 IFN‐UDCA patients had normal ALT, compared with only six (12%) out of 50 IFN‐control patients (P < 0.01). HCV‐RNA became undetectable in four IFN‐UDCA patients. Three months after withdrawal of &agr;IFN, 15 IFN‐UDCA responders, but none of the IFN‐controls, had normal ALT values (P < 0.01); 6 months after withdrawal, nine IFN‐UDCA responders still had normal ALT (P = NS) and HCV‐RNA was still undetectable in four of them. Portal and periportal inflammation showed a statistically significant improvement (Fisher's exact test P < 0.01) in IFN‐UDCA patients as compared with IFN‐controls, while no effect was observed on portal fibrosis. Conclusions These data demonstrate that UDCA improves the response rate to &agr;‐IFN. Furthermore, in 8% of IFN‐UDCA patients the response rate was sustained and associated with HCV‐RNA clearance. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 12:511‐515
Does Dieselization Favour a Cleaner Transport? Evidence from EU-15

In the 1990s, purchases of diesel passenger cars in the EU had intensively grown, with the subsequent increase of diesel oil demand. One of the main factors explaining this change on consumer preferences was the improvement in combustion technology of diesel engines. In this context, just because diesel cars use less energy per kilometre than petrol ones, EU authorities have considered dieselization as a phenomenon harmonic with transport policy objectives enhancing the change in consumer preferences for diesel cars with fiscal and technical policies. The process of dieselization was consolidated; European consumers have maintained their preferences for diesel cars over time. The economic literature lacks in the study of dieselization and in the study of dieselization environmental consequences. However, this work tries to shed some light onto this issue analysing, through the estimation of a two-simultaneous-equations model, EU’s new diesel passenger car demand and diesel oil demand in the last two decades. The results will permit to characterize the main factors behind the change to dieselization. After this, we will discuss about the environmental implications of the European social option for dieselization.
Torque loss under mechanical cycling of long-span zirconia and titanium-cemented and screw-retained implant-supported CAD/CAM frameworks.

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the screw joint stability after cyclic loading of implant-supported titanium and zirconia CAD/CAM frameworks for fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) with different retention methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty four one-piece frameworks supported by six threaded implants placed in the maxilla were fabricated using a CAD/CAM technique (NeoShape). Dry-pressed porcelain crowns were luted to the frameworks to standardize the specimens. The specimens were then divided into four groups (n = 6) according to framework material (titanium or zirconia) and retention method for the prosthesis (cement- or screw-retained): G1, Ti-cemented; G2, Ti-screw-retained; G3, Zr-cemented; and G4, Zr-screw-retained. A digital torque ratchet was used to assess the initial preload removal torque. Torque was then reapplied and the specimens were submitted to a 200 N cyclic load, at a frequency of 2 Hz, underwater in controlled temperature of 37°, and for 1 × 106 cycles. An opposing lower dental arch was fabricated using bis-acrylic resin to simulate occlusal contacts in centric. After cyclic loading, postload removal torque was measured. Preload and postload torque loss was expressed as a percentage of the initial load. Data were submitted to a linear mixed-effects model for statistical significance (α = 0.05) to evaluate the effect of cyclic loading in the screw torque loss used with frameworks of different materials and retention methods. RESULTS Significant screw torque loss (%) was found for the tested groups (before/after cyclic loading, respectively): G1 (39.77/61.83), G2 (37.57/50.96), G3 (34.87/54.10), and G4 (47.56/73.50) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The screw removal torque was significantly reduced for all groups in this study after cyclic loading the specimens. Screw-retained zirconia specimens presented the highest torque loss before and after the cyclic loadings compared with the other specimens that were tested.
Vickrey vs. eBay: Why Second-Price Sealed-Bid Auctions Lead to More Realistic Price-Demand Functions

Knowledge of consumers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) is critical for marketing managers when designing optimal pricing policies. The large-scale applicability, reliability, and validity of Vickrey auctions as an incentive-compatible method for eliciting WTP in a real-world setting were tested empirically. The results of 6,548 sealed bids in 28 auctions of costly durables on a popular auction Web site show that regular on-line shoppers have little problem understanding and applying the Vickrey auction bidding strategy. As a result, Vickrey auctions can easily produce a reliable and valid distribution of WTP based on several thousand consumers. A comparison of Vickrey auctions with the more commonly used English or eBay auctions shows, both conceptually and empirically, that the latter formats do not fully reflect the complete range of potential customers' WTP and, therefore, lead to systematic overestimation of price-demand functions. In contrast, WTP information elicited through Vickrey auctions is undistorted by strategic behavior such as bid-sniping and incorporates the full range of WTP information, suggesting that it is better suited for estimating realistic price-demand functions for market research purposes.
Information-enabled tourism destination marketing: addressing the accessibility market

This paper demonstrates that the accessibility market is not homogenous, but it entails different sub-segments with distinct needs and requirements. Ultimately each person is unique in his/her abilities and preferences and this is more evident in this market. Secondary research revealed the size of the accessibility market in Europe to be 127 million people. Extensive qualitative research through 16 focus groups has demonstrated that the main requirements of these segments focus on three interlinked elements, namely accessible built environment, information regarding accessibility and accessible information online. Traditional segmentation contradicts the central concept of participation, as directed by the social model of disability, and it entails assumptions regarding the requirements of the market segments. Information communication technologies (ICTs) can assist destinations to effectively address the particular requirements of these market segments through the use of profiling and personalisation features, which will allow users themselves to specify their requirements. Through the use of ICTs, users are enabled to declare their needs and requirements. Destinations can then offer suitable products and services according to the particular needs of each traveller, encourage participation, congruent with the social model of disability.
Spanning Organizational Boundaries in Emergency Management

Multiagency emergency management coordination requires stakeholders to span organizational boundaries and facilitate collaboration among other agencies within temporary supraorganizations. Multiagency coordination is important in emergency management as disasters often require the collaboration of multiple agencies into temporary supraorganizations. However, little is known about the boundary spanning activities that influence this collaboration. Based on 39 semistructured interviews with senior emergency management practitioners spanning organizational boundaries, this paper proposes a typology of boundary spanning activities for emergency management. Embracing these activities may address some of the challenges associated with the collaboration of multiple agencies in a disaster.
International interdependence of an emerging market: the case of Iran

In this study the interdependence between Iran, its major trading partners and the United States is investigated using vector autoregression, generalized impulse response function and generalized variance decomposition techniques, introduced by Pesaran and Shin (1998). These techniques have an advantage over the commonly used impulse response and variance decomposition procedures in that they are insensitive to the ordering of the countries considered and hence, they produce more reliable results. The countries included in the sample, besides Iran are, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Italy and the United States. The direction, strength, durability and stability of the effect of shocks in one market on the return patterns of the other markets are examined. The findings are 4-fold. First, the effect of past own market shocks on current behaviour is significant, beyond the first month, in most cases. Second, the own effect is stronger for the emerging markets such as Iran and Brazil, than the industrialized countries. Third, cross-country effects are short-lived for Brazil, Korea and Japan, but durable in the case of Iran, Germany, Spain and the United States. Fourth, in terms of breadth and strength, cross-country effects exhibit differential degrees of interdependence and asymmetry. The observed lack of integration between the Iranian market and the industrialized world makes it less vulnerable to the effect of shocks in the latter countries but it also deprives it from the flow of funds that could spur economic development and growth.
English-Language Proficiency and Occupational Risk Among Hispanic Immigrant Men in the United States

We use data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, and the 2000 U.S. decennial census to analyze how occupational risk relates to the earnings of Hispanic immigrant men. Our findings indicate that those with limited English-language fluency received significantly higher compensating wages in unsafe jobs than their English-fluent counterparts. The larger occupational-risk premiums accrued by limited-English-proficient (LEP) foreign-born Hispanic men also hold when further including U.S.-born Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White men in the sample. These findings are consistent with underlying differences in preferences toward wages versus safety between LEP and English-proficient workers and/or differences in coverage under formal workers compensation programs, perhaps because undocumented workers (many of whom already faced hazardous conditions when migrating illegally to work in the United States) comprise a disproportionate share of the LEP. However, our data and methodologies do not allow us to determine whether these premiums adequately compensate the LEP for the occupational risk they undertake.
Are You Morally Modified?: The Moral Effects of Widely Used Pharmaceuticals

Abstract:A number of concerns have been raised about the possible future use of pharmaceuticals designed to enhance cognitive, affective, and motivational processes, particularly where the aim is to produce morally better decisions or behavior. In this article, we draw attention to what is arguably a more worrying possibility: that pharmaceuticals currently in widespread therapeutic use are already having unintended effects on these processes, and thus on moral decision making and morally significant behavior. We review current evidence on the moral effects of three widely used drugs or drug types: (i) propranolol, (ii) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and (iii) drugs that effect oxytocin physiology. This evidence suggests that the alterations to moral decision making and behavior caused by these agents may have important and difficult-to-evaluate consequences, at least at the population level. We argue that the moral effects of these and other widely used pharmaceuticals warrant further empirical research and ethical analysis.
Twitter Reveals: Using Twitter Analytics to Predict Public Protests

The right to protest is perceived as one of the primary civil rights. Citizens participate in mass demonstrations to express themselves and exercise their democratic rights. However, because of the large number of participants, protests may lead to violence and destruction, and hence can be costly. Thus, it is important to predict such demonstrations in advance to safeguard against such damages. Recent research has shown that about 75 percent of protests that are regarded as legal, are planned in advance. Twitter, the prominent micro-blogging website, has been used as a tool by protestors for planning, organizing, and announcing many of the recent protests worldwide such as those that led to the Arab Spring, Britain riots, and those against Mr. Trump after the presidential election in the U.S. In this paper, we aim to predict protests by means of machine learning algorithms. In particular, we consider the case of protests against the then-president-elect Mr. Trump after the results of the presidential election were announced in November 2016. We first identify the hashtags calling for demonstration from Trending Topics on Twitter, and download the corresponding tweets. We then apply four machine learning algorithms to make predictions. Our findings indicate that Twitter can be used as a powerful tool for predicting future protests with an average prediction accuracy of over 75 percent (up to 100 percent). We further validate our model by predicting the protests held in the U.S. airports after President Trump's executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim countries from entering the U.S. An important contribution of our study is the inclusion of event specific features for prediction purposes which helps to achieve high levels of accuracy.
Biomarkers to identify ILD and predict lung function decline in scleroderma lung disease or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND SSc-ILD and IPF demonstrate significant morbidity and mortality. Predicting disease progression is challenging in both diseases. OBJECTIVES We sought a serum biomarker that could identify patients with SSc-ILD or IPF and prospectively predict short-term decline in lung function in these patients. METHODS 10 healthy controls, 5 SSc w/o ILD, 6 SSc-ILD and 13 IPF patients underwent venesection. An array of cytokines including KL-6, SP-D and MMP7 were measured. PFTs were obtained at baseline and six months. Cytokine measurements were correlated with PFTs. RESULTS KL-6 in IPF patients (633 ng/ml, IQR 492-1675) was significantly elevated compared to controls (198 ng/ml, IQR 52-360, p<0.01) and SSc w/o ILD patients (192 ng/ml, IQR 0-524, p<0.05); KL-6 in SSc-ILD patients (836 ng/ml, IQR 431-1303) was significantly higher than in controls (p<0.05). SP-D was significantly higher in IPF patients (542 ng/ml, IQR 305-577) compared to controls (137 ng/ml, IQR 97-284, p<0.01) or to SSc w/o ILD patients (169 ng/ml, IQR 137-219, p<0.05). In comparison with controls (0.0 ng/ml, IQR 0.0-0.6), MMP7 was significantly higher in both IPF patients (2.85 ng/ml, IQR 1.5-3.6, p<0.05) and SSc-ILD patients (5.41 ng/ml, IQR 2.6-7.2, p<0.001). Using a cut-off level of 459ng/ml for KL-6 and of 1.28 ng/ml for MMP7, 18 out of 19 patients with ILD had a serum value of either KL-6 or MMP7 above these thresholds. For all ILD patients, baseline serum SP-D correlated with ΔFVC %pred over six months (r=-0.63, p=0.005, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.24). CONCLUSIONS Combining KL-6 with MMP7 may be a useful screening tool for patients at risk of ILD. SP-D may predict short-term decline in lung function.
Chinese Perceptions on Website Design Quality

As internet is rapidly growing and globalizing, it is crucial for internet companies to know preferential differences of regional customers to their websites. China is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and internet in China is very promising. This study investigates Chinese perceptions of website design quality by examining Chinese websites of four different industries. Website design quality factors developed by Zhang and her colleagues are adopted and used as criteria for ranking Chinese perceptions. A pilot study is performed and the initial findings are reported.