Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NETWORK ANALYSIS OF TOURISM EVENTS: AN APPROACH TO IMPROVE MARKETING PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Farmers' markets have recently emerged as a new tourism event around the globe. Yet, little information is known about them. This article explores the network of stakeholders associated with farmers' markets through a qualitative analysis over a period of time of an Australian farmers' market. Multiple methods of data collection were used to build a case study of the farmers' market. The findings highlight the acute need for this farmers' market, and potentially many others that are similar, to strategically establish an appropriate and effective network of stakeholders for both organizational longevity and tourism sustainability.
Improving network connectivity using trusted nodes and edges

Network connectivity is a primary attribute and a characteristic phenomenon of any networked system. A high connectivity is often desired within networks; for instance to increase robustness to failures, and resilience against attacks. A typical approach to increasing network connectivity is to strategically add links; however adding links is not always the most suitable option. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach to improving network connectivity, that is by making a small subset of nodes and edges “trusted,” which means that such nodes and edges remain intact at all times and are insusceptible to failures. We then show that by controlling the number of trusted nodes and edges, any desired level of network connectivity can be obtained. Along with characterizing network connectivity with trusted nodes and edges, we present heuristics to compute a small number of such nodes and edges. Finally, we illustrate our results on various networks.
Rising Earnings Inequality in Sweden: The Role of Composition and Prices

This paper decomposes the rise in cross-sectional earnings inequality in Sweden between 1990 and 2002 into changes in market prices of observable characteristics, changes in the composition of the labor force across demographic groups and industries, and changes in unobservables, and compares the Swedish experience with that in the U.S. The rise in earnings inequality is in both countries a consequence of rising upper tail dispersion. Contrary to the U.S. experience, where the rise is largely driven by changing market prices of observables and increased residual dispersion, shifts in the Swedish labor force composition have contributed positively to the rise in the P90-P50 gap. The rise in the Swedish P99-P90 gap is however entirely accounted for by changes in prices and residual dispersion.
Using SNR to Improve Multi-Hop Routing

This paper analyzes the use of link quality, based on the signal to noise ratio, as a metric to improve routing in multi-hop wireless networks. We compare the behavior and performance with those of other approaches, namely a simple minimum-hop selection process, as well as the expected transmission count (ETX) metric, which has recently gathered relevant attention from the scientific community. We use a simulation based analysis, but we account for a realistic channel model, able to mimic the Gray Zones effect, which has been proven to have a great impact on wireless-based communications in general and over multi-hop topologies in particular. The results show that important improvements can be brought about by making use of the proposed metric to enhance route selection procedures.
Evaluations of Swedish Labor Market Policy

Sweden has for a long time spent large resources on labor market policies targeted to the unemployed. In the Anglo-Saxon labor economics literature new methods have been developed for the purpose of estimating the effects of such policies. This paper presents the new methods in this field and describes the main studies of Swedish labor market policies. The conc1usion is that in spite of new methodological insight there remains much uncertainty about the effects of the Swedish policy experiment.
Mycofumigation through production of the volatile DNA-methylating agent N-methyl-N-nitrosoisobutyramide by fungi in the genus Muscodor

Antagonistic microorganisms produce antimicrobials to inhibit the growth of competitors. Although water-soluble antimicrobials are limited to proximal interactions via aqueous diffusion, volatile antimicrobials are able to act at a distance and diffuse through heterogeneous environments. Here, we identify the mechanism of action of Muscodor albus, an endophytic fungus known for its volatile antimicrobial activity toward a wide range of human and plant pathogens and its potential use in mycofumigation. Proposed uses of the Muscodor species include protecting crops, produce, and building materials from undesired fungal or bacterial growth. By analyzing a collection of Muscodor isolates with varying toxicity, we demonstrate that the volatile mycotoxin, N-methyl-N-nitrosoisobutyramide, is the dominant factor in Muscodor toxicity and acts primarily through DNA methylation. Additionally, Muscodor isolates exhibit higher resistance to DNA methylation compared with other fungi. This work contributes to the evaluation of Muscodor isolates as potential mycofumigants, provides insight into chemical strategies that organisms use to manipulate their environment, and provokes questions regarding the mechanisms of resistance used to tolerate constitutive, long-term exposure to DNA methylation.
Beyond the Disciplinary Role of Governance: How Boards Add Value to Spanish Foundations

Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, C/Padre Julio Chevalier 2, 47012Valladolid, SpainCorresponding author email: meromero@uemc.esDue to the signiﬁcant role of non-proﬁt organizations in the development of modernsocieties, these organizations must adjust their boardrooms. Since traditional theoriesof corporate governance appear to be limited in explaining the changing non-proﬁtworld, we propose an extended model of governance that integrates the traditionalarguments of agency theory with a cognitive dimension. Based on a sample of Spanishfoundations, we present evidence on the eﬀect of the board composition on foundations’organizational eﬃciency. We show that board size and independence do not have adeﬁnitive eﬀect on the entity’s eﬃciency. Instead, the knowledge diversity inside theboardroom and the active character of trustees have a positive inﬂuence on resourceallocation. The cognitive dimension of the extended model of governance is critical toexplaining how boards impact on organizational performance.
Smooth transition for CPG-based body shape control of a snake-like robot

This paper presents a locomotion control based on central pattern generator (CPG) of a snake-like robot. The main point addressed in this paper is a method that produces a smooth transition of the body shape of a snake-like robot. Body shape transition is important for snake-like robot locomotion to adapt to different space widths and also for obstacle avoidance. By manipulating the phase difference of the CPG outputs instantly, it will results in a sharp point or discontinuity which lead to an unstable movement of the snake-like robot. To tackle the problem, we propose a way of controlling the body shape: by incorporating activation function in the phase oscillator CPG model. The simplicity of the method promises an easy implementation and simple control. Simulation results and torque analysis confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control method and thus, can be used as a locomotion control in various potential applications of a snake-like robot.
GPF: GMM-Inspired Feature-Preserving Point Set Filtering

Point set filtering, which aims at reconstructing noise-free point sets from their corresponding noisy inputs, is a fundamental problem in 3D geometry processing. The main challenge of point set filtering is to preserve geometric features of the underlying geometry while at the same time removing the noise. State-of-the-art point set filtering methods still struggle with this issue: some are not designed to recover sharp features, and others cannot well preserve geometric features, especially fine-scale features. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for robust feature-preserving point set filtering, inspired by the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). Taking a noisy point set and its filtered normals as input, our method can robustly reconstruct a high-quality point set which is both noise-free and feature-preserving. Various experiments show that our approach can soundly outperform the selected state-of-the-art methods, in terms of both filtering quality and reconstruction accuracy.
Effect of mood and food cues on body image in women with bulimia and controls.

OBJECTIVE The present study evaluated body image assessment and cue reactivity in women with bulimia and controls in response to neutral, mood, and food cues in isolation, and mood and food cues in combination. METHOD Subjects were 7 women with bulimia nervosa and 8 control women. Food cues were individualized high-risk/favorite foods. Low mood was elicited using the Musical Mood Induction Procedure. Order of cue presentation was random across subjects. Body image and cue reactivity were assessed using a computer version of the silhouette method and self-report ratings, respectively. RESULTS Women with bulimia consistently rated their current body as being larger and their body image satisfaction as being lower than control women. In addition, women with bulimia differentially rated their current body and a picture of a healthy weight woman as being larger following exposure to food and/or mood cues. Ratings of ideal body were differentially affected by mood cues for control women. Ratings of body satisfaction were not affected by cue presentation. Mere presentation of high-risk foods in the absence of eating was sufficient to elicit urges to binge in women with bulimia. DISCUSSION Body size estimation is not only affected by enduring characteristics (i.e., bulimia nervosa), but also more transient factors such as short-term exposure to salient food and mood cues.
Molecular Characterization of Two Members of the T‐Type Calcium Channel Family

ABSTRACT: In this chapter we review our recent studies on the cloning of two novel cDNAs (α1G and α1H), and present electrophysiological evidence that they encode low voltage‐activated, T‐type calcium channels (CavT.1 and CavT.2, respectively). The nucleotide sequences of these T channels are very different from high voltage‐activated Ca2+ channels, which explains why they were not cloned earlier using homology‐based strategies. We used a bioinformatic approach, cloning the first fragment in silico. We then used this fragment to screen human heart and rat brain λgt10 libraries, leading to the cloning of two full‐length cDNAs derived from distinct genes (CACNA1G and CACNA1H). The deduced amino acid sequences of the T channels (α1G and α1H) are also very different from previously cloned Ca2+ and Na+ channels; however, there are regions of structural similarity. For example, the T channels also contain four repeats, and within each repeat there are six putative membrane‐spanning regions and a pore loop. Expression of these cloned channels in either Xenopus oocytes or HEK‐293 cells leads to the formation of typical T‐type currents. As observed for native T currents, these channels activate at potentials near the resting membrane potential, inactivate rapidly, deactivate slowly, and have a tiny single‐channel conductance. The currents generated by α1G and α1H are nearly identical in terms of their voltage dependence and kinetics. We present preliminary evidence that nickel may serve as a valuable tool in discriminating between these subtypes.
Response to Michael Gentile ‘Mass Privatisation, Unemployment and Mortality’

WE WELCOME THE COMMENTS ON OUR ARTICLE (Stuckler et al. 2009c) by Professor Gentile (2012) as it gives us yet another opportunity to clarify our position on the relationship between mass privatisation programmes and the post-communist mortality crisis, and once again raises the issue of how to explain the millions of premature deaths that accompanied the transition from socialism to capitalism. First, we would like to address the claim that our central argument—that rapid mass privatisation was related to short-term adult mortality—is ‘counter-intuitive’. For someone familiar with the functioning of the Soviet economy and the experience of privatisation, like most of the readers of this journal, the fact that mass privatisation seems to have had an effect on working age mortality should come as no surprise at all. In fact, what would be counter-intuitive would be if it did not have an impact on mortality. Almost all readers of this journal will know about the central role that the Soviet-era firm played in the lives of most people, providing a wide range of social support including healthcare, education, childcare, and vacations, among other things. Second, they will also know that the Soviet-era firms suffered from overemployment, as the lack of hard budget constraints meant that every worker, no matter how inefficient, would have his or her wage covered. Combined with the Soviet commitment to full employment, workers essentially had no fear of unemployment. Third, readers will know how truly radical was the mass privatisation programme that was the subject of the critique in our paper. These policies, by giving away or selling, for a nominal sum, ‘vouchers’ that could be used to privatise state enterprises, achieved a breathtaking speed of privatisation. For example, in Russia this programme helped privatise 80% of the enterprise sector in only two years. Margaret Thatcher, seen by many as the archetypal privatiser, privatised only 31 companies and that took 11 years, in a country with perhaps the most experienced investor class in the world. Yet Russia had no domestic investor class or established business infrastructure. Mass privatisation, moreover, would create owners with no capital, no experience, no connections, and no capacity to monitor firm insiders. Given the EUROPE-ASIA STUDIES Vol. 64, No. 5, July 2012, 949–953
The Impact of Bestseller Rank on Demand: Evidence from the App Market

This article uses daily data on the ranking by sales of the top 100 apps sold through Apple’s App Store to provide evidence of the causal impact of today’s bestseller rank information on tomorrow’s demand. The estimates indicate that the willingness to pay of consumers is about $4.50 greater for a top ranked app than for the same unranked app. The results also indicate that the effects of bestseller status on willingness to pay decline steeply with rank at the top ranks, but remain economically significant for the apps in the first half of the top 100 list.
Scale for Suicide Ideation: psychometric properties of a self-report version.

A self-report version of the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) was administered to 50 inpatients diagnosed with mixed DSM-III psychiatric disorders and 55 outpatients with affective disorders. The self-report SSI was written for both paper-and-pencil and computer administration. The correlations between the self-reported and clinically rated versions for both inpatients and outpatients were greater than . 90, which suggests strong concurrent validity. The Cronbach coefficient alphas for the paper-and-pencil and computer versions were also in the . 90s and indicated high internal consistency. Furthermore, the mean SSI scores of the computer version for both the inpatients and outpatients were higher than the mean SSI scores of the clinical ratings; the patients described more severe suicide ideation than clinicians reported.
Evaluation of knowledge, experience and perceptions about medical emergencies amongst dental graduates (Interns) of Belgaum City, India

Introduction: Medical emergencies can occur frequently in dental setting. Effective management of an emergency situation in the dental office is ultimately the dentist’s responsibility. The lack of training and inability to cope with medical emergencies can lead to tragic consequences and sometimes legal action. For this reason, all health professionals including dentists must be well prepared to attend to medical emergencies. Providing basic life support [BLS] is dentist’s most important contribution until definitive treatment for a medical emergency can be given. Hence the study is aimed to assess the dental graduates (Interns) knowledge, skills and competency regarding dentistry-medical emergency interface. Method: Data were collected from 105 Interns of two dental colleges of Belgaum City using a structured questionnaire consisting of 7 item questionnaire (6 closed and 1 open ended). Results: Overall in all the years, syncope / faint was seen by 40.9% of the respondents, 37.1% with hypoglycemic attacks, allergic reactions by 17.1%, epileptic attacks by 7.6%, asthmatic attacks by 4.5% and angina 0.9%. The frequencies of the emergencies encountered were once or even more. Knowledge of the presence of drugs and equipments in the emergency drug kit and the confidence in regard to use them was low. Medical emergencies training were undertaken by 42% respondents, but in varying degrees. There was a desire for further medical emergencies training by majority of respondents. Conclusion: The study showed that syncope is the commonest medical emergency event. Dental graduates had a superficial knowledge of medical emergencies, drugs and equipments. Emphasis is placed on the need for more medical emergencies training to be offered, to increase knowledge and confidence of dental graduates (Interns) in the management of medical emergencies. Key words:Medical emergencies, dental graduates, basic life support, emergency drugs.
Monitoring Effects of the Internal Audit Function: Agency Theory Versus Other Explanatory Variables

This study investigates (1) whether agency variables are associated with the relative size of the internal audit function (IAF); (2) whether the IAF is complementary to other monitoring mechanisms such as independent board members and an active audit committee; and (3) the impact of the control environment on the relative size of the IAF. We use data from a sample of Belgian firms. We find evidence of a monitoring role for the IAF in corporate governance. Specifically, the relative IAF size is positively related to management share ownership. Also, we find evidence for a substitution effect between independent board members and the IAF. Finally, it turns out that a supportive control environment also has a positive impact on the relative size of the IAF. Our results can benefit companies interested in assessing the current size of their IAF and the role that it can play in corporate governance.
Insurance Stock Prices Following the 1994 Los Angeles Earthquake

This study examines the changes in insurance firm value following the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake. While prior studies found that the 1989 San Francisco earthquake was associated with an increase in earthquake insurers’ firm value, the findings of this study indicate that earthquake firms sustained their value following the 1994 earthquake. These results and their implications provide insight for investors, regulators, and other policymakers as regards future earthquakes.
Swedish Corporate Governance and Value Creation: Owners Still in the Driver's Seat

The purpose of the article is to outline some key characteristics of the Swedish corporate governance system and to highlight some of its important historical roots. The ambition is also to relate and compare Sweden in that respect to some other countries. Hopefully, this article will also help the international corporate governance community to better understand some of the Swedish particulars. Copyright (c) 2007 The Author; Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Comparison of Instream Methods for Measuring Hydraulic Conductivity in Sandy Streambeds

Streambed hydraulic conductivity (K) values were determined at seven stream transects in the Platte River Basin in Nebraska using different instream measurement techniques. Values were compared to determine the most appropriate technique(s) for use in sandy streambeds. Values of K determined from field falling‐ and constant‐head permeameter tests analyzed using the Darcy equation decreased as permeameter diameter increased. Seepage meters coupled with hydraulic gradient measurements failed to yield K values in 40% of the trials. Consequently, Darcy permeameter and seepage meter tests were not preferred approaches. In the upper 0.25 m of the streambed, field falling‐ and constant‐head permeameter tests analyzed with the Hvorslev solution generally had similar K values that were significantly greater than those determined using the Hazen grain‐size, Bouwer and Rice slug test for anisotropic and isotropic conditions, and Alyamani and Sen grain‐size methods; median differences between these tests and the Hvorslev falling‐head 60 cm diameter permeameter were about 8, 9, 17, and 35 m/day, respectively. The Hvorslev falling‐head permeameter test is considered the most robust method for measuring K of the upper 0.25 m of the streambed because of the inherent limitations of the empirical grain‐size methods and less sediment disturbance for permeameter than slug tests. However, lateral variability in K along transects on the Platte, North Platte, and Wood Rivers was greater than variability in K between valid permeameter, grain‐size, or slug tests, indicating that the method used may matter less than making enough measurements to characterize spatial variability adequately. At the Platte River tributary sites, the upper 0.3 m of the streambed typically had greater K than sediment located 0.3 to 2.5 m below the streambed surface, indicating that deposits below the streambed may limit ground water/surface water fluxes. The Hvorslev permeameter tests are not a practical measurement approach for these greater depths. Thus, selection of a method for measuring streambed K needs to consider the vertical location of the sediments that are most likely to limit the rate of ground water/surface water interaction.
A PALATOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATION OF PLACE OF ARTICULATION IN KOREAN CORONAL OBSTRUENTS

Abstract. This study uses static palatography to determine articulatory positions for coronal obstruents, for five native speakers of Seoul Korean in their twenties. For four of the speakers, affricates are consistently articulated slightly further back on the teeth than stops. However, stops, affricates and fricatives all show contact patterns in the denti-alveolar region. These results may reflect a shift in place of articulation of affricates from post-alveolar to denti-alveolar, for younger speakers of Korean. Gender differences are not observed for contact patterns on the palate, but contact patterns on the tongue do vary with gender. Female speakers in this study use laminal articulations, while male speakers use apico-laminal ones. The plain-aspirated-tense distinction does not affect articulatory measures of place of articulation, or amount of tongue-palate contact, implying that the lax-aspirated-tense distinction need not necessarily involve concomitant place distinctions.
A Methodological Contribution to Measuring Skill (Mis)Match

Researchers have long expressed their discontent with the existing measures of skill mismatch. This paper argues that traditional measures cannot fully capture the essence of an inherently multidimensional and job‐specific concept such as skill mismatch. An empirical job‐based methodology is proposed that classifies the types of skill (mis)matches based on performance of core skills and supplementary skills. The proposed methodology is tested on a sample of 600 Portuguese retail bankers. The results support the job‐specific nature of skills. The differentiated distribution of skill (mis)match by job is a significant determinant of earnings among the sampled retail bankers.